More things to do and places to eat in San Francisco
This bright space, formerly the airport’s international terminal, was redone and reopened in 2011. Its 14 gates serve American and Virgin American flights, including many from LAX. Arriving, you find a yoga area, day spa, Peet’s, Pinkberry, sushi, an organic cafe, a properly sized bookshop, a kids’ playspace and even snazzy bathrooms (with those eco-chic Dyson air-blowers). Using an easy AirTrain and BART route, you can get from the terminal to Powell Street (near Union Square) in 35 minutes. Be warned, however, that fog is your foe at SFO. Airport statistics for the year ended Oct. 31 show just 70.8% of SFO departures were on time. Across the bay at Oakland International Airport (also about 35 minutes from Powell Street via BART and a shuttle bus), 80.1% of flights departed on time. 780 S. Airport Blvd.; (650) 821-8211, http://www.flysfo.com. (Armand Emamdjomeh / Los Angeles Times)
Pinball wizards and arcade addicts will find their noisy Eden here, a private collection of 300 vintage arcade games, from turn-of-the-20th century hand-cranked music boxes to modern video arcade games. All of the games are in original working order: Pop in some coins and you can listen to larger-than-life Laffing Sal hoot at passersby or play skee ball, pinball or Whack-a-Mole. Pier 45, Fisherman’s Wharf at the foot of Taylor Street. (415) 346-2000, http://museemecaniquesf.com. Free. (Rosemary McClure / For The Times)
By day, a Senegalese bistro. If you’re unfamiliar with that cuisine, think deep-fried pastries with feta or beef, or prawns sauteed in red curry. Check out the happy-hour dinner specials, which include appetizer, entree, dessert and a drink for $25. By night, a major metamorphosis takes place. After 10, they move out the tables, and it becomes one of the coolest dance clubs in the Mission. 3388 19th St.; (415) 643-3558, http://www.bissapbaobab.com. (Wally Skalij / Los Angeles Times)
No, it’s not really a general store. Charles Phan, the chef behind the popular Slanted Door in the Ferry Terminal, opened this place in October 2011, and the foodies on Yelp have been arguing about it ever since. The menu offers variations on Chinese street food; entrees $11-$20. Fancy cocktails are a big draw. Though it stands in the middle of the semi-gritty, bohemian Mission District, the restaurant is sleek and orderly, with table tops that look like recycled bowling lanes. 584 Valencia St.; (415) 552-2510, http://www.wohinggeneralstore.com. (Christopher Reynolds / Los Angeles Times)
See the sights on your own terms by taking a historic streetcar from the Embarcadero (the F line) down bustling Market Street to the end of the line at the Castro Street Station. The brightly painted streamlined beauties were mostly built in the 1940s in Milan, Italy. The Castro, which is known as the city’s “gay village” (it was one of the country’s first gay neighborhoods and is still among the largest), comes alive at night when its many restaurants and bars overflow with locals. For low-cost, filling diner food at a neighborhood institution, slide into a counter seat at Orphan Andy’s. $2. http://www.sfmta.com. (Caitlin Fitzsimmons / For The Times)
