OT: Taking a trip to SF. Need some insight
- Thread starter AHSDawg
- Start date
I would spend some time south of SF on highway 1. It's a great drive. Capitola is a beautiful little seaside community. I would try to catch a Giants game if available. Be careful at the 49ers. Don't wear opposing colors.
No worries on that front. We are Niners fans... We are basically going to have 1 1/2 days of sightseeing and then spend most of Sunday at Candlestick. I have 3 girls so we will probably just want to hit the high points. And the only 'guy' part of this will be the game. Golden gate, Alcatraz, painted ladies, anything else we definitely should see while we are there (in such a short amount of time)
Try to eat at the Fog City Diner, if you get a chance. Not cheap, but insanely good, and if your kids are young, they wouldn't appreciate it anyway.
used to live out on the coast just S of SF in Half Moon Bay while in college.
Each visit home was a vacation, pretty cool.
If you dig the nature route,
- head North of Golden Gate to Muir Woods. Its only 15mi north and is a massive Redwoods National Park.
- also right next to Muir Woods is the Marin Headlands which is a walking trail and suspension bridge.
- Taking Hwy1 South for 160mi down to Big Sur will give you some of the greatest ocean views you could ever imagine. For almost the entire drive on your right will be the ocean crashing against rocks and on your left will be totally undisturbed rolling hills. You will pass thru Santa Cruz which is an awesome little alt town and also the Monterrey Peninsula which has a ton of toursity stuff and a great aquarium. Down in the Peninsula is also 17mi Drive, which is a road you have to pay to use, but it rolls along the ocean and thru Pebble Beach and the golf courses. Incredible homes, golf courses, and ocean views.
But if you arent venturing out of SF, then obviously there are a lot of things to do which are touristy in nature.
- Hit up Haight Ashbury to see how ironically commercialized the epicenter of the hippie movement has become.
- Head to Fisherman's Wharf, which is the city's huge tourist trap. You can take a boat to Alcatraz, watch street performers hustle for a dollar, get a ton of food, and look at the lazy sea lions(pier 39).
Never realized it till i just typed this, but almost everything I would suggest is outdoors. The city is cool and all, but the overall area is what makes it worth going to.
From Sonoma and wines 70mi North, to all the beaches South, to the Redwoods, to the trails in Golden Gate Park...its an awesome place to visit if you want some outdoor adventure.
Each visit home was a vacation, pretty cool.
If you dig the nature route,
- head North of Golden Gate to Muir Woods. Its only 15mi north and is a massive Redwoods National Park.
- also right next to Muir Woods is the Marin Headlands which is a walking trail and suspension bridge.
- Taking Hwy1 South for 160mi down to Big Sur will give you some of the greatest ocean views you could ever imagine. For almost the entire drive on your right will be the ocean crashing against rocks and on your left will be totally undisturbed rolling hills. You will pass thru Santa Cruz which is an awesome little alt town and also the Monterrey Peninsula which has a ton of toursity stuff and a great aquarium. Down in the Peninsula is also 17mi Drive, which is a road you have to pay to use, but it rolls along the ocean and thru Pebble Beach and the golf courses. Incredible homes, golf courses, and ocean views.
But if you arent venturing out of SF, then obviously there are a lot of things to do which are touristy in nature.
- Hit up Haight Ashbury to see how ironically commercialized the epicenter of the hippie movement has become.
- Head to Fisherman's Wharf, which is the city's huge tourist trap. You can take a boat to Alcatraz, watch street performers hustle for a dollar, get a ton of food, and look at the lazy sea lions(pier 39).
Never realized it till i just typed this, but almost everything I would suggest is outdoors. The city is cool and all, but the overall area is what makes it worth going to.
From Sonoma and wines 70mi North, to all the beaches South, to the Redwoods, to the trails in Golden Gate Park...its an awesome place to visit if you want some outdoor adventure.
Definitely walk out onto the Golden Gate. It's amazing how such a large bridge was constructed in the 30's. It's insanely high off the water and you'll have incredible views of the city if it's not fogged in. And fyi, more people commit suicide off that bridge than any other place on Earth so watch out for Peter Pans.
