Looking for advice

[Rick Moen]

Quoting Milena Lavanchy (milena.lavanchy at gmail.com):

> Hi Rick,
> 
> My name is Milena. I am interested in Debian and, *more generally*, in open
> source development. I have an occasion to come to San Francisco in October
> this year.
> 
> As I noticed on the Internet that you are in the open source world, w*ould
> you be able to connect me with the right person to* assist me with any of
> the following:
> 
> - suggesting local events, big or small: any time between 6 - 21
> October, with a particular emphasis on the days 9-11 October- any help
> with accommodation, even if it is only one night, it makes abig
> difference- any social or sightseeing opportunities
> Thanks in advance for any help or suggestions you can provide

Hi, Milena.  Je suis très heureux de faire votre connaissance.  I see
that you are in touch with the Bay Area Debian <bad at bad.debian.net>
mailing list (cc'd), which strikes me as a suitable place for you to seek
the best assistance on such matters.  

About accomodations in San Francisco:  As you may be aware, the city of
San Francisco is one of the more difficult and expensive real estate
markets, and to a degree the same can be said of the greater San
Francisco Bay Area.  I have not personally been a San Francisco resident 
for 18 years.  Since then, I've lived in a small town near Stanford
University, about 60 km south of San Francisco, and don't even visit San
Francisco very often.  Sadly, I am not well informed about good places
to stay there any more.

Back in the 1980s, I needed to stay in a quiet hotel in San Francisco
for a multiday professional examination, and at the time found Amsterdam
Hostel, 749 Taylor Street near Bush Street, on the south slope of Nob
Hill, to be perfect.  It's a small, slender hotel (like in Amsterdam).
At the time, there were no telephones or televisions in the guest rooms
(which I liked because of the lack of distractions).  Reading the
current reviews, I see many people dissatisfied with the place now
for a variety of reasons (some deriving from this being an old property
that needs to be renovated), but it's still a quite expensive place to
stay, and the location is central.


Social or sightseeing opportunities?  There are many, but it would be 
helpful to know more about your preferences.

Personally, I am fond of walking in San Francisco, particularly on some
of its many hills.  One of those places is the Filbert and Greenwich
Steps, walkways and gardens on the east side of Telegraph Hill (where
Coit Tower is, at the top).  Here is an article about that, but it
really doesn't capture the charm of the place:  
https://www.crazyforcrust.com/hidden-steps-to-coit-tower/
You will probably see wild parrots, who live on the hillside:
https://www.atlasobscura.com/places/parrots-telegraph-hill

The city is a (hilly) 11km x 11km square, where most places of interest
are in the northeast quarter.  Exceptions are Golden Gate Park (a 5km
long park extending from the middle of the city westwards to the Pacific
Ocean), the Golden Gate Bridge (which you can and should walk across),
crossing north from near the city's northwest corner), and a few other
places outside the northeast quarter.

My personal favourites within Golden Gate Park include the Conservatory
of Flowers, a Victorian Era place that grows exotic and interesting
plants, the Japanese Tea Garden, and a small dell full of giant fern
trees -- all of these places being located near the east end of the park.
https://www.atlasobscura.com/places/san-francisco-conservatory-flowers
https://www.atlasobscura.com/places/japanese-tea-garden
https://www.atlasobscura.com/places/mescaline-grove

Out near the Pacific Ocean, I am found of the ruins of the historical
Sutro Bath, and the nearby Camera Obscura outside the Cliff House.
(The Cliff House itself I would not bother with, although it is promoted
as a destination for tourists.)
https://www.atlasobscura.com/places/ruins-of-the-sutro-baths
https://www.atlasobscura.com/places/camera-obscura-holograph

I would also recommend making time to visit the Exploratorium, a
unique hands-on science museum:  
https://www.atlasobscura.com/places/exploratorium

You will notice that am making frequent reference to the Atlas Obscura
Web site, https://www.atlasobscura.com/ .  In general, I recommend it.
https://www.atlasobscura.com/things-to-do/san-francisco-california

I hope that helps.

-- 
Cheers,              "I am a member of a civilization (IAAMOAC).  Step back
Rick Moen            from anger.  Study how awful our ancestors had it, yet
rick at linuxmafia.com  they struggled to get you here.  Repay them by appreciating
McQ! (4x80)          the civilization you inherited."           -- David Brin