[Tony Snow]

I went to college in San Francisco and lived there for a year after I graduated. Since I'm new to the forum I feel like I should contribute something. I'm going to breakdown information on certain districts in SF and the bars/clubs in these districts. My data sheet only contains a few spots and is subjective but I hope some people can find it useful.

Inner Richmond
The only good thing about the bars in this area is that they are right near USF and have reasonably priced drinks for SF standards. Since they are close to the college it can be a decent place for preying on 19-22 year old college girls. But most of the bars are dive bars and it isn’t a great place to go for picking up girls unless you go to the bar Bitter End on Thursday night, which is college night. This district’s nightlife is pretty weak overall. But if you want good Asian food go to Clement St.
Bars- Bitter End, Irelands 32, Trader Sams, The Pig and Whistle

SOMA District
This district is South of Market Street and is full of grimey bums that shit on the sidewalk and beg for change and cigs. But it has some decent clubs and music venues. My crew and I use to frequent here quite often to get buck.
Clubs
The Mezzanine- It is a music venue/club that is down a cutty alley off crack head infested 6th st. Music artists usually play at this spot when they come to SF. Good Electronic and hip hop acts usually come to play at this venue. I saw Methodman and Redman, Chromeo, Fakeblood and Bun B here to name a few. Good place to get wasted at and maybe pop some molly and smoke some blunts with some random people in the outdoor smoking area. Check online to see who’s playing if you’re thinking about going. It is a decent place for picking up girls but the main attraction is the live music at this venue.
330 Ritch- If you like hip hop I would recommend going here on Friday nights which is usually 90s hip hop. I saw the Alchemist DJ here and it was sick but they usually play some good 90s hip hop. Also if you like black girls it is a good place to go, there are a lot fine black girls from Oakland that frequent this Club in SOMA because it is close to the Bay Bridge. Overall if you have some game it is a good place to game girls and has a diverse crowd of girls from white, asian, latin and black.
Other Clubs: Harlot, Temple Night Club

Downtown
If you aren’t on a budget and you’re a club guy I would recommend checking out Ruby Skye, Slide, and Vessel. I’ve been to these clubs a couple times but I don’t feel like I can give enough input on these spots. They usually have good house music at Vessel.

Polk St.
Polk st. is close to downtown and some fun bars. The Hemlock is a pseudo hipster bar that has some decent talent mostly hipster girls. Also right next door there is a bar called Blur that is also worth checking out. Polk st. Also has Vertigo that can be fun but gets extremely crowded. I would recommend checking out Polk st. if your not that into clubs and I think it has better quality of girls compared to the Mission District.
Mission District
The mission district is south of downtown and is the Latin district of San Francisco. This place is a hipster haven so if you dig hipster girls or have hipster steez you could do well in this district. There are tons of bars and like most parts of SF nightlife has a diverse crowd. I like the Elbo room and they have live music there through out the week. If you feel like bar hopping it can be fun area to go out at night. You will find cute girls here but the majority of girls are pretty homely. If the weather is nice and warm in the day (very rare in SF) go to Dolores park to chill and drink (also blaze a joint if you want weed is pretty much legal in SF) and there’s usually a good amount of girls hanging out there on a nice day, good for day game.

The Marina
This district is full of chads and marks but there are a lot of attractive girls that frequent the bars in this district. This place isn’t really my scene but if you have game and are clean cut you could do well here. Also this place is where mostly white girls go out in SF so guys that are only into white girls should go out here. This place can be good for picking up girls but the d-bagg Affliction guys and striped shirt guys keep me away from this area I would rather go to North Beach which is close by. This district has a lot of bars just walk around and see which one you feel like going into.

You could basically write a book on all the nightlife spots in SF and this is just a little bit of information from a 24 year old’s perspective that lived in the city for a few years. SF is an expensive city but it is also a very diverse and historical west coast city. If you are planning on visiting or living there you have a lot options as far a night life goes. There are probably people in this forum that know the city a lot more than idea but this is just a little bit of information.

[OGNorCal707]

Word, not a bad little write up, I go to the city every month or so and usually have a great time. I think in SF it's all about the "underground" parties that are often in the warehouse in the Dogpatch and Bayview, as I mentioned in another thread, I just was down there last weekend, took Molly at a dub-step warehouse party, hooked up with a couple honeys, and finished the night getting sucked and fucking this freaky Mexican chick in the parking lot.

