Hey. A friend of mine is keen to start tai chi. She's in San Fransisco. Can anyone recommend places? And I am googling, before anyone recommends that.
Many of Doc Fai Wong's schools teach Yang style Tai Chi, in addition to Choy Li Fut Kung Fu. Go to - www.plumblossom.net There are several schools in the SF area.
I've heard San Francisco, like NYC (my home) has a lot to offer someone interested in the internal martial arts: hsing-i/xingyi, bagua/pakua, and different schools of taijiquan. I'd take my time and visit and watch any class that sounds interesting, for comparisons sake, and to see what appeals to you. Watch the students, how they move and interact with each other, and find out what the teacher covers in class. Hopefully the teacher will cover more than just form, or use the form to underscore important points of practice and applications. Try to find someone who teaches standing meditation and push hands if you can. Good luck with it. Hope you find a class you like.
There are a ton of options here. In addition to the others mentioned: www.taijiway.com I take classes at the UC Berkeley club (which is open to community members too) http://www.ucmap.org/taiji.php It's not technically San Francisco... but I would highly recommend it