Discover San Francisco’s Mission neighborhood where hundreds of walls and fences are adorned with colorful and inspired works of art featuring themes ranging from cultural heritage to social-political statements © Karen Rubin/goingplacesfarandnear.com
San Francisco is loaded with hidden treasures, unknown gems, and unexpected attractions that only the locals know. The Barnes hotel at Union Square is an ideal base for exploring this vibrant city and discovering these treasures. The hotel has put together its tips to explore the city as only an insider could.
Tony Bennett crooned over this fog-cloaked city back in 1962, and more than 25 million visitors per year now leave their hearts in San Francisco too. While Pier 39, Union Square, Fisherman’s Wharf, the Golden Gate Bridge, and Alcatraz are some of San Francisco’s tried-and-true attractions, there are 49 square miles to explore, each with quirky nooks and colorful crannies. We can’t name them all (you’ll just have to return), but here are 10 secret spots that will have your heart flipping for the city by the bay.
Step back in time in the country’s oldest Chinatown where alleyways and streets are lined with dim sum joints, tea shops, and even a not-obvious Taoist temple, hidden on the third floor of a building at 125 Waverly Place. Dedicated to the Chinese sea goddess Mazu (known as Tin How in Cantonese), the temple’s wafts of burning incense hit you before you step inside the small but ornate red and gold room. This is a place of peace and contemplation, not a tourist attraction, so no pictures are allowed. But you can light incense, have your fortune read for a small donation, and relish the hidden-away serenity.
2. Mission Murals
Throughout the eclectic Mission neighborhood, hundreds of walls and fences are adorned with colorful and inspired works of art featuring themes ranging from cultural heritage to social-political statements. Balmy Alley and Clarion Alley, where, since 1992 more than 900 murals have been created, are good places to start. Go it alone or drop by Precita Eyes Mural Arts and Visitors Center, a community-based nonprofit striving to beautify urban environments. They offer guided informational tours of the murals.
At the convergence of Geary Boulevard and the Great Highway on the western edge of the city, vestiges of what was once the world’s largest indoor swimming facility remain. Built in 1894 by businessman Adolph Sutro, his eponymous bathhouse once housed seven pools that filled with 1.7 million gallons of Pacific Ocean water during high tide. With more than 500 dressing rooms, restaurants, and arcades enclosed by glass, Sutro Baths could hold more than 10,000 people. Sadly, it closed during the Great Depression, and eventually burned down in 1966. But the ruins still invite visitors to walk around and ponder the past while taking in gorgeous sea and sunset views.
Fun for every age is not a cliché at this museum that doubles as one of the world’s largest collections of coin-operated mechanical musical instruments and antique arcade artifacts. Housed in a warehouse behind Fisherman’s Wharf on Pier 45, more than 300-plus machines, from turn-of-the-century hand-cranked music boxes and antique slot machines to classic video games, are on display. Best of all, you can actually play with each of them. Before you leave, snap a selfie with iconic “Laffing Sal,” the admittedly nightmare-inducing animatronic doll, once a popular amusement park and carnival character. #creepy!
5. Oracle Park
It’s no secret San Francisco loves its sports teams, including the three-time World Series Champion San Francisco Giants, and their home field is a superb spot to take in a game or just walk around. Its position on the bay means home runs landing in the water are called “splash hits.” Bring your singing voice along and belt out “Take Me Out to The Ballgame” at the seventh inning stretch, Journey’s “Lights” in the eighth, and “I Left My Heart in San Francisco” after the wins. No games on the schedule? No problem. Join a behind-the-scenes guided tour offered almost every day of the year, which makes several stops around the stadium, including the field, a luxury suite, and the dugout.
A walk along Crissy Field to take that quintessential photo of the Golden Gate Bridge is a must. But don’t stop with just a picture. Keep walking toward the span until the trail ends. Hooked to the chain-link fence you’ll see a small sign with two big hands and the words, “Hoppers Hands.” Do as the locals do and high-five it before turning around. Ken Hopper was a retired ironworker who maintained the bridge fences, including the one at the adjacent, historic Fort Point. He noticed runners grabbing or touching it and came up with an idea for the welcoming sign. FYI: There is a set of paws, too.
