Compared to many US cities, where you need money and attitude in
equal measure, San Francisco's nightlife scene demands little of either.
It is not unusual for restaurants to provide live music and you can
often eat and be entertained for no extra cost. This is no 24-hour city,
and the approach to socializing is often surprisingly low-key, with
little of the pandering to fads and fashions that goes on in New York or
LA. For $30 you can get a decent night out, including cover charge and a
few drinks. Always have your ID with you, otherwise you cannot get past
the bouncers at all clubs and music venues. Though smoking is
technically illegal in all bars and clubs, the law is routinely flouted
by locals willing to risk a ticket.
The Sunday Chronicle 's "Pink Pages" supplement, along with the free
weekly Bay Guardian or the San Francisco Weekly , are the best sources
of listings . Ticketmaster (tel 415/421-8497, ) is the major ticket
agency, with outlets in Tower Records and Rite Aid stores. Tickets.com (tel
415/478-2277, ) is also worth a try.
Bars
Since its lawless, boomtown days, San Francisco has been a drinking town.
Even as the rest of California cleans up its act, San Franciscans
continue to indulge; the city's bars vary from seedy late-night dives to
rooftop piano lounges touting glittering views.
Backflip Phoenix Hotel , 601 Eddy St, Tenderloin tel 415/771-3547.
Fantastically retro bar adjacent to the hotel's pool patio. Black-vinyl-clad
waitstaff, entirely blue decor and a menagerie of bizarre and lively
patrons. To write home about.
Brainwash 1122 Folsom St, SoMa tel 415/861-FOOD. Great idea - café/bar
and laundromat where you can have breakfast and beer while you do your
washing. Popular with the young and novelty-conscious.
Edinburgh Castle 950 Geary St, Tenderloin tel 415/885-4074. The best
place in the city for British-style pints, fish and chips (still wrapped
in newspaper) and a game of darts. The bar was prominently featured in
the cult film, So I Married an Axe-Murderer .
Gordon Biersch Brewery 2 Harrison St, Embarcadero tel 415/243-8246.
Bayfront microbrewery in a converted coffee warehouse. Great selection
of beers pulls in a downtown twenty-something crowd.
Harry Denton's Starlight Room top floor, Sir Francis Drake Hotel , 450
Powell St, downtown tel 415/395-8595. Join the dressed-up, grown-up,
moneyed crowd and drink martinis to live-jazz accompaniment.
Occidental Grill 56 Belden Place, downtown tel 415/834-0484. Re-opened
in a new location due to a fire, this Barbary Coast-style den is
supposedly the birthplace of the martini, though that's open to more
than some debate. However, they certainly do make a mean one. Their
second business, the Occidental Cigar Club, is around the corner at 471
Pine St.
Red Room 827 Sutter St, Tenderloin tel 415/346-7666. Like the name
implies, everything - including the walls, the furniture, the glasses
and many of the drinks - is red in this popular faux-dive.
The Tonga Room basement of the Fairmont , 950 Mason St, Nob Hill tel
415/772-5278. A must for fans of the ludicrous or just the very drunk.
It's decked out like a Polynesian village, complete with a pond and
simulated rainstorms, and a grass-skirted band plays terrible jazz and
pop covers from a raft in the middle of the water. Cover $3 after 8pm,
outrageously priced cocktails, but worth every cent.
Tosca Café 242 Columbus St, North Beach tel 415/391-1244. A beautiful
old bar with tiled floors, bow-tied bartenders and opera as the
soundtrack. Come early as the bass from the nightclub upstairs can be
bothersome.
The Up & Down Club 1151 Folsom St, SoMa tel 415/626-2388. This small,
popular split-level club-cum-bar has earned a solid reputation for first-rate
drinks and live music.
Vesuvio's 255 Columbus St, North Beach tel 415/362-3370. Legendary Beat
haunt in the 1950s, next to City Lights Bookstore. Still draws an arty,
friendly crowd who prop up the bar into the small hours.
Zeitgeist 199 Valencia, the Mission tel 415/255-7505. A biker bar
largely populated with nonmotorized bicycle messengers. A large patio
makes it a haven for smokers.
