Re: Best restaurants in SF Bay Area
Ok so its 2005 and I still haven;t been :( I really really wanna go this summer, maybe end of june-july period.
Faisal so you basically recommend renting a car or can one have a good time on public transport? are 3 days enough to enjoy SF?
Re: Best restaurants in SF Bay Area
I just threw a party past weekend for about 20 ppl. Got food from Shan restaurant on Stevens creek, santa clara. People were very happy with the food. Beef kabab is awesome.
Shalimar restaurants is also good in SF and in Fremont.
Shahnawaz in Milpitas is good.
Mehran in Fremont offers halwa puri, etc sunday brunch
Re: Best restaurants in SF Bay Area
so many ppl in bay area here.
Wanna get together at any paki restaurant?
Re: Best restaurants in SF Bay Area
Many ppl in bay area? Really? :)
Who else is there, besides you, me and Chan ji?
By the way, Shahnawaz in Milipitas is pretty crap now.
Shan is good.
Chat Cafe has a few halal outlets, like the one on Blossom Hill and Santa Teresa.
The other new entrant in the halal food scene is Zafran on El Camino and Scott. Pretty nice decor and all, but the food is fairly ordinary. Rather than going the route of Shan and Shalimar with Pak style tikkas, they have Indian style tikkas with color.
Re: Best restaurants in SF Bay Area
Depends, really on what interests you and what you want to do. You can easily hit all the major touristy spots, like Fisherman’s Wharf (Pier 39), Alcatraz, GG Bridge, Coit Tower, China Town, North Beach (Little Italy) etc in 3 days. As long as you are planning to see stuff inside SF, public transport will take you all over. The famous SF tram is a lot of fun. But if you plan to explore GG bridge, Vista Points across on the Marin side etc, then definitely rent a car. If you have a car, you can take a drive from SF on Highway 1, South, towards Half Moon Bay and all the way to Carmal. Its windy and scenic and you can stop at all the interesting beaches on the way.
July is probably not the best of times to visit Napa and Sonoma valleys, otherwise the whole wine country is very beautiful when the grapes are in season. If you are into Red Wood forests, then cross GG Bridge, take Highway 1 North and go past Stinson Beach. Probably about 2 hour drive after GG Bridge.
Let me know closer to the time and if your programs are more definitive, and I can point you to more interesting places in the area.
Re: Best restaurants in SF Bay Area
Depends on what your planning to do during the three days, I've been living in SF for 5 months now and I still haven't seen everything.
You'll love it though.
Re: Best restaurants in SF Bay Area
I am back from SF. 
Sorry Faisal, I didn’t get a chance to contact you…I got busy with family, friends and trying to see so much in so little time…couldn’t coordinate a day/time for San Jose. I followed your instructions and had a wonderful time though.
Bart train was quite convenient…I read quite a bit about Shalimar restaurant here but Pakwan was definitely better. Golden gate bridge is breath taking. I took a boat cruise from Pier 39..it was worth the 16 dollars I reluctantly paid. Saw the Stanford university, Alcatraz ..even went to Naz cinema :-D…Irem wrote it somewhere in these threads that Naz is a ‘point of interest’…so much for her recommendations haha. Santa Cruze was disappointing. I have seen better beaches….but the landscape and weather of the bay area are priceless…but u know what..Toronto is still the best… 
Re: Best restaurants in SF Bay Area
Good thing you enjoyed.
Its still a bit cold for beaches here. Plus beach trips require good company! :)
Pakwan is nice, but their quality varies, and so it is hard to recommend unconditionally to tourists. But, yes, most of the time, it is good. Their SF branch usually is empty, compared to Shalimar across the street, so you can easily figure out a good reason for that. Their Hayward branch serves a wicked weekend brunch, but its quite a distance from South Bay, so we don't go there often enough.
Re: Best restaurants in SF Bay Area
Still cold??? :love: Why do I not live on the west coast 
Its a bloody humid 90 degrees today AGAIN!. I HATE SUMMERSSSSSSSSSSSSSS.
Re: Best restaurants in SF Bay Area
Femme, who are you going with? poora tabbar?
Re: Best restaurants in SF Bay Area
BTW, today, SF is 65 and NYC is 88
Re: Best restaurants in SF Bay Area
Probably sisters and a few friends, maybe only sisters, maybe a brother too, dunno FG.
LS 
don’t rub it in okay. The AC isn;t working either and humidity is at 77%
Re: Best restaurants in SF Bay Area
Bring a light jacket, blazer or cardigan with you FF otherwise you won't be able to enjoy the walks on the piers or beach at night.
Re: Best restaurants in SF Bay Area
Belle these tips were for a June many many years ago 
what about now? Yessssssss after all these years of failed planning I have finally booked my tickets. I will be there from aug 23 thru 26. I have checked the weather, it seems just perfect. How cold are the nights there? Will it be silly to wear a spring coat sort of a thing or will a cardigan do just fine? I have re-discovered plenty of tips here which should help me get around, is there anything you would like to add? How about you prepare my itinerary 
or at least help me out with it 
Re: Best restaurants in SF Bay Area
i miss irem so bad. moin.ul.atiq doesnt come close. :(
Re: Best restaurants in SF Bay Area
Okay make sure you set aside half a day for Angel Island- ‘the Ellis Island of the West’. The Ferry (from Pier 39) ride is worth every cent. You get to see breathtaking views of San Francisco, Alcatraz and the Golden Gate. It has 12 miles of hiking trails around the island. You can rent a bike, take a tram, hike or try one of these:
http://www.segwayangelisland.com/
If you are feeling particularly adventurous, you can try hiking to the top of mount livermore. Pack stuff that you might need, like food and water. They do have a coffee shop where the ferry docks, but that’s about it (from what I recall). Wear layers as the ocean breeze can get chilly even though it may be bright and sunny. In fact let’s pray that it’s bright and sunny.
Btw, if you are planning to check out golden gate, there is an optimum spot for arguably (I am being polite here) the best view of the bridge. But I’d have to kill you if I told you.
Re: Best restaurants in SF Bay Area
and i'll kill you if you don't tell me :D
I'll most likely be staying somewhere in union square, so far I have parc55 on hold. i guess the hotel ppl will be able to tell where the ferry starts off from im hoping. We do not plan to rent a car throughout the stay, maybe only just one day if we go out of the city. other than that public transport is good right? like if i want to go from union square to lets say shalimar is that doable on public transport or r we better off getting a car?
As for the hike I would love to but I think i'll be the only one out of the entire group which isn't much fun!
Please God let it be bright and sunny but not a single degree over 70, Amen!
Re: Best restaurants in SF Bay Area
Get ready for some serious up & down walking and don’t spend too much time under the bridge. You never know eh.
Re: Best restaurants in SF Bay Area
^famous last words 
Yes the ferry leaves from Pier39 (at fisherman’s wharf) and anybody can tell you where that is/ how to get there. Actually allow me:
Femme jogging through the streets of SF
I would definitely rent a car for Carmel-17 mile drive, Big Sur, etc. and even Golden Gate. Public transport is good within the city provided you plan ahead of time. I haven’t used it much but I can ask around. As for Shalimar, it’s not far from Union Sq and just a couple of blocks away from Parc55.
A freebie tip: Get on baybridge I-80E (make sure it’s after dark), take the left exit towards Treasure Island, keep on driving till you see the ocean on your left. Once you park, find a random tourist, tap on their shoulder and go "have you thanked a geek today? " 
