I admit it. I read the CSAA’s Via Travel Magazine. This month they had a feature on ‘hidden” things to do in San Francisco, and that got me thinking: what’s on their list, and what would be on mine. Here are some fun, unusual things to do in San Francisco –

  1. Japanese Tea Garden. Located in Golden Gate park this is a great place to stop mid-way during a busy tourist day, for a moment of relaxation and contemplation. Be sure to “feed the squirrels as they’ll come right up to you while you’re drinking tea and enjoying a snack.
  2. Mount Sutro Open Space. This is owned by UCSF and is worth the drive or hike up. Near Twin peaks, and a great window on what the pre-human San Francisco might have been like. After the most recent Planet of the Apes movie, perhaps it is our future, too. Unusual Things to do in San Franicisco
  3. 16th Avenue Tiled Steps. This one in the Via magazine was new to me. (16th between Moraga and Noriega Streets) is an amazing mini-Lombard street. I’ve got to go check it out.
  4. Cartoon Art Museum. This is not far from the convention center and Yerba Buena center for the arts.
  5. Gordo’s Burrito. Really, really worth it if you love burritos. They have a Berkeley location, too, and being a UC Berkeley person, I transferred my love of their amazing carnitas burrito from Berkeley to San Francisco. I have to say that the Bay Area catering is really something else though, the variety and quality of food available is really second to none, it’s definitely worth a visit.
  6. Seal Rock / Seal Beach / Sutro Baths. One of my favorite places to visit It will be cold, there will be wind, but there will be seals and surf and the relics of the Sutro baths. Take a hike down to the ruins, and then hike up on the south side. Some really weird graffiti will await you.

Those are a few of my favorite places in San Francisco, spurred to mind by Via magazine. If you are a native to the San Francisco Bay Area, what would you recommend? If you are a tourist, what are the quirky places you found? San Francisco is a city of a million faces, and I am always finding something new.