San Francisco/SoMa
SoMa -- the area south of Market Street and east of the Mission -- is San Francisco's urban renewal district.
Once home to warehouses and dilapidated Victorian houses, SoMa saw an artistic and club culture revival in the 1980s. By the time of the Internet boom of the 1990s, the "live-work" buildings of this area had become prime real estate, and the artists and musicians who had made it cool could no longer afford the sky-high rentals.
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See
- The Sony Metreon entertainment complex. Check out the IMAX theater or a store devoted soley to the Sony Playstation video game system. There is also a "Dave and Busters" style video game parlor where you can drink and play virtual bowling. http://www.metreon.com/
- Moscone Center (for conferences) http://www.moscone.com/
- San Francisco Museum of Modern Art
- Yerba Buena Gardens
- Zeum
- South Park
- The Folsom Street Fair. This annual event, usually held in late Septemeber, features Leather, Bondage, and other BDSM Fetish activities. It features several blocks of wall-to-wall dance clubs, bands, and booths where you can shop for a whip or learn about safe sex. It started out as an underground event, but is now sponsored by giant beer companies. It's still a fun time, and the admission fee is less than $5. http://www.folsomstreetfair.com/
Eat
- Red's Java Hut.
- Brainwash. 1122 Folsom @ Langton (between 7th and 8th Streets), 415.255.4866. Hours of operation: Monday - Thursday (8 am - 12 am), Friday (8 am - 1 am), Saturday (7:30 am - 1 am), Sunday (7:30 am - 12 am). It's a Laundromat! It's a Cafe! It's a pub! It's all of the above. A fine place to do your laundry while grabbing a beer, some lunch, playing a little pinball, surfing the net, chatting with your friends, or watching a live show. http://www.brainwash.com
- Home Menu, 1565 Mission (at South Van Ness), 861-3173 (fax 861-6788). Mo-Fr 10a-10p, Sa 10a-9p, Su 10a-4p. Chinese and Vietnamese cuisine (review is for Vietnamese). Stir-cooked dishes with barbecued meats and fresh vegetables. Chef may ignore your order if he thinks you'll like something else better, and when he does the food is excellent for the price. Soups, rice porridge, pho available. Accessible, not vegetarian aware, no MSG, beer, Chinese pop instrumentals, bright lighting, free delivery. $3.50-$6.75 apps/salads, $5.75-7.50 rice plates, $6.50-$8.50 entrees. http://www.homemenusf.com/
Drink
- Jillians, 101 4th Street, Inside the Sony Metreon. This upscale sports bar has a huge video wall great for watching sports. There are also 8 well kept pool tables for something to do. This bar becomes a dance club on Friday and Saturday nights with a strict dress code -- nice shoes required. http://www.jillians.com/club_detail.asp?club_id=41
Bars
- Eagle's Drift Inn.
- Hotel Utah.
Clubs
Many of San Francisco's best dance clubs are in SoMa.
- The Cat Club
- DNA Lounge, 375 11th Street(near Folsom). The DNA Lounge is a 2-story club which often caters to the geekier "digerati" crowd. One of the founders is Jamie Zawinski, a former Netscape superstar and Internet nabob. Events feature themed electronica dance nights (Industrial, Techno, Trance, etc) and live bands (Nina Hagen and Yngwe Malmsteen are coming soon). There is usally a cover between $3 and $25 (for the bands). http://www.dnalounge.com/
