San Fran Suggestions

mydisneyanytime

Mouseketeer
Joined
Nov 30, 2012
My DD (13), DS (12), and myself will be in San Fran a day earlier than my husband in a few weeks. We will be driving cross country with our main purpose of going to DL. However, we will be stopping in San Fran for about a day and a half. My plan is to get there early in the day and go to the Walt Disney Family Museum as my DH really doesn't want to do it but my kids and I do. It closes relatively early and my DH's flight doesn't get in until about midnight. We are staying in Daly City. Does anyone have anything that we could do in the late afternoon that is pretty easy to get to, park, etc? My son is in a wheelchair so many outside activities are out. We are doing Alcatraz, Golden Gate Bridge and other touristy things the next day when DH is with us. Any suggestions are helpful. I was in San Fran many years ago but my family has never been there. Thanks!
 
Sounds like you are hitting most of the highlights. May I suggest taking Bart to the city and maybe going to the Exploritorm or one of the museums at Golden Gate Park. If you looking for something closer to Daly City the SF Zoo is nice. We go there ever two or three months. If your looking to just walk around then Pier 39 is always nice and has many food options and even some Sea Lions to watch. Have a great trip. The weather here has been great. Just remember that SF can get chili even during the summer.
 
I'd suggest visiting the Ferry Building and maybe taking a ferry ride. Golden Gate Ferry operates one ferry that's primarily for commuters (to Larkspur) and one that's mostly for tourists (Sausalito). Maybe rent bikes to take across the Golden Gate Bridge and then take them back via the Sausalito-San Francisco ferry. The Marin Country Mart is across the street from the Larkspur ferry terminal. That's become a fun place over the years. There's also the San Francisco Bay Ferry to Alameda/Oakland. The Oakland stop is at Jack London Square which has a lot of shops and restaurants. Maybe your kids would like Plank, which is an entertainment and dining venue.

http://goldengateferry.org/https://sanfranciscobayferry.com/
I'd also suggest getting Clipper fare cards in advance. The cost is $3 (just for the card) for adults, but you can attach multi-day tickets, there are certain discounts, linked transfer discounts, etc. The one-way adult fare for the San Francisco

https://www.clippercard.com/ClipperWeb/discounts/youth.dohttps://www.clippercard.com/ClipperWeb/discounts/locations.do
You'll need proof of age for those, but something like a passport or state ID will suffice. One of the location where they issue youth Clipper cards is at the Ferry Building.
 
If you’re gonna have a car with you check out Academy of Science inside Golden Gate Park. Some great exhibits and includes it an aquarium. There’s a parking garage attached. You can shoot straight down 19th ave to Daly City after. It usually closes at 5pm.

Side note. Don’t leave ANYTHING visible in your car when you park in San Francisco. Auto burglary is rampant and boosters target out of state vehicles, especially in the touristy areas. You don’t want your vacation ruined.
 


The Cal Academy of Science is a great, great museum. Also, if the kids are Star Wars fans, Lucasfilm is located in the Presidio, not too far from the Walt Disney Family Museum. There is a statue of Yoda, and you can walk into the lobby on weekdays are see life-size Star Wars characters. If you Google "Lucasfilm Presidio" you can get a preview. It's also free, by the way.

I'll second RedVines2001's statement above about leaving things visible when you park your car...it's a huge problem. Don't leave ANY electronics in your car. Golden Gate Park is a big target as it is filled with tourists in the summer.

If you drive across the Golden Gate Bridge towards Marin and take the first exit, there is a vista point where you can pull over and get a great pic of the city, or you can cross under the freeway and drive up the Marin Headlands on the other side. There are places to park along the road and the views are just gorgeous of SF, the Bay, and the Pacific. Go all the way to the top. The vista point tends to be crowded...the Headlands won't be sparse, but dayum, that view.
 
Many have given good suggestions. My favorite thing to do when I visited the city was spend the day hanging out at Pier 39. Good food, unique shops, street performers, lots of sea lion sightings, and that classic ocean smell.