I need to get more into the "scene" down there, but also check out more bars/clubs, haven't really been to any clubs, whats the ease of hooking up at them? I'm all about some hip hop so I got to check out that 330 Ritch spot, I'm not so into black girls, but I have an open mind, are they into "urban style" white dudes? Mezzanine is pretty dope, I saw Dead Prez there, good venue, crowd, quality of women, but for some reason I never do so well at shows, and am normally just trying to focus on the music (if its dope).

I normally kick it in the Mission as my neighborhood of choice, but as someone who isn't a hipster, I feel like it is too hipstered out, and get's kind of annoying. Anyways, the vibe is cool overall, super chill, liberal, and kind of counter-culture, and there are some more hip-hop and other style people too. I will agree that if you got the "hipster steaz" you will kill here, my boy who lives up the hill in Bernal Heights pulls like 2 new honeys a week just down at the local bar (The Knock-out) on Mission St., he's not a real hipster, but has that look going on. My favorite bar to go to is the Elbo Room, but honestly only been there like 3 times and never swooped, but I hear the Sunday Dub night is prime pickings (if you're more hip-hop/rasta/thug) style. I've heard good things about Delirium from homies talking aboug picking up, but I thought it was too hipster and weak when I was there. Double Dutch would be dope if it wasn't so damn small/cramped/uncomfortable, it has everything else going for it, cute women, good hip-hop, but I'm always claustrophobic and cramped, and by the DJs it's too loud to hear anything anyone is saying. I should say Zeitgeist is a dope bar if you're just looking to chill, or already have a mixed group with some honeys to hang out in a group at. So basically, I'm still looking for better spots in the Mission, but will need to check out Elbo Room and put in more work on the pick up there. Delores park is the shit, for kicking it and chilling, but maybe it's just me, it doesn't seem like a prime spot for gaming, but if you don't give a fuck and are willing to approach and try to chat up random groups of people chilling, you could do alright.

Marina, has hands down the hottest women in the city, but like you said, it's a total white, preppy, rich, frat kind of scene that I'm not so much into, but could rock that style/swagger in order to pull some hot ass. I saw less of the "Affliction tool" type guys out there, and more of the rich, yuppie, trust-funder types. The women certainly seem to go for that type of guy, and I'd say about 85% of the people at those bars are white. Need to check out Polk St., but my one homey who always hypes it, manages to bitch out and not want to hit the town when I'm visiting, so I've never been. What's up with the Lower Haight and Fillmore areas, no mention of them? I think Fillmore might be pretty dope if you know where to go.

Final thoughts, San Francisco is the shit. If you are a chill person, who likes diversity, art, culture, food, and weed, it's a good city. I don't think the quality of talent really stacks up to cities like LA, NY, Miami, or Chicago, but women are really liberal, and sexually open here. I know the cities I mentioned are very diverse, but in SF you could "fuck your way around the world", there are every type of Asian, Latina, Indian, etc., I don't know if this is so much possible in Middle America, the south, and some east coast cities. Day game seems to be golden in SF, there are so many women, just out and about, they don't seem like they are used to getting approached by strangers, but have a really friendly/open vibe to them, post up at cafes/parks/lunch spots and it could be a gold mine, I've chatted up so many honeys at coffee shops that seemed interested, but only number closed a couple times, because I live so far away.

[speakeasy]

You guys sound spot on. Women in SF aren't that great looks-wise, but okay enough. People are really laid back, liberal and fairly friendly, more interested in what your social views are than what kind of car you drive(opposite of here in Socal).

I could definitely see a good looking, edgy hipster type dude cleaning house up there. Plus there's so many gay dudes and guys that are feminized by the liberal politics that it eliminates a lot of competition.

I don't get the impression that the club scene is that big up there, it seems more about the local dive spots.

[Tor]

When you say social views are you talking about politics or a more general open minded and SWPL'ish vibe?

[Luckystar]

I went to university in the bay area. I thought SF was a lot of fun, but not the best place for a single guy. The women were pretty average looking, and there is a huge gay presence.

Th city is beautiful with great nightlife and food. But I ve recommended it more to couples than any of the single guys I know.

[thegmanifesto]

Good data sheet. We needed one on here.

"I thought SF was a lot of fun, but not the best place for a single guy. The women were pretty average looking, and there is a huge gay presence."

SF I think is better the older you get.

If you dress sharp and have dough, you have minimal competition.

