San Franciscans are always connected. After all, the Bay Area is the birthplace of the internet, and San Francisco remains on her quest to provide free wifi city-wide (many of us not-so-jokingly equate wifi access with access to water and fresh air). Getting online at any and every moment is a necessity—or is it? Sometimes even the most connected of tech titans needs to disconnect. If you're seeking some solace from the start-ups and social media, or if you need to pry that iPhone from your hand before it becomes permanently attached, here are 5 spots to unplug in San Francisco:
Lands End: Go for a hike without wifi. There are so few bars available out here (both the signal kind and the beer kind) that it's nearly impossible to check in on Facebook much less receive 15 non-urgent emails from your boss. Earn bonus unplugging points for making the hike down to the stone labyrinth and not Instagramming it.
Bourbon & Branch: This trendy speakeasy has a strict "no phones" policy. It's literally printed on a list of house rules. Rule breakers—including those who stand at the bar and ask for a "Cosmo"—will be asked to leave, so kindly drink your bourbon and detach from your iPhone while here.
Any comedy show: The potential embarrassment of having a stand-up comic ridicule you in front of strangers is incentive enough to leave your phone in your pocket and laugh away your tech stress at any one of San Francisco's awesome comedy clubs.
The Pied Piper Bar: Not only can you bask in an original and massive Maxfield Parrish painting, the Palace Hotel's Pied Piper Bar has no wifi. None. The lack of internet connection allows guests to enjoy the dark wood, old school ambiance of this San Francisco classic.
Ernie's Tin Bar: Venture north and grab a stool at Ernie's in Petaluma. This tiny dive bar will have none of yer fancy smartphones—or powder rooms for that matter. Ernie's offers outhouses and cheap beer. After a long work week in front of a laptop, that might be just want your tech team leader ordered.
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