Looking for a travel guide that goes where other guides fear to tread? One that rides roughshod over ad-copy puffery to smartly deliver the real scoop on a destination's sites and attractions? One that dares to be honest, hip, and fun? Look no more. "Frommer's Irreverent Travel Guides" are wickedly irreverent, unabashedly honest, and downright hilarious, and provide an insider's perspective on which attractions are overrated tourist traps and which are the secret gems that locals love. You'll get the lowdown on restaurants, lodging, and shopping, and even find out what the locals think of you. 'Like being taken around by a savvy local', said the "New York Times". 'Hipper and savvier than other guides', concurred "Diversion" magazine. Never shy about confronting the issues, the Irreverents are guides to real travel in the real world. It's easy to leave your heart in one of America's most beautiful and visited cities, but you don't have to follow the crowds to do it.Go behind the scenes with "Frommer's Irreverent Guide to San Francisco" and experience the city as the local do. You'll discover how to get into the open morning rehearsals at the San Francisco Symphony, how to hop a cable car without waiting in line, and how to wrangle a seat at some of the city's best restaurants without reservations. You'll learn that uttering the word 'Frisco' can actually make a local loco, and how to endear yourself to San Francisco cabbies. "Frommer's Irreverent Guide to San Francisco" gives you all that, plus the inside scoop on the tastiest meals, the smartest clubs, and the coziest love nests.

Table of Contents

INTRODUCTION.From Beatniks to Brotherly Love.Queers and Quakes.Weird and Wonderful.YOU PROBABLY DIDN'T KNOW.1 ACCOMMODATIONS.Basic Stuff.Winning the Reservations Game.Is There a Right Address?The Lowdown. Maps.Map 1. San Francisco Accommodations.Map 2. Union Square & Nob Hill Accommodations.The Index.An A to Z list of places to stay, with vital statistics.2 DINING.Basic Stuff.Only in San Francisco.How to Dress.When to Eat.Eating at the Bar.Cafe Society.Navigating the Coffee Trail.The Lowdown.Maps.Map 3. San Francisco Dining.Map 4. North Beach Dining.Map 5. Mission District Dining.Map 6. Union Square & Financial District Dining.The Index.An A to Z list of restaurants, with vital statistics.3 DIVERSIONS.Basic Stuff.Getting Your Bearings.The Lowdown.Maps.Map 7. Major San Francisco Attractions.The Index.An A to Z list of diversions, with vital statistics.4 GETTING OUTSIDE.The Lowdown.5 SHOPPING.Target Zones.Bargain Hunting.Trading with the Natives.Hours of Business.Sales Tax.The Lowdown.Maps.Map 8. San Francisco Shopping.Map 9. Union Square Shopping.Map 10. Mission District Shopping.The Index.An A to Z list of shops, with vital statistics.6 NIGHTLIFE.Liquor & Smoking Laws.The Lowdown.Maps.Map 11. San Francisco Nightlife.The Index.An A to Z list of nightspots, with vital statistics.7 ENTERTAINMENT.Sources.Getting Tickets.The Lowdown.Maps.Map 12. San Francisco Entertainment.The Index.An A to Z list of venues, with vital statistics.HOTLINES & OTHER BASICS.GENERAL INDEX.Accommodations Index.Restaurant Index.

Author Biography

Matthew Richard Poole, a native Californian, has authored more than two dozen travel guides to California, Hawaii, and abroad, and is a regular contributor to radio and television travel programs, including numerous guest appearances on the award-winning Bay Area Backroads television show. Before becoming a full-time travel writer and photographer, he worked as an English tutor in Prague, ski instructor in the Swiss Alps, and scuba instructor in Maui and Thailand. Highly allergic to office buildings and mortgage payments, he spends most of his time traveling the globe and searching for new adventures. His other Frommer's titles include California, California from $70 a Day, San Francisco from $70 a Day, and Portable Disneyland.