USF area

I%26#39;m going to a conference at USF this weekend. I plan on taking the bus from my hotel, but can anyone tell me if the campus area is hilly? Hard to tell from a map whether I can walk it in heels. The bus stops at Masonic and Turk, and my conference is only a block up Turk.

My family still hasn%26#39;t forgiven me for last July%26#39;s fiasco of hiking down from Coit Tower to the Embarcadero on the hottest day of the year--it didn%26#39;t look so steep on the map:)

Also, is there any reason I should linger in the area after the concert? Anything particularly scenic, or good shopping, especially books?

Thanks in advance,

Mary

USF area

In a word, yes. Pack your heels in your tote and wear comfortable walking shoes.

Here%26#39;s a topo map for SF bike riders:

http://www.sfbike.org/download/map.pdf

USF area

That one block is not nearly as hilly as Telegraph Hill (Coit Tower). You shouldn%26#39;t have any problem from Masonic. Though I%26#39;ve never done it in heels!

I live in and like the area a lot. It%26#39;s pretty central to a lot of nice ';off the beaten path'; areas.'; The 3 that come to mind that you might want to check out. They%26#39;re all within walking (though probably not in heels!) distance or short bus rides.

1) Inner Richmond District. Mainly Clement Street between 2nd and 11th. (you can do a search in this forum for Richmond District, and you%26#39;ll get a lot more info). For BOOKS check out GREEN APPLE BOOKS on Clement. 3 storefronts. Bargain Bin up towards 3rd. Others down by 4th and 5th Ave. Lots of new and used. One of the best stores in SF. For eats. Clementine for French. Troya for Mediterranean. King of Thai for cheap noodles. Burma Superstar for Malay/Burmese food (a little mainstream for my tastes, but the tea leaf salad is great). Quickly for a milk tea with tapioca. Brother%26#39;s BBQ (on Geary) for Korean cook it yourself meat! Walking around you might want to check out the Congregation Emmu-El (Jewish Synagogue) Arguello Blvd. Even if you%26#39;re not Jewish, the building is worth the tour. The Columbarium. A little creepy, but fascinating as well. The inner Richmond was all cemetaries, with the Columbarium being the center of it all.

2) Laurel Village/Pacific Heights. This area is on California Street. It%26#39;s an upscale little strip mall. Surprisingly great markets. Bryan%26#39;s was featured on Top Chef season 1. There%26#39;s a nice little wood fired pizza place called Cafe Rigolo. Good deli selections at Bryans or at AG Ferrari%26#39;s. Good BOOKSTORE as well, Books Inc.

3) A few blocks down Masonic, is Haight Street, of course of the 1960%26#39;s fame. It%26#39;s evolved many times since then, but is still a little alternative. Amoeba Records is the best music store in the City. It%26#39;s overwhelming to a CD/Vinyl lover. Lots of clothes shops, new and vintage. Lots of interesting people. Places to get pierced or tattooed anywhere you like! Cha Cha Cha is latin/carib tapas. It%26#39;s a good place to get a little grub.

4) Not far from USF are a couple of interesting places. Cafe Velo Rouge is on the corner of Arguello and McAllister. Wed/Thurs dinners are Radio Africa and Kitchen. They call it Nomad cuisine... it%26#39;s a collection of food from around the world, organic and sustainable and as local as possible. It%26#39;s a different experience. $32 , menu changes every week, with whatever%26#39;s fresh.

5) Another neat place on Fulton and Masonic is Poleng Lounge. It%26#39;s a hip sort of place with Asian small plates and a wide selection of teas. It%26#39;s a club on Fri/Sat nights with a DJ. But it%26#39;s sort of an ';it'; spot, food is good.

USF area is on the top of a hill. You should do fine walking there. But if you go anywhere further, it is going to be a downhill walk, probably not very comfortable on heels.

If you have half a day left after the conference, it is good to see the Golden Gate park, it will be about 20-30 minutes walk from USF. Haight Asbury is closer and has a lot of restaurants and shopping.

Wow, thanks for all the great info! I decided I%26#39;m going casual anyway--it%26#39;s a weekend conference, and it%26#39;s at the School of Education, so I%26#39;ll wear what I wear to school --jeans and sweaters:)

I%26#39;ve printed out all the recommendations. I%26#39;ve been to Green Apple Books, but it was a tour with a friend of my husband%26#39;s, and while he took us everywhere, each stop we made was brief. I look forward to wandering around the area again, in my comfortable shoes!

And that map was amazing. I looked at streets I remember walking in October, so I know what those gradients feel like. My legs sure remember California St. being steeper than Clay when we walked from the Embarcadero Center to Chinatown!

Thanks again for the advice.

Mary