Live music: rock, jazz and folk
San Francisco's music scene reflects the character of the city: laid-back,
eclectic and not a little nostalgic. The options for catching live music
are wide and the scene is definitely on the up and up, with the city
regularly spawning good young bands. Check the San Francisco Bay
Guardian and SF Weekly free weeklies, and the San Francisco Chronicle ,
for listings.
Bimbo's 365 Club 1025 Columbus Ave tel 415/474-0365. Classy lounge with
tableside drink service (2 minimum) and a varied high quality menu of
music styles from jazz to ska.
Biscuits & Blues 401 Mason St tel 415/292-2583. Lively blues supper club
with inexpensive Southern cuisine and hot blues acts nightly.
Reservations recommended for dinner shows.
Blue Lamp 561 Geary St tel 415/885-1464. Quintessential dive close to
downtown that features good acoustic acts (blues & jazz).
Boom Boom Room 1601 Fillmore St tel 415/673-8000, . Once owned by the
late blues legend John Lee Hooker, this small, intimate bar delivers
straight-ahead jazz or classic blues acts nightly; $3 cover weekdays and
$7-$10 weekends.
Bottom of the Hill 1233 17th St tel 415/621-4455. Potrero Hill hangout
for rock & country music, live seven nights a week, drawing a late-twenty-
to thirtysomething crowd. There's an outdoor all-you-can-eat barbecue on
the patio Sun. Cover for shows $4-7.
Bruno's 2389 Mission St tel 415/648-7701. Swank jazz and swing bar/restaurant
pulling the kind of attractive young things who are titillated to be in
the Mission's seedy section. Cover about $7.
Butterfly 1710 Mission St tel 415/864-5575. A sophisticated jazz and
dining spot, with occasional poetry and performance art pieces. The food
is very good (served till 1am), but come for the jazz.
Café du Nord 2170 Market St tel 415/861-5016. This popular bar is quite
the place to experience live swing, jazz, Latin and blues over good food,
or just have a beer and shoot some pool.
Elbo Room 647 Valencia St tel 415/552-7788. The birthplace of acid jazz,
a smoothed out instrumental sound that provides upbeat background music
for an intense pick-up scene.
The Fillmore 1805 Geary at Fillmore tel 415/346-6000, . The
revitalization of a San Francisco institution, the Fillmore features big
and little acts alike, for about $20-$25 a pop. A great place to imagine
what it was all like in the 1960s.
Great American Music Hall 859 O'Farrell tel 415/885-0750. Historic
former bordello and saloon that has been converted into a popular venue
for rock, blues, and world music acts.
Lou's Pier 47 300 Jefferson St tel 415/771-0377. An old favorite, and
about the only decent place on the Wharf. Lou's blues pulls a good crowd
most nights.
Paradise Lounge 308 11th St tel 415/861-6906. Good SoMa venue to see up-and-coming
rock bands (usually three per night), or take a break for a game of pool
upstairs.
The Saloon 1232 Grant St tel 415/989-7666. North Beach's best spot for
R&B. Always packed, it creaks nightly as blues bands and crowds of
enthusiastic dancers do their thing.
Tongue & Groove 2513 Van Ness Ave tel 415/928-0404. Local bands ranging
from rock and funk to Seventies retro and alternative. Cover $4-8.
Clubbing
While clubbing in San Francisco may not have the feverish following of
other cities, the clubs that exist are encouragingly inexpensive, and
you can leave your attitude at home. A recent spate of police raids has
put something of a damper on the scene and forced several popular spaces
to shut down. But with a population as young and hip as this city's,
odds are it will be impossible to keep a good party down for long. The
greatest concentration of clubs is in SoMa and, recently, the Mission .
You must bring your ID to get in to all clubs; most require you to be at
least 21 except for a few 18-and-over clubs. Expect to pay a cover
charge ranging anywhere from $3 to $7 and up to $15 for the huge dance
caverns like Ten15 .
Club Townsend 177 Townsend St tel 415/974-1156. Site of long-running gay
and lesbian dance parties (Club Q for women, Club Universe and
Pleasuredome for men) on the first Fri of every month, Sat and Sun
respectively. Call their information line for the latest events.
