Ultimate Guide to Green San Francisco

San Francisco is a city that is pretty well known for its eco-friendly efforts. There are a lot of green things going on here. There is more than just a general mindset here that you should try to be kind to the earth. San Francisco is truly cutting edge in its adoption of being green. The city has banned plastic bags from being used at grocery stores, supports farmers’ markets like almost no other city in the world, has implemented a citywide composting program and offers a recycled art program at its local dump. Like everything else in the city, San Franciscans do green with style and fun. This guide will let you in on all of the great fun things that there are to do in the city which are designed to be green and how to enjoy them in an eco-friendly manner.

San Francisco’s Most Fun Green Buildings

There are buildings in San Francisco that go above and beyond in their green quotient. These aren’t just buildings that meet LEED standards. These are buildings that you want to go to specifically because what they offer is cool greenness. Some of the most fun green buildings in San Francisco are:

• EcoCenter. If you’re really interested in green stuff then you’ll be interested in the eco-education provided at this new building that is being constructed in the Hunter’s Point neighborhood. This interesting neighborhood has a bad reputation but it’s actually a neat place for cutting-edge art and city projects. The EcoCenter, which is in its final stages of development, is the city’s first 100% off grid building. It features solar energy, a living roof, native plant landscaping and many other aspects of green building. Events here tend to be of the artsy variety and are usually fun for all ages.

• Crissy Field Center. If you’re looking for something that’s specifically geared towards children then you’ll want to check out the educational earth-friendly events that are happening at this great place. The building itself is a historic building that’s been sustainably renovated. The activities here are all designed to educate kids about eco-stuff in a fun way. And the center is located a national park near Golden Gate Bridge so the setting is idyllic.

• Adobe. If nerdy fun is more your style then head over to the Adobe Systems offices located South of Market and take a class or workshop in Adobe programs. The building that you will take your class in is a high-ranking LEED certified building that implements a variety of different green building techniques into its design.

• Golden Gate Park Windmills. Technically these aren’t buildings but they’re definitely big green structures in San Francisco that are fun to go take a look at. There is a movement to restore these windmills to working order so that they can actually provide wind energy for the city.  For now they’re a neat thing to take a look at when you’re in the park and a good place to snap some pictures at during your trip to San Francisco.

• Parque Ninos Unidos. Golden Gate Park is the most interesting park in the city but it’s not the only one. There is a small park in the Mission which has a great little community center for kids. The community center is located inside of a green building which uses natural lighting and recycled content in its design.

• EpiCenter Med Spa. There are a lot of salons and med spas located throughout the world that pride themselves on using healthy, organic materials in their spa treatments. However, not many of them can say that their buildings are also green. This one can. It was built using recycled fabrics, eco-friendly paints and a highly energy-efficient design plan.

• Orchard Hotel. If you’re just visiting San Francisco then you might want to stay at a green hotel. The best green boutique hotel in the city is the Orchard Hotel. This is a luxury hotel that is totally green from floor to ceiling.

San Francisco’s Most Fun Green Programs and Events

San Francisco doesn’t just have buildings that are green. It also has a lot of green events and programs. Some of the best eco-friendly events and community programs include:

• The Green Festival. You can’t get any greener than an entire festival devoted to green stuff. This annual event hosts green educators, green vendors and green artists.

• Pedal-Powered Music Festival. This is a musical event that is entirely powered by the energy of peddling bicycles. It I the largest bike-powered music festival in the world and one of the most interesting annual events in San Francisco. And it’s free to attend.

• San Francisco Green Film Festival. Pay attention for more news about this one as it develops because this innovative eco-friendly film festival launches in 2010.

• Artist-in-Residence Program at the Local Dump. There is not a whole lot of waste in San Francisco. The city has a terrific recycling program and has recently started offering composting as well. However there is inevitably some waste that comes to the landfill. And some of it goes right back out again because the landfill has an artist-in-residence program which encourages the recycling of this junk into art. There are art shows and events throughout the year to honor the program and the artists it supports.

