Apparently clam chowder is big in SF, plus other seafood specials. Latin American nosh is popular too. Could it be the mighty taco for SF?

all i will say is avoid the tenderloin like the plague. also find a decent hostel or hotel as the one i stayed in was a half way house for alchoholics and aids patients.

Yeah, looked a bit more into the Tenderloin thing, it does sound like a shit hole, I must say. Why, what happened to you when you were there?

its just not a good area to be in, hookers, junkies, pimps, dealers, drunks and lowlife of every description all in one place for blocks and blocks. i was pretty scared to be honest and i can laugh off most things.

this should give you more of an insight: http://www.tenderloin.net/

Pad Thai? I don't know, our strength is diversity, I suppose.

Ha ha, I had a friend that lived in the Tenderloin. I never visited her place for obvious reasons.

I dont know if i want to laugh or cry, or laugh until I cry, or cry until I laugh..

Yep. San Francisco has it's fair share of tired, poor, and huddled masses. In fact a friend of mine has a street flyer covered manic schizo gibberish on her fridge. Unfortunately the only thing I remember about it specifically was that it mentioned King Crimson in its long, mangled conspiracy theory... which I thought was cool.

Any word on a good nearby area to visit, like another city? I'm thinking maybe 5 day in SF, another three days somewhere close by. As you know, I won't have a car so I'm gonna have to take a train there from SF, and then take the train back to SF airport. Also, not having a car, the place is gonna have to be very walkable when getting around it.