If you weren't with the kids, I would highly recommend Bourbon & Branch: http://www.bourbonandbranch.com/
A day and a half isn't much time. The painted ladies are just some houses in front of a city park. Unless you're a huge Full House fan, your time could be better spend.
If the Giants are in town, that's a great place to watch a ballgame. You can even stand outside of the right field fence and watch for free through the chain link sections: http://www.baseballpilgrimages.com/national/sbcpark2.jpg
Wear some comfortable shoes. It's hilly.
Plan on more money than you are budgeting. The bay area is pricey!!!
I go once a month or so, I try to stay near Union Square, preferably the Sir Francis Drake. Good hotel, decent price. Great location. SF is an easy city to get around, it's relatively small.
Irish Bank - on a nook and cranny street right off Bush St.
Capps Corner - Italian joint - just tell them you want the house special and they will treat you like a local. There will probably be a few large Italians sitting in the corner being fed by a couple broads.
Alcatraz tour at night.
ride the trolley.
you will not be bored.
enjoy. San Fran is good times.
Capps Corner - Italian joint - just tell them you want the house special and they will treat you like a local. There will probably be a few large Italians sitting in the corner being fed by a couple broads.
Alcatraz tour at night.
ride the trolley.
you will not be bored.
enjoy. San Fran is good times.
Muir woods is a must if you like nature, only an hour and a Hal of your day, try to catch a giants game at AT&T park, the piers are really cool and one of em has a large group of seals and sea lions that are fun to watch. Try some chowder and steer clear of candlestick, reminds me of the Latino area in training day. Scary ms13 stuff.
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Lots of things to see and do in SF
Someone mentioned walking on GG bridge, we did the bike ride across to Sausolito and then the ferry back over to SF. Highly recommend doing this if you can.
Eating:
1) Nob Hill Cafe - Best Italian in SF. Small reasonably priced.
2) Boudains - Watch them bake the bread and the food is good.
3) Anywhere on Fishermans Wharf if you want seafood. lots to choose from.
4) Imperial Palace in Chinatown - Great view of SF and the Chinatown area - ok chinese food.
5) Stay away from all Lori's Diners.
6) Sears - breakfast is rumored to be the best in San Fran
7) Several good ( expensive ) steak places. Alfred's is good.
Attractions:
Where to start, too much so little time:
1) Coit Tower
2) Painted ladies at Alamo Park - as someone said -- Full House Fame
3) Haight/Ashbury - Just do it once to get the feel for the whole hippy thing from the 60s.
4) Golden Gate Park
5) Pier39 - Sea Lions in the Marina and Bush Man.
6) Ghiradelli Square - Chocolates and Ice Cream
7) Maritime Musuem - Battleship or Crusier ( cant remember ) and other stuff.
8) Chinatown - Goldengate Fortune Cookie is in a alley just off chinatown. cool to watch them make the cookies.
9) Lombard Street
10) Exploratorium Science Musuem
11) Wave Organ
12) Alcatraz - Book a cruise early. They usually are full 2 - 3 weeks in advance.
13) Trolley Cars - Have to ride at least once. If your in the city for several days, highly recommend you by a 3 to 7 day transit pass. Good on busses and trolleys. Will get you anywhere in the city. At $5 a ride for trolleys, a $25 3 day pass will pay for itself quickly.
Outside the City:
1) Jelly Belly Factory - Vallejo
2) Six Flags - Vallejo
3) Muir Woods
4) Golden Gate National Park - other side national park near Sausolito. Drive up to WWII bunker and then down to the beach. Great surfing spot with Hostel and old church museum of the area. Was a former military base.
5) The HWY 1 South to Monterey/Carmel By The Sea ( Pebble Beach Golf Course - on 11 mile drive -beautiful toll road ).
6) Bike across Golden Gate Bridge - This is the best!
7) Sausolito/Angel island
8) Napa Valley - Winery Tours
Have fun!
Someone mentioned walking on GG bridge, we did the bike ride across to Sausolito and then the ferry back over to SF. Highly recommend doing this if you can.