San Francisco’s Most Fun Green Activities

In addition to visiting the city’s greenest buildings and attending its most popular green events, there are some other green activities that can be enjoyed in San Francisco. The best of those activities include:

• Slow Food Events and Farmers’ Markets. The Slow Food movement is all about enjoying food that is clean, healthy, eco-friendly and fair to the people who grow it. There are quite a few Slow Food events in San Francisco throughout the year. On a related note, San Francisco hosts multiple farmers’ markets throughout each week where you can get healthy, earth-friendly, locally-grown food direct from the farmers who grow it. The most popular of these farmers’ markets is held at The Ferry Building which was honored last year as a winner of a prestigious green building award.

• Ride the Ducks. The ducks are a combination land/sea tour through the city of San Francisco. Riding them teaches you some of the history of the city and gives you a great view of the skyline from the bay. It’s one of the best tours of the city that there is. And since the vehicles for this tour recently switched to bio-diesel it’s a green activity for you to enjoy.

• Aquarium of the Bay. The best aquarium in San Francisco is probably the one that’s located at the California Academy of Sciences but you shouldn’t neglect this other aquarium. It’s a fun place in a great location (Pier 39) and it provides visitors with a great education about the ecology of the area.

• Cocktails at Elixir. There is a new movement called the Green Cocktail movement which encourages people who enjoy their alcohol to drink earth-friendly organic cocktails. Elixir is the best place in San Francisco to try these green drinks although many bars in the city do have the fresh ingredients that go into these cocktails.

• Walking Tours. What’s greener than just getting out and walking around powered by your own energy? San Francisco offers a large number of walking tours. There is even one group, City Guides, that offers over 300 different walking tours which are all free (by donation).

You can also check the Bay Area EcoCalendar for upcoming green activities.

Getting to San Francisco’s Green Events

It’s easy to get around San Francisco in an eco-friendly way. The best thing to do for yourself and the earth is, of course, to walk. But if you’re looking for other green transportation options then you’ll find those here as well:

• San Francisco’s eco-friendly public transportation. San Francisco is a city where it is fairly easy to get around by public transportation. This is green in and of itself but the city has gone out of its way to invest in the greenest public transportation possible. The city is even going so far as to install green solar-powered bus stops!

• Green Ferry. People frequently take ferries to get around the San Francisco Bay. Hornblower has a boat that is totally green; it’s powered by wind power, solar panels and hybrid batteries. This one goes to Alcatraz so if you’re planning on doing that popular tourist attraction then do it as green as you can.

• San Francisco’s green cabs. San Francisco is one of the only cities in the world to have a set of taxi cabs that are specifically designed to be green. There are only a few of these cabs located around the city right now but they’re easy to spot because they’re green. They cost the same as any other taxi so flag one down if you see one while looking for a ride. If you’re more of a limo kind of person then you’ll be happy to know that eco-limo drivers also operate in San Francisco.

• Zipcar in San Francisco. San Francisco is one of the cities that participates in the Zipcar car sharing program. (There is also a City Car Share program that is similar). Car sharing is a great way to have a car in the city without being too un-green.

• San Francisco’s bike community. A lot of people hesitate to bicycle in San Francisco because the city’s steep hills intimidate them. However there are a lot of other people who love to bicycle here. There’s a big bike community that you can choose to be a part of if that strikes your fancy. In addition to the annual bike-pedal powered music festival mentioned above, there are ongoing bicycle-related events like the monthly Critical Mass ride. There is also a bike repair co-op in the city where you can fix your bike for cheap as needed.

There are Even Green Coupons in San Francisco

San Francisco might be one of the most expensive cities in the world in terms of rent prices but it balances itself out by offering a lot of free and cheap things to do. Since being green is so popular here you’ll find a lot of offers for discounts if you take green actions. For example, you can get into some performance events for free or cheap by bringing donated goods to recycle. And there is actually an entire coupon book, called the Green Zebra, which gives you discounts to local green businesses. This coupon book is similar to the oh-so-familiar Entertainment book except that all of the coupons are for San Francisco based small businesses that qualify as green in some manner. You can use it to find green things to do and to do them at a bargain.

