San Francisco Info
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 Posted: Wed Jan 10, 2007 12:56 am Post subject: NIGHTLIFE IN SAN FRANCISCO / SAN FRANCISCO NIGHTLIFE GUIDE |
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NIGHTLIFE IN SAN FRANCISCO
For a city with fewer than a million inhabitants, San Francisco boasts an impressive after-dark scene. Dozens of piano bars and top-notch lounges augment a lively dance-club culture, and skyscraper lounges offer dazzling city views. The city's arts scene is also extraordinary: The opera is justifiably world renowned, the ballet is on its toes, the Asian Art Museum has settled into its new Civic Center digs, and theatres are high in both quantity and quality. In short, there's always something going on, so get out there.
For up-to-date nightlife information, turn to the San Francisco Weekly (www.sfweekly.com) and the San Francisco Bay Guardian (www.sfbg.com), both of which run comprehensive listings. They are available free at bars and restaurants and from street-corner boxes all around the city. Where (www.wheresf.com), a free tourist-oriented monthly, also lists programs and performance times; it's available in most of the city's finer hotels. The Sunday edition of the San Francisco Chronicle features a "Datebook" section, printed on pink paper, with information on and listings of the week's events. If you have Internet access, it's a good idea to check out www.citysearch.com or www.sfstation.com for the latest in bars, clubs, and events. And if you want to secure seats at a hot-ticket event, either buy well in advance or contact the concierge of your hotel.
Tix Bay Area (tel. 415/433-7827; www.tixbayarea.org) sells half-price tickets to theatre, dance, and music performances on the day of the show only; tickets for Sunday and Monday events, if available, are sold on Saturday and Sunday. Tix Bay Area also sells advance, full-price tickets for most performance halls, sporting events, concerts, and clubs. Tickets are sold only in person and not over the phone or via the Web. To find out which shows they are selling half-price tickets for, call their info line or check out their website. A service charge, ranging from $1.75 to $5, is levied on each ticket depending on its price. You can pay with cash, traveler's checks, Visa, MasterCard, American Express, or Discover Card with photo ID. Tix, located on Powell Street between Geary and Post streets, is open Tuesday through Thursday from 11am to 6pm, Friday from 11am to 7pm, Saturday from 10am to 7pm, and Sunday from 10am to 3pm. Note: Half-price tickets go on sale at 11am.
You can also get tickets to most theatre and dance events through City Box Office, 180 Redwood St., Suite 100, between Golden Gate and McAllister streets off Van Ness Avenue (tel. 415/392-4400; www.cityboxoffice.com). MasterCard and Visa are accepted.
Tickets.com (tel. 415/478-2277 or 510/762-2277; www.tickets.com) sells computer-generated tickets (with a hefty service charge of $3-$19 convenience fee per ticket!) to concerts, sporting events, plays, and special events. Ticketmaster (tel. 415/421-TIXS; www.ticketmaster.com) also offers advance ticket purchases (also with a service charge).
For information on local theatre, check out www.bayareatheatre.org.
And don't forget that this isn't New York: Bars close at 2am, so get an early start if you want a full night on the town in San Francisco.
The Performing Arts
Special concerts and performances take place in San Francisco year-round. San Francisco Performances, 500 Sutter St., Suite 710 (tel. 415/398-6449; www.performances.org), has brought acclaimed artists to the Bay Area for 25 years. Shows run the gamut from chamber music to dance to jazz. Performances are in several venues, including the Herbst Theater and the Center for the Performing Arts at Yerba Buena Center. The season runs from late September to June. Tickets cost from $12 to $60 and are available through City Box Office (tel. 415/392-2545) or through the San Francisco Performances website.
Opera
In addition to San Francisco's major opera company, you might check out the amusing Pocket Opera, 469 Bryant St. (tel. 415/972-8930; www.pocketopera.org). From early March to mid-July, the comic company stages farcical performances of well-known operas in English. The staging is intimate and informal, without lavish costumes and sets. The cast ranges from 3 to 16 players, supported by a chamber orchestra. The rich repertoire includes such works as Don Giovanni, The Barber of Seville, and over 80 other operas. Performances are primarily on Sundays at 2pm though there are occasionally shows on Saturdays. Call the box office for complete information, location (which varies), and show times. Tickets cost from $15 (students) to $30.
Dance
In addition to the local companies, top traveling troupes like the Joffrey Ballet and the American Ballet Theatre make regular appearances in San Francisco. Primary modern dance spaces include the Cowell Theater, at Fort Mason Center, Marina Boulevard at Buchanan Street (tel. 415/345-7575), and the ODC Theatre, 3153 17th St., at Shotwell Street in the Mission District (tel. 415/863-9834). Check the local papers for schedules or contact the theatre box offices for more information.
Hungry for dinner and a damned good time? It ain't cheap, but Teatro ZinZanni is a delightfully rollicking ride of food, whimsy, drama, and song within a stunningly elegant 1926 spiegelten tent on The Embarcadero. Part musical theatre and part comedy show, the 3-hour dinner theatre includes a surprisingly decent five-course meal served by dozens of performers who weave both the audience and astounding physical acts (think Cirque du Soleil) into their wacky and playful world. Anyone in need of a night of giggles should definitely book a table here. Shows are held Wednesday through Sunday and tickets are $110 to $135 including dinner. The tent is located at Pier 29 on The Embarcadero at Battery Street. Call tel. 415/438-2668 or see www.zinzanni.org for more details.
