H and I (no kids) will spending 5 ish days (we have from Saturday to the following Sunday available but unsure if we want to be there that long).
We like touristy things and outdoorsy things. We don’t care for the night life and aren’t sports fans. Some museums are fine but we don’t want to spend all our in them.
So far we want to: Take an Alcatraz tour Day trip to San Jose to see the Winchester Mystery House Golden Gate Park and Muir Redwood Forest
What else do you recommend? What are your favorite things?
We rented bikes and rode across the Golden Gate Bridge to Saulsalito and took the ferry back. You can also rent them to just ride around town. The ferry building is fun on farmers market days (Sat I think) Walking around/through China town and north beach are always two things we enjoy Riding on a cable car Go see a play. We saw Harry Potter and the Cursed Child, not sure if it’ll still be there. I also took a Victorian house tour years ago, it was mostly looking at the buildings from the outside, but was a great way to see some special architecture buried in some neighborhoods.
Crissy field/Fort Mason area is a great place to see the golden gate from, a fun perspective.
Post by hannahgruen on Jan 22, 2023 19:33:35 GMT -5
fernweh SF native here. It's freezing cold and foggy in SF in May, we get our "summer" in the fall. Come out anyway, there's tons of things to do and see, just bring warm clothes.
fernweh SF native here. It's freezing cold and foggy in SF in May, we get our "summer" in the fall. Come out anyway, there's tons of things to do and see, just bring warm clothes.
I don’t know, I feel like the last few years, May has been as hot as September! We’ve been installing the window units and wishing for fog in May.
To answer the OP, we love doing urban hikes in SF: the Presidio/Marina, Land’s End, Fort Funston, Twin Peaks, Bernal Heights … or biking/running along the Embarcadero. And seeing shows at night, especially comedy. Oakland might also be worth a day trip for the food.
We were there at the end of May this last year and the weather was luckily beautiful. Though I’ve joked over the years that I bring good weather to SF. When we’d come in to visit during a family visit in the east bay, it’d be the only nice day of the week 🤷♀️
What we do with visitors: -the lands end hike -ferry to Angels island for the hike around the island and ferry to Tiburon - fav restaurant is Kokkari - Golden Gate Park and then dinner at Fiorella in inner sunset
So far we want to: Take an Alcatraz tour Day trip to San Jose to see the Winchester Mystery House Golden Gate Park and Muir Redwood Forest
What else do you recommend? What are your favorite things?
Winchester Mystery House is a 1 hr plus drive down some busy freeways and just ok in my opinion. I took an architect friend several years ago and she found it interesting in a WTF kind of way. For a layperson who isn’t super excited about old houses, it might be dull. In years past, they used to play up the haunted, supernatural aspect but more recently it’s a standard historic house tour.
Muir Woods can get super crowded on weekends— think Disneyland levels of crowds—which detracts from the nature. (Disclaimer: haven’t been since COVID.) I suggest going on a weekday or choosing one of the further afield Redwood groves like Armstrong Redwood State Park in Sonoma County or Henry Cowells State Park outside of Santa Cruz.
My favorite place to hike in the entire world is Point Reyes National Seashore which is a long undeveloped strip of land that goes through most of Marin County, the area north of the Golden Gate Bridge. Bear Valley, Tomales Point and Point Reyes Lighthouse are some good hikes. You can eat fresh oysters in the small town of Olema.
Going south from SF on Highway 1, you will reach Ano Nuevo State Park which has an elephant seal colony. You have to sign up for guided tours in advance. The whole shoreline is gorgeous— nearby there’s Pigeon Point Lighthouse and Pescadero, a small town where you can stop for lunch and eat artichoke themed foods.
Another cool place that is slightly closer to SF is Fitzgerald Marine Reserve in Moss Beach. There is a beautiful hike on the bluffs overlooking the beach and interesting creatures in the tide pools. Check ahead to see when low tide will occur.
You may want to check to make sure the sites on your list haven’t been affected by the serious flooding earlier this month (e.g. iirc Muir Woods is in a sort of ravine, so might have had flood/mudslide damage) and if so, what the repair timeline is.
I agree with the poster that advised against Winchester Mystery House. It gets lots of hyped marketing, but it was such a boring tour. If you want to do a day trip, and if 92 is open, take a drive to Half Moon Bay. Eat at the Moss Beach Distillery. Make a reservation for the patio and bring warm clothes.
For great pics with the Golden Gate Bridge, go to the Marin Headlands.
You could go up to Sonoma for a day and do some wine tasting. Bella has some nice wine caves and Coppola is a beautiful property with a great view from the patio of the restaurant.
If you want outdoorsy, and want to drive to the San Jose area, I’d normally suggest Big Basin, but I think it’s a mess from the storms. It’s CA’s oldest state park and has beautiful hikes. Since you aren’t going until May, you can check the park status when it gets closer.
Pick whichever day has the least foggy weather and grab a coffee at the Embarcadero that morning for a great view of the Bay Bridge.
Post by pinkdutchtulips on Jan 23, 2023 18:45:12 GMT -5
I'll add the DeYoung Museum (along w all of Golden Gate Park) and SF MOMA. Ditto get Alcatraz tickets EARLY! as it sells out fast.
It's hard to say what the weather will do bc SF is 10 different microclimates within the city. Just be prepared for anything. May for me in the East Bay means the occasional 85-90 degree day but it will be 30 degrees colder in SF proper.
fernweh SF native here. It's freezing cold and foggy in SF in May, we get our "summer" in the fall. Come out anyway, there's tons of things to do and see, just bring warm clothes.