I do have another suggestion - don't call it San Fran while you are there! The locals do not like that nickname. Frisco is another one to avoid.
 
I do have another suggestion - don't call it San Fran while you are there! The locals do not like that nickname. Frisco is another one to avoid.

Agreed! Over here in Sacramento, when heading over, it's either "I'm going to San Francisco" or "I'm going to the City."

Also, if you're staying in Daly City it is probably easier to take BART into the City rather than drive in. Driving will be more convenient to get you out to the Presidio or Golden Gate Park, but I hate trying to find parking in San Francisco.
 


Also, if you're staying in Daly City it is probably easier to take BART into the City rather than drive in. Driving will be more convenient to get you out to the Presidio or Golden Gate Park, but I hate trying to find parking in San Francisco.

OP: Not sure where you're staying in Daly City but there aren't any hotels near the BART station. And if your hotel is on Geneva Ave book another hotel. Pier 39 and Golden Gate Park are also no where near a BART station in SF. I commuted on BART for years and it can get pretty sketchy. Honestly, it's worth the price to drive and park in a garage.
 
OP: Not sure where you're staying in Daly City but there aren't any hotels near the BART station. And if your hotel is on Geneva Ave book another hotel. Pier 39 and Golden Gate Park are also no where near a BART station in SF. I commuted on BART for years and it can get pretty sketchy. Honestly, it's worth the price to drive and park in a garage.
Could be staying with friends/relatives or even a home rental. There are a several home rentals available on Airbnb.

I personally wouldn't worry about BART too much. If it were a choice between commuting to San Francisco by car and taking BART, I'd take BART to avoid all the traffic, even if the time is roughly the same. And I've seen a few weird things on BART, but not enough to avoid it.
 
Just got back from SF. I personally would stay outside the City and BART in, but I will warn you; handicapped access on BART is spotty. One of the people I was with had a rolling suitcase and we were having to carry that up and down the (broken) escalators. There must be an elevator at each station but that's probably sketchy considering they can't keep the escalators running. That's too bad because that really is the best way to get into the City.

My advice besides that is to get away from the really touristy stuff as much as you can. Yelp is your friend. SF is a collection of neighborhoods; there are some great ones just off the beaten path if you take a minute to look.
 
My advice besides that is to get away from the really touristy stuff as much as you can. Yelp is your friend. SF is a collection of neighborhoods; there are some great ones just off the beaten path if you take a minute to look.
The strange thing about touristy stuff is that often it's just good, clean fun.
 
Never call San Francisco "San Fran." Only tourists do so. I don't mind Frisco, but I hate "San Fran".
 
The strange thing about touristy stuff is that often it's just good, clean fun.
Well that's true, but here's an example of what I'm talking about. My wife and I had a rare kid-free weekend, took BART into the City and stayed at the Omni. We did some of the touristy stuff (rode the cable car to Ghirarrdelli square etc.) but for breakfast we zagged instead of zigged and took the streetcar to the Castro and found a cool little local cafe. Great service, lower prices, and a real local experience - it was a highlight for sure.

A couple of tips for the cable cars;
1) They are not just a tourist trap ride, people actually use them to get to work and get around town. Don't show up around noon and stand in the line @ California St. or Ghirardelli Square. Instead, "rope drop" it and get there before the crowds. They start running at 6a, are usually 1/2 full until rush hour, and don't get really packed until the tourists show up around Noon.
2) Same goes for later - the cable cars run until Midnight, and riding them at night is even better than during the day - and FAR less crowded.
3) The experience is the same riding them either way. Unless you REALLY love the cable cars, you can save a little money and have another unique experience riding the streetcars back along the waterfront.
4) don't forget to visit the (free) cable car museum where you can see the gearworks and some displays of the retired cable cars from days gone by.
 
Never call San Francisco "San Fran." Only tourists do so. I don't mind Frisco, but I hate "San Fran".
San Franciscans have an unhealthy hatred of anything So Cal. If you really want to drive them crazy, just refer to the freeways using the SO Cal vernacular; just add "the" before the freeway number; "the 101", "the 680", etc. It's fun, right?
 

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