Lonely Planet San Francisco [Paperback]

Tom Downs (Author)

Editorial Reviews

Review

"...pure San Francisco...lively writing pulls no punches..covers the top tourist sites as well as the edges..." -- Sacramento Bee, June 4, 2006 --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Product Description

Sip espresso in Kerouac's hangouts and bump noses with buffalo in Golden Gate Park. This guide, laced with tales of hippies and shanghaiers, Beats and immigrants, takes you through the hidden pockets of San Francisco, laying its charms at your feet.

• five walking tours through the city’s liveliest neighborhoods
• special section on the ins and outs of gay events throughout the year
• places to stay for every budget – even houseboats where sea lions provide your wake-up call
• all the eating options, including delectable dim sum and the best burrito
• 27 full-colour, user-friendly maps

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Product Details

• Paperback: 352 pages
• Publisher: Lonely Planet Publications; 3rd edition (January 2002)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1864503092
• ISBN-13: 978-1864503098
• Product Dimensions: 7.6 x 5 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 11.4 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 3.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (20 customer reviews)
• Amazon Bestsellers Rank: #2,141,250 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

42 of 44 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars another excellent Lonely Planet Guide, December 18, 2000

By	A Customer - See all my reviews

This review is from: Lonely Planet San Francisco (A Travel Survival Kit) (Paperback)

Yet again Lonely Planet has produced a very readable and useful guidebook. I bought this for a 5-day trip to the Bay area and was never at a loss for information. The 16 color maps at the back were extremely helpful: one of the biggest problems I have with guidebooks like Fodor's is that they often have confusing maps which can really get you confused and lost, whereas here any idiot like myself can find his way around easily. I also really liked the walking tours, of which there are five - Barbary Coast, Beatnik-Hippie, Chinatown, North Beach and Skyscraper - all of which have their own maps as well. The excursion chapter covered Oakland and Berkeley plus Marin County and Napa Valley and some sites south of San Fransisco. As always there was the typically well-researched chapters on accommodation, food, entertainment and shopping. Furthermore, the history chapter gave a good introduction to all of San Fransisco's past and present - the gold rush, earthquakes, the counterculture, gays and more.

A great travelguide for a beautiful city.

29 of 29 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars San Francisco native highly endorses this book, May 17, 2000

By	"callmeal" - See all my reviews

This review is from: Lonely Planet San Francisco (A Travel Survival Kit) (Paperback)

After using many Lonely Planet guides abroad, I felt there must be some valuable information about my own city. I bought this book to have as a reference when I had friends visiting from out of town (especially if I needed to send them out on their own!) but have used it for so much more. The restaurant recommendations and even suggestions for sightseeing have surprised me and I have even learned a few things I didn't know. Perhaps it is so good because it was written by the Lonely Planet staff in Oakland (right across the Bay from SF)- these guys know their stuff! Well organized and thorough, I recommend this to natives and visitors alike.

18 of 18 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent guide to San Francisco, August 10, 2005

By	His Girl Friday (Northern California USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Lonely Planet San Francisco (Paperback)

This is the first Lonely Planet guidebook that I have used extensively. I live in Northern California, and was looking for a book with decent maps, phone numbers, and descriptions of restaurants, hotels, and other attrations in San Francisco.

This guidebook provides all of this and more. It includes walking tours, features on unique aspects of San Francisco history and culture, and great maps. Having been to San Francisco several times before, this book opened my eyes to a few places I hadn't been and nudged me away from the areas I usually spend time in when visiting San Francisco (Union Square and the Theatre District).

I disagree with the reviewer who said that the maps were not very good -- they are excellent considering that they are inside of a small guidebook. In fact, this is the primary reason I purchased the book -- I misplaced the map I used when visiting San Francisco and the Bay Area. When I saw the excellent maps in this book, I opted to get it instead of getting a stand alone map.

I also disagree with the reviewer who said the book is skewed toward gay and lesbian culture. The Castro district gets the same level of attention as any other neighborhood in the city.

If you are someone who is visiting San Francisco for the first time, I highly recommend this book. Even for those (like me) who have visited, but don't live in the Bay Area, the book is an excellent resource.