Travel Questions: San Francisco Bay Area

[ChrisLA]

^

Well I guess rates are higher now.

[icracked]

Sections to stay the heck away.....Tenderloin (huge population of homeless, bums, dirty, prostitutions etc..) Western Addition (gangs, shootings), Hunter (Gangs, shooting) and if you're homo-phobic, the Castros. IMO, the best neighborhood or section of the city is SOMA (South of Market) or Haight (best place for unique clothes IMO).

[bariQ]

wheres the best place to buy or rent an apartment?

[icracked]

Personally, I like the apartments on Fillmore street, there's tons of shops around and its close by major roads/bus lanes (McAllister-Geary). That's just me.

[From Milano]

Hi all, I'm Italian (Milan) and I'm going to visit San Francisco with my wife this august, during our honeymoon in the US! We are both 31, with no kids and we will stay 3 nights/4 days near Union Square.
I am a big architechture fan and SF has lots of nice buildings and attractions...I am sure that the city will be great, but in order to enjoy it at best I wanted to ask for some advice to you, guys...would you please be so kind to answer a few questions? Sorry if this has been already said/repeated in other threads :-)

Here we go:

- Where do normally people go to spend their evenings in SF in the summer? Do you have some suggestions for safe places where a couple can have a walk, a dinner and generally have a nice evening out? We are a quiet couple, so we are not looking for clubs, discos etc...just some family entertainment in a nice place...any idea?

- We will have a car with us but...is the public transport system ok for reaching most of the sites of interest in the city? Is it safe, especially in the evening or in the nights? Or it is better to travel with our own car or with a taxi?

- Are there particular restaurants in elevated positions or skyscrapers that you would reccomend for a dinner? Are the prices there sky high too :-) ? Or are they still reasonable?


- Ocean front: where are the best places (more beautiful, more entertaining etc) to visit/see during the day? Are there some beaches where you can relax? And in the evenings? Are the beaches near SF still alive with people, bars etc?

- Where is the most interesting shopping area in SF ? I mean regular street shops (no malls) selling stuff for normal people from US/Californian brands (no expensive things like Gucci, Prada etc..I have enough of them here in Italy :-), where you can have a nice walk and maybe also find some bars, restaurants etc?

- Could you please name 5 things/locations/attractions that we shouldn't miss while visiting SF? What would you do if you had only 3 days to see the city?

Thanx in advance for your help guys...can't wait to see San Francisco!

Ciao from Italy!

Lorenzo

[diz]

- A lot of tourists tend to visit the Golden Gate Park when I lived in the Bay. There's a beach in this park where you can have a nice walk. Fisherman's Wharf is also nice. Congratulations on your honeymoon btw.

- Nights = Your own car, for duh. But in the day time, you can take the Bay Area Rapid Transit. Be sure to only stay in San Francisco if you don't want to leave it.

- Marriot Hotel is a nice skyscraper to have dinner at. Kewl view. Their restautrant is at the top floor and expensive, but I'm sure you Europeans with your Euros can handle it.

- There's a beach, as I said, in the Golden Gate Park Area... it's okay. And there's also Pier 39 and Fisherman's Wharf.

- Stay in the downtown area and you will spot an Old Navy store, or go to Pier 39.

1) Golden Gate Bridge and Park
2) Palace of Fine Arts
3) Coit Tower
4) Enjoy a baseball game while you're there at Pac Bell Park!
5) Pier 39
6) Alcatraz (if you're not scared)
7) Yerba Buena Park
8) Fisherman's Wharf
9) Embarcadero
10) The rest of the Bay Area including the romantic wine country, Napa Valley.

[arturo]

Hi!

I would recommend you don't get a car, and take public transport during hte day and cabs at night. I don't know where you're staying, but hotels near Union Sq. usually charge pretty high parking rates making cars uneconomical.

I can't help too much on your other questions but for me, North Beach and Chinatown are two of my favorite areas. They happen to be next to each other and near the water. And no visit to SF would be complete with a stroll down Haight Street, plus there are some very cool "SF-only" shops there.

Also, consider taking BART (subway) to Berkeley for a few hours. It's only about a 15-minute ride and a good place for the kind of shopping you're searching for.

[krudmonk]

BRING A COAT.

[gladisimo]

My only suggestion is Napa Valley, especially for a young couple like you. It's a definite must! Ther'es no easy public transportation that gets there, though, so take your car.

Other than that are the usual tourist areas. Twin Peaks is a great place to take in the city view.

Ocean beach is a big beach (the only one I really go to), but the views are not so spectacular. It is quite peaceful at night, though, which I enjoy.

Also consider visiting the neighboring cities (Oakland, San Jose), though Im not sure it's doable in 4 days.

Finally, my biggest suggestion, especially if you have a car, is the 49 mile scenic drive, which can easily take half a day and let you see many of SF's sites. If you stop and take some pictures and take it in, it can easily take you two days!

