San Francisco is my favorite city in the world, bar none.
I love NYC, I love Bali, and I love Buenos Aires, but SF is the place for me. And since I’ve been here for 10+ years, I get asked a lot: what should I do when I visit?
This post will highlight some of my favorite things.
Recently, I joined forces with InsideHook – the “essential lifestyle guide for adventurous and discerning men.” I’ll be their SF curator (and advisor), helping them find and share hidden gems in gadgets, food, outdoor adventure, and more. Subscribers get one hand-picked item per day via email. That’s it.
I encourage you to check it out here. At the very least, you’ll get an education in headlines, as their copywriters are amazing.
Now — onward!
Below is one of my ideal days in SF, planned out so everything is within close walking distance.
A Damn Fine Day
Activity: Blood-drawing and high-end diagnostics
Description: Visit one of Wellness FX’s labs for a blood drawing to produce an in-depth analysis of your state of health. Results offer a wide range of information, from cholesterol and hormone levels the to an analysis of your body’s electrolytes and vitamins.
Pricing: $29-$529+
Activity: Smoothies, juice blends and more at 21st/Valencia.
Description: SideWalk provides made-to-order juices, smoothies & kombucha juice blends that are as delicious as they are beneficial to your physical and mental health. Â My favorites? Â The “Green Machine” and the “Jake Shields,” named after the local UFC fighter (“The strongest kale drink in existence!”).
Pricing: $4.25-$7.00
Activity: Walking tour of two alleyways with notable graffiti artwork with Dan Pan. We focused on the Mission district.
Description: Guided walking tour with Dan Pan, founder of 1AM Gallery’s new street-art app. Â The app allows you to find nearby street art, as well as take pics and have users tell you the artist (very cool). Â Try Clarion Alley as a starting point, which is run by an artists’ collective.
Pricing: The 1AM app is free.
Activity: Indoor rock climbing
Description: Indoor rock climbing at Mission Cliffs, a sprawling gym located at 2295 Harrison St.
Pricing: $20-$160
Activity: Lunch at Salumeria
Description: Salumeria is a 20th St. deli and larder that marries the culinary traditions of Old World Italy with the trend-hopping foodie culture of contemporary San Francisco.
Pricing: $6-$17
Drinking!
Activity: Adult beverages with friends
Description: Enjoying social lubrication with new or old friends. A fine tradition as old as time. Some of my favorite spots include:
St. Vincent (Mission)
Hotel Biron (Downtown-ish, Hayes Valley)
Trick Dog (Mission; Disclosure: I’m an investor)
Bourbon and Branch (Tenderloin)
Pricing: Varies.
4 More Free Activities
Hawk Hill: where you can take a bike ride into our Cold War past.
Once upon a time, Fortress America dotted San Francisco’s hilltops with Nike missiles and radar outposts. Of course, those missiles were never fired — but you can still visit the rusted remnants of their vigilance if you bike up to the SF-87C radar outpost, the best-kept secret of the Marin Headlands coastline.
The Lands End Trail, where you’ll find the best maze in the Bay.
Truck up the Great Highway to stretch legs and strut your knowledge of the Sutro Baths. Hike up the Land’s End Trail from the ruins to the labyrinth at Eagle’s Point. It’s only a couple miles round trip, and damn fine panoramic views’ll be in serious supply.
California Cheese Trail: pairs well with Mission Cheese (below) or your vineyard of choice.
As an adult, your knowledge on cheese should surpass the realms of Lunchables and Easy Mac. Showing you the whey: the California Cheese Trail app from the folks at the Marin Agricultural Land Trust, available now for iPhone and Android. If you’re up for spending a few bucks on cheesy delights, visit Mission Cheese on Valencia.
The Bay Bridge’s long-awaited East Span.
The opening of the Bay Bridge’s new East Span has been years in the making, and now it’s officially open, welcoming pedestrians and cyclists of all stripes and offering exclusive access to Yerba Buena Island.
6 More Paid Activities
Vantigo:Â Tour beer breweries in a cherry-red VW Bus.
Indulge your nostalgia for simpler days with Vantigo, now offering tours of some of the Bay Area’s best microbreweries via a pristine ’71 VW Vanagon.
Pricing: $85 per person
Trumaker and Co.: Shirtmakers who come to you.
Restock your shirt library with Trumaker and Co., a custom shirtmaker with a highly mobile fleet of outfitters. It’s simple: you make an appointment, they send a tailor your way.
Pricing: from $98, free outfitter appointment
Boatbound. Because every man should own a boat…if only for a day.