DNA Lounge 375 11th St tel 415/626-1409. The music changes nightly, but
the young hipsters are the same. Large dance floor downstairs, comfy
sofas in the mezzanine.
El Rio 3158 Mission St tel 415/282-3325. Mixed crowds gather for
changing nightly entertainment and some great giveaways, like oysters on
the half-shell on a Friday. The popular live salsa on summer Sun
afternoons draws a predominantly female crowd.
EndUp 401 6th St at Harrison tel 415/357-0827. Long after other places
close, this is where everyone ends up. Certain nights attract gay or
lesbian crowds like Girl Spot (Sat) and Fag (Fri). Good for the hardcore
party animal - especially the all-day, all-night Sunday T-dance
beginning at 5am.
Justice League 628 Divisadero St tel 415/289-2038. Hosting top-notch hip-hop
and salsa acts, in addition to regular stints by adventurous DJs and
poetry slams.
The Make-Out Room 3225 22nd St at Mission tel 415/647-2888. The
hipster's meeting place of choice featuring DJs just about every night.
Tuesdays and Fridays are free starting at 10pm; otherwise plan on a
$5-10 cover.
Nickie's 460 Haight St tel 415/621-6508. This place rocks every night.
Whether it's Grateful Dead night, African, Latin or Seventies funk,
Nickie's is for the very lively.
Sound Factory 525 Harrison St tel 415/979-8686. Huge multilevel 18-and-over
place with three rooms for simultaneous house, hip-hop and Latin dance
parties.
Ten15 1015 Folsom tel 415/385-1015. Another huge club for serious
sweating: 6 rooms with different music in each, especially deep jungle
house, and cool laser light shows. You may have to wait in a long line
Thurs-Sat.
330 Ritch 330 Ritch St tel 415/541-9574. Low-ceilinged and crowded with
slender SoMa types. Serves food until 10pm, then DJs spin funk, soul,
disco and British pop music on different nights. Live jazz on Satuday
and a live swing band and free swing lessons on Wednesday.
Classical music, opera and dance
Though the San Francisco arts scene has a reputation for provincialism,
this is the only city on the west coast to boast its own professional
symphony, ballet and opera companies. These companies rely entirely on
private contributions for their survival and low-priced tickets are rare,
if not nonexistent. Look out in summer for the free concerts in Stern
Grove (at 19th Avenue and Sloat Boulevard), where the symphony, opera
and ballet give open-air performances for ten successive Sundays (starting
in June). Last-minute standing room tickets provide a cheaper option for
those on a budget.
The San Francisco Opera Association (ticket and schedule information tel
415/864-3330) has been performing in the opulent War Memorial Opera
House , 301 Van Ness Ave at Grove, since the building opened in 1932,
pulling in big names like Placido Domingo and Kiri Te Kanawa on a
regular basis. Its main season runs from the end of September for
thirteen weeks, and its opening night is one of the principal social
events on the west coast. Also housed here is the San Francisco Ballet (tel
415/865-2000), whose regular season starts in February, while
performances of The Nutcracker occur during the Christmas season.
The Louise M. Davies Symphony Hall , 201 Van Ness Ave (tel
415/864-6000), is the permanent home of the San Francisco Symphony,
hosting a year-round season of classical music and sometimes
performances by other, often offbeat musical and touring groups.
Theater
The majority of the theaters in downtown's Theater District are not
especially innovative, but tickets are reasonably inexpensive - up to
$20 a seat - and there's usually good availability. The TIX Bay Area
ticket booth in Union Square (Tues-Thurs 11am-6pm, Fri & Sat 11am-7pm;
tel 415/433-7827) regularly has day-of-performance tickets for half
price and full-price advance sales. It's also an outlet for Ticketmaster
and sells Muni tickets.
American Conservatory Theater Geary Theater, 415 Geary St tel
415/749-2228. The Tony award-winning ACT puts on eight major plays each
season in the city's best serious theater venue.
Beach Blanket Babylon Club Fugazi, 678 Green St tel 415/421-4222. This
legendary musical spoof, filled with celebrity impersonations and
towering hats, has been running since 1974. Highly recommended, but
remember to book in advance.
