2018-12-11 01:39:21
WITH A FREE EVENING OR JUST A FEW EXTRA HOURS BETWEEN MEETINGS, ATTENDEES CAN GET A TASTE OF SOME OF THE EXCITING THINGS TO DO IN SAN FRANCISCO. CHECK OUT THESE SEVEN GREAT IDEAS FOR FUN OFF-THE-CLOCK ACTIVITIES. EXPLORE SALESFORCE TOWER & TRANSIT CENTER Look way up to the top of Salesforce Tower (now the tallest structure in San Francisco at 1,070 feet) and you’ll see striking city scenes projected from its glowing crown as part of a public art installation by local artist Jim Campbell. Attendees can get a good view from the nearby roof of the new Salesforce Transit Center, which has been turned into a lush public park with a picnic meadow and 1,000-foot-long fountain. THE FLYER SAN FRANCISCO Located near Aquarium of the Bay on PIER 39, The Flyer San Francisco is the world’s first 3D flying experience. Adventurous attendees can grab a few colleagues and feel the unparalleled sensation of flying and riding through San Francisco’s most iconic landmarks. The Flyer combines motion seats with live-action and computer-generated 3D imagery to simulate flight. Launch over the Golden Gate Bridge, descend Coit Tower and zoom through Chinatown and other local sights in just about 20 minutes! RIDE THE CABLE CARS Riding the sideboard of a postcard-perfect San Francisco cable car is a must before leaving town. Part of the city’s colorful landscape since the late 1800s, the cable cars coast through town, chugging up and whisking down its hilly streets. The cable cars depart from numerous locations, but the popular Powell-Hyde line (catch it at Powell and Market streets) rides past famously crooked Lombard St. in the scenic Russian Hill neighborhood. DO DIM SUM IN CHINATOWN Free for lunch? Attendees can head to the country’s oldest Chinatown to indulge in authentic dim sum, passing through the ornate Dragon’s Gate on Grant Avenue, Chinatown’s main thoroughfare. They can also stop at the Golden Gate Fortune Cookie Factory to watch workers fold fortune cookies by hand, or check out Tin How Temple, the oldest operating Chinese temple in America. WANDER THROUGH GOLDEN GATE PARK With more than 1,000 acres dotted by lakes and a bevy of cultural institutions, Golden Gate Park packs a lot of must-see attractions into one place. There’s the extraordinary art collection at the de Young Museum, as well as its glass-walled Hamon Observation Tower, which offers breathtaking panoramas of San Francisco and the Pacific Ocean. Explore an aquarium, planetarium and history museum all under one roof at the California Academy of Sciences. And make time to stop and smell the roses at the landmark Victorian-era Conservatory of Flowers. GO SOUVENIR HUNTING AT FISHERMAN’S WHARF This popular waterfront neighborhood is the perfect place to pick up souvenirs. Attendees can sample fresh-baked sourdough loaves from Boudin, San Francisco’s oldest bakery, or head to Ghirardelli Square and snag a bag of delectable chocolates from the namesake company that was founded here. Many quaint shops sell everything from mini cable cars to Golden Gate Bridge keychains, and the barking sea lions sunning themselves on the docks at PIER 39 provide an irresistible photo op. BIKE AROUND TOWN For a breath of fresh air, attendees can cycle across the city with a Ford GoBike rented from the Bay Area’s affordable bike share system. Just unlock a bike from one docking station and return it to any other station in the network. The Ford GoBike mobile app will help you find the best bikefriendly routes in the city, from The Wiggle path that passes the famous Painted Ladies of Alamo Square to Valencia St., with its extra-wide bike lanes that wind through the vibrant Mission District.
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