San Francisco HERE WE COME!

[Soupermom]

We'll be taking our first trip to CA in March and I was hoping my DIS friends could give me some suggestions on where to go and what to do. We are staying at one of the 3 Hyatt's near the Wharf, not sure which one yet (using family discount). We are flying in to SF on Friday the 23rd and will leave on Wednesday the 28th. That gives us Friday afternoon/evening, Sat, Sun, Mon and Tue. Any suggestions on what to do each day? I wasn't sure if weekend crowds made much difference. I know we will be doing a nighttime tour of Alcatraz, and that I need to book that early. We will have a rental car, but how accessible are trolleys/buses from our location?
Thanks for any help you can give!

 

[mamacatnv]

Park the car and use public transportation. Parking in the city is a pain and its expensive. Navigating the city is also a bit of a hassle, especially in the downtown/union sq. area.

Muni has a great website that has an awesome trip planning feature

Last March we were there a Friday to a Wednesday, here is what we did.

Friday:
We departed our house and drove the almost 4 hours to the city. We arrived around 10 a.m, settled into our motel and headed to a day at the Exploratorium (walkable from our motel) followed by dinner at Barney's gourmet burgers on Steiner in Cow Hollow.

Saturday:
Breakfast at the BayWatch on Lombard - Cow Hollow
Took Muni to China Town where we went on the 10 a.m. walking tour through CityGuides. We had lunch at the Washington St. Restaurant and Bakery and spent a good deal of time wandering around China Town.
We then headed down Stockton St. (towards Union Sq.) where we caught the California Line of a Cable car and rode it up and over Nob Hill to Van Ness and then back.
Then we caught the Powell-Mason Line and took it over to Ghirardelli Sq. and back and over again. We finally all got to actually hang off the side of a cable car, it was exciting.
Since we had a late lunch, we skipped dinner and had ice cream at Ghiradelli Sq. then took Muni back to our motel.

Sunday:
Breakfast at BayWatch (we really like this place)
We then drove to the Golden Gate Bridge where we took another CityGuides walking tour. We wandered all over the area, walked to the center span of the bridge and back. On the weekends there is an employee parking lot that is available to the public for approx. $5 for the day, this is a far better deal than the meters at the base of the bridge.
When we were done walking the bridge, we drove down to Ft. Point. We wandered all over the area, watched the Cannon demonstration etc. We had packed a picnic so we had lunch there at Ft. Point.
We then drove over the Bridge and headed towards Point Bonita and Rodeo Beach. We played there for awhile and wandered around. Several years ago DS went to science camp at Pt. Bonita so it was fun for him to go back 10 years later.
We then drove N. towards the Redwoods and to Muir Beach where we again played and watched the sunset.
We drove back over the bridge, back to our motel and had dinner at Barneys Burgers.

Monday:
We headed out early, took Muni to the California Academy of Sciences where we spent the day. We then took Muni to China Town where we had dinner and then we walked Columbus Ave to the wharf, where we caught another Muni back to our motel.

Tuesday:
Breakfast and then we headed to the Pier to take the Alcatraz tour. We have done the night tour previously so this time we went during the day. They both have their highlights.
We were on the 11 am boat and were out on the island until approx. 3 p.m. We headed back to the wharf, had a late lunch at some burger place on Pier 39 and since we had CityPasses we used the Bay Aquarium tickets and the SourDough Bread Museum tickets. I personally would not pay for these attractions but since the tickets were included in the pass it didn't seem as painful.
We had sourdough bread bowls with clam chowder for dinner and returned to our motel.

Wednesday:
This day we drove since it was our departure day.
We headed to the DeYoung Museum where we spent most of the day. From there we turned the MamaVan towards the East and headed home.

 

[CPT Tripss]

Rent bikes, go across the Golden Gate, then on to Sausalito (sp?) and ferry back to SF.

ITA with pp . . . car is a hassle in the city and expensive to park. Maybe skip the rental? If you have a rental, then the 49 mile drive is worth a go.

 

[Soupermom]

Thanks everyone! Do we even NEED a rental car or could we survive without one?

 

[Soupermom]

What exactly is "Muni"? Do you happen to know the web address? Thanks!

 

[Anita Radcliffe]

MUNI is the name of the transportation system (rail, buses, etc) in San Francisco. BART is the transportation system that runs mainly from the other cities surrounding San Francisco.

If you want to try an Irish Coffee where they supposedly started, The Buena Vista Cafe is a great atmosphere and my friend swears their bathroom smell like Pirates water.

