Seward Street Slides

Free slides in San Francisco?!?!?! That's right, all you need to do is show up with a riding vessle (burlap bag, sled, etc.)



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Exploratorium Free - at the Palace of Fine Arts

We have all seen the beautiful, Roman looking Palace of Fine Arts that was built for the 1915 Panama-Pacific Exposition. What you may not realize is that inside the main building of the Palace of Fine Arts is an amazing Exploratorium that will dazzle the mind.

This is fun for the whole family. Normally entrance fee's are $14, but on the first Wednesday of each month, entrance is free!

FREE Admission to the California Academy of Sciences in Golden Gate Park

FREE?!? That's right, the California Academy of Sciences is a world-class scientific and cultural institution based in San Francisco. The Academy recently opened a new facility in Golden Gate Park, a 400,000 square foot structure that houses an aquarium, a planetarium a natural history museum and a 4-story rainforest all under one roof.

Normally $24.95 for adults, visit the Academy for free, every Third Wednesday of the month thanks to support from The Bernard Osher Foundation.

Link to California Academy of Sciences

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The Wiggle

The Wiggle is a bike route to Golden Gate Park with no hills! That's right, one of the hilliest cities in the US, there is hope. Check out the links below. On your way, of not too crowded (good luck) stop at Ikes for an insane sandwich!

Wiggle trail map

Wikipedia info

Ike's Place - Awesome sandwiches

Personalized Fortune Cookies

This is a little secret I recently learned of (via good friend Brooke Wells): making your own, personalized fortune cookies. The Golden Gate Fortune Cookie Factory Here in the heart of Chinatown in a back alley you would never even notice this place. It is tucked in an alley, sign barely visible, and just a few old ladies slaving in front of heating machines to make the cookies.

You can come in here and write on pieces of paper any fortune you would like to be enclosed in the fortune cookies. They are only $.50 each!!! It takes about 30 seconds to make each personalized fortune cookie. Great find and a great gift. Unique and fun.

Noodles

If you are a fan of great noodles and cheap ones at that, then go to Citrus Club Citrus Club is in the upper Haight near the Golden Gate park entrance. This place reminds me of Wagamamas in London. Super cheap, tasty noodles that are good for you. Lots of spice and flavor. The portions are also huge, so huge that it is a feat to finish your dish.

I highly recommend one of their spicy soups of the udon noodle plates. I always thought this place would be perfect on a cold, rainy day. Sitting at the noodle bar having a beer, some noodles with a book. No better feeling that having some great, warm noodles on a cold and rainy day.

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Happy Hour at House of Shields

If you are looking for a great bar with a great happy hour, then look no further than The House of Shields in downtown San Francisco. This huge space is a local favorite for bike messengers, dot com techies and locals. The tap selection is decent, but they d have $2 Pabst Blue Ribbon from 4 - 7pm.

The House of Shields also hosts live music, has good seating (if you can get one) as well as a cool atmosphere. It looks like an old converted music hall. I highly recommend this place if you are looking for a good beer and a taste of San Francisco.

Charles Shaw

Ok, this isn't a secret anymore, but needs mentioning. Charles Shaw, also known as 2 Buck Chuck is a wine that is sold at Trader Joe's exclusively. These bottles got for $1.99 each! And the wine is actually good. It is never very consistent, but always decent. If you are a wino, 2 Buck probably isn't your go to wine, but if you are on a budget, budget conscious, or just not a huge wino, then 2 Buck is awesome. Super cheap and well worth every penny it costs.

Wikipedia link to Charles Shaw

Trader Joe's Where to Get

Kennedy's

Kennedy's Irish Pub and Indian Curry House on Columbus in North Beach has one of the best Happy Hours in San Francisco. The always have $2 Guinness on tap along with about 40 other beers on tap. Their happy hour from 5-7pm everyday allows you to but any beer and get another one free in the form of a token. So you can use this token at anytime for a free beer. The only problem with Kennedy's - no hard alcohol. Never fear - if you are looking for hard alohol, the bar right next door The International Bar will ease your pain.

Chinatown

I've always thought of Chinatown as a dirty part of the city where you only find touristy shit and cheap goods. That was until we saw a show on Bay Area Bargains informing us that Chinatown actually has some of the freshest fruits, vegetables, meats and fish. So we decided to put that show to the test. It was told that store fronts that display lots of oranges out front are a sign of prosperity as well as the best produce.

After walking through Chinatown countless times to get to and from work, I never thought of Chinatown as an area to get fresh, good food, but I was dead wrong. After walking into the stores, instead of quickly walking by you notice the fresh fish, meat and veggies. You can pick anything up - exotic, fruit, fresh unnamed fish, and much, much more. We picked up 2 crabs and several veggies for our dinner. The total cost: $18!!! It was a steal. The crabs were so fresh, they were still alive. After we cooked our feast, we realized what we have been missing out on the freshest fish, meats and veggies in the city. If you are looking for cheap and incredibly fresh foods - Chinatown is your place to go.