The Steepest Streets and Crookedest Streets in San Francisco

San Francisco is one of the least fun cities in the world to drive in but one of the best cities in the world in which to be the passenger in a car. That is because the streets are narrow, curvy and difficult to navigate which can be stressful for you if you’re the driver. As a passenger, though, you get all of the pleasure of the drive. As you peak at the top of an amazingly steep hill you can see the road drop off below you and you can gaze at an amazing view of the city or the bay. As you wind down the city’s crookedest streets you can enjoy the fun of the silly ride as well as the views that lay before you. Any trip to San Francisco should include a drive along some of the steepest or crookedest streets in San Francisco whether you get a car yourself or have a cabbie take you.

The Steepest Streets in San Francisco

If you spend a few hours walking around the city of San Francisco then you might be convinced that there isn’t a street in this city that fails to be steep. There are so many hills all around the city that each one can start to feel steeper than the next. However, there really are less than a dozen hills that truly qualify as the steepest of the steep in this city. If you’re walking then these streets will provide a great workout. If you’re driving then they’ll give you the chance to see some great views.

The steepest street in San Francisco on which you can drive is Filbert Street between Leavenworth and Hyde. This is one of the most popular areas for people to drive if they are looking for a fun ride. That is because this hill crests sharply so that your car almost hovers on its back wheels and you can’t even see the road below you until you start to go down the hill. The street is a one-way street which faces the East Bay and gives you a great view of the Financial District before you drive down it. This street is sometimes called Watermelon Hill, a name that became fairly well known in 1996 when a David Letterman clip aired showing him rolling watermelons and other objects down this steep grade.

Filbert Street actually shares the honor of being the city’s steepest car-navigable street with another street: 22nd Street between Church and Vicksburg. This one is located in the Noe Valley neighborhood and is also a fun street to drive. Both of these streets are inclined at a 31.5% grade which ranks them among some of the steepest streets in the entire world where cars are allowed to drive.

There are seven other streets that commonly show up on lists ranking the steepest streets in the city. All of these streets are between a 24% grade and a 29% grade so they aren’t quite as dramatic as Filbert and 22nd Street are but they’re a little bit easier on the legs if you are walking. Those streets are:

• Jones between Union and Filbert (29% grade)
• Duboce between Buena Vista and Alpine (27.9% grade)
• Jones between Green and Union (26% grade)
• Webster between Vallejo and Broadway 26% grade)
• Duboce between Alpine and Divisadero (25% grade)
• Jones between Pine and California (24.8 grade)
• Fillmore between Vallejo and Broadway (24% grade)

Of course, there are going to be some people who really want to challenge themselves by walking up the steepest streets in San Francisco. Filbert and 22nd Street are both a great challenge but they actually are not the steepest streets in the city for people who are on foot. There are two short sections of city streets which are actually steeper than these are and where cars are not allowed to go. If you want to get a serious workout then check out the section of Stanyan Street and Belgrave which is at a 33% grade or the section of Broderick Street between Broadway and Vallejo (a sidewalk-only area) which is a full 38% grade. Happy climbing! Enjoy the views!

The Crookedest Streets in San Francisco

The steepest streets in San Francisco are a lot of fun to drive and a nice challenge to walk but some people prefer to visit the crookedest streets in the city. Although these are also steep, they aren’t nearly as steep as the aforementioned streets. Instead, these streets are fun because they curve and wind and create a fun little ride for you in your car. The most famous of these streets is, of course, Lombard Street which has been called The Crookedest Street in the World. This famous portion of the street between Hyde and Jones is a pretty, well-landscaped curvy one-way road that draws dozens of tourists every day.

Although Lombard Street is the most famous crooked street in the city, many people say that it is technically not the crookedest street that exists. That honor goes to Vermont Street between 20th and 22nd Streets. This street, located in the Potrero Hill neighborhood, isn’t as pretty or as popular as Lombard Street but it’s gained some fans over the years because of its curves. In fact, it is the current site of an annual Easter event called Bring Your Own Big Wheel during which adults race Big Wheels down the hill. This event used to be held on Lombard Street but moved a few years back when the crowds that it drew became upsetting to Lombard Street residents.

Another street that interests many people is 22nd Street at Collingwood. This street isn’t as curvy as the other two but it does hold the distinction of including a complete 180 degree curve which makes it the street with the sharpest curve in the city. It’s a fun one to drive and rather dramatic at that point. People who are interested in checking out both the steepest and the crookedest streets in the city will often head to 22nd where they can get the best of both worlds in one short trip.

