{"id":855,"date":"2018-11-30T09:55:39","date_gmt":"2018-11-30T09:55:39","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.secretescapes.com\/magazine\/?p=855"},"modified":"2021-03-03T17:07:48","modified_gmt":"2021-03-03T17:07:48","slug":"my-city-san-francisco","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/magazine.secretescapes.com\/escapist\/my-city-san-francisco\/","title":{"rendered":"My city: San Francisco"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Our \u2018my city\u2019 series puts a new perspective on some of our favourite places, as we catch up with creative residents, asking them to divulge their best kept secrets. From their recommended cheap eats, to their go-to coffee spot, there are plenty of hints and tips on how to stay like a local.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

We\u2019ve picked the brains of one of Silicon Valley\u2019s finest to get under the skin of San Francisco. Dan Pupius runs engineering for the publishing platform Medium. Dan\u2019s a software engineer by trade, and previously worked at Google on Gmail, Google+ and web app infrastructure.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Dan Pupius<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

If a friend\u2019s visiting and you want to impress them, which is your go-to restaurant?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Alexander\u2019s Steakhouse. They serve high-quality, perfectly cooked steaks?\u2014?including Wagyu imported from Japan. The service is perfect; always there, never in the way, attentive without being pretentious. A more casual option is to eat at the bar, where you can chat with the bartenders and try out their experimental concoctions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

And your favourite cheap eat?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Nothing\u2019s really cheap in San Francisco, but burritos and burgers are safe bet \u2013 good value and the competition keeps the quality bar high. Papalote\u2019s in The Mission has good burritos and the best salsa in the city. Garaje in SoMa, which bills itself as a divebar-taqueria-gastropub, has great beer on tap and a tasty selection of tacos, zapatos, and burgers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Where do you go for the best coffee in San Francisco?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

San Franciscans are serious about their coffee; the style is smooth but strong, there are minimal options, and good foam and fancy latte art are expected. There are a lot of coffee shops: Ritual, Four Barrel, Blue Bottle, and Sightglass are popular favourites. All have great coffee, great atmosphere, but the queues are long and it\u2019s not unusual to wait 20 minutes or more for your fix. My current favourite is a place called Cento, hidden in a back alley in SoMa (South of Market), near where I live. It\u2019s modish and Italian themed, and has amazing croissants if you get there early.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Cento<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Can you reveal your best-kept San Francisco secret?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Few residents know about Seward Street Slides. It\u2019s off a quiet street, tucked behind the trees, and the polished concrete slides are seriously fast. Bring cardboard or plastic to ride on, and pack a first aid kit. (Officially, adults must now be accompanied by a child.)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Tell us something that only a resident of the city would know?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

No one calls it San Fran, and certainly not Frisco. It\u2019s SF, The City, or San Francisco.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

What\u2019s the weirdest thing you\u2019ve done in San Francisco, and why?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

San Francisco is pretty fringy, so after a decade my baseline for weird has probably shifted a bit. Bring Your Own Big Wheel is a funny annual event where people race down Vermont Street?\u2014?an insanely steep and windy road?\u2014?riding plastic kids bikes and wearing fancy dress.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Bring Your Own Wheel<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Are there any tourist traps that should be avoided?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Fisherman\u2019s Wharf is the most famous tourist trap. It\u2019s where you\u2019ll find the cheap souvenir shops, the wax museum, and the oh so authentic San Francisco Dungeon.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

What\u2019s the best thing to do in San Francisco for free?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

If you come at the right time of year, the Stern Grove concert series is free, and the natural amphitheatre nestled amid tall fir trees, is a great place for a picnic while enjoying music. On the same theme Hardly Strictly Bluegrass is a big music festival that takes over Golden Gate Park, and is paid for my local venture capitalist Warren Hellman.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Beyond that, my main recommendation for visitors is to just walk. You can walk around the Embarcadero, bridge to bridge, skirting the edge of the bay \u2013 you\u2019ll see the Ferry Building, Coit Tower, views of Treasure Island, Alcatraz, Sea Lions, Fort Mason and Crissy Field. Or, walk over to Sausalito; follow 24th Street from the Mission up to Twin Peaks. Bernal Heights is a nice place to hang and look out over the city.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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San Francisco<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Are there any local customs or traditions that visitors to the city should be aware of?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

San Francisco seems to attract a lot of people who have a penchant for nakedness. Whether it\u2019s the Bay to Breakers race, Pride, or one of the street fairs, you\u2019re likely to see a lot of skin. The last Friday of every month marks Critical Mass, a semi-organized group bike ride that attracts hundreds of people. It\u2019s fun to participate in, but for visitors may lead to unexpected traffic jams.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Where would you go to get your fix of San Francisco\u2019s cultural and creative scene?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

San Francisco is steeped in the maker culture. The Maker Faire is the biggest annual event, but it\u2019s not hard to find other creative parties and gatherings where people show off their works: from Steampunk monstrosities to home printed fabrics. The San Francisco Ballet and Alonzo King Lines Ballet are something else. And SF MOMA will be reopening in May this year.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Where do you go when you need to get away from it all?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

One of the things I love most about SF is how easy it is to get into the outdoors. There are beautiful coastlines North and South. Wine Country is a short drive away. And in a few hours you can get to wilderness areas near Tahoe, Shasta, or Yosemite.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But, if we want a quick break from the city, our favourite spot is Fort Funston, an ethereal beach, south of the city, where dog owners flock, and you can sometimes see dolphins or whales playing in the surf.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Fort Funston<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

In your opinion, when\u2019s the best time of year to visit?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Even though San Francisco is renowned for its fog (who is called Karl) we actually get around 300 days of sunshine a year. Due to being on the tip of a peninsula, caught between Ocean and Bay, there are a myriad of weird micro-climates. It can famously go from being 30\u00b0C in the morning to 10\u00b0C in the afternoon as the wind blows in. SF has an Indian Summer, so people often say Autumn is probably the best time overall. But Winter is a good time to visit because it\u2019s so warm and mild compared to other places.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

If you didn\u2019t live in San Francisco, where else would you live and why?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Probably Seattle. My wife\u2019s family live there and while I don\u2019t love how rainy it is? (I left England for a reason!) ?there\u2019s a nice balance of outdoors and city living. I do kind of have a dream of living at the northern end of the Big Island in Hawaii, but not sure how practical that really is.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

When you leave San Francisco, what do you look forward to most when you come back?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

The weather? (300 days of sunshine and a clarity of air that makes everything slightly desaturated and pastel), the coffee and the fact that you can walk or cycle everywhere (we only need to use the car when we\u2019re going on an adventure).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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San Francisco Bay<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

All images Copyright \u00a9 2016 Dan Pupius<\/p>\n\n\n\n\t\t