Travel to San Francisco - need advice

[marrelam]

Originally Posted by shrup 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.

Thanks shrup! I checked them - AirTran only offers return flights as a red-eye, that's a no-go with a 3yr old. SWA seems to be priced almost the same as Continental right now. Awesome tips though!

[shrup]

Originally Posted by marrelam Thanks shrup! I checked them - AirTran only offers return flights as a red-eye, that's a no-go with a 3yr old. SWA seems to be priced almost the same as Continental right now. Awesome tips though!

If your travel dates are flexible, there are $99 fares during the day Tuesdays and Wednesdays, which tend to be lowest days of the week.

[marrelam]

Originally Posted by shrup If your travel dates are flexible, there are $99 fares during the day Tuesdays and Wednesdays, which tend to be lowest days of the week.

Yep, we're flexible. Just need to be there 23/24th. We can come or go at anytime during the week surrounding that. I tried playing around with the dates this morning too.

[shrup]

A couple other events in October are the Blue Angels and Hardly Strictly Bluegrass Festival. These annual events are free but they’re usually held at the beginning of the month. I thought I’d just post this in case there are other readers who may be interested.

The Blue Angels fly around the City and do their acrobatic stunts over the Bay and under the bridges. Lots of people get annoyed by the loud noise but others like them. They do this during Fleet Week when the fleets come into port.

Hardly Strictly Bluegrass Festival is a 3-day concert held at Golden Gate Park. There are like 5 stages (I think) with performances happening all at the same time. Audiences can stroll around to the various venues or have picnics. Hardly Strictly Bluegrass

[marrelam]

WOW - Continental lowered the RT/NS flight I've been watching to $218 if you stay for 1 week. Too bad they raised their checked bag fee to $20 each way.

I'd love to rent a house/condo/apt. instead of staying in a hotel. Seems like it might be cheaper. Anyone have luck doing this in this area?

[marrelam]

How's this area??


601 Eddy St
San Francisco, CA, 94109
Phoenix Hotel, a Joie de Vivre

[hcwhcw]

Originally Posted by marrelam How's this area?? 601 Eddy St San Francisco, CA, 94109 Phoenix Hotel, a Joie de Vivre

Hmm. My first reaction was a strong "NO." Because that's Eddy & Larkin. The western edge of the Tenderloin neighborhood.

Personally, I would not choose to stay in that area, especially with a toddler and a senior citizen in my group. The only part of the Tenderloin that personally I would stay in is maybe the northern parts around Geary or Post, and maybe the eastern parts that are closer to Union Square. That is partly because, IMO, Eddy is just too far south into the Tenderloin, and also I like to be closer to the MUNI/BART stations, and if I was specifically staying in the Tenderloin area, I would also want to be closer to the bus lines on Geary, Post and Sutter. Then again, that address is between Polk and Larkin, i.e., western edge, not central Tenderloin, so not quite as seedy.

If you stay there, I think it'll be alright during the day, and there are some decent to good restaurants nearby, and some cultural institutions to the south and west that you might visit, like the Asian Art Museum, Davies Symphony Hall, etc. But I don't think you're gonna feel very comfortable walking around that area in the evening, at least not eastward. You will definitely not want to walk at night around Eddy, Turk, Leavenworth, Jones - the center of the Tenderloin. So, if most of your brother's wedding activities are in Union Square, you will have some icky streets to cross through if you choose to walk across on Eddy. Or you could just take a cab that short distance. :-)

My reaction changed to a slightly less strong "NO" when I googled Phoenix Hotel and saw that it has a lot of good reviews on tripadvisor and yelp. Some bad reviews too, though. So, you should read those reviews and see if it would be your type of hotel.

What price, for what kind of room, did you find for the Phoenix Hotel?

(Edited at 7:15p EST)

[marrelam]

I gravitated towards The Phoenix because of it's style, the pool, and it's budget friendly price of $139 a night for 2 double beds - and free parking! I've read a bunch about it and everyone really likes the hotel, but hates it's local. The bride is steering us towards Hotel Beresford - very budget friendly at $119, but very boring looking. So is it worth going there, to Hotel Beresford, for it's local and things to do around it?

[hcwhcw]

marrelam, have you made your hotel decision? If you did already, I guess you don’t need any more feedback, but as long as I’m thinking about it and I’m here in your thread, I might as well post. So, the Beresford Hotel, I looked it up and it’s on Sutter and Mason, which is in the northern part of the Tenderloin, the part that I said, personally, I would choose if I was going to stay in the Tenderloin. Actually, Sutter is in that in-between area between the Tenderloin and Nob Hill, also known as “the Tendernob” LOL. But, point is, it sounds like your future SIL is trying to steer you to the same area I was talking about.

But back to the Phoenix Hotel... Eddy between Polk and Larkin might not be that bad. It’s the western edge of the Tenderloin, and I saw in the positive reviews for the Phoenix Hotel that hotel guests weren’t that bothered by the neighborhood. Besides, you’re only staying for a week, not moving there for a year. I remember there being some cheap good Vietnamese restaurants on Larkin in that area. I would say, though, that if you stay at Eddy between Polk and Larkin, there is more of a chance that you will see transvestite hookers and/or junkies in that area than if you stay at Sutter and Mason… LOL. So, what’s your tolerance for seeing stuff like that? Again, you’re only visiting for a week, not moving there for a year! And that area may have gotten cleaned up recently, for all I know. (As for homeless and panhandlers, you’re going to encounter them regardless of where you stay, especially around Civic Center, Union Square, etc.)

For your travel needs, maybe the hotel itself is more important than its immediate locale. Since you have your 3 year old with you, you’re probably not going to be staying out too late, but getting in relatively early (What time does a 3 year old go to sleep anyway? 8pm? 9pm? And does a 3 year old take naps during the day?). If you won’t be walking or taking public transportation as much as I assumed when I posted my initial reaction, then it doesn’t matter as much what the neighborhood is like in the evening or night, as you won’t be walking home but driving straight into the garage, plus probably getting in relatively early anyway. (Or if you’re not driving on a particular day, you can always cab it home from someplace nearby.)

Are you definitely renting a car? As you pointed out, the Phoenix Hotel has free parking, and that’s a huge bonus, since parking is expensive in SF. If you do rent a car, I recommend going to see the Redwood Forests up north. Does either or any of the hotels you're considering (assuming you haven't made a decision yet) have an in-room fridge where you can put your own food and drink? Since you're going to be there for a whole week and you have your 3 year old with you, that'd be convenient if there was a place to store milk, juice, etc.

Still, I'd rather not be the person whose advice or feedback tips you over the edge into choosing to stay in that part of the Tenderloin. Does your brother or future SIL live or work in SF? Maybe one of them can go by the Phoenix Hotel just to check out the immediate neighborhood and see if it would be alright for you and the people in your group. They could always use the Bambuddha Lounge next door as part of their excuse to go... Make it a combination scouting trip/social outing! :-)

Where are you at in your trip planning?

[marrelam]

drum roll please.....



We have booked the Hotel Beresford - for the price and location (next to the place where the wedding is) it really can't be beat. We've decided to not rent a car since we changed our plans and we'll only be there from Fri-Mon. This thread has been a huge help!

Airfare wasn't spectacular for the price, but non-stop and flight in/out times we're ideal, so we booked it too.

Really, about the only thing left will be Sunday - our full sight-seeing day. And dd does still nap from approx. 1p-4p, usually. And goes to bed around 9p. I think this hotel will be good for those things too, even though it looks rather boring.