The Bar Scene
Finding your idea of a comfortable bar has a lot to do with picking a neighbourhood filled with your kind of people and investigating that area. There are hundreds of bars throughout San Francisco, and although many are obscurely located and can't be classified by their neighbourhood, the following is a general description of what you'll find, and where:
Chestnut and Union Street bars attract a postcollegiate crowd.
Mission District frequented by young alternatives.
Upper Haight caters to eclectic neighbourhood cocktailers.
Lower Haight is skate- and snowboarder grungy.
Downtown; Tourists mix with theatergoers and thirsty businesspeople in downtown pubs.
North Beach serves all types.
The Castro caters to gay locals and tourists.
[spam word detected] offers an eclectic mix.
Note: California forbids smoking in bars, restaurants, hotel lobbies, and public areas of any kind. Some bars break the rules. Others ask their guests to step outside. Either way, don't count on lighting up inside any public place. Establishment owners are quick to enforce the rule because they can be fined if patrons disobey.
The Club & Music Scene
The greatest legacy from the 1960s is the city's continued tradition of live entertainment and music, which explains the great variety of clubs and music enjoyed by San Francisco. The hippest dance places are South of Market Street ([spam word detected]), in former warehouses; the artsy bohemian scene centres are in the Mission; and the most popular cafe culture is still in North Beach.
Note: The club and music scene is always changing, often outdating recommendations before the ink can dry on a page. Most of the venues below are promoted as different clubs on various nights of the week, each with its own look, sound, and style. Discount passes and club announcements are often available at clothing stores and other shops along upper Haight Street.
Drink prices at most bars, clubs, and cafes range from about $3.50 to $9, unless otherwise noted.
Club-Hopping Tour--If you prefer to let someone else take the lead (and the driver's seat) for a night out, contact 3 Babes and a Bus (tel. 800/414-0158; www.threebabes.com). The nightclub tour company (the head babe is a stockbroker by day) will take you and a gaggle of 20- to 40-something partyers (mostly single women) out on the town, skipping lines and cover charges, for $35 per person.
Scope-a-Scene--The local newspapers won't direct you to the city's underground club scene, nor will they advise you which of the dozens of clubs are truly hot. To get dialed in, check out reviews from the ravers themselves at www.sfstation.com. The far more commercial Club Line (tel. 415/339-8686; www.sfclubs.com) offers up-to-date schedules for the city's larger dance venues.
Gay & Lesbian Clubs
Just like straight establishments, gay and lesbian bars and clubs target varied clienteles. Whether you're into leather or Lycra, business or bondage, in San Francisco, there's gay nightlife just for you.
Check the free weeklies, the San Francisco Bay Guardian and San Francisco Weekly, for listings of events and happenings around town. The Bay Area Reporter is a gay paper with comprehensive listings, including a weekly community calendar. All these papers are free and distributed weekly on Wednesday or Thursday. They can be found stacked at the corners of 18th and Castro streets and Ninth and Harrison streets, as well as in bars, bookshops, and other stores around town. There are also a number of gay and lesbian guides to San Francisco. Check out the rather homely, but very informative site titled "Queer Things to Do in the San Francisco Bay Area" at www.io.com/~larrybob/sanfran.html for a plethora of gay happenings.
Cafes
If you happen to be wandering around North Beach past your bedtime and need your caffeine fix, seek out these two cafes. They offer not only excellent espresso, but also a glimpse back at the days of the beatniks, when nothing was as crucial as a strong cup of coffee, a good smoke and a stimulating environment.
Doing the North Beach thing is little more than hanging out in a sophisticated but relaxed atmosphere over a well-made cappuccino. You can do it at Caffè Greco, 423 Columbus Avenue, between Green and Vallejo streets (tel. 415/397-6261), and grab a bite, too -- until midnight. The affordable cafe fare includes beer and wine as well as a good selection of coffees, focaccia sandwiches, and desserts (try the gelato or homemade tiramisu).
Caffè Trieste, 601 Vallejo St., at Grant Avenue (tel. 415/392-6739; www.cafetrieste.com), is one of San Francisco's most beloved cafes -- very down-home Italian, with espresso drinks, wine, pizza and pastries at indoor and outdoor seating. Opera is always on the jukebox, unless it's Saturday afternoon, when the family and their friends break out in arias during an operatic performance from 2 to 5pm every other Saturday. Another perk: They offer access to free Wi-Fi with purchase, but you'll have to bring your own laptop. Check 'em out until 10pm Sunday through Thursday and midnight on Friday and Saturday.
Film
The San Francisco International Film Festival (tel. 415/561-5000; www.sffs.org), held at the end of April, is one of America's oldest film festivals. Entries include new films by beginning and established directors. Call or surf ahead for a schedule or information, and check out their website for more information on purchasing tickets, which are relatively inexpensive.
If you're not here in time for the festival, don't despair. The classic, independent, and mainstream cinemas in San Francisco are every bit as good as the city's other cultural offerings. |
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