Herein: your guide to using BoatBound, a new AirBnB-style boat rental service. SF Bay or Half Moon Bay?
Pricing: from $250 per day
Big Sur Roadhouse. The Big Sur getaway you’ve been looking for.
There’s a sprawling new Cajun restaurant in Big Sur. There are also some skinny-dip-friendly hot springs down the road. That gives you at least two good excuses to visit.
Pricing: from $50 per person
Mikkeller. It’s like a beer tour of Europe in a single bar.
The legend of Danish brewery Mikkeller has been growing across the pond for some time; they just opened their first North American alehouse in San Francisco.
Pricing: varies
Shelter Co.: Romantic private camping service with tent butlers.
Shelter Co. offers completely customized luxury camping experiences. You want tent butlers? They got tent butlers. You want a private island? They will rent you a private island.
Pricing: from $2000
Let’s Talk About This…
Want more activities, rare finds, and goodies? Sign up for InsideHook and let me know what you think. I’ll also choose one person who signs up for a 30-minute phone call with me.
Then what? How about you try my Pacific Northwest roadtrip from SF to Whistler? Damn, I love the Bay Area.
What’s your favorite city in the world, and what are your favorite 2-4 activities?
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Related Posts:
How to Live Like a Rock Star in Buenos Aires
How to Hack Tokyo for Less Than NYC
How to Travel Through 20+ Countries with Free Room and Board
How to Travel to Exotic, Expensive Cities on $50 a Day (e.g. Paris, Hong Kong)
The Tim Ferriss Show is one of the most popular podcasts in the world with more than one billion downloads. It has been selected for "Best of Apple Podcasts" three times, it is often the #1 interview podcast across all of Apple Podcasts, and it's been ranked #1 out of 400,000+ podcasts on many occasions. To listen to any of the past episodes for free, check out this page.
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I LOVE it. And I’m a GIRL. Bahahahahahahahaha!
Girls rock. ‘Nuff said, as my good man Logan would say.
I’m brand new to all you do. I found you thru my desire to get out of a 60 hour plus work week as a truck driver. I have 5 lucrative ideas to get me out of driving but little time to do physical work. Two of the ideas are in motion after listening to the 4 hour work week. One of the ideas got me into the small business class at Oswego State this weekend but they’re saying I’m in need of 100,000 at least for start up. It’s going to be like hotels.com only a different service no one has done yet. 3 successful people I have shared with are excited for me and believe I need to keep it quiet. This is going to be huge. Thanks for the inspiration. I am telling everyone I know to check your stuff out. I give drum lessons too btw if you want to add drumming to your list of things you can do. Have an amazing night.
Tim, I’m inspired to visit SF, especially as it gets cold here in Toronto. What time of year would you advise visiting?
My favorite city is Krakow, Poland. Just walking around the old market square and enjoying a cold beer does it for me.
Off topic, but Tim. You NEED to get a Vine account! It would be perfect for you to share the amazing things you do!
Good reminder. Thanks!
Just singed up for the site. It looks really clean, and I love the way the logo is designed. The Speak Easy Idea is really interesting as well, I think I’m going to try and find my way in.
I hope we have some similar posts coming of your other favorite cities 🙂
You should team up with travel channel, you could be the next Bourdain
Great post as always
Brent
That gets more and more excited to visit SF.
You once mentioned “House of Air” and how you recommend it to SF visitors! And definitely expected to see it on this list…have you forgotten it? or have you lost interest?
My favourite city is Vancouver, BC.
Where I was born and raised.
(I did live in Whistler for 10 years – but the city called me back).
Favourite things to do:
1) Hike up the trail “beside” the Grouse Grind – Called the BCMC trail, and then have a well deserved burger and beer at the top of Grouse Mountain overlooking the city.
2) Brunch at Fable. Only on Saturday and Sunday. Great local restaurant. On 4th Street, close to Burrard.
3) Walking the trails in and around Spanish Banks and the forest just above it.
4) Tinctured-infused drinks at the Keefer Bar. Gastown area. The owner and head bartender (a lovely lady I might add) makes tinctures from various Chinese herbs – the decor and bar is AMAZING!
4)
Really enjoyed it and hope for more SOON!
Another great post by the one and only
keep it up
Signed up AND excited to visit Mikeller. Did you know that dude made a beer partly with coffee beans eaten and pooped out by wild cats?
It’s funny, I’ve lived in a few places (Melbourne, Chicago, and Santa Monica) and I couldn’t rate any city as my favorite. Is it a city that make the memories or the people you invest your time with?
