San Francisco Advice???

[sammons70]

Chancellor Hotel on Union Square
433 Powell St
San Francisco, CA 94102
415-362-1403 ( Local Direct )
800-428-4748 ( Toll Free Reservations )
www.chancellorhotel.com

Located in Union Square (you can see Macy's from the lobby, and some of the guest rooms) on the cable car line. Step out the door, cross the street, and hop on a cable car to Ghirardelli sqaure, FIsherman's Wharf or Pier 39. Or walk 2 blocks to the best China Town in America (I've been to Los Angeles, Washington D.C. and Philadelphia's China Towns, and they can't hold a candle to San Francisco's). This is an older hotel, so consider it a place to crash as the rooms or small. They sometimes invoke a 2 might minimum stay. The restaurant is good, the staff is helpful, and often they have specials that average $89.00 a night or less. Sign up for their e-mail newsletter on-line. www.chancellorhotel.com

One thing my wife and I usually do is take a ferry from Vallejo, so we don't have to drive into the city, hassle with tolls, traffic, parking ,etc. (It's a nightmare). We ride the ferry, arrive in the city, take public transit to union square with our luggage, and we arrive without the frustration of driving in the city. I know that Larkspur, and other towns bordering the bay have ferries as well. I would recommend looking into this as it will add an element of peace, relief and relaxation to your vacation. All of the places I mentioned, China town, Union Sqauare, Pier 39, and so on, are the premier tourist spots. Enjoy!

 

[Halle]

I am so excited...DH and I are heading to SF in August and I was beginning to worry about what we were going to do. After reading the previous posts I got tickets to the King Tut exhibit. We are thrilled! I don't mean to railroad this thread but we're planning on doing Alcatraz...we're from the East coast so we'd like to go first thing in the morning...any thoughts on time of day?
Thanks.

 

[CPT Tripss]

I am so excited...DH and I are heading to SF in August and I was beginning to worry about what we were going to do. After reading the previous posts I got tickets to the King Tut exhibit. We are thrilled! I don't mean to railroad this thread but we're planning on doing Alcatraz...we're from the East coast so we'd like to go first thing in the morning...any thoughts on time of day?
Thanks.

We did an evening tour . . . it was dark coming back and the lights in the city were really neat. Also, I heard/read that there are some programs at the prson that are only done in the evening (not sure this is true, but...).

 

[mamacatnv]

I've done both day and night Alcatraz tour and hands down the night tour is the better of the 2 imo. In addition to the audio tour available during the day, the evening tour offers additional exhibits and discussions from the Rangers that are not there during the day. The view of the city lights is breathtaking also.

 

[mamacatnv]

One thing my wife and I usually do is take a ferry from Vallejo, so we don't have to drive into the city, hassle with tolls, traffic, parking ,etc. (It's a nightmare). We ride the ferry, arrive in the city, take public transit to union square with our luggage, and we arrive without the frustration of driving in the city. I know that Larkspur, and other towns bordering the bay have ferries as well. I would recommend looking into this as it will add an element of peace, relief and relaxation to your vacation. All of the places I mentioned, China town, Union Sqauare, Pier 39, and so on, are the premier tourist spots. Enjoy!

We love to take the Vallejo ferry but have only done it as a day excursion for all the same reasons you noted. Do you park at the ferry building overnight or somewhere else?

 

[disneyobsessed808]

I've been to the bay area a few times, and I really like it. I don't know if the OP has even gone already or if they'll have a car, but when I'm there, I usually stay in the Peninsula area south of the city - it's cheaper and usually has free parking.

My favorite favorite thing to do in San Francisco is go to the farmer's markets on Saturday mornings. The Alemany farmer's market (at the intersection of 280 and 101) has great produce for snacking throughout the day - lots of fresh fruit. They have also great places for breakfast (mostly Mexican fare). Mostly locals at this market. The Ferry Building farmer's market, however, is absolutely amazing and big. In addition to produce, there are lots of artisan vendors selling freshly baked breads, homemade salamis and cheese, dried fruits of all sorts, and various hot food offerings. My favorite is the rotisserie truck that sells chicken. It is a foodie's heaven. The Ferry Building itself has great stores and restaurants inside too.

I also like the SF MOMA museum. Lots of cool modern artwork and a great gift shop.

If you have a car, there are many things around the bay area to do. Check out the "Gourmet Ghetto" in Berkeley, Muir Woods in Marin County is absolutely beautiful and makes for a nice afternoon stroll. Then of course there's wine country (if you go there check out Frog's Leap Winery, some of the best wine and definitely an amazing tour)

 

[MyMuse]

I don't want to put a damper on this exhibition . . . but . . .

It got very mixed reviews here in Phila. I was disappointed. Too much "Egypt in general" and not enough Tut. It was no where near as good as the 80's exhibition.

I did actually see it when it was in Chicago, but it was so crowded that I didn't really see it see it.

I don't think we are getting advance tickets, just going to wing it when we get there. My travel partner in crime is very anti-plans. *sigh*

 

[MyMuse]

We ended up not going to King Tut show, but we veered off to the Japanese Tea Garden, Botanical Gardens and Conservatory of Flowers.

We had a great time in San Fran!

We also did a bus tour of Muir Woods and Sausalito. And we walked, and walked and walked. We never took public transportation!

