The ultimate guide to being a summer intern in San Francisco
If you're a college student, there's a good chance summer has become synonymous with one thing: internships.
Land one in the tech industry and you're likely headed to San Francisco. While dozens of the largest tech companies,- like Facebook, Google, HP, and Cisco - are headquartered on the outskirts of the city, in the heart of Silicon Valley, spending time in San Francisco is a must.
To help you make the most of your summer in the city, Business Insider has put together a list of some of the best places to eat, drink, and hang out in San Francisco this summer. We spoke with employees at Business Insider's San Francisco bureau, as well as friends who live in the city, including those who have worked and interned at high-profile tech companies like Facebook - and asked them for their must-see, must-eat, must-do recommendations during a summer internship in San Francisco.
Here they are.
On the map below, there are four different icons:
- lunch or dessert spots (burger and drink)
- restaurants (fork and knife)
- bars (mugs)
- activities (stars)
Zoom in to see more suggestions, and click on the icons for a link and brief description.
Here are a few highlights from the map, with commentary from our local experts:
Lunch spots and cafés:
- The Mill - try the $4 toast, it's worth it.
- Loving Cup - the best blended frozen yogurt.
- Mr. Holmes Bakehouse - creator of the Cruffin, a croissant-muffin.
- Jane on Fillmore - café and bakery that's "Instagram-worthy."
Brunch and dinner:
- Don Pisto's and Chubby Noodle - bottomless mimosa brunch.
- Tacolicious - best taco Tuesday spot; locations in the Marina and North Beach.
- Little Star - best deep dish pizza.
- Souvla - Greek food with some of the best fries in town.
Bars:
- Anina Bar - fun outdoor patio and tropical drinks for happy hour.
- Palmhouse - try the fish bowl drinks on happy hour.
- Jaxson - a fun country Western bar.
- 21st Amendment Brewery - one of the most well-known breweries in the Bay Area; full restaurant and bar located next to AT&T park.
Things to do:
- A day trip to Sausalito - take the ferry from the Embarcadero for $5. Once you're there, get ice cream from Lappert's and fish and chips from Fish and Chips.
- Twin Peaks and Lands End - less tourist-y hikes with spectacular nature views.
- Off the Grid - a family style picnic with food trucks and local vendors; located at Fort Mason in the Marina every Friday night, and at the Presidio greens every Sunday afternoon.
- Go Car Tours - Rent Scoots or Go Cars and ride across the Golden Gate Bridge.
- Dolores Park - have a picnic here and bring mimosa supplies, but expect a crowd.
Transportation and general tips:
- Get a Clipper card for public transit (MUNI and BART). If you lose it, they'll replace it with a card pre-loaded with your remaining dollars for just $5. If you lose a paper ticket, you lose all the money on it.
- There's the MUNI bus system and the MUNI train system. If it's a letter, it's underground in the city center. If it's a number, it's a bus above ground. Unless it's the F, then it's always above ground and filled with tourists.
- Shopping bags are taxed in California, so stock up on some reusable cloth bags to save a few cents.
- When you're checking Google Maps to get somewhere, double check the public transportation route. If it tells you to take the Powell Street cable car, you'll be waiting half an hour among tourists just to get on.
- Always carry a jacket. The wind can gust up at any time and fog is a mainstay. It even has a name - Karl - and an Instagram.
- Make sure your bank has branches or at least ATMs in the city, because you'll want to start carrying cash. A relatively high number bars and coffee shops don't take cards.
- When your heart sinks walking by the many homeless people and addicts, you can do something about it. Some great places to volunteer are Glide, SF Food Bank, Hamilton Family Center.
- Late night eats are near impossible to find - most restaurants close at 10 p.m.
- Watch out for hills. If you Google Map something and it says it's only a few blocks away, you might end up walking up a cliff face to get there. Uber it instead.
- San Francisco is a dog-friendly city; you'll see them everywhere and offices are no exception.
Have you interned in San Francisco? Would you like to talk about your experience or recommend must-dos? Email tloudenback@businessinsider.com.