Missed Direction

Connecting A to B from S to F and the Bay Area.

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Theme - Coffee

Good coffee, got it.

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Theme - Cinema/Film/Video

Here is a map of interesting cinemas, film archives and video around.  Also if you're a film buff here is a list of movie scenes and comprehensive list of films shot in SF. 

Here is the list of free films this summer around the city. 

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Theme - Beer

Here is a map of good beer.  I wouldn't recommend doing it in one day for so many reasons, but it's more of a guide of where they are, that they exist and if you fancy it. 

And if there is not enough here is a list of new up and coming beer spots. 

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Day 4 - Golden Gate Park

Note of warning : You'll probably want a bike for this day - there's an app call 'SpinLister' if you can't borrow one somewhere else. 

Breakfast : Eddie's Cafe is classic diner food, cheap airing on greasy but amazing - you'll probably get a Barbara Streisand mug for your unlimited diner coffee. If you're feeling more into nice coffee and toast there is The Mill down the road - as featured on the This American Life episode (also later you can go to Trouble Coffee too). Head up onto Haight Street to the Haight-Ashbury area and go to Buffalo Exchange, it's a chain thrift store, but usually has good things. If you're planning for the whole day, a food option is the deli sandwiches at the Haight Ashbury Market are good value.   Further along the street towards the park is Wasteland - the vintage stuff is at the back, don't get confused by the new stuff at the front. Wasteland is more expensive but is more curated.  At the end of Haight, across the road from the park and Whole Foods is Amoeba Records, it's huge and infamous, they also have free live shows sometimes.  Then after that you can head to De Young museum, if you like the look of the exhibition pay to go in. If you don't but just want to check out the building you can go in and then go to the right and go up the elevator to the viewing platform that's really cool for free.  If you're hungry there is Arizmendi Bakery, just outside the park near the De Young, that has a daily pizza and other bakery treats - cooperatively owned and organic.  

Now ride into the park to Stow Lake, where you can rent paddle boats. It's fun to go around for an hour and have picnic. There are lots of turtles and ducks.

Follow the bike path towards the beach to the Bison paddock, the are pretty cool animals. 

After that head towards the beach and the ruins of Sutro Baths at the top of the cliff, beautiful ocean view. Finish off your long ride with a Trouble Coffee.  And if you're feeling completely beat, remember that you can put bikes on the front of Muni Buses and get a ride home. 

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Day 3 - Mission District

Start your day at Fourbarrel Coffee, hipster but good coffee shop in a converted warehouse. On this street around here are some nice but expensive shops, next door is no. which is a surprising well priced curated vintage clothes store.  Walk up Valencia Street to Clothes Contact, another vintage clothes store - prices are done by the pound. Further up Valencia is Community Thrift, which is brightly colored, non-profit vintage store.  Down the side of the Community Thrift building is Clarion Alley Murals, which is a constantly changing group of murals, which runs down the alley all the way to Mission Street. Across Mission Street from this alley is Thrift Town, which is a huge 2 storey thrift store.  

Head back up onto Valencia Street and walk for a couple of blocks to 826 Valencia, which is the Dave Eggers Pirate Shop. Next door to this is a curiosity shop called Paxton Gate - which has cool things like taxidermy, shells and plants.  On the other side of the road is Little Paper Planes, which is decent local crafts shop.  Further down Valencia is a Buffalo Exchange - a chain thrift store, but normally has some good things. A couple of doors up is Painted Bird is definitely a curated space, good clothes though. 

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Day 2 - Muir Woods & Golden Gate Bridge

Starting at the Palace of Fine Arts it's a historic park and theatre situated in the Marina District. The Marina is now known for it's prevalence of soccer mom's in yoga pants jogging their stroller bound children to the nail salon and of course fraternity bros From there walk or bike ride to Crissy Field's where SFMOMA's Mark di Suvero sculptures reverberate on the backdrop of the Golden Gate Bridge

Then follow the path up onto the bridge and continue down onto the other side to Sausalito. Sausalito is a strange European style tourist trap, Jack Kerouac jokes in On The Road that it's filled with Italians. So it's only fitting that I recommend going to Golden Gate Market on the left before you get into the town, to get a cheap but amazing fresh salami sandwich. From Sausalito you get the 66 Marin Transit bus to Muir Woods (it's $5 and you pay that when you get to the woods with a park entry fee), the catch is that is only runs March to October and only on weekends and holidays. If dates that the bus is running doesn't work out there are other public transport options, but they are a bit more complicated. Once in Muir Woods, obviously check out the spectacular thousand year old trees, then make your way to the secret (not so secret) Nature Friends Tourist Club German bar for a mid-hike beer. Check the last bus of the day though, as depending on the season it's early. After coming back to Sausalito, you catch the ferry back to San Francisco. Bikes are welcome and this is where your Clipper card comes in handy as it's much cheaper than buying a ticket from the machine. Also as a side note if you don't make it to Muir Woods but are in Sausalito, there is an amazing sustainable restaurant called Fish and nearby is the Heath Ceramics original factory.The bike paths are well signed and on the way you see some amazing DIY style houseboats.

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Day 1 - Downtown & Castro

Start out at the Ferry Building, where you can get local food and wears, there is also an outdoor market some days too - it's not the cheapest but you're paying for location and quality. There is a Blue Bottle Coffee if you're Australian coffee drinker.   A few wharves up is the Exploratorium, which is a science curiosities museum. Something that is striking about the museum is that most exhibits are handmade in house. Tickets aren't cheap but they have free days and cheaper Thursday evenings.      Keep walking along the front of the bay till you get to Musee Mecanique, which is an arcade full of games dating back to the 1920s that have been maintained - free entry, just quarters to play. This area is Fisherman's Wharf, touristy area that you should avoid at all costs apart from this. Near here you'll also find Pier 39, which is where the sea lions have been lounging since the 1989 Earthquake.They don't feed them but they just come onto the marina pontoons for the safe haven. Here is an amazing interpretation by Beth Knight.  

  After this walk around the corner to the F streetcar stop (outside of the Walgreens). It's the end of the line so you can get on anyone of them. They are collected from around the world. If you're feeling keen too there is a free streetcar museum a few stops up.  Stay on the F line until the end of the line, which ends up in the Castro. You know you're in the Castro when you see the rainbow flags. Get off and have a look around, head down Castro Street, past the theatre to the Harvey Milk original office and monument - look up is the mural looking out the window.  This is where you have two options. You can either go to Bi-Rite ice cream and get amazing organic ice cream or head up the hill to the Seward Street Slides, which are some fun concrete slides. You need some cardboard to slide down them, but they'll usually be some available there - strangely also check if they are open the day and time you want to go as close the gates.  If you decide to go to the Bi-Rite option, head across the road to Dolores Park and head to the top of the park (as writing this now I know that half the park is in construction). Hang out near the top of the park and there is a golden fire hydrant - this is gay beach. You get a beautiful view of the city.