San Francisco Travel Forum

My husband and I are coming to SFO in a couple of weeks and I'd like for someone to evaluate our travel plans

Arrive Sunday - Check in to Marriott Wharf (don't tell me if it stinks, I can't cancel), hang around the wharf and look for a restaurant with something other than seafood (I'm sounding like an idiot)

Monday - Tour the city with a Go-Car

Tuesday - We have rented a car to head south. Can we get to Pebble Beach and back? Any ideas for where we should stop along the way? (I say make it romantic) Restaurants?

Wednesday - Alcatraz and a Giants game - - - We're on the early tour; should we fit something else in?

Thursday - We have rented a car to go to Napa. Here we REALLY need help! I have searched and searched and am unsure where to eat and which wineries to visit. We cannot afford $500 each, but I'd love our visit to be memorable.

Friday - Maybe rent bikes to ride over the Golden Gate.

Saturday - Return to Missouri - - - What do you think? Thank you!! Beth

The Marriott is a super hotel with a great parking fee of $43 a day. It is about 2 blocks to the wharf. Most restaurants are tourist trap or seafood specialties at Fisherman's Wharf, but many do have steaks and a full menu other than seafood dishes. One such trap or seafood specialty is Castagnola's, about 2 short blocks from the Marriott. Walk over and save parking fees at the Wharf. It is a good restaurant and not a total tourist trap. See website: www.castagnolassf.com
I test drove a Go car before they were available and I hope that they can take the hills of San Francisco without scaring the bejabbers out of you. It scared me driving the streets of Beverly Hills. Watch the turns and the shifting. As for Pebble Beach and back, you are talking the Monterey Bay area and it is about a 2 2 1/2 hour drive one way. So, yes it can be done. Head right for Monterey and Carmel-by-the-Sea, with the most romantic restaurant being "Casanova" in Carmel-by-the-Sea. Check out my Carmel-by-the-Sea pages for restaurant tips or see Casanova's : www.casanovarestaurant.com . They open at 5 pm and I would make a reservation if you decide to go there. You won't be disappointed. Pebble Beach is between Carmel and Pacific Grove. Lots to see and do in this area.
As for Napa and the Valley, too much to write here but look at my pages or the Vt Napa pages for ideas. See website: http://members.virtualtourist.com/m/736c8/b82de/

Greetings from Osage Beach ! Just because your hotel is near the Wharf doesn't mean you have to stay at the Wharf. San Francisco is not a car friendly city. There are several elevated highways and parking is at a premium. There are times when the parking is an additional fee over the cost of your room. The good part of being at the wharf is you are on the northern waterfront. You are reasonably near the Ferry Building. You have simple access to the Golden Gate. You are near the northern end of the Hyde Steet Cable Car Line, and you are near the North Beach, and Chinatown neighborhoods. As far as itenerary, you haven't listed your travel interests. I still would make some possible changes. If romance is a goal, I would definitely drop the Alcatraz trip, lol. You could do a bay cruise, night cruise, or a cruise over to Sausalito,instead. The bike rental should be no problem. There is a company, Blazing Saddles, that rents bikes at Pier 43 1/2, I believe. Access to the Golden Gate is easy from there. I would check if your hotel has car rental options in house, or nearby. I would then consider travelling to the Point Reyes National Seashore area. There are several differing beaches there. There is also the Muir Woods in that general area. I personally would skip the vineyards. I really also would skip Pebble Beach unless you are playing golf. I would substitute a trip to the Fillmore or Haight areas or Golden Gate Park. As far as San Francisco restaurants go, you can look at the following web page for ideas, and re-post for input for those places that look interesting: http://sanfrancisco.menupages.com.You can check also the travel guide here on VT. In the North Beach, you could possibly visit the City Lights Bookstore, the Sentinel Building, (interesting history, architecture, and Francis Ford Coppola has a small cafe there) There is also a very nice jazz club, Jazz At Pearls, in the area. Gary

My son went to the University of San Francisco for four years and I have attended business meetings and attended many conferences in the city, and I don't think the Go-Car is a good idea - would *really advise against it*.

SF has excellent transportation, which can be supplemented with a taxi.
Here's a link to the transportation options: http://www.sfmta.com/cms/mmaps/indxmaps.htm

You can split the city into sections ... downwtown, the GG park area (with the 60's Height and Asbury street crossing) - Presidio, China Town and the Union Square area, come to mind.

You can pretty much take the 5-Fulton bus to Golden Gate park - and walk thru there. If it's not foggy, it's good to go up the Twin Peaks - easy to get there, just take Stanyan, the street between the regular and skinny parts of GG park, and go up. I always get lost coming down, so try to get down the same way you're up. Glorious views of the city and both bridges - but don't bother if it's real foggy. So you could come here before you return your Napa car.

You also want to drive thru Presidio, find your way out the park via Lombard, and get down using Lombard street - http://www.picturesofplaces.com/pictures/usa/california/sanfrancisco/lombard-street-sf

Have fun ...

