Planning a Trip to San Fransisco?

[YSSMAN]

So as some of you know we as taxpaying Americans are getting cut a check by El Presidente Bush and Congress to help stimulate the economy. Many of us will have them by May or June, and of course, we're supposed to spend that money to "stimulate the economy."

So, we've considered a couple of trips to different cities across the country. Miami came up first, given that its my second favorite town to be in. Then Houston, because my cousin lives there. And then I had the bright idea to do San Francisco.

1) I've never been to California
2) I need to visit the geek/nerd mecca sometime
3) Its a cool experience, I hear?

So, yes... The part where I need some help:

- Where do you recommend staying? I'm always told that the Fisherman's Wharf area is where its at, but I have no idea. I'd obviously like to be in the cultural center of town if at all possible, but it isn't as though I will die without a view of the ocean or of whatever other landmark there is. I'm not too picky.

- What do you recommend doing while in SanFran? I'd love to visit the bridge, obviously. I'd prefer not to get caught up in Alcatraz. Can you visit the Lucasfilm/Lucasarts/anything Lucas thingamajig there? What about the naval base? I'd love to see some of the boats I own... Anything techie would be great, visiting Google would be mondo cool if they'd let civilians in.

- Similarly, anything you'd avoid while in town? Alcatraz seems to be a tourist trap, as for the rest, I dunno...

- What about the California stuff? My cousin screamed at me that I need to find an In and Out Burger while I'm there, and I know I'm interested in Baja Fresh. Any good other California-specific things I should do/see/try while there (no, it doesn't have to be food)?

- Anything else?

We're planning on using the $1800 we're getting for the trip, we're all going to have to kick in a little too. Its not solid, but it sounds like its what we're planning on...

 

[Rykon Zero]

Bring a small car. the traffic is terrible.

 

[V1P3R]

Lots and lots and lots of Quarters too.

 

[Kylehnat]

Then Houston, because my cousin lives there. And then I had the bright idea to do San Francisco.

Good call. Houston is disgusting and the Bay Area is awesome! I had a good time when I was down there in October. Everything is a wee bit pricey, though.

 

[BayConRong]

go on throught the national forest they got from around san fran to the north. and go to gardengrove and hug a guy named Son Vo for me.

 

[Touring Mars]

Hotelwise, you get what you pay for, and Kyle's right in that it is an expensive place - but I'd recommend anything near or in the Fisherman's Wharf area. Perhaps avoid where I was - bang-slap in the downtown area, very near Market St./Geary St. and the Tenderloin district - which is a bit dodgy, although I had no problems myself. I'd also avoid the motels since some of the ones I considered via the web looked pretty shabby IRL.

I'd recommend a trip to Yosemite National Park - you can do it in one day but 2-3 days and a stayover in a nice hotel there would be sweet. It's 4 hours drive from SF, though, so a single day trip is a long way to go for a couple of hours in the park itself. If I could go again, I'd be sure to take binoculars or a telescope, not least for the night sky, but also since the park is so huge! Alcatraz is great, and a good value trip. The self-guiding audio tour is very well done, and the views of the city from the island are great. I was lucky enough to see more of the Bay Area by car, since I stayed with Smallhorses and itgirlxx. They took me over the bridges (in a Porsche ), up to Twin Peaks (amazing views of city), up to Berkeley (amazing views of the city at night) and even down the Pacific coast. So yeh, a car is highly recommended!!

Here's what I thought of the place anyway... 👍
https://www.gtplanet.net/forum/showthread.php?t=99689

 

[TheCracker]

- Where do you recommend staying? I'm always told that the Fisherman's Wharf area is where its at, but I have no idea. I'd obviously like to be in the cultural center of town if at all possible, but it isn't as though I will die without a view of the ocean or of whatever other landmark there is. I'm not too picky.

It's been at least 10 years since i visited SF, but i'd highly recommend the hotel we stayed in. It's no Holiday Inn, but the San Remo is within easy walking distance on Fisherman's Wharf and has bags of character that modern hotels just don't have. It's just off Columbus Avenue with it's wall to wall restaurants and bars. It's relatively cheep too.

