CHEAP EATS ON CLEMENT Chinatown is a singular sensation, no doubt. But if you want to eat like a local, head to the Richmond District. The lively commercial stretch of Clement Street between Arguello Boulevard and 26th Avenue is bursting with inexpensive Asian eateries from dumplings to Burmese salads to Korean BBQ. Stop into Good Luck Dim Sum (736 Clement) for delicious pork shu mai (only $2 for three!) or $1.10 steamed buns at Wing Lee Bakery (503 Clement). Pop in at the Asian-inflected Hamburger Haven (800 Clement) for a vintage 1950s San Francisco diner experience and try the $7 sandwiches at Café Bunn Mi (417 Clement). They might be a tad more expensive than their cousins in the Tenderloin, but they’re bigger, eggier and just as delicious. caption BEHIND THE CACAO So much chocolate comes from automated assembly lines that to see how the real artisans make it might turn you off of Hershey Bars forever. But if you’re willing to take that risk, the $5 tours (Wed. through Sat., 6:10 – 6:50 p.m.) at Dandelion Chocolate (740 Valencia St.) demonstrate every fascinating step of the production process, including the transformation of cacao beans into liquid chocolate, followed by a guided tasting of single-origin bars. They’re intimate — groups of eight or fewer only — and you’ll come away with a new appreciation of chocolate. Especially if you try a lychee-like “cacao fruit smoothie,” made from bean pulp. Spoiler alert: There is no gum that will turn you into a blueberry here, and no moralizing Oompah-Loompahs breaking out in song. “Giant Camera” CAMERA OBSCURA Way above Ocean Beach and next to the famed Cliff House, is a curio listed on the National Register of Historic Places. The “Giant Camera” (technically a camera obscura) is open from 11 a.m. until 5 p.m. daily, and for $3 viewers can get a 360-degree “live feed” of the environs, courtesy of a technology developed by Leonardo da Vinci. And there’s that beautiful beach just below. Be warned: It can be foggy, so best to call ahead. FROM TOP: © Nicole Cross; iStock Rated #1 Tour in San Francisco! Fully Guided, 5 Great Routes, 10 Daily Departures! 2.5 hours includes fun training • Reservations encouraged Ages 12+ & 100-250lbs. (45-113kg.) Fisherman’s Wharf 757 Beach St. @ Hyde 417 Beach St. @ Taylor Wharf & Waterfront Tour • Night Tour: Chinatown & Little Italy • Advanced: Crooked St & Hills Tour* * Previous e x perience required on all Advanced Tours Golden Gate Park 82 Hagiwara Tea Garden Dr behind stage near Japanese Tea Garden entrance • • Official Golden Gate Park Tour Advanced: Golden Gate Park Tour* ElectricTourCompany.com • 415-474-3130 ASK ABOUT PRIVATE AND GROUP TOURS BUDGET . 63
San Francisco Visitors Planning Guide 2017: Page 63