Stop at Ghiradell's and have a hot chocolate.

Going though Golden Gate park is a little easier in a car, but not easy finding parking. That park is a must do.

I love that city. I hope you have a great time.

 

[CPT Tripss]

Thanks everyone! Do we even NEED a rental car or could we survive without one?

Not in my opinion. The city is very walkable, with good public transportation. Except for the 49 Mile Drive and Twin Peaks, you can see everything without a car. City driving, do you really want to do that? Plus think of what you will save in parking costs!

A one day rental with pick up/drop off at or near your hotel is one option if you want to do the sites mentioned by car.

 

[mamacatnv]

Unless you plan to head North to the Redwoods I would skip the car. Ours is usually parked for the duration of our stay. We use it to get there and then it sits. We chose motels with free parking for this reason.

Muni: Here is the trip planner page. I've used this a lot!

http://www.sfmta.com/cms/mroutes/tripplan.htm

Cable Cars:
Main website:
http://sfcablecar.com/

Useful information:
http://www.sftravel.com/cable-car-fray-sanfrancisco.html
http://www.sftravel.com/cable-car-san-francisco.html

Remember, if you buy a CityPass it includes unlimited Muni and Cable Cars. I believe the cable cars are $6 each way, the CityPass is a great way to save a few bucks and not have to deal with buying tickets etc.

 

[tiffjoy]

My very favorite city! I live just outside the city, and we go in often.

You already got some great tips. One I want to mention is that San Francisco is a great walking city. In terms of cities, it's relatively small (40 square miles) and some of the best parts can be seen by walking. Pick a district (Russian Hill, Haight Ashbury, North Beach....) and walk it. Or join up with an official walking tour group.

self-guided: http://gocalifornia.about.com/od/casftourselfguided/San_Francisco_SelfGuided_Tours.htm

http://www.sfcityguides.org/
http://gocalifornia.about.com/cs/sanfrancisco/a/walktours.htm
http://www.localtastesofthecitytours.com/

Spend time in Golden Gate Park. Check out a map to see what things you'd like to do. It's a wonderful place for a picnic. We like to stop at a Safeway and pick up sandwiches and spread out a blanket and enjoy. The California Academy of Sciences is amazing. The DeYoung museum is also nice and has a tower that you can go up in for some great views of the city. It isn't the greatest museum I've been to, but it's nice.

The Presidio and Crissy field are also fun to visit. Great views of the city and the Golden Gate Bridge. Also a nice place for a picnic, but come prepared- it does tend to be very windy here.

We love to go to Cliff House for lunch, then walk along Land's End. Fantastic views of the city, and it's so amazing that something so peaceful and beautiful is right there within the city (one of the best parts of San Francisco).

If you can, I highly recommend doing some research on great places to eat. there are so many good restaurants, but there are some equally horrible ones, especially in the highly touristed areas.

 

[mamacatnv]

We love to go to Cliff House for lunch, then walk along Land's End. Fantastic views of the city, and it's so amazing that something so peaceful and beautiful is right there within the city (one of the best parts of San Francisco).

If you can, I highly recommend doing some research on great places to eat. there are so many good restaurants, but there are some equally horrible ones, especially in the highly touristed areas.

When I was a kid growing up in San Jose The Cliff House was the destination for really special events - B-Days etc. I loved their crab louie salad

 

[ncc1701]

Thanks everyone! Do we even NEED a rental car or could we survive without one?

No. We have stayed at the Hyatt at FW and took a cab/car service to and from the airport.
Between public transit, tour buses and taxis we got everywhere we wanted.There are couple of bus tours with 1 or 2 day hop on/hop off. We used one to get around earlier this year.
If you want to go to Wine Country or Muirs Woods you can always book a day tour.We took the morning trip to Muirs Woods, which stopped in Sausallito around lunch time.We walked around, had lunch & took the ferry basck to SF

 

[ncc1701]

We'll be taking our first trip to CA in March and I was hoping my DIS friends could give me some suggestions on where to go and what to do. We are staying at one of the 3 Hyatt's near the Wharf, not sure which one yet (using family discount). We are flying in to SF on Friday the 23rd and will leave on Wednesday the 28th. That gives us Friday afternoon/evening, Sat, Sun, Mon and Tue. Any suggestions on what to do each day? I wasn't sure if weekend crowds made much difference. I know we will be doing a nighttime tour of Alcatraz, and that I need to book that early. We will have a rental car, but how accessible are trolleys/buses from our location?
Thanks for any help you can give!

