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I lived in SF for a few years, and SF has some really great neighborhoods that are enough off the beaten path to be interesting. I always avoided Chinatown (too crowded/mediocre) and went to Clement Street instead —it's more like a Little Asia, with Thai, Malaysian, Burmese, and Vietnamese places all on a small six-block strip adjacent to Geary. There's great food, wholesale restaurant supply places (great for small gifts), and one of SF's best bookstores, Green Apple. (It's huge, and has an amazing stock of remainders, used books, and crazy bargains!) Also recommended: the Sutro Baths, near the Cliff House. They're these crazy ruins of an old turn-of-the-century amusement park. There's a pool cut out through the cliff! It's really beautiful and cool. What else? Artists' Television Access in the Mission —great gallery space that programs lots of obscure video programs. Valencia St. between 16th and 24th is fun. Don't miss 826 Valencia (the Pirate Store), Aquarius Records, Borderlands (SF bookstore), and Paxton Gate. There's also the DeYoung, Yerba Buena Arts, and SF MoMA.
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