Finally, it’s worth noting that there’s a great little curvy driveway in San Francisco which is located on the north side of Broderick Street between Broadway and Vallejo. The driveway is a private drive which leads directly into a garage so you can’t drive down it or even walk down it. However, it’s neat because it looks almost exactly like Lombard Street without all of the flowers or tourists. People also like going to check out this little-known attraction because of the fact that all of the homes in this area are amazing mansions which are fun to view even just from the outside. This gives you a lot of neat stuff to see on foot and there are some terrific views of the Bay near this area.

Where You Do and Don’t Want to be on Halloween in SF

Halloween in San Francisco is an interesting holiday. On the one hand, this is a city where nearly every resident has a closet filled with costumes that are used at various events all throughout the year. These people often outdo themselves at Halloween which makes San Francisco a terrific city for people who really want to get dressed up to party amidst a bunch of frivolous adults. However, there’s a mark of ugliness that hangs over this holiday in San Francisco as well. The Castro has long been considered a top neighborhood for Halloween parties and yet it’s also been the site of several Halloween fights, riots and shootings. So, do you want to do Halloween in San Francisco? Absolutely but where you do and don’t want to be on this holiday depends on what you’re looking for.

The Castro on Halloween

For many years, the place to be on Halloween was in the Castro. This gay nightlife section of the city really knew how to do Halloween right. People would dress up in elaborate costumes and hop from bar to bar to show off what they were wearing. Sometimes the streets were shut down for a city-sponsored Halloween block party. But then things started to get too crazy here. The crowds got too big and the city started to lose control over the event. In 2006, there was a shooting at the event. After that, the city stopped sponsoring Halloween in the area. Many bars and stores had to close down early on Halloween to prevent such a problem from occurring again. The Castro just isn’t the place that it used to be for Halloween. In 2009, bars will be allowed to be open but there will no block party and it’s expected to be a relatively quiet night on the streets of this neighborhood in comparison with years past. Is it safe to spend Halloween here? Probably but it’s not the top choice for a lot of people for Halloween 2009. If you’re sad about the fact that the Castro’s Halloween just isn’t the same as it used to be then you might want to spend your Halloween evening checking out the 8 pm showing of an opera called Halloween in the Castro which humorously describes all of the things that went wrong for this holiday here.

Top Halloween Parties and Events for Adults

So where do you want to be for Halloween 2009 if you’re an adult who is looking to get into costume and to party with other adults? Here are the top choices:

• Wonderland at Ruby Skye.  The event of the year is reported to be this three-night long Alice in Wonderland themed music/dance/costume event. The party starts on Thursday and goes on through Halloween night with the cost for a weekend pass being priced at $55. The club spent $20,000 on props so you should get your money’s worth.
• Exotic Erotic. This famous party isn’t actually held on Halloween but it’s considered a top Halloween costume event by many San Franciscans. This fetish event is an expo and ball filled with live porn stars, burlesque performances, costumes galore and more than most eyes can handle. 2009 marks the 30th anniversary of the event which takes place the weekend before Halloween. 
• Silly Cil’s 10th Annual Freakshow. This SoMa Halloween event is filled with fun that’s been inspired by the 1930’s circus scene. Expect to see aerial artists, jugglers and a lot of sexy silly costumes at this $30 event. Is it worth the money? It’s one of the most fun events in the city if you’re looking for a Halloween event that you’ve got to pay to attend. It runs from 9-2 at Terra Gallery.
• Drop Dead Sexy Block Party.  This event looks like it’s going to be a lot of fun. You pay a little bit of cash to get in ($40 for a wristband) but that gives you access to six clubs that combined together have twelve bars and eleven dance floors. A lot of sexy costumed characters will be out and about here so it’s not likely that you’ll get bored. Just remember that you’re on the street with all of San Francisco’s strip clubs so if you’re not into the seedy thing then you may want to look for a tamer event.
• Nightmare on Van Ness. This event is being held on Halloween Night at the Regency Center. Adults can come in costume and dance to the sounds of a number of different DJs in multiple dance rooms at this hot club night. The party runs from 9pm – 4am so if you’re looking for a late night party then this could be a good choice.