- What do you recommend doing while in SanFran? I'd love to visit the bridge, obviously. I'd prefer not to get caught up in Alcatraz. Can you visit the Lucasfilm/Lucasarts/anything Lucas thingamajig there? What about the naval base? I'd love to see some of the boats I own... Anything techie would be great, visiting Google would be mondo cool if they'd let civilians in.

I took a rain check of Alcatraz but took one of the boat trips that takes you out to the Golden Gate Bridge and back, which is great for taking pictures of the bridge and the SF skyline. We also rented bikes in North Beach and rode along the coastal path to the GG Bridge then over it and then down to Sausalito where you can catch the ferry back to North Beach. If the weather's half-decent it's a good way to spend an afternoon.

- Similarly, anything you'd avoid while in town? Alcatraz seems to be a tourist trap, as for the rest, I dunno...

The whole of Fisherman's Wharfe is tacky and touristy to be quite honest with you, there's so much more to do and see elsewhere in the city. Haight-Ashbury is also fairly overated, although the Golden Gate Park that it back's onto is worth a visit.

- What about the California stuff? My cousin screamed at me that I need to find an In and Out Burger while I'm there, and I know I'm interested in Baja Fresh. Any good other California-specific things I should do/see/try while there (no, it doesn't have to be food)?

Mr Smallhorses, or any of the other GTP SF locals, will be your best bet for this kind of stuff.

 

[Joey D]

Bring a small car. the traffic is terrible.

I wouldn't bring a car, I think San Fran had some of the most expensive parking I have ever seen in one area. Plus there is a decent public transportation system where you could get around with out a car.

 

[YSSMAN]

Thanks for the help lads!

I'm personally not planning on getting a rental, I think the public transport would work fine for the three of us. Then again, Mom is getting up there in age, so who knows...

 

[TheCracker]

Thanks for the help lads!

I'm personally not planning on getting a rental, I think the public transport would work fine for the three of us. Then again, Mom is getting up there in age, so who knows...

I certainly wouldn't bother with a car unless you were planning on heading out of the city. We hired a car for a week whilst we headed to Marin-Tahoe-Yosemite-Monterey. We only spent a morning/afternoon at either end of the week while in SF itself and that was a total pain in the arse trying to find somewhere to park. It's a relatively small city, you can walk most places and the public transport is great for getting around to those places a little further afield. You'd even end up paying less for taxis then you would on parking and fuel for a hire car IMO.

 

[Touring Mars]

I wouldn't bring a car, I think San Fran had some of the most expensive parking I have ever seen in one area. Plus there is a decent public transportation system where you could get around with out a car.

Indeed it does have good public transport - and a 7-day pass is by far the best way of getting around cheaply - it gets you on trams, cable-cars, buses and even the Underground (and perhaps even some local ferries too).

Getting around on foot, however, is tough, since SF is deceptively big, and the roads are extremely steep (you can't see that on a map, but they are very tiresome to walk, even for a fit & healthy young man like myself)...

Plus if you want to see anything outside SF, like the rest of the Bay Area or elsewhere in California, you're kinda screwed without wheels of some description... that said, there are so many bus tours available that you should be able to get around to different places pretty easily. And I reckon driving/parking in SF city itself is a fairly thankless task.

 

[opendriver]

Alamo Square is a cool place to see, went there a few months ago:

Go to an In & out


4X4 with everything, animal style


Your heat will start to beat slower when your done

 

[Sage]

Too much of a good thing…

And Brad, where’d you hear of Baja Fresh? It’s okay, but nothing to get excited about. You have to try Rubio’s fish tacos though…

 

[Joey D]

Hell there is a Baja Fresh a couple miles down the road from me, it's like a slightly nicer Taco Bell.

 

[YSSMAN]

Yeah, I'm jealous. We're finally getting a Sonic around here, and we're in desperate need of a White Castle as well.

Best thing about travel in the US?

The fast food changes across the country!