My husband & I just decided to take advantage of my upcoming worktrip to CA to plan a vacation to San Franciso. I'm so excited! We'll be there on a Friday-Tuesday (he'll arrive early Friday afternoon; all day Tuesday will unfortunately be taken up by travel due to Memphis' terrible airport situation).
Suggestions? I know there is a ton to see, but will we be able to see the "big stuff" in that amount of time? I'm thinking Golden Gate, Alcatraz, etc...
Where should we stay? We'd like budget-friendly (although not dirt cheap--we'll splurge a little on vacay) and a good location. Will we need to rent a car? Food suggestions? again, budget friendly (we're not planning on fine dining out there, even though I know it is great), but still "must try".
So excited I've only been to CA for work and never SFO!
We went last September. I loved it there. Def. book ahead of time for Alcatraz, it sells out. I wouldn't rent a car unless you plan to take a day trip anywhere. I would actually recommend buying the City Pass. It gives you an unlimited 7-day pass for the Muni/cable car system plus access to 4 attractions.
My favorite thing we did during our trip was a segway tour through the city. Such a fun and unique way to see the city.
Muir Woods is not too far (redwood forest) and worth a visit. We took a half day tour through Viator tours and saw Muir Woods and Sausalito.
We stayed at Hotel Monaco on Geary Street. The service was great and it has been remodeled since we stayed there. I would def. go back there.
Thanks! We're in the very early stages of planning (as in, we decided about 2 hours ago, via text, to do this), so all of this is helpful. We'll be there 10/18-10/22. I will be in Monterey 10/14-10/18 for work. I think I will catch a ride with a coworker to San Jose on Thursday night (she is flying out of SJC early Friday) and my DH will fly there Thursday night. My dad suggested taking the A1 up to SFO--is that recommended? How long would it take.
I think you've hit all the highlights we want to do, so I'll keep that proposed itinerary in mind. I absolutely want to try a burrito in the Mission--a coworker talks about it all the time. And I've always been intrigued by the 1960s/Hippie Culture, so I want to see the Haight.
If you have time when you are in Monterey, go to the Monterey Bay Aquarium. It is amazing! And, we were able to see whales in the ocean from their viewing decks! So cool.
Post by emilyinchile on Jul 1, 2013 11:41:50 GMT -5
What is the A1? Does he maybe mean Highway 1? I wouldn't take that up to SF - it will require renting a car and will give you similar scenery to what you've seen in Monterey. Just take the train.
Off the Grid is the Friday food truck event, and it's fun and yummy (and cheap!). For Alcatraz, I like the sunset tour better than the daytime tour, but they're both good. The Ferry Building is another must-see if you like good food. Blog posts of all of those are here: www.emilyinchile.com/tag/san-francisco/ (Alcatraz was a while ago, you'll have to go back to page 3). And yes, the aquarium is one of my favorite places ever: www.emilyinchile.com/2012/06/monterey-bay-aquarium/
The cheapest decent place I've stayed in Union Square is the Handlery. It's close to the Hotel Monaco but a lot cheaper. I agree with sfgal that Union Square is much preferable to Fisherman's Wharf. You can walk to Chinatown and generally get around the city a lot better from Union Square.
I meant the PCH. This is what I get for planning a vacay when I should be working. I think my husband will now fly into San Jose and meet me in Monterey and then we'll take the drive up to SFO. Since I'll be in Monterey for work, I won't get to see much.
No need to get a car in SF. Try to stay somewhere in the Union Square area to make it BART accessible from the airport (otherwise a cab will be around $50 each way), and also convenient for MUNI. Lots of people like to stay in Fisherman's Wharf area (Pier 39) but IMO that's a terrible place to stay.
Alcatraz will require about 4 hours total, including the boat ride out and back. It is very easy to combine it with a visit to Pier 39 and Ghiradelli Square. You can easily do GG Bridge during your stay here as well. You can either walk it, just view it from a distance, or rent bikes and bike over it to Sausalito where you then take the ferry back to SF. I believe the bike rental is down at Pier 39. I'd try to do that on Monday if weather cooperates; you'll have fewer people walking the bridge over a weekday than on a weekend.
You should check to see if the weekend you're here in October is Fleet Weekend. If so, the Pier area will be a cluster (more than it usually is).
