Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
ENTERTAINMENT IN SAN
FRANCISCO
San Francisco has prided itself on being the
cultural capital of the West Coast since the
city first began to prosper in the 1850s, and
here entertainment is generally of high
quality. The performing arts complex of the
Civic Center is the major location for the
best classical music, opera and ballet. The
latest addition to the cultural life here is the
excellent Center for the Arts Theater at
Yerba Buena Gardens. International touring
shows can be seen here. Numerous
repertory movie theaters
(see pp250-51)
offer filmgoers a wide range of choices,
but theater, except for some independent
productions is not the city's strongest suit.
Popular music, especially jazz and blues, is
where San Francisco excels, and you can
hear good bands in intimate locales for
the price of a drink, or at the street
fairs and music festivals held during the
summer months
(see pp50-53)
. Facilities
are also available around the city for
all kinds of sports, from bicycling to
golf or sailing.
Information
Complete listings of what's on
and where are given in the
San
Francisco Chronicle
and
Examiner
newspapers
(see
p275)
.
The Chronicle's
Sunday
edition is most useful, with a
“Datebook” section (also called
the “Pink Pages”) that gives
details of hundreds of events
taking place each
week. Other good
sources are the
free weekly
newspapers, like
the
San Francisco
Bay Guardian
or
the
San Francisco
Weekly
(available
at newsstands,
kiosks, cafés, and
bars). These give
both listings and
reviews, especially
of live music,
films, and
nightclubs.
Visitors planning
further in advance will find the
San Francisco Book
very
helpful. This is published twice
yearly by the San Francisco
Visitor Information Center, and
contains listings of both short
and long-running cultural
events. The topic is avail-able
free if you go to the Visitors
Information Center at Hallidie
Plaza. You can also phone the
bureau's events line for
recorded information.
Numerous free magazines for
visitors are available, as well as
calendars of events. Among
these are
Key This Week San
Francisco
and
Where
San Francisco
.
Buying Tickets
The main source for tickets to
concerts, theater, and sports
events is
Ticketmaster.
This
company has a virtual
monopoly on ticket
sales, running an
extensive charge-by-
phone operation in
Tower Record shops
all over northern
California. They ask for
a “convenience
charge” of around $7
per ticket. The only
alternative to
Ticketmaster is to
buy directly from the
box offices, though
many of these are
open only just
before the start of
evening performances.
Many productions by the San
Francisco Symphony and ballet
and opera companies are sold
out in advance. So if you want
to see one of these performan-
ces, advance planning is
essential. All have subscription
programs through which you
can buy tickets for the season,
useful if you are planning to
stay in the city for a lengthy
period of time.
There are only a few ticket
agencies in San Francisco, mostly
Outdoor chess, popular in Portsmouth
Square, Chinatown
specializing in selling hard-to-get
seats at marked-up prices. All are
listed in the Yellow Pages of the
telephone directory. “Scalpers,” or
ticket hawkers, can be found
lurking outside most sold-out
events, offering seats at
extortionate prices. If you are
willing to bargain (and miss the
opening) you can sometimes
get a good deal.
Banner for the Jazz Festival
(see p254)
Discount Tickets
Discount tickets for selected
theater, dance, and music
events are available from
TIX
Bay Area
, which offers half-price
seats from a booth on the east
side of Union Square. Tickets are
sold from 11am on the day of
the performance, and can be
purchased with cash or travelers'
