The greatest legacy from the 1960s is the city's continued tradition of live entertainment and music, which explains the great variety of clubs and music. The hippest dance places are South of Market Street (SoMa), in former warehouses; the artsy bohemian scene centers on the Mission; and most popular cafe culture is still in North Beach.
Note: The club and music scene is always changing, often outdating recommendations before the ink can dry on a page. Most of the venues are promoted as different clubs on various nights of the week, each with its own look, sound, and style. Discount passes and club announcements are often available at clothing stores and other shops along upper Haight Street.
The local newspapers won't direct you to the city's underground club scene, nor will they advise you which of the dozens of clubs are truly hot. To get dialed in, do what the locals do -- turn to the Be-At Line (tel. 415/626-4087) for its daily recorded update on the town's most hoppin' hip-hop, acid-jazz, and house clubs. The far more commercial Club Line (tel. 415/339-8686; www.sfclubs.com) offers up-to-date schedules for the city's larger dance venues.
Want to see the best of local jazz, cabaret, or blues performers? Check the San Francisco Chronicle's Sunday "Datebook" to see if the following artists are in the house. Better yet, buy their CDs and take San Francisco's music scene home with you:
Faith Winthrop, a veteran cabaret diva with a velvet voice and heartfelt delivery.
Ledisi, a young local blues singer with a penchant for scatting and smoky, deep, soulful self-written tunes.
Jacqui Naylor, a seductive young talent with a love for standards and reinventing a phrase with her own modern twist.
Lavay Smith & Her Red Hot Skillet Lickers -- swing hasn't swung this hard since it was invented.
Drink prices at most bars, clubs, and cafes range from about $3.50 to $9, unless otherwise noted.
Club-Hopping Tour--If you prefer to let someone else take the lead (and the driver's seat) for a night out, call 3 Babes and a Bus (tel. 800/414-0158). The nightclub tour company (the head babe is a stockbroker by day) will take you and a gaggle of 20- to 40-something partyers (mostly single women) out on the town, skipping lines and cover charges, for $35 per person.
