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is in the cheap seats in the center terrace, but the loge is most comfy and glam and has the best sightlines. If you’re on a budget, sit in the front section of AA, BB, HH or JJ; or sit behind the stage in the center terrace – the sound doesn’t blend evenly, but you get the musicians’ perspective and look into the conductor’s eyes (likewise in pricier side terrace seats). Call the rush-ticket hotline ( 415-503-5577) after 6:30pm to find out whether the box office has released $20 next-day tickets, which you must pick up in person the day of performance: choose the side terrace over the front orchestra – unless you want to be 10ft from the strings, but the sound is uneven so close to the stage.

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READINGS

The spoken word – and sometimes the shouted word – get top billing in literary-minded San Francisco, especially during the annual Litquake Festival. The San Francisco Main Library (Map; 415-557-4400; http://sfpl.lib.ca.us; 100 Larkin St) hosts near-daily readings; we particularly love Michelle Tea’s gay-focused Radar series – she’s hysterical. For a literary throw down that’s somewhere between American Idol and American Gladiators, look for the occasional appearance of Literary Death Match (www.literarydeathmatch.com).

BOOKSMITH

Map

415-863-8688; www.booksmith.com; 1644 Haight St; 10am-10pm Mon-Sat, to 8pm Sun; 6, 7, 33, 37, 43, 71

SF is one of the country’s top book markets, and authors often swing through town on tours. They sometimes read at Booksmith’s Author Series. Past readings have included the likes of Kazuo Ishiguro, Ursula Le Guin and Jeanette Winterson. Check the online calendar.

CAFÉ ROYALE Map

415-441-4099; www.caferoyale-sf.com; 800 Post St; admission free; 10am-midnight Sun-Thu, to 2am Fri & Sat; 2, 3, 4

A Parisian tiled floor and semicircular fainting couches lend atmosphere and acoustics to this laid-back lounge, which hosts film screenings, open-mic poetry slams and jazz. Walk by during the day and you’ll sometimes hear musicians rehearsing in the basement studio.

CITY ARTS & LECTURES

Map

box office 415-392-4400; www.cityarts.net; Herbst Theater, 401 Van Ness Ave; 21, 47, 49; & Civic Center

The city’s foremost lecture series hosts an all-star lineup of today’s most celebrated artists, writers and intellectuals, from Joan Didion to David Sedaris and Madeline Albright to Michael J Fox. Lectures take place at the Herbst Theater, and most interviews are broadcast on local public-radio station KQED-FM (88.5); check the website for broadcast schedules.

COMMONWEALTH CLUB

Map

415-597-6700; www.commonwealthclub.org; 595 Market St; 71, F; & Montgomery St

You know you’ve arrived when the Commonwealth Club asks you to speak. Every US president since Teddy Roosevelt has spoken at the club, the longest-running, most-influential public-affairs forum in the US. Intellectual luminaries and other important figures speak at over 400 annual events. Topics range from politics and economics to culture and society. Many programs are broadcast on public-radio stations nationwide, including local affiliate KQED-FM (88.5).

PORCHLIGHT

415-571-0998, 510-848-6328; www.porchlightsf.com

This monthly event is no ordinary reading series. Each month six interesting people are invited to recount a 10-minute story, without notes or memorization. The lineup is downright wacky, with people from all walks of life – from school-bus drivers to sex-workers. At this writing, Porchlight had moved to a new venue that serves alcohol, making it inappropriate for anyone under 21; verify current location and ticket information online.

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THEATER

Since the days when Shakespeare companies soliliqued their way around the goldfields, San Franciscans have been diehard theater-goers. Although some historic theaters have since been converted into nightclubs and gyms, the city had 20 major theaters c 1900. Today, San Francisco has more than a hundred companies listed as members of Theatre Bay Area (www.theatrebayarea.org), an organisation with a comprehensive calendar of what