[Tony Snow]

I forgot. Check out the Ambassador it is a small club but I've had the best luck at this club. The clubs in the SOMA district or other clubs people travel from all over the bay area to come to on the weekends so you might make out with a girl or get her number and she'll live in San Jose when you live in San Francisco or Marin or whatever. @ OGNorcal I've only swooped one black girl in San Francisco and I feel that they are more likely to go out with their friends to clubs just to dance with their friends and maybe let some dude grind on their ass for a minute. My game was weaker in college and I think I could do a lot better up there now. You should check out Polk st. next time your in SF I think you would like it. I'm currently living in SD and I swoop more girls down here now but I miss the style that some SF girls have. Also if you like Asian girls SF is the place for you.

[Caramel Communist]

(06-22-2010 11:16 PM)thegmanifesto Wrote:  

Good data sheet. We needed one on here.

"I thought SF was a lot of fun, but not the best place for a single guy. The women were pretty average looking, and there is a huge gay presence."

SF I think is better the older you get.

If you dress sharp and have dough, you have minimal competition.

SF has that gray scene....straights and gays party together...different vibe but a cool ass city.

[Vacancier Permanent]

Thanks a lot for this SF low down as I may be going there in August for Bizz.

[nathang]

I grew up in the Bay Area and have lived in San Francisco for the past year. I love it to death. This city is extremely diverse in many ways for how geographically small it is, and there are tons of different 'scenes' depending on what you happen to be in the mood for. Tony Snow got it pretty much correct. I like dive-ish bars a lot so my favorite areas are the Polk/Tenderloin area, the Inner Richmond and the Mission, though I will say that the Mission is getting pretty bro-ed out recently, and while still a hipster haven, I've noticed that a lot of people commute from other places in the Bay Area to 'go out' there, and it seems that the Mission has been developing some Marina-type elements, especially on weekend nights, as weird as that is to say since stereotypically, those two districts are polar opposites.
I can't really comment too much on the city's club scene, I'm generally not a club type guy just cause it's so expensive and I generally have to be pretty drunk to have any kind of good time, but there are plenty of places to 'club it up' especially in the SoMa/Downtown/North Beach corridor. Contrary to what some people seem to be implying, there is some real high quality pussy in these areas (though obviously this depends on your taste and it should be noted that there are TONS of different races and 'ethnic' chicks all over the city).

People are, in general, really friendly here, males and females. I go out solo pretty often and pretty much always have a good time. To live here, you pretty much have to have a somewhat decent job. That includes chicks, so a lot of the best looking females you run into are driven, upwardly mobile types, which as Roosh has pointed out many times on his blog, is not necessarily a good thing. Also, I do believe it's better to be a little older in San Francisco to pick up--I just turned 23 this month and there have definitely been times that being younger has worked against me (this is, I'm sure, nothing a little game can't fix but that's a different subject). I think that's because the prohibitive cost of living here prevents a lot of younger people from coming out here until they've worked for a bit and saved up some money (unless of course they're college students, but it's summer right now). So on weekdays, when it's mostly local people going out, you generally won't find too many chicks under the age of 24 or so. It's different on the weekends when people come from all over the place to go out in the city.

During the day, there's plenty of festivals and things, especially during weekends this time of year, and of course Dolores Park on a good weather Saturday or Sunday is pretty much a day long party with plenty of drinking/drugs/cute hipster chicks. I've never really gone here to 'pick up' but if you're into day game you could definitely make something happen. Certain parts of massive Golden Gate Park are the same way.

There's pretty much something for everyone in San Francisco, the best part overall (as speakeasy mentioned) is that there really is much less of the superficiality you find in Southern CA--you will almost never be dismissed out of hand for looks/wealth reasons. There are a lot of gay men here, but even if you're straight, that's good! Statistically, it eliminates a lot of the competition and it's totally legit to go down to the super gay Castro and troll for straight chicks who hang out there to have a good time 'with their guard down' (if you don't mind getting hit on by gay men).

I'm still trying to figure out a lot about this city but I feel like as I get older and my game develops and I become more familiar with the districts, I'll hopefully be able to rack up plenty of notches.

BTW My favorite bar as of right now is Buckshot in the Inner Richmond. Good music, cute girls, really friendly bartenders, cheap drinks, skee-ball, pool, shuffleboard and a lil dance floor. What more do you need. Ah and how could I have forgotten to mention the Lower Height district. Toronado, Noc Noc, Molotov's, Mad Dog in the Fog and a couple other Irish pubs...one of the best areas to go out in the city, and surprisingly unknown to people who don't live here.

[speakeasy]

Question, since I've been giving heavy consideration to moving to the bay within the next few years. What is a good area to live if you want to be in a part of town that's clean, good public transit/walkable, not a bunch of crime and mostly young professionals? I don't think the Mission is my cup of tea, just a bit too sketchy. I was staying at a friend's place up there a few weeks back and there were prostitutes walking around in front of the house. I'm not big on the whole hipster thing, though I can get along with those people fine.