That being said, I’ll share 3 amazing things to do in New York City:
– Go to IBM’s THINK Exhibit. I was profoundly inspired by this Exhibit and realized I’d rather solve real problems with technology than simply trade my time for money/startup fame. Exhibit info: http://www.engadget.com/2011/09/30/ibms-think-exhibit-invades-nyc-aims-to-inspire-video/
– Go to any of the comedy clubs. FYI: Most comedy clubs advertise each night as a live taping of a Comedy Central special, it’s a lie, but still a lot of fun.
– Eat a meal at SkyLight diner (https://www.facebook.com/pages/Skylight-Diner/104709049604890).
My Favorite city is either Cuenca,Ecuador or as of July 2013…San Fransico. I went with the fam on a road trip starting from Ventura and must say San Fran is an amazing place. For those just driving through check out Haight-Ashbury (birth of hippie movement) to people watch, go to the docks to watch sea lions and drink Anchor Steam beer, or head north to wine country and check out the Gundlauch Bundschu Winery. All a great time.
White wine? I have never found a good bottle.
InsideHook is a great idea, I will definitely be signing up. I had never visited SF until 8 months ago when I joined AmeriCorps and flew out to Sacramento to start my service. When I went to SF for the first time I fell in love. I was only there for a weekend, but I had the time of my life and I can’t wait to go back, or hopefully even move there.
After visiting NYC, DC, Philly, Boston, San Antonio, Billings, SF, and many other cities, I can definitely say that SF is my favorite. I plan on going overseas during 2014, so maybe that will change. However, I live near DC and my favorite things to do there are bowl at Luck Strike Lanes, go to a Capitals or Nationals game, visit the Smithsonian museums, and watch street performers play music on buckets, shopping carts, etc.
Awesome suggestions!
Tenderloin district? You sure do like to live dangerously don’t you Tim?
Perfect timing on this post since I am in San Francisco for the weekend! Thanks Tim, both for this and for everything you do. You’ve made my life consistently better since 2008 when I read your “Live like a rockstar in Buenos Aires” post. I went to BA shortly thereafter for a month and the trip lived up to its promise. My work life was transformed by your first book, I’m down 35 pounds thanks to your second book and I am teaching my son to cook with your third book. You rock!
Thanks for the cool info Tim–I will have to check those out as I will be near San Fran doing a talk this Spring. I signed up for Inside Hook too–thanks!
Mike T Nelson
Wow, cool stuff. Looking forward to my first tip.
A favorite SF activity of mine is walking through the Ferry Building and treating it as a “tasting menu” by purchasing one item per shop. The wine bar there is cool enough to let you bring in foods from the various purveyors, and their wine by the glass list is killer.
Well Melbourne is my favorite city so far, I was born here, so without any delay my 3 favorite things, so far.
Drive a V8 supercar at sandown racetrack.
http://www.redballoon.com.au/driving-experiences/v8-experiences/sandown-raceway
Run a mock in the Queen Vic market ( Note: some things sold there, are of questionable virtue)
Go to Luna park and ride the 100 year old wooden roller coaster (No ones died… yet)
Inside Hook is ok. The articles don’t win me over with their writing and the ads everywhere trip me out.
My favorite city is Patong in Phuket. Riding motorbikes, swimming in the beautiful talay(ocean in Thai), hanging with locals and learning Thai, sanuk mak mak.
The only thing without mention was “empanada chilena”. I don’ t remember the name of the restaurant. But all the world have to try it. Thank you
I signed up for InsideHook. It’s a good concept and I’m going to give it a couple weeks, but so far I’m not too impressed with the content. The site design is excellent though! It looks like WordPress; I wish I knew what theme it was.
My favorite city is Austin. What’s not to love about Austin? The best activities are coffee by the lake at Mozart’s followed by dinner and a concert at Stubb’s BBQ.
Impeccable timing! I’m in SF this week… Might have to start with the adult beverages.
Intrigued by InsideHook. I signed up and can’t wait to get the next mailer. If you ever need any help with the beer side of things be sure to let me know (Mikel owes me a favor for helping him at a beer festival). I look forward to (hopefully) getting that half hour phone call.
Jeff
Excellent timing my good sir.
San Diego to San Fran in October and just gathering our “things to do” list. First off is a book launch/gathering for a new book out through the Napoleon Hill Foundation. Sandwich in some sightseeing. Ending with business meetings in SF area.
Chicago is a really fun city – a fav because of the familiarity I have of it now and the fun I have of showing it off to friends. Suggest places to go there when I hear of someone making the trek – whether they like it or not I guess.
