San Francisco Bingo: Spot 30 Typically SF Things
Walk the hilly streets, tick off the card, snap a photo of every typically San Francisco thing you can find. From a cable car climbing Powell Street to the orange towers of the Golden Gate, this is a 30-item SF bingo that turns any walk into a treasure hunt. No fixed route. Just keep your eyes open.
Challenges (30)
Spot a Powell Street cable car
Find a cable car climbing or descending Powell Street. Photograph the wooden carriage.
Spot a sourdough bowl
Find a sourdough bread bowl with clam chowder (Boudin or Wharf chowderie). Photograph the bowl.
Spot a Mission burrito
Find a Mission-style burrito on a foil-wrapped tray (La Taqueria, El Farolito). Photograph the burrito.
Spot a Painted Ladies house
Find Alamo Square and the row of Painted Ladies Victorian houses. Photograph them with the skyline.
Spot an American flag in SF
Find a US flag on an SF building. Photograph it.
Spot an SF Giants or Warriors kit
Find a Giants (orange-and-black) or Warriors (blue-and-gold) jersey. Photograph the kit.
Spot a yellow San Francisco fog
Spot SF fog rolling in (often called Karl). Photograph the fog over the bay or city.
Spot a vintage SF Muni bus
Find a vintage Muni trolleybus or modern Muni bus on its route. Photograph the bus.
Spot a Castro rainbow flag
Walk into the Castro and find a giant rainbow flag or rainbow crosswalk. Photograph the colours.
Spot a Chinatown lantern
Walk into Chinatown and find red Chinese lanterns hanging above the street. Photograph the lanterns.
Spot the Golden Gate Bridge towers
Find a view of the Golden Gate Bridge's orange towers. Photograph the bridge.
Spot Alcatraz Island
Find a view of Alcatraz Island from the waterfront or a ferry. Photograph the island.
Spot the Lombard Street crooked stretch
Find Lombard Street's zigzag block between Hyde and Leavenworth. Photograph the curves.
Spot the Coit Tower
Find the white Coit Tower on Telegraph Hill. Photograph the cylindrical tower.
Spot the Transamerica Pyramid
Find the Transamerica Pyramid skyscraper in the Financial District. Photograph the silhouette.
Spot a SF cable-car turnaround
At Powell and Market find the cable car turnaround. Photograph the operator turning the car.
Spot a SF sea lion at Pier 39
Walk to Pier 39 and find the sea lions barking on the floating docks. Photograph the seals.
Spot a Mission District mural
Walk into the Mission and find a mural on Balmy Alley or 24th Street. Photograph the wall.
Spot a Salesforce Tower
Find the Salesforce Tower (the tallest in SF) from a viewpoint. Photograph it.
Spot an SF Victorian bay window
Find a typical SF Victorian house with a bay window on Pacific Heights or the Haight. Photograph the bay.
Spot a hippie shop in the Haight
Walk into the Haight-Ashbury district and find a 60s-throwback shop or rainbow flag. Photograph the storefront.
Spot a Tartine or Mr. Holmes Bakehouse line
Find a queue at a popular SF bakery (Tartine, Mr. Holmes, Arsicault). Photograph the line.
Spot a Tesla, Waymo or Cruise car
Find a Tesla, Waymo self-driving car or Cruise vehicle in San Francisco. Photograph the tech.
Spot an SF rainbow crosswalk
Walk to the Castro and find the rainbow crosswalks at 18th and Castro. Photograph the painted street.
Spot a Chinatown gold dragon gate
Find the Dragon Gate at Grant and Bush. Photograph the gold-and-green dragons.
Spot a North Beach Italian café
Walk into North Beach (Little Italy) and find a café terrace (Caffe Trieste). Photograph the cafe.
Spot a Sutro Tower view
Find a view of the Sutro Tower's three orange-and-white antennas. Photograph the silhouette.
Spot a fortune cookie factory or shop
Walk into Ross Alley in Chinatown and find the Golden Gate Fortune Cookie Factory. Photograph the storefront.
Spot the Palace of Fine Arts dome
Find the Palace of Fine Arts rotunda and dome. Photograph the columns reflected in the lake.
Spot a Twin Peaks panoramic view
Drive up to Twin Peaks and photograph the SF panorama from the top.
Frequently asked questions
The duration is up to the organizer when they set up the adventure. As a guideline, a focused day across the wharf, Chinatown, North Beach and Mission ticks off most of the easy items, and stretching across a weekend (with the Golden Gate Bridge and the Marina) lets a determined group complete all 30.
Each of the 30 items is a camera challenge. When you spot the thing, take a photo and submit it; the bingo card tracks progress. Play solo, with friends or split into teams and race to tick off the most items.
Some items (a Painted Ladies row at Alamo Square) need a specific stop. Sweep Fisherman's Wharf for the easy items, Chinatown for the lanterns, North Beach for the cafés, the Mission for murals.
The cable-car routes (Powell, Hyde) hit the most items. Add the Golden Gate Bridge viewpoints (Crissy Field, Battery Spencer), Alamo Square for Painted Ladies, the Mission for murals, Lombard for the famous crooked street.
Yes. Kids love spotting sea lions, cable cars, the Golden Gate and sourdough; adults enjoy hunting Painted Ladies, Chinatown lanterns and the Salesforce Tower. No alcohol stops are required.