Eating:
1) Nob Hill Cafe - Best Italian in SF. Small reasonably priced.
2) Boudains - Watch them bake the bread and the food is good.
3) Anywhere on Fishermans Wharf if you want seafood. lots to choose from.
4) Imperial Palace in Chinatown - Great view of SF and the Chinatown area - ok chinese food.
5) Stay away from all Lori's Diners.
6) Sears - breakfast is rumored to be the best in San Fran
7) Several good ( expensive ) steak places. Alfred's is good.
Attractions:
Where to start, too much so little time:
1) Coit Tower
2) Painted ladies at Alamo Park - as someone said -- Full House Fame
3) Haight/Ashbury - Just do it once to get the feel for the whole hippy thing from the 60s.
4) Golden Gate Park
5) Pier39 - Sea Lions in the Marina and Bush Man.
6) Ghiradelli Square - Chocolates and Ice Cream
7) Maritime Musuem - Battleship or Crusier ( cant remember ) and other stuff.
8) Chinatown - Goldengate Fortune Cookie is in a alley just off chinatown. cool to watch them make the cookies.
9) Lombard Street
10) Exploratorium Science Musuem
11) Wave Organ
12) Alcatraz - Book a cruise early. They usually are full 2 - 3 weeks in advance.
13) Trolley Cars - Have to ride at least once. If your in the city for several days, highly recommend you by a 3 to 7 day transit pass. Good on busses and trolleys. Will get you anywhere in the city. At $5 a ride for trolleys, a $25 3 day pass will pay for itself quickly.
Outside the City:
1) Jelly Belly Factory - Vallejo
2) Six Flags - Vallejo
3) Muir Woods
4) Golden Gate National Park - other side national park near Sausolito. Drive up to WWII bunker and then down to the beach. Great surfing spot with Hostel and old church museum of the area. Was a former military base.
5) The HWY 1 South to Monterey/Carmel By The Sea ( Pebble Beach Golf Course - on 11 mile drive -beautiful toll road ).
6) Bike across Golden Gate Bridge - This is the best!
7) Sausolito/Angel island
8) Napa Valley - Winery Tours
Have fun!
Scomas
Go to Scomas on the Bay in Sausalito. Short drive over Golden Gate and get table on the back deck overlooking the Bay and San Fran. Outstanding View, Food and Cocktails.
Go to Scomas on the Bay in Sausalito. Short drive over Golden Gate and get table on the back deck overlooking the Bay and San Fran. Outstanding View, Food and Cocktails.
Awesome info. Thanks for all of the insight. Last question. Where to seek lodging? What areas are best for convenience and family friendly? Is SF a more 'get a rental car' type place or can you use mostly public transpo like Chicago or NY? It seems like we would be better served getting a rental car here to do more Thanks!
I went over Memorial Day a few weekends ago
and it was great.
Things that we did:
1) Alcatraz - Book your tickets early, they fill up quickly. Take a short boat ride from one of the piers and do the tour. Takes about 3 hours total from dock to Alcatraz and back to dock, depending on the amount of time you spend on the island.
2) Fisherman's wharf. Neat toursity area where you can find the seals just chilling in their little bay. Lots of little shops and eateries. Good place to walk around for a few hours and do lunch.
3) Saw a Giants game. That stadium is gorgeous. I've been to over 20 stadiums and AT&T park is great. Be sure to walk the RF wall by McCovey Cove. Neat view out there. Get some garlic fries (legit).
4) Drive (or take a taxi) on some of the hilliest streets (near Lombard St). You'll be amazed at how steep the grades are there.
I didn't get to do much south of the city, however, and I'm sure there's a ton of neat things down there, as others have suggested. We did drive the Golden Gate bridge north towards Fairfax and the country up there is gorgeous as well. Worth an hour or two roadtrip if you have the time.
and it was great.
Things that we did:
1) Alcatraz - Book your tickets early, they fill up quickly. Take a short boat ride from one of the piers and do the tour. Takes about 3 hours total from dock to Alcatraz and back to dock, depending on the amount of time you spend on the island.