Hi Beth....
I just graduated from Sonoma State University (in the heart of wine country) and my friends and I often frequented wineries! :)

This page on the SFGate (newspaper) allows you to search by different criteria
http://www.sfgate.com/listings/find/wine.php

that link above i narrowed the search to sonoma county, and wineries that offer complimentary tastings....you can also search by napa county, or by ones that have tours or restaurants...from there you can go to the wineries websites for hours and more info....

i think that sonoma county has a little more to offer than napa...napa can be a little snooty if you ask me, and the wineries generally charge 15-20 per tasting.

some favorite wineries of mine in sonoma county are:

St.Francis Winery (I had an internship there, so i am biased :))
Chateau St. Jean (beautiful!)
KAZ (small and family owned)
Mayo Family Wineries
Family Wineries (there are about 4 or 5 wineries in one place, so you can taste your heart out)
Clous Du Bois
Francis Ford Coppola
Benziger (has a great tram tour)


you can also visit the sonoma downtown which has a cheese factory and lots of good restaurants

if you have your heart set on napa you definitely need to eat at taylors refresher, its an old drive in with the best shakes and burgers...its it downtown st.helena

Sterling Vineyars (has a cool gondola that takes you up to the winery
Domaine Carneros (champange, and beautiful


I can go on and on...so just ask!

I would recommend the Go-Car, I loved it and I lived in San Francisco for the last 2 years.

Well, I now know what a Go-Car is, unfortunately. Gary

A go-car?? At $44 per hour? If I were in one of those, I'd wear a bag over my head.

Get a guide book, use your feet and the public transportation. SF has the best public transportation this side of the Rockies.

They probably rent the bags to cover your head for 18 dollars an hour. I am honestly stunned these "vehicles" are allowed on the streets. I can't imagine driving one down Lombard, or Van Ness. Gary

Beth, Imagine what it would be like to drive one of these go-cars down Battlefield, or Glenstone. That is about what you could run into in the busier areas. Gary

The Warf area is fun and Marriot has never disapointed me, you should be fine on the hotel.

The go-car looks like fun (if a little expensive.) But San Fransico trafic and parking are really bad. I would ride the cable cars, the subway, streetcar and buses, San Francisco has wonderful public transit. For what a couple of hours rental on the car will cost, you could easily take taxis to areas that are hard to get to by public transit. There are a few areas that I find hard to get to by public transit, such as the beach and the drives overlooking the Bay. Parking is nearly impossible to find in many areas I have had a rental car in the city and regretted it. I think I would cancel the car.

See if you can have lunch at the "French Laundry" (do a google search) expensive but reputed to be one of the finest in the world.

David

French Laundry is an excelent recommendation, if you can afford it. I've been there once and loved it! The Go-Cars aren't a transporation method. It's more like an attraction itself. They handle like a go-kart, yet they are legal. The GPS tells you about the part of the city you are in without having to do anything. I would only rent one for maybe 2 hours and visit some of the areas that are fun to drive around. Pacific Heights, Lombard Street, Coit Tower, China Beach, Legion of Honor and Golden Gate Park. Parking is also much easier, because you can fit in all those small gaps between driveways that normal cars cannot. You have to think of it as a city tour of San Francisco, but instead you are the driver. The cable cars are definetly a MUST, but they are inefficient. Lines are usually always at least 30 minutes whether you are at G. Square or Powell Station. The buses, although they are everywhere are still public transporation. I hate the smell and the idea that a homeless person with *** on their pants sat in the same seat I'm sitting in lol.

Lahore Kahari
Vietnam
Osha Thai (Geary)

...are some great restaurants that stay open real late and on average are below $10.00 a plate.

I live in the central coast area and know that you won't be disappointed when you visit the Monterey, Carmel, and Pacific Grove. Like others I recommend Point Lobos - check out the web page http://pt-lobos.parks.state.ca.us The scenery is spectacular.
On Wednesday you plan on touring Alcatraz and taking in a Giants game. Don't book anything else for that day. You will find plenty to fill the time when your arrive.
Go Giants.
Esperanza

On the southern trip, if you make it, I would suggest Half Moon Bay, or possibly Santa Cruz for stops, maybe dinner. Gary

Beth, I'm not sure of your exact travel dates. From the 20-27th of July, they are having the North Beach Jazz Fest quite near your hotel. The are also free Sunday afternoon concerts at Stern Grove: www.sterngrove.org. Gary

Ok OK! On your Napa day please go to Bistro Jeanty. Two star Michelin food and hamburger stand prices. Really. When you are there, splurge on the Rafanelli Zin ($52) one of the best California wines and so hard to get anywhere, a real treat! Ask the waiter quietly for a bottle to take with you and treasure it when you get home. Bistro Jeanty has never let us down. We are not sparkeling wine people but schramsberg winery is many peoples favorite place as you can sample wines out on a lovely terrace overlooking the Napa valley and hills.

I hope I'm not too late in replying!!

I have to agree with another poster that you should try Sonoma rather than Napa. Great wineries, great little towns --- full of charm and great people.

I particularly love Healdsburg and Geyserville ---

When in Healdsburg check out BarnDiva or Zin --- great food, great atmosphere.

You can learn more about the area here: www.healdsburglodgings.com

Reply back and let us know what you decided to do!!

Enjoy your trip!

--- kyomama