I'm a local (suburbanite), and I still found the 49 mile drive a very enlightening experience, saw many things I wouldn't have seen otherwise

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/49_mile_scenic_drive - look on the bottom for links

[From Milano]

Thanx to all of you guys :-)

If someone else has any other suggestions (especially regarding how and where to spend your evenings in SF) please feel free to post :-)

Ciao!

Lorenzo

[krudmonk]

Hit up the Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk. It's a bit of a drive, but worth it.

[diz]

Originally Posted by krudmonk

BRING A COAT.

i wouldn't recommend that this time of year.

[krudmonk]

Originally Posted by diz

i wouldn't recommend that this time of year.

Summer in San Francisco? I take it you've never been?

[gladisimo]

Unless you hit the ocean side it should be ok. Bringing a light jacket is always a good idea though.

[vadin]

Originally Posted by gladisimo

Unless you hit the ocean side it should be ok. Bringing a light jacket is always a good idea though.

What? A jacket is a must in SF any time of year, no matter which part of the city you are in.

Remember Mark Twain's famous quote: "The coldest winter I ever spent was a summer in San Francisco."

[krudmonk]

Originally Posted by gladisimo

Unless you hit the ocean side it should be ok. Bringing a light jacket is always a good idea though.

I hear this a lot, but Candlestick is about as far from the beach as one can get and it's notoriously the worst spot for this. I've faced strong winds and fog at the eastern side of Twin Peaks, the alleged wall keeping out bad weather. People like to think there's some great barrier about halfway across the city. Maybe it's because they refuse to believe that San Francisco is anything but perfect.

[Bay2Bay]

Lorenzo,

You and your wife are in for a real treat. San Francisco is stunningly beautiful; there is so much to see that you won't suffer a dull moment.

One thing that you might get a kick out of is the F Market Streetcar. The F Market Streetcar is a collection of vintage streetcars that run from Fisherman’s Wharf to the Ferry Building, and then proceeds up Market Street to the world famous Castro district. The Castro is San Francisco's Gay Mecca and has plenty of interesting shops that you definitely won't find in any mall. One final note on the F Market Streetcar, several of the vintage streetcars are from your hometown of Milan! They have notoriously squeaky wheels and so you can hear them coming!

A famous landmark to view the City from is the "Top of the Mark." The Mark Hopkins is a hotel that sits atop Nob Hill. The "Top of the Mark" has been a favorite spot to catch a cocktail and a view for decades. Many an American servicemen spent their last evening in the States atop the Mark Hopkins before shipping out to the Pacific arena during WWII back in the forties.

Cable Cars, the Golden Gate Bridge, Lombard Street (the crookedist street in the world), Chinatown, Alcatraz Island and the Wharf are the expected sites. Personally, I don't get the attraction with Alcatraz; but, it is a tourist favorite and SELLS OUT sometimes weeks in advance during the summer months. Call the hotel you will be staying at in advance and ask the concierge to make reservations for you if this is something you want to see.

You asked about the ocean in San Francisco, the most famous spot along the City’s coast to look out over the Pacific (aside from the Golden Gate Bridge) would be the Cliff House. It’s a straight shot out Geary Street from Union Square. Keep driving west until you hit the ocean and you’re at the Cliff House.

By the way, you mentioned you would have a car with you. Be prepared to pay about $40 a night plus tax to park your car in a Union Square hotel garage. There are parking lots and garages downtown that are independent from the hotels and they tend to be less expensive. If you choose one of these garages ask about in and out privileges and whether you would have 24 hour access to your car.

Finally, no visit to San Francisco is complete for a Son of Italy without visiting North Beach. North Beach is San Francisco's "Little Italy" If you’re homesick, this will be a good place for you to get a taste of home! Also, while in North Beach, don't miss seeing "Beach Blanket Babylon." It's been playing at a theater called Club Fugazi for over three decades and is a wonderfully entertaining evening that captures the spirit of San Francisco. This delightful show will have you laughing all the way back to your hotel.

Enjoy!

[gladisimo]

I dunno, I usually dont carry a jacket with me unless I hit the beach. :shrug:

I find it quite chilly up on skyline boulevard in daly city/sf, though. Twin peaks isn't so bad for me.

Well, I guess I've been outvoted, bring a jacket!

[From Milano]

Originally Posted by urban lover

Lorenzo,

You and your wife are in for a real treat. San Francisco is stunningly beautiful; there is so much to see that you won't suffer a dull moment.

One thing that you might get a kick out of is the F Market Streetcar. The F Market Streetcar is a collection of vintage streetcars that run from Fisherman’s Wharf to the Ferry Building, and then proceeds up Market Street to the world famous Castro district. The Castro is San Francisco's Gay Mecca and has plenty of interesting shops that you definitely won't find in any mall. One final note on the F Market Streetcar, several of the vintage streetcars are from your hometown of Milan! They have notoriously squeaky wheels and so you can hear them coming!