[InternationalSwagger]

Old Oakland and Uptown and in Jack London Square are all experiencing rebirths. I'm from the Bay originally and my Dad still has a Victorian Home in North Oakland so I visit quite often and I'm amazed at the changes that these aforementioned areas are experiencing. Tons of cool nightlife, restaurant and bars in the area. The weather is also much better in the East Bay and is alot less pretentious and your a quick Bart Ride over to get to San Francisco If you desire. If I moved back to the bay area I would definitely live on the Oakland side.

Lake Merritt is really cool as well and alot of nice apartments, recreation and honies to be had in the East Bay in general and is more diverse compared to San Francisco with more of a distinct Bay Area vibe. San Francisco get stoo cold and its kind of sterile in my opinion...I might be a little biased. And people who just write Oakland off as being ghetto based on reputation and hearsay alone are really doing a disservice to themselves by not at least checking it out. It's experiencing a rebirth for a reason and there are bad areas but there isnt any reason to go near those areas. The nice areas of Oakland are pretty far away from shady areas.

http://www.meetdowntownoak.com/

http://www.oaklandnet.com/parks/parks/lakemerritt.asp

[nathang]

(06-29-2010 04:12 PM)speakeasy Wrote:  

Question, since I've been giving heavy consideration to moving to the bay within the next few years. What is a good area to live if you want to be in a part of town that's clean, good public transit/walkable, not a bunch of crime and mostly young professionals? I don't think the Mission is my cup of tea, just a bit too sketchy. I was staying at a friend's place up there a few weeks back and there were prostitutes walking around in front of the house. I'm not big on the whole hipster thing, though I can get along with those people fine.

There are a few areas that are real nice with mostly young professionals, mostly concentrated in the northeastern quadrant of the city. Public transit (the bus, light rail and BART subway system) is pretty comprehensive and though it can be unreliable at times, there's really no need for a car if you both live and work in the city. Anyway these districts:
a) the Marina
b) Nob Hill
c) Russian Hill
d) North Beach
e) Pacific Heights (though there's a lot of families here and it can be very very expensive)
all seem to be the kind of thing you're looking for, absolutely gorgeous areas of the city and vintage, classic San Francisco. None of these areas are cheap at all but the thing about the city is you really have to SEE the place you're thinking about moving into because it can be nice on one block and sketchy as hell on the next. I live next to a project but just a few blocks up are some of the most expensive houses in the city.

That said, if you can't find the time to come out and do some hardcore apartment hunting, you will generally be fine if you lock up a place in one of the neighborhoods I mentioned above. Like I said, not cheap, but those areas are all pretty 'nice' throughout.

[OGNorCal707]

(06-29-2010 04:12 PM)speakeasy Wrote:  

Question, since I've been giving heavy consideration to moving to the bay within the next few years. What is a good area to live if you want to be in a part of town that's clean, good public transit/walkable, not a bunch of crime and mostly young professionals? I don't think the Mission is my cup of tea, just a bit too sketchy. I was staying at a friend's place up there a few weeks back and there were prostitutes walking around in front of the house. I'm not big on the whole hipster thing, though I can get along with those people fine.

I've never actually lived in the Bay, but have spent a decent amount of time there, so I'll give my opinion. I personally like San Francisco the best, but haven't spent too much time in Oakland to have a properly formulated opinion, I do hear that it is going through a rebirth recently (at least some areas) and I have met some cool people living there, but overall Oakland is still pretty "hood" and has way more serious crime than SF. One thing about Oakland though, is that it is substantially cheaper than Berkeley or San Francisco, with San Francisco being the most expensive.

Berkeley is cool, and while it does have the big university, there are still lot's of older professional people in the late 20's to late 30's range and lot's of grad students at Cal. In Berkeley I'd try to get a place around Shattuck Ave. to be close to restaurants, stores, and the BART as well as bus transit stops. There are good restaurants in Berkeley, but from my experience nightlife is pretty disappointing, although you are very close to Oakland and can take the BART to SF (side note, BART closes down pretty early, so you might need to get a cab back to the east bay, which is taxed $$). The good thing about Berkeley is it's got that smaller city/big town feel, it's really laid back, not as ghetto as Oakland, or chaotic as San Francisco.

