4th of July: San Francisco Edition
June 20, 2019 10:10 AM   Subscribe

I booked a room at the Grand Hyatt in SF for the 4th of July weekend. I live in San Jose area, so I am somewhat familiar with San Francisco. What are some off the beaten path places to visit or see? Food/bars? Night life? Are there fireworks that weekend or just on the 4th? We have plans to visit Hot Italian in Emeryville, but otherwise we are just looking to enjoy the city instead of our typical single objective-oriented travel.
posted by apex_ to Travel & Transportation around San Francisco, CA (5 answers total) 1 user marked this as a favorite
 
Fireworks are on the 4th (plus assorted illegal ones), but I'll warn you that a fairly typical experience is a cold, foggy night where the fireworks are swallowed up by the fog. It's too early to predict the weather, but bring a heavy coat and be aware you might not see all that much beyond pink clouds if you go.
posted by zachlipton at 12:13 PM on June 20, 2019 [3 favorites]


Go play some putt putt golf. Outdoors at Stagecoach Greens if the weather's nice, indoors at Urban Putt if it's too cold and grey for you.

Even when it's not clear enough to see fireworks, a lot of people mingle on Bernal Hill around sunset (and for hours after), just taking in the opportunity to be outside with a lot of other people, dogs, etc. Sometimes there's spontaneous music, but feel free to (responsibly) BYOB and blanket and enjoy the sounds of the city coming up the hill.

Rent bikes and motor around the Mission. Grab a mangoneada. Have a burrito. People watch for a sunny afternoon at Dolores Park.
posted by late afternoon dreaming hotel at 2:24 PM on June 20, 2019


Dolores Park is likely to be a zoo (in a good way - the SF Mime Troupe will be performing, in addition to the typical Dolores Park shenanigans) on the 4th or other day that's warm during that weekend. Bring a picnic blanket, stop by a corner store nearby for some beers or wine, and enjoy the people watching.

After the fireworks on the 4th, the public transit system and any streets near where people congregate to watch fireworks are going to be a mess, so I'd advise either to plan on walking back to your hotel or being okay with staying put for an hour or so while things clear out.
posted by kdar at 9:18 PM on June 20, 2019


We had a nice July 4th at USS Hornet Sea, Air Space Museum in Alameda a few years ago, and well if yer gonna be in Emeryville already...
posted by notyou at 9:19 PM on June 20, 2019


Funcheap has good recommendations. Also see the asksf subreddit which is surprisingly helpful
posted by blob at 7:04 AM on June 21, 2019


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