2) Fisherman's wharf. Neat toursity area where you can find the seals just chilling in their little bay. Lots of little shops and eateries. Good place to walk around for a few hours and do lunch.
3) Saw a Giants game. That stadium is gorgeous. I've been to over 20 stadiums and AT&T park is great. Be sure to walk the RF wall by McCovey Cove. Neat view out there. Get some garlic fries (legit).
4) Drive (or take a taxi) on some of the hilliest streets (near Lombard St). You'll be amazed at how steep the grades are there.
I didn't get to do much south of the city, however, and I'm sure there's a ton of neat things down there, as others have suggested. We did drive the Golden Gate bridge north towards Fairfax and the country up there is gorgeous as well. Worth an hour or two roadtrip if you have the time.
2nd on the Sir Francis Drake. Also, go across the street to the Sears Diner for breakfast (the do lunch & dinner also). Big ole hangover curing omelettes and great waffles and pancakes but go early, long lines after about 8:30 or so. Walk one block to Union Square but if the wife/kids are shoppers, watch out. Saks, Gucci, Louis Vuitton, Macy's, Cartier, De Beers, Neiman Marcus, Ralph Lauren, Tiffany etc etc etc.
If you plan to say in San Fran downtown proper and not venture much out of the city, taxi rides (or trolley cars) will be just fine. We landed on Friday night, did Fisherman's Whart, Alcatraz, Giants game on Saturday/Sunday... then rented a car Sunday afternoon to drive north to a wedding. If you don't plan on going out of the city, rental car won't be needed.
It will, however, be a pretty long haul from the airport there, so expect a $40 or $50 cab ride.
It will, however, be a pretty long haul from the airport there, so expect a $40 or $50 cab ride.
Depends on how much you want to spend ...
SF has a great transit system. You can find cheaper hotels out of the city and use the metro to get into the city and bus/trolley/taxi around.
If you stay in Downtown, then do not get a rental car. It will cost $25 - $50 per day to park it. You can always get a rental from one of the downtown local rent-a-car places if you venture south or north. family friendly hotels will mostly be around the wharf/pier39 area. lots of chains to choose from. Union Square/Downtown will be more expensive. Stay way from South Beach and Mission Districts unless you prefer the alternative lifestyles.
Someone mentioned the St Francis Drake, that is good choice, Regis, Westin, intercontental, Hilton, etc are all in the area. We've stayed at the Intercontiental Mark Hopkins on Nob Hill. Great Views, right on Trolley Line. A bit pricey and similar feel to Peabody in memphis.
Take a taxi from the Airport to your hotel. Will be about $45-$50 bucks for the family. Easier than the train and just marginally more expensive.
You can walk most the city too, just takes a while but is worth it. There are lots of little sites in the neighborhood to see, but you can hit some seedy sections (Broadway and Columbus - red light district ).
I have just scratched the surface on san fran. you could spend a week easy and not see everything.
You also may want to look in to the bus tours as well. Easy way to get a bunch of sites in without killing yourself walking.
SF has a great transit system. You can find cheaper hotels out of the city and use the metro to get into the city and bus/trolley/taxi around.
If you stay in Downtown, then do not get a rental car. It will cost $25 - $50 per day to park it. You can always get a rental from one of the downtown local rent-a-car places if you venture south or north. family friendly hotels will mostly be around the wharf/pier39 area. lots of chains to choose from. Union Square/Downtown will be more expensive. Stay way from South Beach and Mission Districts unless you prefer the alternative lifestyles.
Someone mentioned the St Francis Drake, that is good choice, Regis, Westin, intercontental, Hilton, etc are all in the area. We've stayed at the Intercontiental Mark Hopkins on Nob Hill. Great Views, right on Trolley Line. A bit pricey and similar feel to Peabody in memphis.
Take a taxi from the Airport to your hotel. Will be about $45-$50 bucks for the family. Easier than the train and just marginally more expensive.
You can walk most the city too, just takes a while but is worth it. There are lots of little sites in the neighborhood to see, but you can hit some seedy sections (Broadway and Columbus - red light district ).
