San Francisco Travel Forum

i,

we will be reaching SF in the morning, any idea where we can visit on the first day?

as we will be very tired after 18 hours of flight (from Singapore) so i would prefer a very relaxed first day, hoping to visit some places of interest near our hotel at Post Street.

any idea where is within comfortable walking distance or short bus ride away?

suggestions?

thanks!

how do i get from San Francisco airport to Dakota Hotel at 606 Post Street by public transport?

which is the cheapest way?

and also, if my airplane flight is at 2pm, what time must i leave Dakota Hotel to reach the airport and catch my flight on time?

Thanks!

Hi All,

I will be travelling to San Francisco on the 23th May, as this is part of an extension of the original trip, below are the additional places not covered under the tour. PLs help me take a look and provide advice on the transport and also if I should be covering other places instead of the below. Thanks so much in advance.


Day 1 (half day)

1)Union Sq
2)Alcatraz
3)Ghirardelli Sq


Transport:S.E corner of Powell Street and Beach Street and take Bus # 47 (Headsign is Caltrain Depot) Alight @ North Pt St and Larkin St and walk to Ghirardelli Square. Takes abt 5min


Day 2:Day Tour to Monterey / Carmel.


Day 3:

1)Chinatown (Transport: take Bus no 30 or 45 and stop at Stockton Rd)Eat dim sum @ Dol Ho. Address is 808 Pacific Ave (@ Stockton St)or Hang Ah Tea Room. Address is 1 Hang Ah Alley .Walk ard Chinatown visit the Golden Gate Fortune Cookie Factory


2)Lombard Street (Transport: Take cable car from corner of Powell St and Bush St (Headsign is Hyde & Beach) and alight at the top of Lombard St

3)Coit Tower @ Telegraph Hills.

4)Proceed to North Beach for lunch (Transport: Take Bus no 39 and alight at Union St and Columbus Ave (near Washington Sq) Famous cafes are Cafe Marcoroni @ 59 Columbus Ave / Rose Pistola @ 512 Columbus Ave / Calzone's @ 430 Columbus Ave.

5)Haight-Ashbury. (Transport: Take Bus no 9ax from Corner of Broadway and Grant Ave (Headsign City College) and alight at 4th St and Market St. Walk to North corner of Market St and Stockton St and board Bus no 71I (Headsign 48th Avenue) and alight at Haight St and Clayton St)

Famous pts are 710 Ashbury St (House of The Grateful Dead) / Red Vic Movie House / Corner of Haight and Ashbury (where Ben&Jerry is)

After which,
2 choices:

1) Continue onto Golden Gate Garden

2) Proceed to Golden Gate Bridge
Transport: Go back to the bus stop where we alighted earlier and board bus no 71I to alight at Lincoln Way and 19th Ave (Headsign 48th Avenue). Take ard 10min. Walk to S.E corner of 19th Ave and Lincoln Way and board bus # 28 (Headsign Fort Mason) alight at Golden Gate Bridge Parking Lot. Take ard 10min

Hi

Would like to know are there any popular flea markets available in SF? Interested in accessories / clothing / knick-knacks

Thanks

Greetings world travelers!
I'm taking a weekend workshop in Sonoma mid-June and need a reasonably priced room/cottage/studio/whatever! to stay in. Most are $150/night and up, and require 2 nt. minimum. Hey, it's just ME! I don't need a massage or wine in the room, or a spa - just a good clean place to sleep near Sonoma. I'd stay in a KOA Kottage if they had one closer than Petaluma. Anything like that out there?
Any tips, ideas?
Thanks,
DJ Starr

I need to take the BART from the SFO airport to the Oakland Coliseum stop. About how long is the ride and how much would that cost? Additionally I need to catch the BART from downtown back to SFO to catch a 7:25 flight. How early does the Bart leave in the morning for the airport? Thanks in advance!

Hi

Further to my earlier posting seeking advice for our road trip in the fall:

http://forum.virtualtourist.com/discussion-406975-1-1-Travel-0-0-San_Francisco-discussion.html

we now have our itenary/accomodation (almost) sorted

We are flying to San Francisco(four nights)

and driving to each of these destinations staying one night at each

>Carmel-by-the-Sea
>San Luis Obispo
>Santa Barbara
>Riverside
>Joshua Tree

then to Las Vegas (three nights)

We plan to take a helicopter to Grand Canyon, Hoover Dam

----

My next question is...

As we are obviously already driving through and seeing a lot of the coastline (Big Sur etc) Would you recommend also the drive hugging the coast (Hwy 1) from San Fran to Santa Cruz (If so how long would this take?) or would you recommend San Fran to San Jose (exploring something here)then onto Monterery/Carmel?