Exit Theatre 156 Eddy St tel 415/673-3847. Avant-garde and experimental,
the Exit is the place to go when you've wearied of the Broadway retreads.
Golden Gate Theater 1 Taylor St tel 415/551-2000. San Francisco's most
elegant theater (in its least elegant neighborhood), with marble
flooring, rococo ceilings and gilt trimmings. A pity the program doesn't
live up to the surroundings - generally a mainstream diet of touring
musicals.
Lorraine Hansberry Theater 620 Sutter St tel 415/474-8800. The mainstay
of African-American theater in San Francisco. Traditional theater as
well as contemporary political pieces and jazz/blues musical revues.
The Magic Theater Fort Mason Center, Building D tel 415/441-8001.
Specializes in contemporary American playwrights and emerging new talent:
Sam Shepard premieres his work here.
Theatre Rhinoceros 2926 16th St tel 415/861-5079. San Francisco's
leading gay theater group. Lighter, humorous productions, as well as
those that confront gay issues.
Theatre on the Square 450 Post St tel 415/433-9500. Converted Gothic
theater with drama, musicals, comedy and mainstream theater pieces. San
Francisco's main fringe venue.
Comedy clubs
Bay Area Theatresports Bayfront Theatre, Bldg B, Third floor, Fort Mason
Center (Marina Blvd at Buchanan St) tel 415/474-6776. An acting-based
improv group that can be hilariously spontaneous. Definitely a less
predictable comedy night out than at your average club.
Cobb's Comedy Club The Cannery , 2801 Leavenworth St tel 415/928-4320.
Pricey and usually full of tourists, but the standard of the acts is
fairly consistent. Worth a look if everything else is booked up.
Punchline Comedy Club 444 Battery St tel 415/397-7573. Frontrunner of
the city's "polished" cabaret venues. Intimate, smoky feel; ideal for
downing expensive cocktails and laughing your head off. The bigger names
in the world of stand-up perform here, and it's always packed.
Sports in San Francisco
San Francisco's dedication to its professional sports teams can verge on
the obsessive. Tickets for the big events can sell out, but it's usually
possible to show up on the day, and it needn't cost all that much: an
outfield seat to watch baseball from the "bleachers" goes for around $7,
with seats closer in topping the scale at around $15. The Oakland team
runs a promotion called "Buck Days" when select seats and all hot dogs
are $1 on Wednesdays. Advance tickets for all Bay Area sports events are
available through the Ticketmaster charge-by-phone ticket service (tel
415/421-TIXS, ), or through the teams' headquarters.
Baseball : The Oakland A's play at the usually sunny Oakland (aka
Network Associates) Coliseum (tel 510/638-0500), which has a BART stop
in front. The San Francisco Giants play at Pac Bell Park, where home
runs sometimes splash into the bay (tel 415/972-2000). There are 500
tickets made available two-and-a-half hours before game time and long
lines form early and often. Walk up to the ticket booths at 24 Willie
Mays Plaza, near Third and King, to get them.
Football : The San Francisco 49ers , many-time Super Bowl champions,
also play at 3Com Park, where you may have to pay as much as $100 (tel
415/656-4900), and the Oakland Raiders , blue-collar heroes, bash heads
at the Oakland Coliseum (tel 1-800/949-2626).
Basketball : The reliably awful Golden State Warriors play at newly
renovated Oakland Arena (tel 1-888/479-4667).
Ice hockey : The San Jose Sharks (tel 408/287-7070) play at their own
arena in San Jose.
Soccer : The San Jose Earthquakes (tel 408/260-6300, ), major league
soccer champs in 2001, draw large crowds at San Jose State's Spartan
Stadium. Women's soccer, also played at Spartan Stadium, is represented
by the Bay Area CyberRays (tel 408/535-0980, ), who won the WUSA
championship in 2001, the first year of the league's inception.
Stanford Stadium , scene of six matches in soccer's 1994 World Cup , is
on the campus of Stanford University, 27 miles south of San Francisco
and not far north of San Jose. The Stanford Cardinal football team plays
here during the fall.
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