There are lots of great museums around if that's your type of thing, but my recommendation to people visiting is to just check out the neighborhoods. You can go to North Beach for Italian, the Mission for a burrito, and the Haight Ashbury for a little bit of the hippy culture.
For food - good cheap eats include burrito joints in the Mission, and I've heard great things about the Fort Mason Food Trucks on Friday night. I think it's something like 30 different food trucks that set up there - I've yet to go but I might make H go with me this weekend, now that I'm thinking about it.
If you give me a budget for your meals I can recommend restaurants that fit it. Dining in SF is generally more expensive on every level, so do be prepared - it is a sticker shock!
OP, not to hijack your original thread, but I have a specific Q for SFgal.
What do you think about staying in Nob Hill? That's our current plan (this is our first time to San Fran, but we're from NYC so not public transportation-shy or anything) and I really don't like to stay in tourist-y areas if at all possible.
OP, not to hijack your original thread, but I have a specific Q for SFgal.
What do you think about staying in Nob Hill? That's our current plan (this is our first time to San Fran, but we're from NYC so not public transportation-shy or anything) and I really don't like to stay in tourist-y areas if at all possible.
Not sfgal obviously, but I did live in S.F. for six years and I'd say that Nob Hill is a fine place to stay. I still think Union Square is better and more convenient, plus it's definitely an area frequented by locals as much as by tourists. You'll be fine with either place though.
OP, not to hijack your original thread, but I have a specific Q for SFgal.
What do you think about staying in Nob Hill? That's our current plan (this is our first time to San Fran, but we're from NYC so not public transportation-shy or anything) and I really don't like to stay in tourist-y areas if at all possible.
I think if you really want to avoid touristy areas, you'd be smart to AirBnB a place in a neighborhood like the Mission or the Haight or something, honestly - that's if you're looking for real, authentic SF. Nob Hill is fine but as a local I don't spend much time there. It has some nice hotels (Fairmont, Intercontinental) but I don't find the location to be particularly convenient to get to. It's not close to BART and it's not named Nob Hill because it's a flat area, so walking from there to local sites is kind of exhausting (actually, walking anywhere FROM Nob Hill is fine, but going back up the hill is a different story). I'm pretty sure a Muni line goes through there but I don't know which one, so if the Muni line there isn't convenient for what you want to see, you're going to spend $$$ on cabs. Just my $.02, but I'd stay in Union Square. It isn't like Times Square and I don't find it to be particularly touristy.
Any decent hotels you can recommend in Union Square (in the $300-$450 price range)?
We just got back from SF and had an awesome time!! Go to Ike's for sandwiches. They are soooo good! There isn't any seating so we walked to the library and people watched while we ate. We also ate burritos in the Mission District. Again, so good and cheap. Think we ate at El Farolito. They only take cash though.
We rented an apartment and used the Muni to get around. It's really convenient. Think we only used our car a couple times.
We hit up all the touristy spots-Alcatraz, Ghiradelli square, Fisherman's Wharf (although I could have skipped it, way too touristy for us), Lombard street, Union Square. We did so much walking our feet were killing us but we had a great time.
Post by emilyinchile on Jul 2, 2013 9:56:43 GMT -5
You do not ever want a car in SF. Parking is an expensive nightmare, and one-way streets with cable cars are not easy to navigate. There is plenty of public transportation. I also would not recommend the Mission or the Haight for easy access touristing, which is what you want to do, elletr13.
I also still wouldn't recommend spending the time to drive up Highway 1. I know work trips are busy, but Monterey is basically laid out along the coast, so I'm pretty sure you will see it. You will also drive along the coast a little bit heading out of town with your CW back to San Jose. If your H wants to come down to Monterey to go to the aquarium with you then I think that's a good idea, but otherwise I'd just meet him in SJ and take the train up.
We stayed up on Nob Hill (I think at the Fairmont) on our first trip to SF because DH had a work thing there. As sfgal said, the walk down from the hotel wasn't bad and we could get to the cable car and some other sights, but I think we ended up taking a lot of cabs to get back because walking up the hill wasn't fun. I did like that it was a little quieter than Union Square, though.
