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October 18, 2005 7:10 AM

Help me entertain my father in San Francisco next week.

I'm slated to spend a Saturday together with my dad in San Francisco next weekend. I'm lost on what to do with him. It's fair to say that 2-3 hours can easily be spent eating and talking, but what about the rest?

We'll likely meet up mid-morning in the city, and part after dinner. He's not the sort to enjoy tours (nor am I) and we have both lived in San Francisco, erasing any possible interest in landmarks or usual attractions. He's in good health, though a sporting activity might be too much of a hassle.

Things about dad: special ed teacher, likes motorcycles and gadgets, has no known hobbies other than being obsessed with Apple.

We haven't seen each other in over two years, and while we don't struggle or argue, our relationship is not close.

The best idea I've been able to come up with so far is to walk around an interesting neighborhood (perhaps end to end Mission), visit an Apple store and then have dinner and drinks. Can you suggest anything better?

posted by cior to Human Relations (16 answers total)

Two of the highlights from my honeymoon in San Francisco were walking through the various gardens at Golden Gate Park on visiting Muir Woods just outside of SF.

But you're probably well aware of both of these 'attractions' having lived there. Good Luck!
posted by lyam at 7:39 AM on October 18, 2005

The Saturday Farmer's Market at the Ferry Building is awesome. Lots of good produce and meat and ready-made food for sale, plus you can watch the ferries and the Bay Bridge (most of the stalls are set up behind the building, by the piers). The Ferry Building itself is also gorgeous architecturally, so if it wasn't open when you lived here, it might be worth checking out. (And there are wine bars and tea rooms and restaurants and ice creams shops and such inside.) My father loved it, and he's not an organic food junkie.

From there you could actually walk up to the Maritime Museum, which would be a nice walk and I've heard the museum is interesting, and a little less visited than others.
posted by occhiblu at 7:55 AM on October 18, 2005

(Info on the Maritime Museum. And an acknowledgment that "Dads like boats" was the underlying them of my post!)
posted by occhiblu at 7:59 AM on October 18, 2005

If it's been a few years, maybe just visiting the old neighborhood would be nice. I know that if I had the chance to go back to SF there are a ton of familiar places I would like to see again.

If neither of you are into reminiscing, I guess the Metreon is another gadget-y place to go, with some nice restaurants nearby.
posted by teleskiving at 8:00 AM on October 18, 2005

how old are you? how old is he?
posted by seawallrunner at 8:42 AM on October 18, 2005

Take him to see Doctor Atomic at the SF Opera. Another choice: the new de Young Museum. The building itself should provide hours of conversation.
posted by Taken Outtacontext at 9:53 AM on October 18, 2005

My parents were here this weekend. They absolutely loved Strybing Arboretum in GGP, but perhaps your father doesn't care about plants or has already spent enough time there. We tried to get into the de Young Museum, but the lines were ridiculous. I imagine they won't be so big now that it's no longer free, though.
posted by epugachev at 10:16 AM on October 18, 2005

Think your dad might like the Exploratorium?
posted by atom128 at 10:21 AM on October 18, 2005

or visiting Muir Woods just outside of SF

With typical Saturday traffic jams, driving there and back should pretty much take all day. I suggest not.

walk around an interesting neighborhood (perhaps end to end Mission)

Along the Embaradero (now that the freeway is gone) is, in my opinion, more interesting than the Mission neighborhood (as suggested above - a walk from the Ferry Building to the Maritime Museum). If you're up to it, you can walk all the way to the Golden Gate Bridge (and even across it).
posted by WestCoaster at 10:26 AM on October 18, 2005

There is a *very* interesting and funky flea market in the Mission, between 18th & 19th streets between Florida & Alabama streets that only occurs on Saturday. A more eclectic collection of crap interesting doodads, strange sculptures, people, stories, etc cannot be had anywhere else. If browsing collections of art, junk, and eccentric people would be a way for you and your father to pass the time together, I cannot recommend it strongly enough. Of course, since it is a flea market, it all depends on which "merchants" show up, but I'd surely suggest you drop on by to check it out at the least.
posted by jasper411 at 10:46 AM on October 18, 2005

> If you're up to it, you can walk all the way to the Golden Gate Bridge (and even across it).

And even if you don't want to go all the way to the GG Bridge, you could wander up into the Presidio from the Maritime Museum / Fisherman's Wharf area. Pretty views of the bridge, and lots of nice park-type stuff, and old military buildings.
posted by occhiblu at 10:48 AM on October 18, 2005

Maybe Steinhart Aquarium or the Aquarium of the Bay?
posted by scody at 1:38 PM on October 18, 2005

If you have a GPS, Geocaching is always a fun way to explore a familiar (and sometimes not so familiar) place.
posted by xorowo at 4:00 PM on October 18, 2005

Sutro Baths ruins. If he's coming in on a motorcycle, y'all can ride around by ocean beach afterwards.
posted by mabelstreet at 4:43 PM on October 18, 2005

Maybe Steinhart Aquarium or the Aquarium of the Bay?

We went to AotB. Nice enough but not the most impressive aquarium ever.
posted by epugachev at 1:02 AM on October 19, 2005

Follow-up:
I took him to the Ferry Building Farmer's Market for tea, then BART for a spell up to the Mission, walking tour. We had taqueria lunch, visited 826 Valencia. We both took a break for the afternoon (relieving the pressure!) and then met up again for dinner at Il Cantuccio on 16th.
posted by cior at 5:49 AM on July 1, 2006