Post Punk Kitchen Forum

So, I'll be in SFO for a coupla days before I ride up to San Ramon for some downtime. I've been several times before and love the city. I stay with one of my best friends in Noe Valley. Thing is, he's older and a bit of a curmudgeon. Having lived there for 20 years he's a bit jaded and passé about the city. He tends to picnic in Marin county and stick to Noe Valley when at home. So, I'm looking for some non-culinary insider things to do and see. (We've got our culinary traditions down - Burma Superstar, Chloe's for breakfast (though I've not been since I've been vegan), Eric's, Alice's, and Harry's Hunan (Asian food, anyone?!).

So, SFO PPK Superstars! Help me out!

Would you rather be inside or outside?

Both? Walking outside to shops and destinations? :)

I hate to have to break it to you, but if your friend won't go anywhere but Noe Valley or Marin, he may not be a curmudgeon- he may, in fact, be a snob.

When I have lack of plans, I always check here: http://sf.funcheap.com/ They usually list the cheaper/free events going on in the city that I might not have heard about otherwise. There's an outside area near Moscone Center that has free concerts and shows (usually they appear on the website above). The kids and I saw a great theatrical circus and had a picnic. They showcase all different types of music from jazz to alternative, to salsa and probably rock.

The first Sunday of the month is free at the Asian Art Museum. They currently have a Marharaja exhibition going on, but that might cost extra. There are wine and music nights at the DeYoung Museum on Fridays, if I remember correctly. Not sure if the wine is vegan, but they're mellow and fun.

Another vote for the sf.funcheap.com site - they have so many interesting events on there!

yeah, i often use sf.funcheap.com

Well I remember having a lot of fun as a kid finding and climbing all the stairways in SF with my mom, discovering hidden gardens and stuff. That and the slides are fun.

There are lots of fun things to do in GG Park. On the weekend there is a free swing dance class we've come across a few times. I like the flower conservatory because the rooms get progressively hotter and more oppressive but the flora gets more interesting as you go, too. The botanical garden is one of my fav places, too. On Thurs night it's adult night at the Cal Academy of Science...there are captive animals there, so if that bugs you, you might opt out. I've been meaning to check it out myself though.

Walking around the Presidio is cool - it's beautiful and historic and there is a bowling alley there!

It can be touristy but I think the Sutro baths are interesting to walk around and then you can stop by the Cliff House, which is really pretty.

I dont know if those are necessarily "insider" things to do but there are definitely fewer tourists doing them. Maybe the actual SF city residents will disagree. :)

Hope you have a good trip!!

He's 65, has bad knees, and has lived in the city so long (20+ years) he knows it in and out. I would call him settled, not a snob. He's not a shopper or a tourist, either. He picnics with a friend who lives in Marin.

Thank you all for your suggestions! The queer in me automatically harkens to the word "baths". ;)

Oh, I should mention they're ruins! You can't go in the pools anymore.

:) I assumed they weren't "operational", and I wouldn't patron them if they were. Just nostalgia for days I never knew (carefree, pre-AIDS sex). I'm not a hors d'oeuvre, really I'm not. I'm only 34, so I've never known an age without AIDS. They're waxed of quite explicitly in homo-erotic fiction (so I've heard). ;)