Top Halloween Events for Families

What if you’ve got little ones that you want to take to events on Halloween in San Francisco? Top 2009 choices for families include:

• Creature Features at the Exploratorium. This San Francisco science center is a fun attraction all year long. They’re holding a special event with spooky interactive exhibits from 3-8 on Halloween.
• Children’s Garden Costume Walk. Earlier in the day (from 12 – 2) you can take your kids to the ninth annual costume walk at the Yerba Buena Gardens. There are lots of interactive events here for kids age 10 and under. This one is always a lot of fun.
• Halloween at Randall Museum. This downtown museum is doing a day of Halloween events and activities from 10 – 2. It features live entertainment, crafts and games in addition to the usual museum exhibits.
• Boo at the Zoo. The week before Halloween is when you can take the little ones trick-or-treating at the San Francisco Zoo at their popular annual event. Come anytime between 10 and 4 on either the 24th or the 25th and your costumed kids can trick-or-treat while seeing the animals and participating in Halloween-themed activities.

Some Places to Skip on Halloween

In addition to avoiding the Castro, you might want to skip these Halloween events and we’ll tell you why:

• Supperclub’s Dark Dining Event. This hot spot is doing an interesting dining-in-the-dark event for Halloween this year. Why wouldn’t you want to check it out? Because Supperclub is a cool space that you should actually go to when you can see what it’s all about. And besides, there’s another dining-in-the-dark venue in San Francisco (Opaque) where you can enjoy this experience on any other night of the year. Supperclub does, however, have several DJ’d Halloween events happening on the 30th and 31st which could be worth checking out. See their calendar for details.
• City Hall Haunted Ball. This is another one of the many multi-room dance events that you can choose from for Halloween. It’s a popular event that happens every year so why would you want to skip it? It costs $35 to get in and it’s really meant mostly for those people who want to rub shoulders with the see-and-be-seen types of the city. We’re not saying it’s not fun; but for the money you might as well check out one of the other dance events mentioned above.
• Teatro ZinZombie. Teatro Zinzanni is a dinner-and-a-show that turns into a special ghoulish cabaret event for Halloween night. Although the food is decent and the show is entertaining, the price for the event is high. Tickets cost about as much as you would pay to see a show of much higher caliber (such as Cirque du Soleil) plus there are additional charges for drinks and even for being seated when you arrive.
• HallowScreen at The Walt Disney Family Museum. This new San Francisco museum is showing clips from Halloween films all day long. While that may be fun, it’d be better to check out this place when you actually have time to enjoy the whole museum with your kids. A holiday probably isn’t the best choice for a first trip here and since the museum just opened it’s almost certainly going to be your first trip. Put this spot on the calendar for later in the year instead.

The Bottom Line

If you’re a San Francisco resident then your best bet is probably to find a local house party to attend. All of the good events in the city cost a bit of money plus you have to pay for your drinks (although some of them are well worth the cost if you have the money to spend). If you’re a visitor and a house party is out of the question then any of the events listed here should make you happy with your San Francisco Halloween.

Cut Rental Car Costs by Half – Every Time

I love renting cars, but hate paying up for rental cars. Over time, I’ve found a method which is very effective in reducing the cost of rental cars. It takes some time and patience – but can be very much worth it in a large cash savings. This method focuses on analyzing the data for rental cars, and bidding smartly on Priceline for your car. I have found the Priceline always offers “Opaque” rates far below the rental car companies – even with good online coupon codes.

Step 1 – Set Your Base Price: Use a travel site such as Expedia, Orbitz, or Travelocity to create a matrix of travel prices for the car you want. Write down the best price, for the type of car you want. Being willing to be a little flexible on the car type can be helpful, but is not required.

Step 2 – Hit Hotwire: Go to Hotwire.com, and search the same place, dates and times. Write down the price this gives you – it will likely be lower – but not always.

Step 3 – Look in the City: Are you flying to an airport and then transferring into a city center? Ie flying to San Francisco Airport SFO – then headed for downtown San Francisco? Search the same prices in #1 and #2 above at the City destination – not at the airport.

Tip: Airports charge big, big taxes on rental cars. By renting away from the airport, you can save significantly just on taxes right off the bat.

