‘I Left My Heart…’ may be the crooner’s song of San Francisco, but I’ve consistently left portions of my wallet there because I forgot the necessary warm clothes back home to cope with the Bay City’s constant climatic changes. With steep hills that amplify the chilly winds, open clanging cable cars leading to foggy shorelines and wharfs and cold weather slapping your face as it drifts in and out, hats, gloves and coats are a frustrating necessity, even in summer.
The music scene is hot though and never stopped exploding over forty-plus years since the psychedelic era and there are clubs galore plus a wealth of festivals. Despite having been burnt out and nearly levelled by earthquakes, the architecture throughout the city runs from Victorian antique houses to the most modern apartments. Surrounded by bays and beaches, it is a wonderland of water activities with the bonus of massive parks, Redwood forests, the Marin headlands, the eclectic houseboats of Sausalito across the Golden Gate Bridge and the university town of Berkeley exuding hipness and political history across the Bay Bridge past Oakland. Plus there are the incredible wine areas of Napa and Sonoma only an hour away.
The rich tapestry of music festivals address all genres. The San Francisco Blues Festival closed a 36-year history in 2008 and the Berkeley Jazz Festival met a similar fate. But the Stern Grove Festival is 74 years old and a series of free concerts in an area of eucalypts, redwoods and fir trees. The music runs from world and folk to opera, classical and ballet.
Also free, Hardly Strictly Bluegrass is held in gorgeous Golden Gate Park the last weekend of September in its 11th year. It packs more than 500,000 people in that time period scurrying around nine stages with over 150 acts. True Bluegrass stars like Doc Watson, Earl Scruggs and Ralph Stanley are regular stars, yet it’s more diverse. Tough 
decisions abound when you have to choose between punker Patti Smith, Elvis Costello, Randy Newman, Rosanne Cash, Nick Lowe, Sharon Jones and the Dap Kings, The Ebony Hillbillies or even MC Hammer. But traditional Sunday closer Emmylou Harris is the way to go out.
Also in scenic Golden Gate Park is Outside Lands’ three-day combo of music, food and wine with 75 acts ranging from Phish, Muse, Arcade Fire, Erykah Badu, John Fogerty and Warren Haynes to a gathering of DJ elite and even a Jewish band from New Orleans, The Klezmer All Stars in addition to that city’s funk founders, The Original Meters. It’s been glorified as a Northern version of Coachella with class rather than crass and it’s in its fourth year in mid-August with smaller, more manageable crowds.
The pirate-themed, two-stage Treasure Island Music Festival is held in the Bay with the first day consisting of electronica and hip hop/rap while the second day centres on rock and indie performers. It features up-and-comers more than name artists like Grizzly Bear, Flaming Lips, Girl Talk and Beirut but the location is spectacular and the crowd is eccentric as well as eclectic.
The Fillmore at 1805 Geary Blvd opened in 1912 – a three story dance hall, roller rink and ballroom – now a top club as a general admission, standing-only ballroom. Its peak was in the ‘60s and ‘70s when Bill Graham made it the epicentre for San Fran’s psychedelic acts, mainstream rock and blues. Most recently the regulars have been Tom Petty, who’s played 27 times, Los Lobos annually in December and Willie Nelson also at the end of the year.
In contrast, The Great American Music Hall at 850 O’Farrell St. has been going since 1907 and tacks on $25 if you want a reserved table with a dinner. It’s ornate, civilised and intimate with a reputation as the best place to see live music. The Warfield Theatre (www.thewarfieldtheatre.com) is a similarly plush hall with a 90-year history where Jerry Garcia lead the ‘house band’ until his death, but it has an upmarket history of top acts from Bowie to Dylan.
Going downmarket you must hit Saloon at 1232 Grant Ave just a block from the City Lights Bookstore. It’s a dive with a great ambience, fabulous blues and potent drinks plus a crappy bathroom. In contrast, Biscuits & Blues at the corner of Mason and Geary St. is a full service restaurant and premium bar with two intimate rooms and some of the best local and touring blues artists. The food is Southern, the drinks range from micro brews to exotic cocktails and its just a shuffle from Union Square.
Two other venues offer exceptional diversity in comfy premises. The Independent at 628 Divisadero is spacious yet intimate with a broad range of local and touring acts. Café Du Nord at 2174 Market St is an old speakeasy with great sound and vibe as well as a superb selection of beers.
Though my editor favours the chowders and crab soups in sourdough bowls at Fisherman’s Wharf, I’ve moved on from that risky tradition to the Ferry Building at the foot of Market Street where I could eat every day. It’s on the water under the Bay Bridge with a bustling Farmers Market operating Tuesday and Thursday at the front of the building with the whopping Saturday running from 8am front and rear. Aside from stunning fruits and vegetables, there are street food stalls and local restaurants doing special treats. Inside all days are cafes and restaurants coffee and tea spots, pastry shops and bakers as well as specialty grocers.
Mandatory is the Hog Island Oyster Company which rivals the best Aussie bivalves and also has an incredible cioppino soup, mussels mariniere and other shellfish delights. Cowgirl Creamery is an artisan cheese shop run by unusual women often in Western wear liberally doling out samples. Acme Bread Company has the best sourdoughs I’ve had in SFO as well as sandwiches and pastries to die for. Gott’s Roadside is a funky diner style eatery while The Slanted Door is an acclaimed Vietnamese hit ranging from street food to complex entrees.
Mexican food reigns in SFO with a taqueria on most streets featuring the ubiquitous Super Burrito, but the best Mex I’ve ever had in California is the Colibri (and check out the tequila menu!) at 438 Geary St, where they make guacamole at your table and their entrees are authentic Interior Mexican with the smoked duck in a mole sauce outrageous. Also top Mex dining is at Nopalito at 306 Broderick St and Mamacita at 2317 Chestnut St for more upmarket Tex Mex.
For breakfast, I always violate the rule of never eating at a place called Moms by heading for Mama’s in Washington Square in the North Beach area (1701 Stockton St at Filbert). No reservations, always a friendly queue and facing a park where the early morning Chinese oldsters do their Tai Chi in slo-mo formation.
SF Weekly is the long running street press with gig guides and music features as well as handy hints for getting around.
Hotels are generally expensive if downtown. I use Wotif.com to source cheaper options and have often saved a lot staying on the other side of the Golden Gate Bridge in cheaper motels. But two faves in town are The Mosser at 54 4th Street from $109 which has its own recording studio, and Hotel Adagio at 550 Geary, just two blocks from Union Square, which has a range of rooms, suites and the unbelievable Bolero Penthouse.
You’ll need a car and the best bet is Alamo booked from Australia on the Silver Inclusive rate which includes all taxes and insurance—far less than if booked in the US. Contact Momento Travel kareno@momentotravel.com.au, 1300 300 713.
By Phil Tripp
# San Francisco #