I have just scratched the surface on san fran. you could spend a week easy and not see everything.
You also may want to look in to the bus tours as well. Easy way to get a bunch of sites in without killing yourself walking.
For cramming in sightseeing, the double decker buses aren't bad.
You can come up with a rough idea of the areas you want to visit that day and use the buses to get there. They go to most anywhere a tourist would want to go in the city during a vacation day. Plus, you can get on and off and spend as much time as you like at the places that interest you. There's also headphone narration for the drop off spots and other interesting points in the city.
If it's a nice day, the top deck is awesome, especially when going over and back on the Golden Gate. If it happens to be sunny that day, make sure to wear sunscreen. I burned a hole in my forehead riding the top deck on a sunny day. The cool breezes and occasional fog lulled me into a false sense of security until it was too late!
You can come up with a rough idea of the areas you want to visit that day and use the buses to get there. They go to most anywhere a tourist would want to go in the city during a vacation day. Plus, you can get on and off and spend as much time as you like at the places that interest you. There's also headphone narration for the drop off spots and other interesting points in the city.
If it's a nice day, the top deck is awesome, especially when going over and back on the Golden Gate. If it happens to be sunny that day, make sure to wear sunscreen. I burned a hole in my forehead riding the top deck on a sunny day. The cool breezes and occasional fog lulled me into a false sense of security until it was too late!
Sears Fine Foods is tits for breakfast. Also Alfred's is a great steak joint most don't know about. It's in an alley by the Hilton.
I visited last fall with my 11 yo daughter. I'm a big fan of the transit system there. We stayed downtown SF at Hilton Union Square for the Saints/Raiders game and did not need a rental car or taxi the entire time. You can buy metro cards for kids (they were around half off) at the airport.
For the tourist sites we bought a transit day pass which covered the trolley, buses, etc throughout the city. Using the google maps 'transit directions' app, it got us to Fisherman's Wharf and the golden gate bridge with no problems. It was sometimes a decent hike to bus stops though, so if your kids are younger you might need a car or taxi occasionally.
We only had a day there,, so hoping to go back someday to see all the things we missed.
if you don't wanna pay $200+ for a decent hotel in the city, use airbnb.com to find an apt rental. they usually run 50-75% cheaper than comparable hotels in the area.
we spent almost 2 weeks in the bay area last fall (supposed to be 8 days, but got stranded due to the hurricane on the east coast). we started the trip by droving down hwy 1 to san luis obispo to spend a couple days with a good friend, back north to stay with my aunt in the mountains outside watsonville, did the whole monterrey penisula during this, stopped in santa cruz for lunch and walking around on the way back north, stayed near the mission/soma areas in SF for 4 days, wedding in napa, then stranded for another 4 days or so. thankfully a friend let us crash in his apt during this portion and he stayed with his lady friend. we also used his car and drove north to muir. also went through bolinas and a few other small towns along the coast north of SF. we did haight st, the mission, the piers, hung around at&t park prior to game 1 of the world series, north beach, chinatown, pretty much everywhere worth just wondering around. did the alcatraz night tour (it was ok, eastern state pen in philly is way cooler of an actual retired prison to tour if you are ever up that way). if you need a beer, the toronado on haight st is a must stop (though if you have younger kids, that could be a problem).
anyway, if you are looking for pizza, eat at tony's in north beach. one of the best pizzas i've ever had. and breakfast at dottie's true blue cafe was great. of course, there's just tons of great food in SF. just use your smartphone and the yelp app to lead you around. you can also do the whole in and out burger thing if you've never had it.
whoever said to eat seafood at fisherman's wharf, please at least pick a local spot and not one of the chains stuck there for the tourists.
