Travel to San Francisco - need advice

[marrelam]

Originally Posted by hcwhcw What kind of price and hotel did you get for Chicago via Priceline? Did you have to bid more than once to get a good price and hotel? I've tried Priceline a few times, but never had any success.

In July I put a bid in on Priceline for a 4 star hotel. We got the W Hotel Chicago City Center for $165/night. This is a phenomenal price. Only put in 1 bid and got a quick response. The hotel is amazing. We were very happy.

The only other activity we want to do besides what you had mentioned is to go to the beach. Livermormom suggested China Beach as a good place to go. It sounds really nice. There's going to be 6 adults, 1 senior, and our 3yr. old DD all coming from Cleveland.

[marrelam]

[tmsmalley]

I realize this thread is old, but you're not going until October I still have time to put 2 cents in. Another native here...

First off, the beach is great, either China Beach, Baker Beach or Ocean Beach (or even the little beach at Muni Pier). But just know, you are NOT going to Bay Watch. You cannot swim in the water in SF. It is cold and the undertow is very serious. There are no lifeguards and although the natives may wet their toes from time to time, you should not, especially with a 3 year old. And I do mean, don't even wade. The little waves pull the sand out from under your toes and you can literally be swept off your feet in just a moment, you don't need a big wave to do that either. Once you're off your feet, it can be very difficult to get back up and the currents are VERY strong. Watch carefully for low tidal areas that are accessible and get cut off when the tide comes in too. Every year dozens of people are rescued near The Cliff House even though there are a million signs saying "don't climb down the rocks!"

It should be sunny in October but always bring a sweatshirt with you just in case. Use sunscreen too. You can get a nasty sunburn even if there’s high overcast or a very fluffy fog going on.

Is there a reason you want to stay right downtown? San Francisco is very compact (only 7 miles by 7 miles) so you're never very far from anywhere. You could stay out by the beach and zoo and be just a bus ride from Union Square if there was a good deal going. Read the reviews from real people very carefully before you book anything. Although the hotel itself may be nice, because SF is so compact, there really isn't much right side/wrong side of the tracks. Although there are a few areas you should definitely stay out of, even very nice neighborhoods can change to pretty seedy from block to block and tourists tend to stand out. Be cautious wandering around, ask at the front desk before you go anywhere and see if they recommend the path you're going to take.

Eating out in SF can be very pricey. If you’re looking for meat and ‘taters, your best bets are the hotel restaurants unless you want to spend quite a bit. If you’re willing to try different kinds of foods, the world is at your feet in SF. There are a million Asian restaurants (Thai, Chinese, Korean, Japanese, Vietnamese, Cambodian, Laotian, Indonesian), Middle Eastern, Italian, some Mexican but more Central American (Salvadorian, Guatemalan, Nicaraguan), lots of Seafood (try some FRESH Dungeness crab don’t let them give you anything that’s been frozen). You won’t find any chain restaurants except McDonalds downtown so you’ll have to be a little adventurous in picking locations. Ask the front desk for recommendations and honestly, it is hard to go wrong, SF is known for good food.

Great kid activities are: Golden Gate Park (especially Children’s Playground); SF Zoo; Exploratorium (grown ups will love this too); Aquarium

Great tourist activities are: Pier 39 (although the food is over priced and over rated, you’ll get a better meal a few blocks up at Sinbad’s); Fisherman’s Wharf (same note on food); a walk through Chinatown (bring your tennies, lots of hills in SF), ride on the Cable Car (but not when it is raining, wait for a dry day, the breaks work better); take a trip out to Alcatraz (book ahead a day or two to be sure to get a reservation), make your way to the Golden Gate Bridge. You can walk across the bridge but it is a couple of miles across then you have to get back. Take a drive through the Presidio (very scenic). If there’s a golfer in your group the Presidio Golf Club is worth a try too! There are several great museums including the Palace Legion of Honor in the Presidio that has an original cast of Rodin’s The Thinker (very cool).

