San Francisco? Thoughts/what to do/ where to stay!

Jul158

I'm planning a vacation to San Francisco (my first time on the West Coast! I currently live in D.C.) and was wondering if anyone had thoughts on the best place to stay without the use of a car. Any input would be fantastic! As well as any suggestions on restaurants and things to do. Thank you!

BigDaddyRonnie

Don't go...the west coast is way over rated... :noway: :laugh:


But seriously, I have been there twice. Depends on what you want to do. I've been to dinners, strip clubs, ball games, wine tours...its there like anywhere else.

Jul158

I'd like to see Alcatraz and all the normal touristy things. The furthest west I've been is Houston, Texas... I need to see the Pacisfic at least once! Any other ideas?

scruffykaz

I wasn't that impressed with San Francisco (although I'm sure that others will disagree!).

There are quite a few hotels centrally but they tend to be quite expensive. The public transport is pretty good too so we didn't need a car. We got a tram (or is it called a cable car) out to Fishermans Wharf. That was fun but it is far more packed than the tube in London!!

Also, a lot of the touristy stuff is shut on Mondays which threw us a bit....

We ate at Cioppino's at Fishermans Wharf. It is a lovely Italian restaurant. I'd definitely go back again. We also ate at The Cheesecake Factory which I loved

Alcatraz is well worth doing, we also went on a boat trip around the harbour and did some shopping. We were only there for a couple of days but were a bit stuffed by the fact that loads of stuff is closed on a Monday!

There seems to be a massive homeless population which can be a bit intimidating. It was worth seeing but I don't think I'd hurry back..

Jewel0124

I went for a conference a few years back and stayed at the Marriott Marquis. It was within walking distance to the trolley. We had a blast doing all of the normal touristy stuff.

Stripeness

No matter when you are going, pack a layer or two that you'd wear on a cold drizzly autumn day in DC. No winter stuff needed, but damp/chilly/fog/wind is a year-round thing. Not to say there aren't beautiful sunny days. There are! Yet even on those days, the ocean provides brilliantly cool breezes every evening & night.

Walk the Golden Gate Bridge - or at least part of it. A bit breezy, but beautiful!

Civic Center or Financial District put you near most of the cultural stuff. The Asian Art Museum, Exploratorium, and SF MOMA are quite popular. Let's see...depending on your taste, AsiaSF Teatro Zinzanni, or Beach Blanket Babylon.

Nothing wrong with the standard tour guide fare (Alcatraz, Angel Island, Pier 39)

OH - whatever ethnic food you like? Indulge. Try new ones, especially any type of Asian cuisine. SF is home to some of the largest ethnic populations outside their homeland, and the food reflects that.

Enjoy!

LFDBabs

You will LOVE it!!

I always stay at the Comfort Inn By The Bay on the corner of VanNess and Lombard Streets. It's right on the bus line, a short walk to the Street Car line and within walking distance (barring mobility issues) to Fisherman's Warf. You could also walk to the Palace of Fine Arts from this location as it's a stunningly beautiful building!

Don't miss: Fisherman's Warf, Golden Gate Park, North Beach, Riding the Street Car, Muir Woods (Redwoods), Haight-Ashbury, Nob Hill, Lombard St.(the curvy hill), Coit Tower, Ghiardelli Chocolate Company....just walk through the store for a free sample! There is a place at the Ghiardelli plaza to buy tour packages. We did the City Tour and Muir Woods. Fantastic way to see all the touristy stuff without having to drive yourself around.

There is no shortage of restaurants. There's an In and Out Burger (my favorite place) in the Fisherman's Warf area. Hard Rock Cafe, Neptune's, Comfort Inn By The Bay has a free breakfast every morning!

Bring lots of money....it's not a cheap City, lol. Totally worth it though....have fun!

EDIT TO ADD: Pack for FALL weather!! I went in August and we needed fleece jackets and light coats everyday!! Don't miss Alcatraz and Salsalito

Cali_Chica

When I go there for a weekend, I always stay in Union Square. I prefer to stay there because it is centrally located and you can catch trolley or bus to anywhere in the city from there. You do not want to drive in SF it's a nightmare and will cost you a small fortune to park. Public transport is your friend once you're situated.

If you book in union square be sure to read reviews on yelp to make sure you're in safe part of area. Union square butts up to a rougher part of SF called Tenderloin. I wouldn't want to be walking around there at night.

Have fun!

ninerbuff

BART runs all over the Bay Area, so if cost of a hotel is important to you, look outside of the city. Look at hotels in places like Daly City (which is about 10 minutes outside of SF downtown).
As mentioned, bring some jackets because it does get colder than everyone thinks. Go see Chinatown, Japan town, visit the Cliffhouse and Twin peaks to see a great overall view of the city and bay.

A.C.E. Certified Personal/Group FitnessTrainer
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Jul158

Thank you so much for the feedback! We're looking to stay in Union Square. Does anyone have any information about the airport? Is there an affordable taxi/train you can take from the airport to Union Square?

