Look, we love our visitors. Tourism dollars keep this city's tax coffers from being even more catastrophically mismanaged than they already are. But if you're coming to San Francisco and walking out with a $6 plastic cable car from a Fisherman's Wharf tchotchke shop, we have failed you.
With travel season ramping up, here's an actually useful guide to souvenirs that don't suck — inspired by a Japanese visitor looking for recommendations ahead of their trip.
The Cable Car Museum (1201 Mason St) — This one's a hidden gem. Free entry, and you can buy an actual strand of cable from the cable car system for around $22 (cash only). As one local put it, "It's a real piece of SF history, which is sick and so much better than a cheap plastic tchotchke." Hard to argue with that.
Fogcats in Japantown — A shop run by a Japanese artist making SF-themed souvenirs. It's the kind of small, independent business that deserves your money far more than the mass-produced souvenir industrial complex along the Embarcadero. While you're in Japantown, Kinokuniya sells Sanrio x San Francisco plush keychains — because nothing says cross-cultural diplomacy like a Hello Kitty in a Golden Gate hoodie.
Trader Joe's — Seriously. One SF resident noted that a visiting friend from Japan "went nuts in the seasoning section at Trader Joe's." The everything-but-the-bagel seasoning is apparently an international sensation. At $2.49 a bottle, that's the kind of fiscal responsibility we champion.
Giants gear — A ball cap is timeless, universal, and actually gets worn. Museum gift shops at SFMOMA or the de Young are also solid picks for something with actual taste.
The Mercantile on Haight Street rounds out the list with cute SF-themed gifts that feel curated rather than factory-stamped.
The broader point? San Francisco's best souvenirs come from small businesses and local institutions — not from the tourist-trap corridor that city officials love to subsidize while ignoring the neighborhoods where people actually live and shop. Spend your money where it matters. Your suitcase (and your wallet) will thank you.