Favorite Place in the Bay Area

It depends. Favorite 4 what? For going out? For gettting a cup of coffee? For catching a flick?

I mean the place you would take you best friend if to show them why you loved this place so much?

That's a hard one 4 me. I grew up here. It would have 2 b somewhere in either Berkeley or SF. Where would you take them?

When I first came here way back in the early 90's it was Telgraph that did it for me. When I saw all those people in the coffe houses reading and talking and living that sort of life of the mind and body, I was hooked. Right then I knew I had to find a way of ending up here!

Yeah, I can see how that might appeal. I love it. My friends who are from the suburbs here though find it a little intimidating. Too many homeless people, too much activity, too many crazies!

I guess if I were trying to get someone hooked on NorCal I would take them to Columbus Ave. in the city--great food, great coffee houses, great architecture and weather and everything is in walking distance. Can't beat that area. Even squares like some of my suburban friends love it there and feel safe.

Yeah Columbus is nice but Fisherman's Wharf is just for tourists. The only time I ever go there anymore is when someone visiting demands to go.

No kidding! Tourist city, expensive parking, overpriced everything and pretty boring once you've been there once or twice! Not the real SF at all!

i am going to amend my former statement. may b instead of Columbus--which is also kind of touristy i would take them to Golden Gate Park and the Haight. that would give them a better sense of what SF is all about.

u know--all the history and a feeling for what the people who actually live in the area are like. more than half of every body over on Columbus is from outa town. u can tell by how often u hear the word "Frisco" there. yikes! like fingernails on a chalkboard!

Yeah, there are a lot of out-of-towners but theres a lot in Haight too and pretty much all over the city--except maybe in the Mission District.

I know this is a little bit of navel gazing but I must say that I really love my own little town of Orinda. When I was in college, I used to deliver pizzas here and I always thought that this would be a great place to live, but I never actually thought that I would get to do it. Now that I live here, even with all of the woody problems that comes from living here, I still love it.

I have never been to Orinda (or even heard of it before a few weeks ago), but I would definately say that I love the Potrero Hill area--and, of course, the Legion of Honor.

I love the Legion of Honor too--and, of course the DeYoung!

I've just gotten here, but I really like the Wharf and North Beach!

Your really must be new if you still like the Wharf with all the tourists and everything. I agree with you though that North Beach is great. Especially the restaurants on Columbus like the Stinking Rose.

Is it not cool to like the Wharf? What's wrong with it?

I would go to Crissy Field for sure, do some hiking in the redwoods, party in North Beach, the Mission, or SOMA, and check out Santa Cruz for the beach life. If we were doing SF specifically, I would probably hit Union Square, Dolores Park, and drive over the GG Bridge. It may also be cool to drive through Silicon Valley, just to see the IT companies in their environment (my parents particularly enjoyed this when they visited).

Fisherman's Wharf is rather touristy, which is an automatic turnoff for locals. I actually enjoy visiting it, although it is not something I need to do very frequently. I would probably add it to my list.

To me, the appeal to the SF Bay Area is not so much in one specific favorite place over another, but in the diversity of environments that exist in such a small, contained area. You truly can get whatever you want!

The Wharf is overrun with tourists - if Union Square is the 5th Avenue of San Francisco, then the Wharf is Times Square. I actually somewhat enjoy the overpriced food and overrun stores, if for no other reason than I feel like I am on vacation when I'm there.

However, I'm always happy to leave, too.

Sometimes the best vacation is the one where you can sleep in that hotel called home.

Another nice place, though a bit touristy is Sausalito on the otherside of the Golden Gate. I remember in college, my friends dad took us to a steak place there that was really great. Unfortunately I have no recollection of the name.

@Flowergirl - Stinking Rose? That is so cheesy. North Beach offers so many other better restaurants that are more authentic Italian than The Stinking Rose. Steps of Rome Cafe and Cafe DeLucchi are fantastic Italian food that is reasonably priced.
@IpanemaGirlSF - the Wharf is neat when you first move here. Because it has a lot of things to see and do and that's why tourists like it too. But after a year or so here and after several trips to Alcatraz and Pier 39 from when visitors come, you will get tired of it just like @NightOwlInOrinda and @Flowergril have. I have to say that I live in North Beach and I just visited the Wharf a few weeks ago due to some visitors and I hadn't been to Pier 39 in a long long time. They really enjoyed it. Especially the sea lions which you can't get anywhere else in SF.

My favorite place to take people is Sonoma, Half Moon Bay or Carmel by the Sea or the Mystery Spot in Santa Cruz. But in terms of the city, I think North Beach is the best place that encapsulates the beauty of the city in terms of Washington Square Park, St. Peter and Paul Church, the restaurants and the alfresco dining along Columbus and let's not forget the famous Cafe Trieste and the City Lights Book store; or the Trans America Building and Niebaum Coppola's restaurant Zeotrope where Interview with a Vampire was filmed at the top. Chinatown is pretty cool too and cheesy at the same time.

@Tracypie - Good call on Sonoma, Half Moon Bay, and Carmel. Even Mystery Spot is fun, but it is SOOOO cheesy. It does have that very Northern California Redwood feel though, which is very cool and characteristic of the place. I went there with my parents a few months back and my dad kept shaking his head at the skewed physics and saying that they were just pulling our legs. Hmm.

Sonoma is great for wine tasting - I haven't been to Napa for that specific purpose but I do know that Sonoma is cheaper and a bit more down-to-earth. It is also great for coastal access and redwood action.

Haven't spent too much time in Half Moon Bay but it has that cute, secluded beach feel to it. Carmel-by-the-Sea has a similar vibe and is very posh, but there is great food, art and biking. I also like Monterey for sea lions.

I am definitely on board for Half Moon Bay and Carmel and Monterey as well (the aquirium is great there). 17 mile drive is great for seeing coast and sea lions--really well worth it. I also love the north coast up to Point Reyes.

But I don't know how I missed it being here for 20 years, but what is The Mystery Spot? I've never even heard of it. It's an outdoor place? (Evidently I'm the one they have been keeping it secret from.)

Hahaha, I guess it's lived up to its name, then! The Mystery Spot is a weird, trippy little place in the Santa Cruz redwoods, about two miles from town. There was a house there constructed on a fault line that was destroyed from an earthquake, I think, and is now off its foundation. As a result, people balance sideways, balls roll uphill, and other weird feats of physics occur.

Whether it is a strange physical magnetic feature or optical illusion is up to the visitor. Either way, you can pay $5 a head for the 30-minute tour and an additional $5 to park at the place. The tour is pretty good albeit a bit goofy, and there is a decent hiking trail on the premises. I can think of worse ways to spend an afternoon.

http://www.mysteryspot.com/prices.shtml