Chanced upon this article while searching for some information about the infamous Doggie Diners from the 60's. Lots of good places, and they get extra points for giving mention to the X-rated cake shop on Ninth Street, which is a South of Market institution... :-)

A far better guide (written by one of the Yak's own, doom@kzsu.stanford.edu, is the San Francisco: an idiosyncratic guide for the goth-geek-freak-hipster-nerd guide. Good info about public transport in the City at night, where to eat, and what to do while everyone else is sleeping. Great page Doom.

Excerpt from an email I sent Doom, with some ramblings on items discussed on his page:

"...I've eaten at the King Diner on Tenth and Mission many a time. Passable double cheeseburgers, great fries, and good milkshakes. The jukebox is always broken, and the entire place is a bit tattered, but they get points for being open 24 hours. You'll often find an interesting cross section of the neighborhood inside there in the early morning hours. At various times I've encountered other software people, Qwest fiber optics people doing roadwork down the street, the homeless, and a small time drug dealer who claimed that her father runs the Barbary Coast (a small adult theater between 8th and 9th). If I go enough, I'll have enough character sketches to write a book.

The headstones used in the Wave Organ probably originate from the 'Great Relocation' of graves from San Francisco to Colma in the early part of the Twentieth Century. Concerns about public health prompted the move. For an authoritative reference on this matter, see the site Tales of the Silent (http://www.notfrisco.com/colmatales/). Incidentally, they did a sloppy job of moving all the bodies at this time, whether through cutting corners or poor record keeping, so it's not uncommon for GGNRA and SF Conservation Corps workers to uncover random coffins with partially decomposed bodies during roadwork and excavations.

Reference from http://www.sf50.com/sf/hcmidx.htm:
"...The City Cemetery, established in 1868, included a number of different organizations, and it appears that portions of the older cemeteries were moved here at some point. Eventually everyone in this cemetery supposedly was moved and the area became Fort Miley, a municipal golf course, the California Palace of the Legion of Honor, and part of the Golden Gate National Recreation Area. But, during renovation and expansion of the California Palace of the Legion of Honor in the summer of 1993, "about 300 corpses from the Gold Rush era—two of them still clutching rosaries, others were wearing dentures and Levis—were unearthed from what appears to be an old pauper's graveyard. Some experts say another 11,000 bodies might lie underneath the museum grounds" according to a Los Angeles Times article (12 November 1993, A-23)..."

I live in the Presidio myself. One really awesome walk to take at night is along the path by Crissy Field, and up to Fort Point, under the Golden Gate bridge. Fort Point is the last remaining coastal Civil War fortification. Cool during the day time, but dark, spooky and towering at night, out there by itself with just the waves and the bridge creaking overhead. Rumor has it that the Fort is haunted. Bring a friend when you do this.

Parking in the Mission. In the day time, you can either try parking on the street, or pay for parking. At night, Al's Parking up the alleyway next to the Potter Hotel (between 8th and 9th) is good, and they're never there after about 5pm anyway. Alternately, there are two big parking lots on either side of 9th Street between Mission and Market. Again, they don't check after it starts getting dark, so park away..."

King Diner pictures