Be sure to wear flowers in your hair

[bironic]

Does anyone have advice/recommendations on places to stay (or not stay) in San Francisco? Neighborhoods or specific locations welcome. ETA: Fangirl to the rescue!

I've been approved to attend a thing in San Jose in April and want to extend the trip a couple of days on one side or the other to jot up to San Francisco, where I've never been but have been told I'd love. My supervisor needs me to book the flight soon, and I'd rather know on which dates hotels are more affordable, which means knowing where to look (safe for young woman traveling alone, etc.). I was also hoping to hear back from two friends in the city in case they're only available on certain days, but no word yet.

Haven't even had a chance to start research on places I might like to see, beyond a few basics (bridge, redwoods, LOL they offer tours of the kink.com armory) and a couple of film locations (Star Trek IV, Interview with the Vampire building). Suggestions also welcome on sites to visit. I don't care about "tourist must-sees" but rather stuff that is historically/culturally/scientifically interesting, pretty, related to a personal interest...

Thanks in advance for any thoughts you may have. <3