mxaddison from San Francisco, USA

For a taste of hippie San Francisco and the psychedelic era, you much attend a concert at 'The Fillmore' auditorium. The walls are dripping with history as they display concert posters dating from present all the way back to the 1960's. From the hardwood floors to the 14 crystal chandeliers, this is not your ordinary concert hall. It's fairly small place, so if you get there before the opening act begins you can get a spot within arm's reach of the stage. Bands that play there today stand in awe of all the famous names who walked that stage before them. That extra vibe usually ensures an amazing performance.

User attached a link to thefillmore.com

Instead of battling the traffic jam of cars heading up to see Coit Tower, you can walk up the famous Filbert Steps to get there instead. Start at the bottom of the hill on Battery Street and hike up 500+ steps through hidden gardens and some of the oldest houses in San Francisco. At intersection of Montgomery Street, look for a 1930s Art Deco style apartment building with a cut-out of Humphrey Bogart peering out the window (the building was used in a Bogart film called Dark Passage).

Everybody knows San Francisco's cable cars, and you owe it to yourself to visit the Cable Car barn and crawl underground to see how they actually work. The entire network of cable cars are powered by just 4 steel cables that snake through the city--and are powered by 4 massive motors with 30' diameter pulleys. This is not a slick, polished tourist museum. This is the original brick building where you can smell the grease and hear the loud hum of the motors. Fascinating!