Explore The City

In your free time outside of Conference, we hope you’re able to enjoy all the great things the city has to offer. Below you’ll find things to do, restaurants to try and neighborhoods to explore.

Things To Do

SF City Guides
Explore the history, folklore and legends of the city as a SF City Guide volunteer shares the fun of discovering San Francisco and its neighborhoods during a free tour. From the Ferry Building to the Japanese Tea Gardens you are guaranteed to find a tour to pique your interest.

Alcatraz Island
Located 1.25 miles off the Coast of San Francisco, the Alcatraz Island is the home of the Alcatraz Federal Penitentiary, which was a maximum high-security prison that operated between 1934 and 1963. Today the penitentiary is a museum and one of San Francisco's major tourist attractions. If you want to explore this historic site and enjoy magnificent views of the Bay, it is highly recommended that you make a reservation in advance.

Painted Ladies
The famous "Painted Ladies" of San Francisco are a row of Victorian/Edwardian houses painted in three or more colors that enhance their architectural details. Being one of San Francisco's most popular locations, they appear very frequently in media and mass­ market photographs of the city and have appeared in TV programs, ads and more than 70 movies. If you decide to take a photograph of your own, the "Painted Ladies" are located at 710-720 Steiner Street, right across from the Alamo Square park.

Neighborhoods & Restaurants

San Francisco is a city that is steeped in history dating back to the 1700s and has grown over the years to be as dynamic in character as its residents are diverse. During your down time at the Conference, be sure to explore some of the neighborhoods and unique experiences this city has to offer. Below are some of our favorite places that will give you a glimpse into the true character of the city. 

The city of San Francisco has compiled a list of places to eat around Moscone Center as well as the best restaurants for groups around the Moscone Center.

1. Embarcadero
The city’s east-facing waterfront has its finger piers and glistening views of San Francisco Bay. The beautifully renovated Ferry Building Marketplace is a foodie’s paradise, stocked with wine bars, cafes, innovative restaurants, fine food shops and a farmers’ market.

Coqueta
Pier 5 The Embarcadero
(415) 284-9922

Hillstone
1800 Montgomery St.
(415) 392-9280

Waterbar
399 The Embarcadero
(415) 284-9922

2. Hayes Valley
A short distance from Civic Center lays the Hayes Valley neighborhood boasting the SF Jazz Center, art galleries, antique shops, trendy restaurants and bookstores.

a Mano
450 Hayes St.
(415) 506-7401

Absinthe Brasserie & Bar
398 Hayes St.
(415) 551-1590

Chez Maman Hayes Valley
401 Gough St.
(415) 355-9067

Nopa
560 Divisadero St.
(415) 864-8643

3. North Beach
Anchored by Washington Square Park, North Beach is rich in Italian heritage and contains a host of cabarets, family style restaurants and gelato parlors.

Café Zoetrope
916 Kearny Street
(415) 291-1700

Fog Harbor
39 Pier 39 Concourse
(415) 421-2442

Il Casaro
348 Columbus Ave
(415) 677-9455

Sotto Mare Oysteria & Seafood
522 Green Street
(415) 398-3181

4. Mission District
Named for Mission Dolores founded in 1776, San Francisco's oldest neighborhood is known to have some of the best weather in the city with an abundance of fog-free days. While the Mission is home to a plethora of ethnic restaurants, it is also host to the largest concentration of murals in the city.

Beretta
1199 Valencia St
(415) 695-1199

Foreign Cinema
2534 Mission St.
(415) 648-7600

Lolo
974 Valencia St
(415) 643-5656

5. Union Square
In a town full of great shopping, Union Square is the neighborhood with the most abundant retail therapy, not to mention fine hotels, great meals and green spaces to sit outside and enjoy San Francisco’s temperate climate.

Bartlett Hall
242 O'Farrell Street
(415) 433-4332

Gaspar
185 Sutter St.
(415) 576-8800

Press Club
20 Yerba Buena Lane
(415) 744-5000