Bicycle tour of downtown is a great way to see it and surprises you that a group can be safe riding through busy car filled streets.
River cruise during dusk is amazing. Architectural delights with lights.
Eating – holy crap. Where to begin? Too many to mention. A city full of delectable dining – not all completely slow carb. Save up your cheat days.
I enjoyed this article, Even though I haven’t been and have no desire to visit SF.
Unfortunately, Wellness FX is overly generous and IMO unscientific in their interpretations of basic labs. There really isn’t anything high end about this aside from their customer service. Maybe that’s why they are going out of business…
Love it Tim. Super inspired to visit SF now.
Been following your stuff for a while – lost about 40 pounds in 2 months on slow-carb diet when I was in grade 12 – nobody recognized me at grad! Now my whole family and friends are following all your stuff now too.
Great post Tim.
Hey Tim!
Thanks for stopping by Sidewalk Juice and for the mention. Glad to hear you are enjoying the Green Machine and Jake Shields juices.
Lina
Sidewalk Juice
Great post, comes in quite handy while planning for my SF trip! My question however is still: How long should I set aside to get a good feel of SF – are two weeks enough or should I stay 2 months? 🙂
I’ve not from SF but Mission Cliffs is what got me hooked on Rock Climbing. Iron Works is awesome too.
Just spent a wonderful week in San Francisco….did not include any of your suggestions….It is beautiful all by itself………….just stroll down almost any street…..
At the moment the America’s Cup races should be on the list of ‘things to do’!
Go Team New Zealand!
hello tim, I would love to have a 30 minute convo about a contest I just won, half won.. please read..
Dear Stephen,
The drawing for the NECSI Executive Education “Antifragility” program has been completed. I’m very pleased to inform you that your name was drawn for a half-price registration. Congratulations!
Please complete your registration at (link erased by me) by Friday, September 6. If you are no longer able to attend the program, please let us know and we will award the reduced registration to another participant.
All best,
Debra
(me): I would like to know if Anyone you know is interested in going in case I cant afford it next year, or as a trade to have a talk with you. thanks, stephen
———————————————————-
Debra Gorfine
Business Administrator
New England Complex Systems Institute
238 Main Street, Suite 319
Cambridge, MA 02142
617-547-4100
http://necsi.edu
———————————————————-
and I did sign up with hookthingy. so i am entering the talking contest, official.
site critique: style: sites with oversized things to look at annoy me, i prefer more info per square ipad inch..
We need one for south florida because everything is far apart over here, so exploring the city could take 6 hours and you never find anything that great because of the vast sprawling expressway wasteland that is dade/broward county.
in the mean time im sanfran dreaming and the daily emails will fluff my imagination.
whassup. i changed my mind, not offering my half off ticket anymore. i want to meet and hear taleb myself.
If you still wanna talk to me, let me know what day and time so i can warm up my voice for you.
chillater brominator
i have a great taleb story. its how taleb inspired me to call a relative unethical and send shockwaves through the whole family..
Awesome post, thanks Tim! Here are my thoughts..
InsideHook
Just signed up, so I can’t really comment on their emails, but their website content suggests I might find out about some hidden gems I would probably never hear of otherwise.
InsideHook seems low-info diet friendly (which is great since I’m very selective about what I read), and pretty “niched down” (caters more towards my needs), although it would be nice if I could indicate my preferences as to what type of emails I want to receive. For example, I don’t care too much for the Style category, and I’m more interested in activities rather than gadgets.
Favorite city and activities.
I’m still undecided on what my favorite city in the world is, but SF is definitely a top choice. If only it was a bit warmer and sunnier there throughout the year. I live in San Diego, where my favorite activities are playing frisbee and having bonfires at the beaches.
The Living Room coffeehouse in La Jolla is a great place to smoke Hookah with friends.
As others have mentioned, family, friends, and where you grew up are also important factors. I’ve spent most of my life in the westernmost region of Austria (Vorarlberg). It’s a great place to hike in the summer, and ski/snowboard in the winter. Another highlight there is the open air theater in Bregenz (remember that scene from Quantum of Solace?). The stage is over water on the shores of Lake Constance.
A good friend forwarded this list of stuff to do awhile ago. I’ve added a few items here, and can confirm that many of these are AWESOME.