Unfortunately we couldn't fit Yosemite in this trip

Many thanks, Kind regards
Phil (and Den)

Hello,

I was wandering through Union Square last Sunday and I saw some artwork that I was interested in purchasing at the fair. Unfortunately I didn't buy it right on the spot, but I'm hoping that the artists display their work on Saturdays as well since I plan to visit the area next Saturday. Or do they only show their work on Sundays?

- Skull

Which is the better choice for my first time to SF? Or should I consider anther location in SF

Basically we are there for 2 days

Ok I know its corney but I would like to find a hotel with a view of the Bridge . . . any suggestions

I'm planning to spend a couple weeks in California this summer and am trying to see as much as possible. Because of this, I'll probably only spend 2, maybe 3 days in the city of San Francisco before using SF as a jumping-off point for Sonoma.

What are the absolute must-see/do places in SF? I'm thinking about Alcatraz, the Golden Gate Bridge, Chinatown, Pier 39. Can anyone suggest other places I shouldn't miss while I'm there?

Thanks!

which one would u recommend guys. The jeep looks a good bet but wide open to suggestion. Visiting San Francisco in June

any local tips?

arrive 915 pm on 9May
supper shuttle to Omni SFO
10May.... KBOM fireworks show with a concert.
Are the fireworks something I should not miss?
should we purchase tickets for the pier side concert? (collective soul) $15
any better places to view fireworks? outside cafe maybe.....or park...

does the Tornado bar on Haight still serve burgers on Tuesdays?

favorite china town restaurant________
best place for a bloody mary__________
best live music_________rock_________ blues__________

going to spend 4 or 5 days in San Francisco, then getting car to expore Sonoma.
should I base myself in Larkspur or Novato?_____________ why?__________

any other happenings this period. let me know.
cheers,
bob knas

I'm visiting SF with my father in June and am curious how much I can rely on BART to get around. I will be in and out of business meetings (mostly along a 3-mile stretch of the Embarcadero) during the day and we want to go to one Giants game and one A's game at night.

It would be nice to stay in the city, but prices seem high and parking is over $50 a day! How realistic is it to stay in South SF near SFO and use BART to get everywhere vs. renting a car? Is driving/parking worse in SF than in LA?

Thanks

I'am thinking of enrolling my son in a YMCA skate camp at Lake Sequoia. Can someone share experiences they have with YMCA camps. One of the things is that we are not religious. I' am wondering if the 'C' in YMCA is very prominent when you spend time in such a camp.

Daniel de Leeuw

I will be in SF 4th and 5th July. I have most of my trip planned but I have not booked a restaurant for the evening of the 4th. I will be with my wife,teenage son (15) and daughter (11). Is it best just to try on spec when I get there or is it best to book for that particular evening, it being a public holiday? We wouuld want to dine around 7 PM and would want to wander Pier 39 area afterwards. The restaurant does not have to be that close to the FW/Pier 39 area. I would prefer to eat in a restaurant that had a good atmosphere and then we could make our way to the waterfront.
I have also booked Alfred's Steakhouse for 9 PM the following evening. Is it safe to wander around Chinatown after that around 10.30PM say?

Can anyone recommend any good quality wine tours from San Francisco to either Sonoma or Napa? I do not want to sit on a large bus with 50 other people and be hearded through a couple of mega-wineries. I also cannot afford a private limo.
I've read about a few companies with small mini vans--has anyone done any of these tours? I could rent a car and visit a few myself, but then I would have to severely limit the sampling of wines. We're leaving in a few days...can anyone help? thanks

Are there any good dance clubs with mature, white, black, asian, latina women.?..Not looking for a gay-spot ( not my thing ) but I'm way cool if it's yours. ..and I'm down with a diverse environment just not looking for the fish-out-of water experience.

Hi friends,
Me & my family are planning to go to SF on May 7-10th.
There are 10 of us (7 adults, 1 child & 2 babies) travelling to SF.
In this condition it's better for us to stay in a service apartment, rather than in a hotel. I've browse some website looking for a service apartment but haven't found one until now. With this email, I really really really need your help about infos on finding service apartment (has 3-4 rooms, aircon & max. $200-300 per day)in SF, especially in a strategic street near malls/fave objects. I'll be staying for 3 days & 2 nights. If you have any info, website or recommendation on the service apartment that I'm looking for....please let me know ASAP.
Looking forward to hear news from all of you or you can email me also at shas_tri@yahoo.com. God bless you all.....

