#1 in the city for old book smell and creaky wooden floors. Too small to find anything specific you’re looking for, good enough that you’ll find something else instead.

Located near to the Alamo square's Painted Ladies is this wonderful gothic "stick" Italian villa with a long weirde history. Built by a Candy Baron in 1889, it's housed variously; a Russian Czarist nightclub, Jazz musicians, Satanists, a Manson family member, and one of the first 60's Hippy communes -Calliope. Creepy as hell enshrouded in fog after dark.

Gorgeous view of the city in this park/permanent festival! Any beautiful day of the week you will find so many picnickers, hula hoopers, cute dogs, gay boys in their skivvies, ganja cookie salespeople, crazy weirdos and can collectors, it feels like a neighborhood concert is going on! My kind of place, for sure.

This place makes my heart sing. I’m so happy it’s only 2 blocks away. This teeny tiny little Cuban restaurant/bar is always warm, welcoming, and vibrating with visual over-stimuli. Surreal toy sculptures cover every square inch, and I always find something I’ve never seen before while slurping down my sangria.

Worker-owned, hole in the wall bakery worth waiting in line for.