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1pb-yPFm7b3j_C7FK1Tp-h40s3AWNbjBuTVZ5NjE7LdI/edit
For another top option, why not drop into any of the 27 branches of the SF Public Library, get a card, and then download audiobooks from the comfort of your home onto your smart phone? Right now, I’m listening for the first time to a book called “Four Hour Workweek” by some guy named Tim: http://sfpl.lib.overdrive.com/F75AE73C-B669-40D6-BCE6-FE453DC9EEAC/10/50/en/Default.htm
And, I host monthly fireside potlucks. For all its sights, the beauty of SF is in its people and community. All are invited to join for the next one on the 19th (#8, on “Purpose”), just ping me at kevin [at] inthis [dot] com.
This was great Tim, thanks! I’ve lived in San Fran for 2 years now, and never really done anything due to the time I spend on work, and powerlifting at all other times. I’m not saying any of that will change, as I love my life the way it is, but at least now I have options lol 🙂 Thanks!
I think you should switch up the order and get your “blood analysis” after the “Drinking!” That’s the only way I could handle the blood analysis.
Holy sh*t balls the video with Danny Agnew is creative. Wonderful job holding my attention. There’s a grip of dudes who want to be the character in that video. Bravo.*
Cons – Can’t see how the on-site editorial is necessary. If its job is to entice me to sign up, it isn’t working. What makes me sign up is finding my cities curator interesting and wanting the inside track (hook) to what makes their life so fun. Sold on Danny (but don’t live in New York.)
A thought: people will sign up for InsideHook to the extent that they want to be their cities curator.
A couple pros:
Cool name, implies membership to a secret community. The logo is arresting and I like how the face in the logo is looking in the direction of the email signup box.
Pop up ads – I read the “Fall Off The Wagon” piece about beer and was impressed when the pop-up window matched the theme of the piece I was reading (alcohol). It asked me to sign up for the email list and within it was a photo of a martini mixer. Coincidence or planned? If not planned maybe it should be – matching photos in pop up windows with the same theme as what a visitor is reading could be killer.
Phone call – The site I’ve linked in my name has given me a lot of opportunities in the surf industry and the guy you see in the videos is me. A quick chat would be enormously useful. I have a small number of specific questions. I’ll be concise, won’t fan out, will use generally clean language, etc.
*All – If you haven’t’ seen the video I’m referencing go to InsideHook and click on “day in the life” under “special features” in the far right nav. It’s wild.
Awesome Tim! I gotta get to San Fran! Any hotel recommendations?
Tim – my fam (wife + 7/5 yr old little champions) are taking the long way to Amsterdam from Australia through San Fran/NY/London. Keen to get a feel for the energy of San Fran and meet up with some good people. Where is a great area for a young fam to park up for a week that will give us a good taste of what this fine city has to offer?
Cheers
LOVE the list! Thank you Tim!
Fave city & 3 things…
of COURSE its Manhattan:
1) taking pictures at the Union Square Farmers market
2) Lunch at ABC home & walking around the whole store after
3) All day Sunday brunch at Pastis
Aargh! There are brilliant websites like the ‘Art of Manliness’, and now, ‘Inside Hook’. Where are the websites for the adventurous, classy, and FIERCE ladies?! Only for the grown and sexy, but still willing to get a little filthy from time to time.
Oh, and this is not a rhetorical question.
If you know of a website I am describing, please send me the link.
Chicago.
Street fairs or festivals in any one of the many neighborhoods.
Any museum – we have lots and they are world class. The armor and weapons at the Art Institute are amazing.
Food and drink just about anywhere in the city is superb – from working class hot dog stand to Molecular Gastronomy. Mr. Beef!
The residents of Chicago all feel like your neighbor from down the block, yes, the crazy ones too.
InsideHook is great. What amazing design and they have beautiful articles. SO stoked to have learned more about O’nA.
One of my favorite cities in the world is Brisbane, Australia
Activities that are Awesome:
– South Bank Outdoor Rock Climbing
– Walk the Kurilpa Bridge
– Ferry Around the Botanical Gardens
– Walking amidst the art that is SouthBank (gardens, pools, art structures…. AH amazing!)
Thanks for this Tim. I’m headed to SF soon and I’m going to go to Wellness FX! YES.
Hey Tim,
I read in the “Pacific Northwest Road Trip” that you were in Whistler (2008) and wanted to hit up up for if you ever come back up this way.
I run http://www.SnowboardAddiction.com a 4 hour workweek business (but I usually spent a lot more than 4 hours a week on it)
4HWW Success story: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_TgNWXPnt4s
Up in Canada, I have all the spare snowboard gear you need (my company is supported by Burton), can easily arrange free lift tickets for you plus have Snowmobiles if you’re interested in accessing the real backcountry with local information.