we spent almost 2 weeks in the bay area last fall (supposed to be 8 days, but got stranded due to the hurricane on the east coast). we started the trip by droving down hwy 1 to san luis obispo to spend a couple days with a good friend, back north to stay with my aunt in the mountains outside watsonville, did the whole monterrey penisula during this, stopped in santa cruz for lunch and walking around on the way back north, stayed near the mission/soma areas in SF for 4 days, wedding in napa, then stranded for another 4 days or so. thankfully a friend let us crash in his apt during this portion and he stayed with his lady friend. we also used his car and drove north to muir. also went through bolinas and a few other small towns along the coast north of SF. we did haight st, the mission, the piers, hung around at&t park prior to game 1 of the world series, north beach, chinatown, pretty much everywhere worth just wondering around. did the alcatraz night tour (it was ok, eastern state pen in philly is way cooler of an actual retired prison to tour if you are ever up that way). if you need a beer, the toronado on haight st is a must stop (though if you have younger kids, that could be a problem).
anyway, if you are looking for pizza, eat at tony's in north beach. one of the best pizzas i've ever had. and breakfast at dottie's true blue cafe was great. of course, there's just tons of great food in SF. just use your smartphone and the yelp app to lead you around. you can also do the whole in and out burger thing if you've never had it.
whoever said to eat seafood at fisherman's wharf, please at least pick a local spot and not one of the chains stuck there for the tourists.
I've not been there in years but...
...having visited there several times when my sister and her family lived in the Bay Area, I can say that the public transit system is outstanding-- whether it's BART or CalTrain. I've even taken buses in San Francisco. I've only driven in the City once. I wasn't much of a fan of that.
The part of the Bay Area I know the best is Palo Alto, which is very nice. I like how their downtown area is set up right next to the train/bus station. Stanford is not far from the train station and when I was last there, there were free shuttles that took you from Stanford to the train station among other places.
The Monterey Peninsula is great - loved Carmel. Lake Tahoe is only a few hours away as well. I never have gone to Napa though. Maybe next time.
...having visited there several times when my sister and her family lived in the Bay Area, I can say that the public transit system is outstanding-- whether it's BART or CalTrain. I've even taken buses in San Francisco. I've only driven in the City once. I wasn't much of a fan of that.
The part of the Bay Area I know the best is Palo Alto, which is very nice. I like how their downtown area is set up right next to the train/bus station. Stanford is not far from the train station and when I was last there, there were free shuttles that took you from Stanford to the train station among other places.
The Monterey Peninsula is great - loved Carmel. Lake Tahoe is only a few hours away as well. I never have gone to Napa though. Maybe next time.
Golden Gate, a must. Alcatraz is only worth it if you want a different view, and perhaps some photo ops of the bay, the city, and full views of the bridge. The old prison is really decaying! The Japanese Tea Gardens are nice for a walk through. The Presidio is historic. There are tons of excellent restaurants for different varieties of cuisine. The Cliff House is a great restaurant for breakfast and nice views. Muir Woods is a short drive north of the bay, the serenity is great and California Redwoods are everywhere. Sausalito is a nice area across the bay with nice views and cafes. Too much to see for the time you have.
Be prepared to take lots of pics. San Fran is the prettiest, most picturesque city in the U.S. bar none! Enjoy
Be prepared to take lots of pics. San Fran is the prettiest, most picturesque city in the U.S. bar none! Enjoy
The best thing about San Fransicko is what is around San Fransicko. If I were to win a multi million dollar lottery, I'd move to Sausalito and become a limousine liberal. It has a nice main street, good resturants, amazing views, and a nice farmers market. Hike and or bike the Golden Gate Bridge. Take a trip on US 1. Either way you go is beautiful. Miur Woods is time well spent as is Big Sur. There is Sonoma and Napa. I've never been to Napa but Sonoma is very rustic with some nice wineries and has Bear Republic Brewery. Santa Rosa, a dump of a town, but has the Charlie Brown Museum. Don't bother going to an Athletics game even if someone gives you free tickets. By far the shittiest stadium I've been to. Don't waste your time as there is so many other things to see and do.
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Hopefully you dont see anyone jumping off the bridge.
Golden Gate bridge has the most suicides in the world.
There is a really crazy documentary on youtube called The Bridge.
Golden Gate bridge has the most suicides in the world.
There is a really crazy documentary on youtube called The Bridge.