Travel is fatal to prejudice, bigotry, and narrow-mindedness, and many of our people need it sorely on these accounts. Broad, wholesome, charitable views of men and things cannot be acquired by vegetating in one little corner of the earth all one's lifetime. Mark Twain
We stayed at The Westin St. Francis. Don't rent a car...you don't need one. We walked just about everywhere we went. We booked Muir woods thru the consigere and the bus picked us up at the hotel.. Be sure to ride a cable car. We took one to the top of Lombard street and then walked down it. Defiinately go to Alcatraz. We took a city tour on a bus that took under the Golden Gate, to the top of Twin Peaks ( I am pretty sure that's what it was called) and various other areas of the city. When we went to Muir woods we left the tour group in Sausilito and took the ferry back on our own. Checkout the Ferry Bldg. Good eats!!! WE at dim sum in Chinatown and it was delicious. Have no clue what we ate tho!! LOL
Thanks, @rock-n-Voll, you pretty much hit everything we want to see (although some others may come up). I know for Alcatraz we are planning on doing the evening tour. I'll use your proposed agenda to build our itinerary
I told him we need to book a hotel ASAP (and as soon as I get over sticker shock). We're looking in the Union Square area and I've also emailed about some condos/apartments I found in the area on VRBO/FlipKey.
I haven't, but we'll just have to deal with it I guess. Dates aren't flexible since I'm taking advantage of a work trip (and thus not having to pay for my plan ticket).
Yes--I'm setting an alarm for buying Alcatraz tickets. From what I can tell, you can't buy October tix yet.
I've used Priceline for Nashville hotels; I guess I am a little wary of using them in a city I know nothing about. A friend did that for a wedding and a 4 star hotel ended up being a Super 8.
I am booking the hotel this week. So far I am considering the marriott or Hilton in union square, or possibly the best western Tuscan inn in fisherman's wharf. Any thoughts?
Thanks! I'm just wavering between the two areas. I am going to explore better bidding/Priceline too. I just want to get this taken care of so I have a place before they sell out.
Generally, for San Francisco, it is not a good idea to stay outside the city as you have to battle the traffic-congested roads on the way to the city and tussle for limited parking spaces once you reach there. Hence, you should pick a centrally-located hotel in popular areas such as Union Square and Fisherman's Wharf so that you are within easy access to most of the popular tourist and business hotspots. Renting a car to drive within the city is also not advisable as other than difficulty in finding parking spaces on the street, you would have to pay high parking fees charged by the hotels.
We stayed in Kensington Park Hotel 5 years ago for the SF part of our honeymoon, and we really liked it. Small, quaint, comfortable, convenient to the Powell St Line.
Last July, we stayed at the Stanford Court Renaissance (top of Powell at the California intersection). We will likely stay there again next June. I loved that we had two lines right there in front of the hotel because it made getting around so easy (great for me because I was in a boot last summer from a stress fracture).
oh yeah and I agree with Rock-n-voll...I would not stay in the wharf. It's nice to visit for a few hours to eat but other than that it's just a bunch of shops selling crappy tourist stuff. US is a lot nicer area.
We went in April and stayed at the Hyatt on Embarcadero (next to the Ferry building) and we loved it! Easy cab ride to Chinatown, close to lots of shopping, and we like the Hop On Hop Off bus.
Also the Mexican restaurant in the Ferry Building was very good, we ate there twice and Slanted Door was tasty!
The Golden Gate Park was great, but it closes early, like 5pm, so plan accordingly. The Conservatory of Flowers was very cool.
That's also the weekend of the Nike Women's Half. Just thought I'd toss that out there...it'll be crowded, or at least that's what I've heard.
That's what I was coming in to say. Prices are going to be much higher because it's a VERY busy weekend. Also keep in mind that there will be lots of road closures in the area for the marathon.
I ran the marathon a few years ago and was still able to score a great hotel on lastminutehotels.com. It's a totally legit website. I think we just booked the 4 star "blind purchase" room, meaning we didn't know the hotel until after we booked but we knew it was in Union Square or the Financial District (both good areas, IMO) and it was a 4 star. We ended up with the Hyatt and really enjoyed our stay.
And I agree with Priceline. We scored a room at Parc 55 for $80 a night over a weekend by naming our own price for a 4 star room.