A famous landmark to view the City from is the "Top of the Mark." The Mark Hopkins is a hotel that sits atop Nob Hill. The "Top of the Mark" has been a favorite spot to catch a cocktail and a view for decades. Many an American servicemen spent their last evening in the States atop the Mark Hopkins before shipping out to the Pacific arena during WWII back in the forties.

Cable Cars, the Golden Gate Bridge, Lombard Street (the crookedist street in the world), Chinatown, Alcatraz Island and the Wharf are the expected sites. Personally, I don't get the attraction with Alcatraz; but, it is a tourist favorite and SELLS OUT sometimes weeks in advance during the summer months. Call the hotel you will be staying at in advance and ask the concierge to make reservations for you if this is something you want to see.

You asked about the ocean in San Francisco, the most famous spot along the City’s coast to look out over the Pacific (aside from the Golden Gate Bridge) would be the Cliff House. It’s a straight shot out Geary Street from Union Square. Keep driving west until you hit the ocean and you’re at the Cliff House.

By the way, you mentioned you would have a car with you. Be prepared to pay about $40 a night plus tax to park your car in a Union Square hotel garage. There are parking lots and garages downtown that are independent from the hotels and they tend to be less expensive. If you choose one of these garages ask about in and out privileges and whether you would have 24 hour access to your car.

Finally, no visit to San Francisco is complete for a Son of Italy without visiting North Beach. North Beach is San Francisco's "Little Italy" If you’re homesick, this will be a good place for you to get a taste of home! Also, while in North Beach, don't miss seeing "Beach Blanket Babylon." It's been playing at a theater called Club Fugazi for over three decades and is a wonderfully entertaining evening that captures the spirit of San Francisco. This delightful show will have you laughing all the way back to your hotel.

Enjoy!

Great suggestions, thank you very much urban lover! I knew about the Milan streetcars in SF...it will be fascinating to see them "run" in another part of the world :-)

I will try to see most of the spots you mentioned...If I can still afford that after paying the parking fees ;-)

Is the "Top of The Mark" very expensive for a dinner? And for a cocktail? Also, is the admission to Alcatraz expensive too? And how much time does it take a visit there? I guess the fascination with Alcatraz comes from the mighty "Escape from Alcatraz" movie...I always liked that :-)

Thanx again...see you in SF!

Ciao

Lorenzo

[svs]

Three days, four nights may be a little short for all the suggestions that everyone has made. If you are planning to stay in the city, you really don't need a car. Public transportation is excellent, Parking is terrible and expensive, and San Francisco's hills are more challenging to drive than Rome's (although maybe not as bad as Naples/Napoli).

I would second trying to get into Beach Blanket Babylonl, this show is very unique to San Francisco and is worth seeing for the costumes especially the hats alone. It sells out so try to make reservations in advance.

A few other things that I don't believe I saw mentioned. San Francisco has a very good symphony and opera. They are in very interesting and relatively new venues near the Civic center. You can take a trolley down Market street from Union square to get there.

There are a lot of clubs and music venues as well where you can have a drink and just enjoy the music at night.

As for shopping, the area around Union square is probably as good as it gets though shops are scattered all over the city. You can get a lot of tacky tourist souveniers in the Fisherman's Wharf and Pier 39 areas. You'll probably go there most tourists do. They are located at the north end of the Cable car lines. Don't miss the sea lions that hang out on the west side of Pier 39. You will probably hear them before you see them.

One thing I like to do is to take a ferry to Sausalito right across the bay from San Francisco. This is a delightful and romantic little town with great views and lots of good restaurants.

If you are interested in American food, check out the ferry building where Market street ends. You should be able to sample all kind of artisan foods grown in the Bay area and not necessarily available in other cities.

Go into the Hyatt Embarcadero hotel across the street from the Ferry building and admire John Portman's great atrium. I believe there is still a revolving bar at the top of the hotel with a great view, (although San Francisco has lots of great views).

If you have to get out of town, one thing I would recommend is seeing one of the wonders of nature, the California Redwood trees, the tallest in the world. The most convenient grove is in Muir woods just across the golden gate bridge. You will need to drive or take a tour bus to get there, but it is worth it. there is nothing like a first growth grove of redwoods in Europe.

By the way, you can walk across the Golden Gate Bridge. Its more than a mile across, but it is worth it if you are in good shape.

The last thing I might recommend that hasn'r been mentions is the Exploratorium in the Palace of Fine Arts. This is probably the most fun hands on Science museum in the country, if you don't mind a little chaos. Whatever you do, you should have a great time, San Francisco is a wonderful city filled with lots to do and terrific food as well. Have a great trip.