If you are staying at the Hyatt closest to FW there is 1cable car right arouund the block and the other is few blocks away. You are also close to the street car line that runs along the wharfs and into downtown.

 

[Miss SD]

Since this is a Disney-related board (and I volunteer there) I have to mention the Walt Disney Family Museum in the Presidio. It's open from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. (closed Tuesdays).

If you're a fan of Walt Disney and his work, it's a must see.

 

[mamacatnv]

Since this is a Disney-related board (and I volunteer there) I have to mention the Walt Disney Family Museum in the Presidio. It's open from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. (closed Tuesdays).

If you're a fan of Walt Disney and his work, it's a must see.

I agree with this, my friend and I took ourselves with our DD's (13) last summer.
I will advise though, this museum in my opinion is not for small children. There is tons and tons of reading involved and you need to plan at least 4-6 hours to see it

 

[Soupermom]

Can someone tell me the best way to get from the airport to our hotel (which will be one of the Hyatt's)? Do the hotels usually have shuttles, or no?

Thanks!

 

[mamacatnv]

Can someone tell me the best way to get from the airport to our hotel (which will be one of the Hyatt's)? Do the hotels usually have shuttles, or no?

Thanks!

Some do, some don't. You can get a cab or a car company. The hotel should be able to answer this for you.
If I remember correctly from other threads the cab will cost you approx $45-50 to get you into the City.

 

[ncc1701]

Can someone tell me the best way to get from the airport to our hotel (which will be one of the Hyatt's)? Do the hotels usually have shuttles, or no?

Thanks!

We took a cab from the airport to the Hyatt at FW. They had a car service we used to get a ride to the airport.It was around $50.00. Much better than a shuttle which usually stops at other hotels.
Once you know what Hyatt you're staying at you can always contact them about transporation from the airport. We were dropping off a rental car so it was just easier for us to go from car rental garage back to the terminal and get the cab.

 

[jensen]

I'm also planning a trip to San Fran in the near future. This time Hubby and I are going with friends, so it's an adults excursion. We were just there last winter (February) with our kids and I have to admit that I didn't enjoy it and wasn't really planning to go back. But, we are heading to wine country and our friends (who have never been to San Fran) really want to take a couple of days out of our visit to explore the city.

When we went with the kids, we stayed outside of the city and drove to places we wanted to visit. So, maybe that was part of my dislike, because everyone talks about how wonderful it is to walk. But, we did park the car and do a lot of walking. We took a tour of Alcatraz and went to Ghiradelli Square, Pier 39 and Fisherman's Wharf - which I thought was dirty and touristy and a complete waste of time. We rode the cable cars and walked around Chinatown and ate dinner there. Chinatown also felt touristy with one junk store after another. We took photos in front of the painted ladies and walked/drove Lombard Street. We drove across the Golden Gate bridge a couple of times. But, it was too cold to walk. We're really more into outdoor things, so we didn't hit any museums or do any shopping.

I'm really hoping that my friends here on the dis can help me plan a visit that opens my eyes to the mystique that everyone who loves the city talks about.

Any suggestions would be much appreciated.

(NOT intending to hijack... just didn't want to start a new thread for basically the same question.)

 

[mamacatnv]

Jensen:

Our family loves San Francisco. We live near Lake Tahoe and get our fill of outdoorsy stuff here so when we head to the city its all about museums and restaurants. We don't live in an area with lots of cultural brain candy so when we travel we soak it up.

I agree that Fishermans Wharf is icky, we don't like it and usually avoid it.
China Town really needs to be learned about ahead of time or all you will see is the cheesy junk shops. We have taken a couple of the walking tours offered by CityGuides and have learned a lot about ChinaTown. We avoid the main drag and spend our time exploring the shops, markets etc. that the local population frequents.

We always stay in the city in the Marina Dist/Cow Hollow. home to inexpensive motels with no real amenities and free parking. We love the Travelodge Golden Gate just for this purpose. We rarely drive and take advantage of the public transportation.

San Francisco can be cold and foggy, its known for it. Take lots of layers, you never know what the weather will bring.

There are tons of bike rental places and a ton of things to see and access via bike.

The city has a lot to offer in the way of parks, beaches etc as well as museums, shopping and history.

 

[jensen]

Thanks Mamacat! That's exactly the kind of info I was looking for. I really just needed to hear that I wasn't crazy... and I just need to dig deeper to find what I'll enjoy.