I’m also a part owner in a Restaurant in town so can comp ya meals etc.
David from Powder Quest said you were down in South America at his camps so you must have some interest in Snowboarding etc.
Hit me up if you’re gonna be in the area and I’ll be sure to blow you mind from a locals perspective.
I know your busy so also understand if there’s no response.
Thanks
Nev
As if my ‘hood (20th & Florida) wasn’t booming enough — you’re letting all our secrets out, Tim! The Trick Dog’s Trick Dog may be the best. burger. ever. I’d also suggest Slow Club and Dear Mom since you’re in the area.
Tim:
Your post just gave me 16 more reasons to go to SF. Thanks. I’m sure InsideHook will provide me with new and exciting ways to blow my money. Thanks. Please provide me with your physical address so I know where to send my angry wife.
I already signed up for INSIDEHOOK before I read this post and got to know that you are working with them… I like its style and the topics that are montioned – makes it even more interesting to know that your input is used too.
My (so far) favorite places are Sydney (great people, surfing at the beach on the edge of a metropole) and Rome (italian lifestyle and tradition in the middle of a huge bit of history).
Obviously London is the greatest city in the world. Here’s an itinerary that’s doable in a day, a bit off the beaten track, AND tailored to the interests of 4HWW readers.
Morning: Train at Urban Kings MMA. A lot of top-flight fighters have trained there – including Anderson Silva – but there’s beginner-level instruction in a wonderful environment. Nicest showers I’ve ever seen in an MMA gym, too. From there, it’s a two-minute walk to…
The British Library: Free to get in (apart from the temporary exhibitions, which are great). You can see original Beatles scribblings, Orwell’s notes on 1984, incredibly old Bibles and all sorts of other fantastic stuff. There’s a coffee shop outside that does good churros – eat them in the shadow of the Isaac Newton statue. Just over the road is…
The Wellcome Collection: One of the weirdest collections of arcana in London, from cholera-infused urine to ancient medical devices. To give you an idea of what their temporary exhibitions are like, one featured slices of Einstein’s brain.
Afternoon: The Arch Climbing Wall, Bermondsey. The best pure bouldering setup in London, with a really relaxed vibe, more problems than you’ll ever be able to do, a great on-site climbing gym and some top-notch coffee.
Sunset: The Mayflower. One of London’s oldest pubs and a short walk from the Arch – but it also has one of the best ground-level views in London, letting you take in the skyline and Tower Bridge from right on the river. Beautiful.
Signed up!
Loved the post and the website. It has a lot to do with our startup as we have several local experts planning itineraries for travelers around the world. So, I’ll look more in detail to get some inspiration 😉
Cheers!
Signed up for InsideHook; would love to get that 30 minute call.
Best line in this whole post: “Because every man should own a boat…if only for a day”
I signed up hoping for the phone call, but if not, I’m hoping this comment will inspire to write a post 🙂
I know you’re not an MD, but I love your beautiful mind and highly respect your opinion so, I would love to know your thoughts on debatable and contradicting medicine/diet. I’m one of those guys with screaming high cholesterol, but I’ve always been pretty healthy and fit. I find conflicting info about statins & cholesterol. I have such a hard time trusting our profit based American medical system that I just don’t know what to believe!
How do you make such decisions for yourself? What country or what medical centers do you trust? I hope you write about this because I trust your experimentation (on yourself 🙂 and you scientific search for truth.
Thanks!
Oh and btw, you’ve inspired me to follow my life long dream and go to Thailand the whole month of February to train Muay Thai there and visit the country side. Thought you should know!
I signed up and then checked out the article on the treehouses in Costa Rica. Incredible!
Hi Tim, thanks for sharing this with us.
My favorite city is Toulouse (France)
The city where my husband and I settled 10 years ago for a brand new life after quitting Paris for a better and more quiet life…
You want to know the reasons why I ‘love’ Toulouse?
– Whenever I miss Paris, I just have to enter a shopping mall or any market place and I’m pretty sure to find someone with a grumpy face which reminds me of the parisians:)
OR I just have to jump in my car and get caught in a huge traffic jam almost similar to the ones in Paris, isn’t that magic!
– For the last 10 years I succeeded not stepping in a dog poop while walking in the city center, whick is kind of an achievement, YESS!