San Francisco’s abundant hills are no secret, but how about its more than 600 stairways, some decorated with gorgeous mosaics? Up your daily step count by climbing a few, such as the 16th Avenue Tiled Steps (Moraga Street, between 15th and 16th Avenues), a 163-stair kaleidoscope of sea, land, and sky. The 52 art deco-inspired Lincoln Park Steps (California Street and 33rd Avenue) are awash in hues of yellow, orange, rust, and green, while the Hidden Garden Stairs (16th Ave., between Kirkham and Lawton) have so many pretty flowers, butterflies, and leaves you’ll almost forget you’re climbing up 148 of them.
With water on three sides of the city, celebrating the bay is part of life in San Francisco and this acoustic sculpture does just that. Located on a jetty in the boat harbor of the Marina district, the installation was created in 1986 by former Exploratorium artists-in-residence, Peter Richards and George Gonzalez. Twenty-five organ pipes made of PVC and concrete at various elevations let out eerie gurgles and burbles with every rise and fall of the tides as water is pushed and pulled through the tubes. The organ’s jetty was constructed with granite and marble from a demolished cemetery, which adds a spooky vibe to the otherworldly sounds.
For a one-of-a-kind night out, head to Chinatown’s last remaining theater, built in 1925, and completely renovated and reopened in 2021 by a local couple. Throughout the years, the 438-seat theater has hosted countless Chinese operas, including Lee Hoi-chuen, a Cantonese opera singer and the father of famed Bruce Lee, who spent time here as a kid watching his dad perform. These days the lineup of coming attractions is delightfully diverse and includes concerts, movies, dance troupes, magicians, cabaret, and more.
10. Sales Force Park
As far as urban parks go, San Francisco’s newest is an elevating experience, in more ways than one. Located on the roof of the Sales Force Transit Center, the 5.4-acre green space has become downtown’s favorite place to chill, thanks to a garden with 600 trees and 16,000 plants, benches, and 247 water jets that “dance” to the vibration made by the buses below. A half-mile loop trail curves around the permitter, and there’s even a children’s play area and amphitheater. The park is accessible via a free gondola cable car in Salesforce Plaza, on the corner of Mission and Fremont Streets.
11. Exploratorium
In April 2013, San Francisco’s popular Exploratorium packed up its 43-year history at the Palace of Fine Arts and moved to its modern new home on Pier 15, where young and old are invited to get touchy-feely with the more than 600 interactive exhibits spread over 330,000 square feet of indoor-outdoor space. Whether you dance with your own shadow, touch a tornado, break light apart, capture a wave, or listen to a 27-foot-tall harp being strummed by the wind, curiosity for science, art, and human perception is never far from your fingertips. If you happen to be in town on a Thursday night, head over to Pier 15 for the adults-only (18+) Exploratorium After Dark, where you can still play with most of the exhibits, but with a drink in hand and a DJ vibe setting an only-in-SF scene.
The historic San Francisco Union Square hotel, The Barnes is sophisticated and locally inspired Barnes was born of the spirit of San Francisco. It’s a place with charming global vibe and a local state of mind. A place where classic and contemporary meet, sleep and entertain in the heart of San Francisco culture. The Barnes, built inside a classic building at 225 Powell Street, is steps from the iconic San Francisco cable cars, nearby some of the city’s best shopping and surrounded by culinary excellence. Boasting a retro chic ambiance with an urban accent, The Barnes recently underwent room renovations to complement the hotel’s new name and vibe. Once inside, The Barnes Restaurant and Bar is a bustling social hub, where guests can enjoy a double espresso to kick start the day, meet over shareable appetizers, sip hand-crafted cocktails, or enjoy dinner with colleagues and friends. Menus feature local-artisanal ingredients and flavors unique to San Francisco. Locals are encouraged to make The Barnes Restaurant and Bar their go-to coffee and cocktail spot, social meeting location or post work happy hour bar. Rates start at $179. The Barnes is a pet friendly hotel.
More information is available at TheBarnesSF.com.
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