OK, I’m sure that’s more than you wanted to know
Enjoy!

Tess

[tmsmalley]

Oh, I also wanted to add that SFO is about 15 miles from downtown SF. And "South San Francisco" is not in the Southern part of SF. It isn't in SF at all, it is near the airport and is a totally different town (that throws people a lot). You should be sure to stay someplace that has an address that is actually San Francisco, not Daly City, San Bruno, South San Francisco, etc. if you're not sure, the zip code should start 941XX and the phone number should be (415) XXX-XXXX.

Tess

[Maxie1101]

I'm a Bay Area native as well. Someone I know visited SF and found a great deal for visiting attractions, it's the Go SanFrancisco Card. I have not used it myself, but he said it saved them at least 40% on SF attractions. Here is the list of activites on the Go Card list.

Cab ride from SFO to downtown is about $45, or you can take BART from the airport to Powell St Station (closest to Union Square) for $5.35 per person, children under 4 years old are free.

Some fun things to do are Gray Line trolley hop on/hop off bus for sightseeing, there is also a double decker bus hop on/off sightseeing tour here (the tickets are good for two days and my friend said it was better than Gray Line). Exploratorium (a must for the kiddos), Alcatraz (definitely book a day or two early).

You can rent a bike to ride across the Golden Gate Bridge (you will be on the side of the bridge farthest from city, so for good pictures you may want to walk the bridge where you'll be on the side closest to the city. (However if you bike, when you get to the other side, there is a Vista Point from which you can take great pictures with the city in the background).

Cable car rides (goes from Union Square to Fisherman's Wharf $2 each way, I think).

Golden Gate Park has the Conservatory of Flowers, Steinhart Aquarium, Queen Wilhelmena's (sp?) tulip garden, and live Bison.

Ocean Beach (if you have a car) is a great beach. You may want to check out the Beach Chalet (for a refreshing microbrewed beer) or the Cliff House while you're there. Next to the Cliff House is the ruins of the Sutro Baths, which was a big swimming/bathing facility back in the day.

I would also suggest dinner at The Stinking Rose in North Beach, they are way into garlic in their cooking and it is really good, reasonably priced, and casual. Also buy their cookbook before you leave if you like the food (I have it).

You should also stop by Buena Vista (corner of Beach and Hyde, west of Fisherman's Wharf and Ghiradelli Square near the aquatic park) to enjoy an Irish Coffee, this cafe is the birthplace of the Irish Coffee!

Fisherman's Wharf and Pier 39, of course. Make sure you check out the sea lions on the docks at Pier 39, they are a weird local phenomenon that took over the dock. There is also an aquarium at Fisherman's Wharf that is supposed to be cool.

If you rent a car, DEFINITELY go down Lombard Street. It is known as the crookedest street in the world (although other cities beg to differ).

Lots of great things to do and see in SF. Good hotels near Union Square are the Marriot and St. Francis (a Westin hotel). The Hyatt is close too, but in the financial district.

If you have any questions, please feel free to PM me. Talking of all this makes me want to take a Staycation in SF since we can't afford a tropical vacation this year. Have fun!

[marrelam]

Thank you!! I'm still looking for good airfare prices too. It's probably still too early for that.

[mnnice]

I don't have much actual advice. We went in 2004 when DS1 was 2 1/2. We had a blast and he still talks about the Coit Tower five years later. We bought transit passes and rode the bus and cable car and walked everywhere.

[shrup]

October is generally a good time to be in San Francisco weather-wise but seeing that you’re coming at the end of the month, I would recommend bringing a warm coat and/or raincoat. Bring your walking shoes. SF is a great walking city but VERY hilly. Driving can be costly and parking meters and garages are expensive. Public transportation is very good.

You can take the subway (BART) directly from the airport to Union Square (get off at the Powell St. Station). Outside the station’s main exit is the Visitors Bureau where you can get maps.