 

[lcasa]

I haven't seen 2 of my favs
1) Go to the Carnelian Room at the 52nd floor of the Bank of America building for a drink and a to die for bridge to bridge view of the city. Haven't eaten there in a long time, but the food was very good ( a bit pricey, but the view!) in the restaurant too. You'll want to be dressed nicely - not in jeans/tshirts.
2) Go to the Cartoon Art Museum - right now they have a Sleeping Beauty exhibit. It's near MOMA. Only about an hour, but they have some Disney treasures.

As for places to stay - you have to watch out for the neighborhood. There are some bad sections - one in particular is known as the Tenderloin and it's not far from Union Sq! The Chancellor is nice and a great location. Sometimes -- esp if we have a car, since car parking is $$$ - we stay on Lombard at the Cow Hollow Inn or one of it's sister properties - free parking and nice area - ok hotel -- big rooms for SF. 2.5 star I'd say. Clean - a bit far out from downtown though. Or: try pricelining it! We've gotten 4 star hotels in Union Sq or Nob Hill for around $125 regularly. And check travelzoo - i'm going in Sept for the d23 day at the Family Museum and got a $99 rate at the Sf Hilton from them!

 

[munchkinsmom]

We stayed at this hotel a few years back and found it very nice:

http://www.cathedralhillhotel.com/

 

[WebmasterMaryJo]

Thanks everyone, for these ideas!

I'm going for Labor Day weekend. My cousin is going out of town w/her husband on a book tour, and her mother & sister are going to stay with her son. I'm going to go up there & take them around to see some of the sights, and you've given me some ideas.

My aunt is in her late 70's and can't take long walks, but she can do some. I'm planning on taking them to the Muir Woods on one day and down to Monterey on another day. I'm also hoping to take them to Fisherman's Wharf, ride the cable car, etc.

It will be a busy weekend, I hope.

My cousin lives in Palo Alto. Is there someplace I can park and then take public transportation to the cable cars?

 

[GrandBob]

Normally, I'd suggest BART. But they're threatening to go on strike this Monday. If they're back, I'd either drive to a convenient BART station, (e.g. Millbrae), or take Caltrain from Palo Alto to Millbrae and then transfer to BART. Take BART to the Powell St station, exit and go up the stairs, and you'll be at the Powell St Cable Car stop.

You can always take Caltrain all the way to SF, but you'll end up on 4th St, a bit of a ways from downtown. There's lots of public transportation from there to downtown -- buses and streetcars -- that can take you downtown. But I'm not too familiar with them. You'd have to look it up at http://www.sfmta.com/cms/home/sfmta.php

Ah, wait a minute. Just looked it up. Looks like you can take the 30 or 45 bus from the SF Caltrain station to 4th and Market, which is a block from the Powell St cable car stop.

-Bob

 

[GrandBob]

BART labor and management averted a strike at the 11th hour, so it's still going and probably your best option. I haven't ridden BART in many years, so I'm not sure which station(s) would be best to try to park at. This page says that parking at the Millbrae station is only $1, so my inclination would be to try to park there. But since it's very close to SFO, I wonder if the parking fills up there. Perhaps your cousin has better local information. I know that Daly City has lots of parking too, though they charge $3 there.

HTH,
BOb

 

[WebmasterMaryJo]

Thanks, Bob.

I'm hoping to get something so they can get the experience of riding the cable cars, but that might not be an option, depending on how much my older aunt can walk.

I'll check into the info you sent, though, on the chance that we can do it.

 

[GrandBob]

You're very welcome, Mary Jo. I think BART would be ideal for your aunt. According to this page, there's an elevator at the Powell St station that takes you up to street level. So you'd literally get off the train, take the elevator up, and be at the Market St end of both cable car lines.

But there very likely will be a long line for the cable cars, and standing in that line for a long time could well be an issue for your aunt. Also, when you get off at the Fisherman's Wharf end, she'll need to walk to the various venues. So yes, if she has very limited mobility, you may want to think twice. You'll also have the same problem at the far end -- long line to get back on a cable car to go back to Powell St.

I hope it works out for you and her.

-Bob

 

[CPT Tripss]

You're very welcome, Mary Jo. I think BART would be ideal for your aunt. According to this page, there's an elevator at the Powell St station that takes you up to street level. So you'd literally get off the train, take the elevator up, and be at the Market St end of both cable car lines.

But there very likely will be a long line for the cable cars, and standing in that line for a long time could well be an issue for your aunt. Also, when you get off at the Fisherman's Wharf end, she'll need to walk to the various venues. So yes, if she has very limited mobility, you may want to think twice. You'll also have the same problem at the far end -- long line to get back on a cable car to go back to Powell St.
I hope it works out for you and her.

-Bob

Wouldn't the streetcar that runs along the waterfront get them to BART?

 

[bsusanmb]

We ended up not going to King Tut show, but we veered off to the Japanese Tea Garden, Botanical Gardens and Conservatory of Flowers.

We had a great time in San Fran!

We also did a bus tour of Muir Woods and Sausalito. And we walked, and walked and walked. We never took public transportation!

I really want to do the Muir Woods and Sausalito bus tour. Did you really enjoy it? Do you remember which company you used?