Visit Twin Peaks.
And if you want real top notch vietnamese non-touristy food then:
Well known for their roast crab and near Ocean Beach.
^^ unlike Slanted Door lol
I haven’t seen any suggestion to visit pier 39. It’s the coolest thing to see and hear all the sea lions lounging around and “barking” on prime boat real estate. (I haven’t been to SF for years, but I assume they are still there?) Other favorite things are taking a cable car ride, Alcatraz, riding bikes to Sausalito, having lunch on the water and taking the ferry back to the city, possibly stopping at another stop (Angel Island?) along the way. I love Monterrey also, and wine country would be fun, but those aren’t so close to the city.
If you have an extra day we enjoy getting out of the city and heading to the Point Reyes Tomales Bay area. Nice hiking, you can get a nice lunch in Point Reyes station. Or stop at one of the oyster “shacks”. I find it breathtaking.
My other favorite thing to do in SF is just walk.
He lives in Oakland and we’re staying with him. Rockridge area.
Nice area. Would highly recommend taking BART into SF if possible, it can be (and most of the time is) a real pain to drive and park in SF. Pretty easy to do from Rockridge
My son, who lives in a suburb of SF, says it’s really easy to spot the tourists. They’re the ones who are wearing brand-new overpriced jackets with “San Francisco” on them because they didn’t bring warm enough clothing. It’s almost always colder in SF than you think it will be.
Since I’m coming from Chicago, it will hopefully be better than what I’m leaving! 
If you like doing food tours in new cities, I highly recommend the North Beach tour: https://www.viator.com/tours/San-Francisco/Little-Italy-and-North-Beach-Walking-Tour/d651-3327WALKING
We have also done the Chinatown food tour. It too was good, but I think the North Beach tour was better.
Rockridge very popular area!
Easy Bart ride to SF…
Long time San Francisco resident here. I would state for the poster who portrayed SF as a filthy city: “Yes, it is not Singapore, but have you ever been to Mumbai???” Moderators please note that clearly in this day and age, disparaging SF is a political act.
Things that I recommend to visiting friends within San Francisco city limits:
- Walking or biking across the Golden Gate Bridge.
- Alcatraz and taking a ferry across the Bay.
- Lands End with lunch at the nicer restaurant in the Cliff House (can't remember the name). I was there a few months ago for a lovely lunch watching dolphins swim by.
- Golden Gate Park: So many things to do. The De Young and the Botanical Gardens top my list.
- Walking through the neighborhoods --- they are very different.
- Many many Michelin starred restaurants to try --- some priced somewhat reasonably, such as the Thai restaurant Kin Khao.
- North Beach/Chinatown.
I’m sure that I am forgetting things, Please feel free to PM me with any questions or for restaurant recommendations.
If you are staying in Rockridge/Oakland you should go to Fenton’s Ice Cream on Piedmont Ave. Also go to the top of the campanile at UC Berkeley. On a clear day the view is tremendous.
When visiting DD in SF, she recommended downloading the Flywheel app for taxi service - works like Uber/Lift but drivers are licensed cabbies who know the city and are paid appropriately.
@camathmom Pointing out that SF has issues with homelessness and the associated problems it can bring is not a political discussion. Many cities have pros and cons and there is nothing wrong with pointing them out and is quite helpful to those thinking of travelling there.
We had friends from out of the country that travelled there recently and the smells and homelessness were a huge turnoff from them and they were very disappointed. Another couple we know went and loved it. It is not political.
I thought of another day trip idea if your son has a car or you are renting one for the week and the weather is nice - Natural Bridges State Beach in Santa Cruz is lovely if you want a beach day. They get monarch butterflies there over the winter… although apparently numbers are way down this year and I’m not sure if they stick around until March anyway so google that part. But even without the butterflies, it’s a very pretty beach. Santa Cruz is a cute town as well.
Another ocean/beach option would be Fitzgerald Marine Reserve in Moss Beach, a bit closer to SF. Great tide pooling (check out the tide tables before you go).
BTW it will not be warm enough to swim in the ocean.
Also a few of us (me included upthread) mentioned Muir Woods - if the federal government is still shut down unfortunately it will be closed.
The Moss Beach Distillery has a great happy hour if you end up down there.
Have pizza at Chez Panisse in Berkeley – one of the most influential restaurants in the US. Or get a hot dog at Top Dog on Durant – another iconic eatery on the other end of the spectrum
Drive up to Lawrence Hall of Science in the Berkeley hills where you can park and take in the magnificent views of the East Bay, SF, and both bridges.
On a nice day, take the ferry from San Francisco to Sausalito. San Francisco has some great museums in unbelievably scenic areas.
Want a quiet getaway? Head to Manka’s in Inverness (an hour’s drive, a world away.)
Cheeseboard in Berkeley is of course another very popular Berkeley pizza place. Now mind you, having lived in Chicago for the first 21 years of my life, there isn’t any place in the SF Bay Area that will compete with the better Chicago pizza places. There’s a “Chicago-style” pizza place called Zachary’s in Berkeley - what a joke of a place. Not anything remotely resembling Chicago.
The same goes with hot dogs, absolutely nothing beats a Chicago-style hot dog. I just ate at the same Durant Ave. Top Dog on Sunday just because my kid had to find a place to eat after moving back into the dorm, didn’t feel like Asian Ghetto, and Super Duper was packed with football fans. Let’s just say I would rather eat a hot dog at that other famous institution called Costco. But Top Dog works for most students, for sure lol.
^ Your comments raise a good question - what is San Francisco known for, food-wise? When S and his GF were here for Christmas, we had Lou Malnati’s and Giordano’s so the GF could sample our best deep dish pizzas. Sadly, they are both vegetarians so we skipped Portillo’s. I’ve noticed several recommendations of Vietnamese food in the thread, as well as a stop at Ghirardelli’s (top of my list after S sent me a pic of him with a sundae there). Are there other foods that should be on my sampling list?
The first dish that comes to mind, in terms of SF, is Cioppino.
Come to the SF Bay Area for hot dogs and pizza? Wow not healthy food to say the least.