– I’m part of the few heroes who did find a job which is not in Airbus or aircraft industries
More seriously, as I write this down, I realise I’m being very unfair: Toulouse has a lot more to offer…
– Great architecture with pink brick buildings, nice monuments such as the Basilique Saint-Sernin really worth visiting
– Nice restaurants such as ‘Chez Emile’ to eat a cassoulet (white beans with saussages, specialty form the south west of France)
or L’Empereur de Huey (Great Vietnamese restaurant)
– Nice weather
– Great base to visit the Pyrenees mountains or the mediterranean sea (just 1 hour drive from the city)
And first and foremost, this is the town where I had a chance to be a mother and raise my daughter, one of the most beautiful experience of my life.
One of my favourite spot is “Place Saint-Georges”, very cute little place, where you can seat and relax at a café’s terrasse just next to the kids playground (your kids will have fun too;)
or stroll by the Garonne river and enjoy the view,
or even dance salsa, out on the “quais de la Daurade” on sundays afternoons during summer time.
Take care;)
Cecile
Cecile,
you’re totally right! I’m a Toulousain, borned and living in Toulouse. It is fun to see someone on this blog saying Toulouse is her favorite city, love the Internet for that 🙂
You’ve just missed one point about Toulouse, it’s the fact that it is a very lively city, with always people outside.
But I love SF too, it’s a peaceful and great city, with lovely neighborhoods.
Hi Al,
Nice to find a real ‘toulousain’ at Tim’s place too;)
By the way: thank you Tim for inviting us to share on your blog: it feels like we’re sitting on your livingroom’s coach right now – sipping a delicious mojito (my favourite dring on earth) – just to illustrate how cool it is..:)
Anyway, Toulouse is great and there are so many places great too. I think I actually could live anywhere in the world as long as I have my family with me.
The thing is, I usually associate a place with the emotions I felt there. For instance I have such an amazing souvenir of watching the sea lions liying on the beach when driving from San Francisco to LA. That was maybe 15 years ago and I still have this image in my mind as if it was yesterday. Nature is so wonderfull.
Thanks,
Cecile
I meant couch of cours: don’t want people’s imagnation t go wild…
Cecile:)
You have to fit in China Town at night. It’s just got great looks and smells. Try one of the small places on the side street.
Good stuff for the discerning lady, too! Blimp over Paris? Yes, please.
Tim,
I’ve been a fan of inside hook for awhile. As a single male in SF, the Sept 6th email Where to Take a Her decision chart was awesome. Will definitely get a lot of use from that email, whether I’m in the dog house or just meet someone new!
Glad you’re an advisor, definitely will be a long time subscriber.
Thanks Tim. Looking forward to do the indoor rock climbing when I’ll get there.
Very cool! San Fran is definitely on my to do list. Hawk Hill here I come.
Tim have you taken a look at http://www.lef.org is like wellness.
Wow “The strongest kale drink in existence!” I gotta try that 🙂
I got an email about the Contango briefcase from InsideHook immediately after signing up- It looks like it is well made and $75 off is pretty enticing as well- seems like a great service- eager to see more e-mails. I am looking forward to your call Tim- I spent four years in the Air Force in the Bay area and miss many aspects of the lifestyle out there- I certainly miss the skiing, Yosemite, Wine Country, ridiculously beautiful ocean vistas, Redwoods….the list goes on. San Francisco is a gem. Thanks for the scoop Tim.
Just moved into the city for grad school a month ago, InsideHook sounds perfect to find things to do.
I have never been to San Francisco my entire life but the activities presented in this post are the things that I love doing in my own home town and basically still the same things I’d love to do when I visit a new place like SF.
In the event that I’ll be in San Francisco and if I have limited budget and time the top three(3) places I’d visit are: Boatbound, because I totally agree that every man should be given a chance to the luxury of owning a boat even just once; Mikkeller, because I’ve been drinking American beer all my ‘grown-up’ life and only got a very few occasions where I tasted European beer; and The Lands End Trail, because it’s free and I think it’s fun to go there with my partner.
I am open to invitations too so long as beer is free!
Boatbound, Vantiago, and Salumeria were my 3 favorites. Boatbound reminds me of Golden Yacht Charters in Miami. Just 3 more things to add to my bucket list now.
Great list! Makes me long for SF. What about taking a flying trapeze class at Circus Center, my “alma mater”?
My two favorite cities in the world are London and NYC. I currently live in Kingston, Jamaica though, and there’s a hell of a lot to do in Kingston that people don’t know about:
Like :
– two of the best beaches in Jamaica – Lime Cay and Maiden Cay
– The nightly parties
-Hollywell National Park(outside of Kingston but only an hours drive)
-Blue Mountain Trek
-The parties at the university of the west indies
If you want to get out of kingston and see awesome beaches and scenery forget Negril or Montego Bay…go to Portland and get a villa or stay at Canopy…Portland is easily the most beautiful Parish and has the lowest crime rate in all of Jamaica..a great combination. Portland has Castles, Islands owned by Errol Flynn, A real Dutchess of Austria as a resident, and easily the best scenery in the Caribbean.