This might be a dumb question but when you say “freezing cold” are you being hyperbolic or is it literally freezing? I’m from Michigan so I’m assuming our definitions of freezing are quite different… I just want to make sure I’m prepared.
fernweh SF native here. It's freezing cold and foggy in SF in May, we get our "summer" in the fall. Come out anyway, there's tons of things to do and see, just bring warm clothes.
This might be a dumb question but when you say “freezing cold” are you being hyperbolic or is it literally freezing? I’m from Michigan so I’m assuming our definitions of freezing are quite different… I just want to make sure I’m prepared.
"freezing cold" in SF is 50-55 degrees. My advice is to always wear layers to peel off and add on as necessary.
I've lived in Detroit and I've been in the SF Bay Area for nearly 30 years.
fernweh SF native here. It's freezing cold and foggy in SF in May, we get our "summer" in the fall. Come out anyway, there's tons of things to do and see, just bring warm clothes.
This might be a dumb question but when you say “freezing cold” are you being hyperbolic or is it literally freezing? I’m from Michigan so I’m assuming our definitions of freezing are quite different… I just want to make sure I’m prepared.
Fellow Michigander - when we went in May, jeans and long sleeve tees were fine. A fleece for evenings. This was 5 or 6 years ago.
Muir Woods can get super crowded on weekends— think Disneyland levels of crowds—which detracts from the nature. (Disclaimer: haven’t been since COVID.) I suggest going on a weekday or choosing one of the further afield Redwood groves like Armstrong Redwood State Park in Sonoma County or Henry Cowells State Park outside of Santa Cruz.
My favorite place to hike in the entire world is Point Reyes National Seashore which is a long undeveloped strip of land that goes through most of Marin County, the area north of the Golden Gate Bridge. Bear Valley, Tomales Point and Point Reyes Lighthouse are some good hikes. You can eat fresh oysters in the small town of Olema.
These are my neighbors
Muir Woods went insane for a few years there before COVID. It is no longer crazy crowded because they require advanced reservations for parking. We've been once since and it was back closer to how I remember it. We tend to do other redwoods activities rather than Muir Woods proper (we get our fix at playgrounds, the library, our favorite waterfall hike, etc.)
OP - I would be happy to script out a Marin day if you want. Views, hikes, snack stops, etc.
Cold here means "50/60s with fog and wind" and often feels surprisingly cold to visitors who only hear the numbers. I've had relatives from Alberta say they aren't "accustomed to it" which obviously doesn't mean they aren't accustomed to much, much colder weather, but rather it felt colder than they anticipated at those temps.
We have beautiful beaches. They aren't for swimming (ever) or laying out on the average day in May. But they are scenic.
This might be a dumb question but when you say “freezing cold” are you being hyperbolic or is it literally freezing? I’m from Michigan so I’m assuming our definitions of freezing are quite different… I just want to make sure I’m prepared.
"freezing cold" in SF is 50-55 degrees. My advice is to always wear layers to peel off and add on as necessary.
I've lived in Detroit and I've been in the SF Bay Area for nearly 30 years.
Agree with the above— part of the problem is that it might look like bright sunlight when you’re getting dressed, so you put on a t-shirt and shorts. Then the fog rolls in and the temperature drops 30 degrees. Also the wet fog can really chill your body especially if you’re close to the bay and wearing inappropriate summer clothes. At the same time, it’s nothing like actual below freezing weather.
This might be a dumb question but when you say “freezing cold” are you being hyperbolic or is it literally freezing? I’m from Michigan so I’m assuming our definitions of freezing are quite different… I just want to make sure I’m prepared.
Fellow Michigander - when we went in May, jeans and long sleeve tees were fine. A fleece for evenings. This was 5 or 6 years ago.
Another Michigander here and I went in March and was fine with what I'd consider my winter coat for short walks into stores during winter. That was all I wore and I was fine but the locals thought I was crazy.
I wanted to go to the adults-only night at the science center there but didn't make it because of the day of the week.
Post by thedutchgirl on Jan 24, 2023 10:21:47 GMT -5
I just wanted to call out (it was mentioned already by sonrisa ), that in addition to buying in advance for Alcatraz, you now need to buy ahead for Muir Woods. We learned that the hard way on our last-minute quasi honeymoon to Carmel, SF, and Lake Tahoe over the Fourth of July in 2021. We were unable to get a reservation for Muir Woods for the time we were in SF at all
Fellow Michigander - when we went in May, jeans and long sleeve tees were fine. A fleece for evenings. This was 5 or 6 years ago.
Another Michigander here and I went in March and was fine with what I'd consider my winter coat for short walks into stores during winter.
That would be more than enough for any day in SF. People around here don't really have proper winter coats. It's when someone forgets to layer over a long sleeve t-shirt that they get it trouble. The weather is never that cold. It's just colder than visitors expect in May/June/July/August.
However, it's the opposite if you come in Jan/Feb. The temperature is often around the same as a cool June day so visitors are amazed at how warm it is.
Outdoor dining works year round - and needs a heat lamp year round.
Another Michigander here and I went in March and was fine with what I'd consider my winter coat for short walks into stores during winter.
That would be more than enough for any day in SF. People around here don't really have proper winter coats. It's when someone forgets to layer over a long sleeve t-shirt that they get it trouble. The weather is never that cold. It's just colder than visitors expect in May/June/July/August.
However, it's the opposite if you come in Jan/Feb. The temperature is often around the same as a cool June day so visitors are amazed at how warm it is.
Outdoor dining works year round - and needs a heat lamp year round.
I work in the Financial District. It's the end of January and all I need coat wise is my polar fleece zipup w my lightweight cardigan under it. Agreed no one here has proper midwest/east coast winter coats.