As far as San Francisco goes, like I mentioned before, I'm partial to the Mission for whatever reasons, mainly because that's where my friends live, where I've spent the most time, and overall I like the vibe. A lot of the Mission has to do with what area you're in as far as how sketchy it is, but a lot of the city has a "sketchy" feel to it, it's just part of living in SF, there are crack heads, prostitutes, homeless people, wanna be thugs, etc. I don't think the Mission is that bad, and in fact it is probably the most rapidly gentrifying place in the whole Bay (for better or for worse), I hear 10 years ago the Mission was seriously shady, with the Nortenos gang bangers running things. There might still be homeless, crackheads, and prostitutes, but realistically they are just an eye sore, and are not going to fuck with you. Also, where you live in the mission is big, the best part as far as I'm concerned are Valencia St. west, over to Guerrerro, and Delores esp. between 14th and 20th Sts. If you live at 16th and Valencia you are right near all the main nightlife in the Mission as well as amazing restaurants and BART. If you lived near 18th and Delores, you'd be right next to great cafes/restaurants and Delores Park.

Other neighborhoods in S.F. that are worth a mention are Nob Hill/Pacific Heights if you are older, more sophisticated and have lot's of money at your disposal. Bernal Heights is up the hill from the Mission and has more of a quiet, "safe", and residential feel, while still being close to the Mission (although it can be very windy, fogy, and cold there). I hear great things about Portrero Hill neighborhood, but I haven't really spent much time there. Upper Haight near the Park has gone down hill from what I hear, and is a mix of touristyness and gutter punks, who beg and try to sell drugs. Lower Haight seems pretty cool, and has an alternative kind of vibe, but nightlife is relegated to dive bars mostly, although you are close to good music venues like The Fillmore and The Independent. Lower Haight kind of has a more thuggish kind of undertone to it, because it's close to The Fillmore neighborhood and Western Addition, but nothing too bad.

[gringoed]

I lived in SF, but when I moved to Berkeley I was 2x happier. Everything around the downtown Berkeley BART station and Telegraph is great-- hot young chicks, great food and daytime hangout spots, clean, easy access to drugs, great mountainbiking, etc.

The nightlife in berkeley is so-so, as most people go to Oakland or SF to find a good club. Most of the good stuff in Berkeley is at the frats and co-ops, which you need a connect to get into. If you're in, though, you're MONEY!

Berkeley's scene is not about big nightclubs. It's about smaller house parties or co-op parties with good beer and weed. A lot of these house parties designate 1-2 bedrooms for sex rooms because it's so common. Girls in Berkeley/SF are as sexually liberated as I've seen.

[cityhype]

Hi all,

I'm a bay area native and think there were some very valid points made here. I'm in the process of starting a san francisco based nightlife website, http://www.cityhype.com, and we're looking for people that are enthusiastic about san francisco nightlife to fill out a survey and answer some questions about what you like and dislike about the sf scene. If anyone's interested, shoot me an email at will at cityhype.com It's a great industry and a great city. I look forward to hearing your opinion!

Cheers

[manilaguy]

Spam!

[Urban Renaissance Man]

I find the women in Firsco to be pretty hot for the most part. Another good thing about the city is that due to the horrid driving conditions, a lot of girls walk or catch public transportation, so there are literally pretty girls standing around on every corner or walking down the street! I don't see that hardly at all in LA.

[cityhype]

Urban do you live in or visit the city often? If so, are there any nightlife related websites that you use to find out whats happening in the city on any given night?

[Urban Renaissance Man]

(11-30-2010 07:04 PM)cityhype Wrote:  

Urban do you live in or visit the city often? If so, are there any nightlife related websites that you use to find out whats happening in the city on any given night?

I actually live in Marin County, which is just across the bridge. I'm in Frisco, or "The City" a couple of times a week. Honestly, I'm more Christopher Columbus when it comes to exploring new night spots. I'll ask locals, or even bartenders at other bars. Also, I've been known to "Yelp" a few spots. Lol.

[cityhype]

(12-01-2010 01:16 PM)Urban Renaissance Man Wrote:  

(11-30-2010 07:04 PM)cityhype Wrote:  

Urban do you live in or visit the city often? If so, are there any nightlife related websites that you use to find out whats happening in the city on any given night?

I actually live in Marin County, which is just across the bridge. I'm in Frisco, or "The City" a couple of times a week. Honestly, I'm more Christopher Columbus when it comes to exploring new night spots. I'll ask locals, or even bartenders at other bars. Also, I've been known to "Yelp" a few spots. Lol.

What's your favorite aspect of SF nightlife? i.e. bars, clubs, comedy shows, concerts, lounges, etc.