The San Francisco Bay area offers endless possibilities for its visitors: breathtaking landscapes, multicultural sophistication, Silicon Valley's technologic advance and its world famous laid-back and progressive vibe attracts hundreds of thousands of visitors each year, who always keep that sensation of “wanting more”.
Eager to leave the beaten path on your visit to San Francisco? Here are 3 places you maybe haven’t known about the city, that you’ll love to add on your to-do list.
The Beat Museum
We can’t talk about San Francisco’s progressiveness without thinking of the Beat Generation. This literary movement born in the late 1940’s set the foundations of the American post-war narrative, with its criticism to materialism and search for a deeper understanding of the human condition. Some of its most iconic representatives – Jack Kerouac and Allen Ginsberg among others- chose San Francisco as its base, from where they headed a cultural revolution that keeps pounding up to these days.
The Beat Museum opened in 2003, seeking to preserve and spread the spirit of the Beat generation and its core values: tolerance, compassion and having the courage to live your individual truth. Located over Broadway Avenue on North Beach, this museum will give you a closer look at this movement, its history and how its general pursue of freedom still makes sense 70 years later, maybe more than ever.
Even though the Museum keeps closed due to the pandemic, you can keep updates on its future opening date by visiting its website.
Looking for more info about this place? Your driver can also be you tour guide. Our San Francisco local drivers will be glad to assist you with any information about the Beat Museum and the city.
Amoeba Music
This California-based music store chain has one of its 3 locations in Haight Street, near the Golden Gate Park. With its massive regular collection of hundreds of thousands of CD’s, vinyl records and audio cassettes -both new and used, classic and contemporary- this store is a paradise for collectors and music enthusiasts visiting San Francisco, as the world’s largest independent record store.
This location opened in 1997, and has become an important part of the city’s soundtrack since then. Walking around its aisles is a magnificent experience for music lovers, who will have the time of their lives discovering new sounds and bands. Amoeba has been also a stage for local and international artists and record signing events, which have been placed on pause due to COVID-19, but willing to resume as soon as possible.
The store opens Thursdays to Sundays and you can get more info about new music releases and future events here. Carrying lots of records after shopping at Amoeba? By prebooking our private car services in San Francisco, you won’t have to worry to ask for ride hailing service, since your driver will be waiting for you once you’re done.
Yoda Fountain
Here’s one for the warsies! Perhaps Presidio Park is not a place where you could be waiting for a Star Wars experience, far away from theme parks or conventions. As little people know, LucasFilm offices are based there, and the place will give you a small but unforgettable experience if you’re a Star Wars fan.
Once you’re done taking pictures of the Yoda fountain, head to the LucasFilm lobby, where you will find real-size statues and memorabilia from the films. It is not a museum itself (in fact, the lobby operates for the company, so remember to be as quiet and respectful as possible) but you will have a unique experience of your beloved space saga on your next visit to San Francisco.
Located in Letterman Drive inside of Letterman Digital Arts Center, you won’t have any problems finding this location, that won’t bother the rest of your San Francisco plans but that is definitely worth the detour. Yoda Fountain and many other city’s best kept secrets can be visited through our San Francisco private tour services, that will allow you to schedule the spots you’re looking to visit, whether they are popular or not.
