I believe in being a tourist. Yes, go to New York and hang out in the East Village. I did when I was in college, and it was well worth it. But, eventually, I also visited the Empire State Building, Grand Central Station, the museums, but missed The Statue of Liberty, something I still regret.
My first couple of visits to San Francisco were all about City Lights Book Shop, (Jack and Neal were already dead and the prices were pretty high for a store that sold paperbacks.), The Condor Club, (I don't know how old Carol Doda was in the early eighties, but she wasn't aging well.), and I even managed to find a live sex show. (More sad and depressing than out there.)
It took awhile, and half a dozen visits, before I did what tourists do in San Francisco. Fisherman's Wharf, cable cars, and the Golden Gate Bridge. I stood where the people in this picture stood, Marin County, the bridge towers partly obscured by fog. Looking back, I wished I had started with the tourist things and worked my way around to the hipster hang-outs. I think I would have had more appreciation for the city. There's a reason why iconic things are iconic.
For the record, my favorite view of the bridge is from Fort Point. My recommendation, go when it's raining.
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