We're definitely interested in the Alcatraz tour and just meandering around. Any other favorite restaurants or spots would be fantastic

ninerbuff

Thank you so much for the feedback! We're looking to stay in Union Square. Does anyone have any information about the airport? Is there an affordable taxi/train you can take from the airport to Union Square?

We're definitely interested in the Alcatraz tour and just meandering around. Any other favorite restaurants or spots would be fantastic

Well you can take BART, but if you have a lot of luggage, you might check to see if the hotel you're staying at has a shuttle since lugging a lot of luggage on BART could be a problem.
My favorite restaurants:

Lers Ros Thai
Aziza

A.C.E. Certified Personal/Group FitnessTrainer
IDEA Fitness member
Kickboxing Certified Instructor
Been in fitness for 30 years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition

xxghost

In and Out Burger. And please send me some! I miss it!

TheSlorax

You will LOVE it!!

I always stay at the Comfort Inn By The Bay on the corner of VanNess and Lombard Streets. It's right on the bus line, a short walk to the Street Car line and within walking distance (barring mobility issues) to Fisherman's Warf. You could also walk to the Palace of Fine Arts from this location as it's a stunningly beautiful building!

Don't miss: Fisherman's Warf, Golden Gate Park, North Beach, Riding the Street Car, Muir Woods (Redwoods), Haight-Ashbury, Nob Hill, Lombard St.(the curvy hill), Coit Tower, Ghiardelli Chocolate Company....just walk through the store for a free sample! There is a place at the Ghiardelli plaza to buy tour packages. We did the City Tour and Muir Woods. Fantastic way to see all the touristy stuff without having to drive yourself around.

There is no shortage of restaurants. There's an In and Out Burger (my favorite place) in the Fisherman's Warf area. Hard Rock Cafe, Neptune's, Comfort Inn By The Bay has a free breakfast every morning!

Bring lots of money....it's not a cheap City, lol. Totally worth it though....have fun!

EDIT TO ADD: Pack for FALL weather!! I went in August and we needed fleece jackets and light coats everyday!! Don't miss Alcatraz and Salsalito

This is all good, with the correction that it's Sausalito, not Salsalito (just in case you can't find it on a map, lol). I personally think Fisherman's Wharf is a little overrated, a couple hours is probably more than enough time to spend there. I really like Golden Gate Park and the Haight - it's an unpopular opinion but the history there is SO cool. There are various gardens that are really nice in GGP. The Academy of Sciences is BEYOND awesome, so don't miss that. I would also suggest visiting Chinatown and Japantown.

As for places outside of SF - I am biased, but I love Berkeley. I suggest taking BART to the downtown station and walking up Shattuck Ave., it's got TONS of good restaurants and fun shops to check out. Also, consider taking BART to the Rockridge station and check out College Ave., you won't be disappointed. Rockridge and Elmwood are both very cool. If you like the Haight you will also enjoy Telegraph Ave., I've walked from the downtown station there before.

pretty obvious how much I love this area, have fun OP, you'll love it too!

GothyFaery

I'm planning a vacation to San Francisco (my first time on the West Coast! I currently live in D.C.) and was wondering if anyone had thoughts on the best place to stay without the use of a car. Any input would be fantastic! As well as any suggestions on restaurants and things to do. Thank you!

The normal touristy things are Alcatraz, Fisherman's Wharf, the cable cars... They offer Segway tours which I heard are a blast! It sounds like you won't have a car but I strongly recommend renting one for a day and going out to see the Winchester House! It's about an hour's drive away but it is so worth it! Also, if you are going to rely on taxis, make sure you know where you are going. I'm not sure if they play stupid or actually don't know where anything is. When I was there we stayed in a very popular hotel and there were times after giving directions to the cabby 10 different times, I just wanted to tell him to let me drive!!

msliu7911

Went there in April 2013.... We stayed in Fisherman's Wharf at the Arognaut.

I have one recommendation for a "MUST TRY" restaurant.... especially if you like seafood.

The Franciscan Crab Restaurant.... I would go during mid to late afternoon. We went around 2:30pm and we were seated right away. Plus, when you go before dinner prices tend to be a little more "reasonable".

This place has a GREAT view of Alcatraz! You will also see sea lions swim by occasionally (since the sea lions at Pier 39 are just around the corner)

I had the crab fettucini alfredo.... HEAVEN. I never order pasta at restaurants, but I figured what the heck, I am right near the sea and I'm on vacation I was NOT disappointed. Calorie bomb, I'm sure, but oh so worth it.

Have fun!

FitMolly182

My fiance and I were thinking about going there for our Honeymoon in October. We live in Ohio, so have never been that far west, either.

I found this article, and found it very interesting;

http://www.cntraveler.com/cities/san-francisco/ten-things-not-to-do-in-san-francisco

SunofaBeach14

Check out the various art galleries if you have time. They're a lot more laid back than the ones in NY. That and just eat your way through town. They do food right there.