Step 4 – Costco: Are you a Costco member? Go to Costco.com and click on Travel. Check coupon / discount prices from 3 major rental car companies. I would suggest focusing on Avis, Alamo, and National. They aren’t #1 and they do try harder. If you find anything you’d consider – lock it in – there is no penalty for cancellation unless you choose a prepaid option.

Step 5 – Get Info: Go to biddingfortravel.com to check out prices that folks are getting approved and rejected at priceline.com. Try to match the rough period you are traveling by 1-2 weeks and guess from the car types that are winning. Ie if a midsize is winning at $25/day, a compact is likely to win at $20 per day. The info for your savings contained in this site is very important to bidding smartly.

Step 6 – Priceline: Priceline is your friend, and time is your 2nd best friend. Every day, you can bid for every car type on Priceline, and bid all over again in 24 hours. Don’t be pressured into a poor choice. The economy is weak – and cars need to get paying renters. Use all the data you compiled to bid at least 30%-50% off the Hotwire or best other price you found. Start by bidding the biggest car you’d take, and go down from there. You might get a bigger car for the cheap price you bid. Only bid one car type at a time. If all your bids fail – go up by ~$3 the next day and see how you do. Note that Priceline does charge fees which are above your normal government taxes. Make very sure you are saving at least 30% from your “best” price above before locking into a Priceline deal. Priceline is non-cancellable, so make sure your trip is locked too.

Backup Plan: Always hold a cancellable reservation from the standard companies. Use Priceline to try to improve your price, and don’t even bid if it isn’t a 30%-50% savings – including the Priceline fees. Here is a real life scenario we found with real results yesterday:

San Francisco Car Rental - July 2009 – Compact Car
Orbitz – Alamo is lowest at $724/week (SFO Airport)
Costco coupon brings Alamo down to $564 at Alamo’s site. (SFO Airport)
Hotwire at $452 (SFO Airport)
Enterprise – City downtown pickup at $277
Priceline accepted bid – $190

Our savings by going city downtown pickup and Priceline bidding was 74% versus our first search on Orbitz, and even 30% under the most comparable bid from Enterprise downtown (which is the savings % Priceline estimates).

Do your homework, and save serious money renting a car.

Parking Tricks in San Francisco

Parking in San Francisco has basically sucked for a long time. It’s either expensive, inconvenient, or impossible. A new site that contacted us however – has consolidated parking information in one convenient spot. They call themselves “Gottapark” and boy do I gotta park when I am going out in San Francisco.

It’s basically a Craigslist for parking spaces. You can make a quick buck renting your driveway or garage, and big parking lots downtown list too. You pay on the site, and then print out a voucher for your parking.

What we like about Gottapark is that it reveals a lot of “underground” parking that wouldn’t normally exist. The guy who lives next to Union Square, who rents out his garage; a big empty lot; and many other very weird options. If you want to be a little planful in a place where it’s smart too (very crappy parking) – it can make parking in San Francisco a little easier.

When we searched for parking spaces around “very popular” locations like Fisherman’s Wharf, Union Square and Embarcadero Center — the ease of comparing prices *BEFORE* you go is amazing. GottaPark makes it super easy to figure out the best price / location before you are driving around in traffic. Check it out – especially if you are headed to a popular spot like Fisherman’s Wharf in San Francisco.

Hey Dude! Want to split my taxi fare? Going green in San Francisco…

A new business expanding from New York to San Francisco allows airport riders to be matched with companions for their airport shuttle to SFO. The company promises two benefits:

1.) You’ll save money by splitting the fare.
2.) Two in a cab or limo saves carbon emissions and helps the earth.

It’s a clever concept, but it has some risks. First off – you may just not like who you are paired with. Even the most easy going person when randomly matched with “anyone” may find out they just aren’t a good match.

Second – what if the gal is a flake? Now you’ve paid for a San Francisco taxi or limo and are footing the entire – not half the cost. If you view the second rider as a “bonus” – you’re ok, but the assumption of a 2nd rider may have influenced your choice of transit.

The transit match service Hitchsters - has a business model of a revenue share of San Francisco limousine and town car airport shuttles. By referring you to a specific limo or towncar — they take a cut of your fare. We applaud the clever idea and hope it catches on to some degree. But its in no way a magic 50% off sale — it comes with both risks and potential.