Hope that was helpful.
I seriously got this in my mailbox as I was doing an itinerary last week to SF from Miami, great timing, man. Just got here yesterday with my boyfriend, huge fans here (mostly me, the bf is jelly hehe) I really hope we run into you at one of these cool places!! Also, bf signed up for InsideHook, any thoughts on adding Miami to it?
Hey Tim:
Well, you live in my favorite city in the world. I’ve not found anywhere that has trumped the SF Bay area. Here are my top four things to do:
1. Head south to Monterrey and enjoy the quite coastal life and to see what’s around the next bend on PCH.
2. Take my son on the Felton Railroad just a stone’s throw north of Santa Cruz after spending a sunny day on the boardwalk.
3. Eat at Golden Era Vegetarian Restaurant (Plug Intended) on O’Farrell street.
4. Walk beyond the tourist masses at the entrance of Muir Woods to enjoy God’s cathedral. Absolutely no place like it on earth.
Your blessed to live and enjoy life in a truly excellent location.
Joined InsideHook LA, please consider me for the 30 minute phone call.
Ill speak for everyone by asking if the call already happened and, who’d it was ya called?
Hey, great post. I love activity tipps from locals and next time when I will be in San Francisco I will definitly try a few things of your list. Last year I did only the tourism stuff, which are really nice too, like riding the bridge, going to muir wood and many more. But the best time will be living and doing like a local
Hi Timothy,
I just signed up for InsideHook, and I think that the site looks awesome.
Now, when can we have those 30 minutes together? 😉
This is Anto from India, and I think, your ‘The Four Hour WorkWeek’ book is way more AWESOME than the above site.
Thanks a lot for your ‘The Four Hour WorkWeek’ book,
Anto
Not everyone can do that Tim…
San Francisco is incredibly dirty. Wasn’t expecting that at all, its proximity to other things (coast, mountains, etc) is the only real selling point. I much prefer visiting Chicago, which is cleaner, has entirely open water fronts, and is on par with NYC for culture and food.
Love San Francisco!
Favorite SF meals: garlic crab and garlic noodles at Crustacean. And the market at the Ferry Building…and of course, The Sliding Door, and Brother’s Korean BBQ…so many!
Favorite cities: San Francisco, New York, Paris, Hong Kong, Sydney, etc…..
Fave places: New Zealand south island ski slopes, Whistler, Mammoth, Hawaii big island beaches…
Super stoked to be flying to be in the bay area for Dec. 13th!! What is happening around that time?
SF sure is a fun place! I just got back from there and had a hard time finding non-touristy things to do.
The tips here http://stowawaymag.com/2010/12/07/happy-as-a-calm-in-san-fran/ are great for the typical scenes you’ll want to check out, but I appreciated your insider perspective on SF.
Better than any of those: Surfing!
It’s free, creates a dopamine surge like no other, and it just so happens that Ocean Beach has had it’s best winter season since God knows when.
Let me teach you to surf! I’m a former surf instructor (I went to UCSD as an undergrad), currently employed as a forensic psychologist. My research on surfers – tough life, I know – has been published in peer-reviewed sports psychology journals and featured in Surfer magazine.
Hit me up; we’ll have a blast, and trust me, your life will take a different trajectory post-stoke.
my favorite cities in ascending order are:
London
NY
Barcelona
Miami
favorite things to do in Miami:
sit on the beach
stare at the ocean
swim
have an adult beverage
Hi Cece,
I’m too love to visit New York, However, many a times I have visited many of the places over there but still whenever I get holidays and spare time, I love to be there.
Tim, great post. I remembered reading this when you first posted and had to come back to it before my trip to SF this October on 10/10 and 10/11. Thanks for the ideas. Can’t wait to fall in love with the city.
Perhaps my girlfriend and I will run into you at one of these places!
Thanks.
I was going to tweet this question to you, but saw you already covered it!
I’m a first timer to SF, and I’m getting a free day from a work conference on jet engine analytics in the middle of this month. Any updates for 2015? What mainstream stuff is worth seeing?
Cool list. However an escape room is definitely missing from this list… I would suggest the PanIQ Room in Tendernob. We had a huge blast when we were there.