I am visiting San Francisco the second week of May and I am trying to find the best location based in price and sigth seeing. Where is best to stay by? Fisherman's Wharf, Union Square, by the ferry building? It is my first time visiting San Francisco so I have no clue. Intrested in sight seeing, where you can walk, take tours, go out at night for a nice dinner. Any input would be VERY much appreciated.

I am staying at Westin San Francisco Market Street in May. I need to rent a car for day while staying there, and would like to return the car late at night (around 10-11 pm) to avoid $50 parking at the hotel.

Most of the rent-a-car companies that I have checked, are not open for returns this late in the evening.

Please let me know if you know of a company that will take returns late at ngiht.
Thanks

Hi - aside from a taxi, can you tell me the best way from the airport to FW? Not sure of how much luggage we'll have so just in case we do decide to take a taxi what is the approx. fare? Thanks.

Hi All!

I will be in SF for 2 full days, but on day 3 I have to check out of my hotel by 10am and my international flight doesnt take off untill 11:30pm. I was thinking to rent a car for the day for a bit of a drive. What are your thoughts of this itinerary? Too much for a day?

1. Leave SF
2. Up to see Old Faithful
3. Stop to see the Petrified Forrest
4. Drive down through Napa (with a stop or 2 time permitting)
5. Last stop Muir Woods before heading to the airport.

I can get a early start in the morning. I would have about 10-12 hours before needing to be at the airport. Your thoughts? Any suggestions would be appreciated :)

Thanks!

Hi. I read on British Airways web site yesterday that as of March 31 they were allowing two carryons, i.e. I can take my backpack and purse and my husband can take his backpack and laptop. This was mentioned only at London Heathrow where we are connecting to Nice. Does anyone know if we are allowed two carryons now at SFO where our flight originates? It sure would be nice! LHR won't do us any good if we can't do it in SFO also.

Thanks for any info.

As some of you are already aware, I've been put in the delightful and challenging position of planning a budget student tour to and from San Francisco. Don't worry - it's a collective effort and a lot of work has already gone into the planning stages. I'm, however, developing the driving logistics at the moment where we have a bus full of students arriving into San Francisco on a Friday afternoon via 1-5 from Redding. They'll be travelling down via 1-5, hooking onto the 505, then onto the 80, over the Bay Bridge and into San Francisco.

What I'm curious about is... can anyone think of a decent stopping place for an early lunch along the way? I know there are some tiny, tiny towns along the 1-5 such as Dunnigan or Williams, which has fast food outlets in a neat and tidy location so the bus can park and the students can go off, eat, and come back to the bus in a timely fashion. But if anyone has a particularly great idea (such as a shopping mall with a food court that's immediately off the highway), I'm all ears! :)

Second, when I was in San Francisco last month, I flew in and drove out via the route I just described above. As a result, I never got the chance to check out the various driving routes in and out of the city.

While our group will be taking the Bay Bridge into SF, does it make sense to take the Golden Gate via the 580 back to 80 on our way back north? Since I haven't driven that section of freeway, I really don't know if it's much of a detour of if it takes about the same time. Essentially, we just want to get back onto the I-5 to get back to Oregon on the same day. Would this secondary route be advisable? We will be bringing the students over the Golden Gate Bridge regardless of whether we choose to use it as a departure route.

Thanks for any insight! :)

Hi,

I'm travelling to San Francisco next Saturday and I'll be arriving at the SFO around 8pm.

As a solo female Asian traveller, I'd like to know if it's safe to take the shuttle van to my hotel in Chinatown area during that hours.

Any responses would be very appreciated. Thank you in advance.

My daughter and I are planning a trip to SF. I'd like to find a hotel that is conveniently located (near cable lines to major attractions), reasonably prices (<$125-150), and in a safe neighborhood for walking through midnight.

Any ideas?

I'm on a short visit to SFO - just 2 days, This is my first time to CA.I plan to visit
1. Golden Gate Bridge
2. Alamo Square
3. Bay Bridge
4. Coit Tower
5. Union Square
6. Fisherman's wharf

Is it possible to cover all of these POI. Can someone please help me schedule this by which ones are closer and the best times to visit them. whether to take public transport or drive by car. I would like to see the Golden gate bridge and the Alamo square by sunset. Will I be winded at the end of this trip??

Thanks for all your inputs.

Hi All!
Is BART running on time?
I have to leave SF for Vancouver for a very early flight (7:25AM)
I have checked in BART website that there is train run on 5AM.
Can it be trusted?
Someone told me SF has many up and down, so I was suggested to take supershuttle instead. Should I really take supershuttle?

Thanks in advance.
Rita

planning to visit Sonoma in mid-end May but i heard from friends it's not harvest period, thus, there's nothing much to see.

is this true?