Union Square is in the heart of downtown. Occasionally there are free events on the Square, and nearby at the Yuerba Buena Garden. If you enjoy the theater, there’s the Half Price Ticket office. Many great shopping around here - the City Center, etc.

Two of the main cable car lines end here where the cars turn around a turnstile table. Be prepared to wait in line to get on board - or you may want to bypass the line and chance boarding at one of the stops along the way. The Mason line ends at Fishermen’s Wharf, the Hyde line (more interesting line – passes the ‘crooked street’) ends at Ghirardelli Square, famous for its chocolate factory). Along the way is the Cable Car Museum. It’s a small free working museum where you can actually see the wheels that make the cable cars run.

If you want to walk:
From Union Square walk through the Financial District westward till you get to the Embarcadero. Go northward along the piers. You’ll pass the restored Ferry Building, (a must-stop for culinary food lovers, nice night view of the bay and bridge), also running along the Embarcadero are restored trolleys from around the world. Continue walking along the piers and pass Pier 39 (sea lions on decks and more shops), Fisherman’s Wharf and then to Ghirardelli Square. Your 3-year-old may like the Rainforest Café in Fisherman’s Wharf.

Also from Union Square, you can also walk to Chinatown (many shops on Grant Ave). Next to Chinatown is North Beach (Italian town); both areas have good Chinese and Italian restaurants. A must try is the dim sum in Chinatown.

As with many big cities, there are panhandlers (unfortunately) and bad areas to avoid, so as a caution, I would stay away from the Tenderloin area located in the downtown area, west of Powell St.

Exploratorium – Hands-on museum for the family. Children 3 and under get in free, and if you happen to be there the 1st Wednesday of the month, it’s free for anyone.

Alcatraz - I would recommend renting a self-guided audio headset. The entrance is free (it’s a national park) but the ferry taking you there isn’t.

Restaurants – Where to begin? So many to choose. Chinatown, North Beach (Italian), Belden Place, an alley near Union Square with European-type feel restaurants; Mission (Mexican); many more throughout the City.

Areas of interests:

Museums – Many offer free admission the 1st Tuesday of the month; the Academy of Science (free the 3rd Wed of each month). King Tut is currently at the De Young.

Golden Gate Bridge – you can walk on the bridge

Fort Point (Civil War fort under the Golden Gate Bridge)

Lombard Street – Crooked street

*
If you have a car, you can do these day-visits outside the City (don’t call it Frisco tho ):

Napa and Sonoma Valleys – wine country, restaurants, nice scenery (hot air balloon if you have more than 1 day)

Sausalito – small picturesque village town

Muir Woods – known for its redwood trees

*
other places and events:
Yerba Buena Garden (summer) Festival
Yerba Buena Gardens Festival | Calendar
http://www.yelp.com/events

bestofcaliforniatv.com

California Calendar of Events

Have a great time and Enjoy!

[marrelam]

The info you gave shrup is awesome! I was just going to check the thread because I really need to book something soon I think. Oct. 24 is just around the corner. The best airfare still from Cleveland to San Fran is $315pp RT/NS. I was hoping it would go down. I'm using kayak.com to find the airfare. We're completely undecided about where to stay and found out there's a huge ophthalmology conference going on when we'll be there so lots of places might be booked?

[shrup]

Originally Posted by marrelam The info you gave shrup is awesome! I was just going to check the thread because I really need to book something soon I think. Oct. 24 is just around the corner. The best airfare still from Cleveland to San Fran is $315pp RT/NS. I was hoping it would go down. I'm using kayak.com to find the airfare. We're completely undecided about where to stay and found out there's a huge ophthalmology conference going on when we'll be there so lots of places might be booked?

I don't know what flight days you are looking for but Southwest Airlines (Wanna Get Away) has $99 one-way flights, for example leaving 10/24, return 2 weeks 11/7. AirTran also has $99 one-way flights. I don't believe these airlines are included in kayak, expedia, priceline, etc because their low-discount fare are hard to compete with.