San Francisco

See it all! I like SF. I've been about 3 times. Last time I went w/our youth group on a missions' trip. We stayed at the Baptist church in a not so nice area of town. But it was a beautiful church w/wonderful people.

I would suggest maybe taking a Grayline Tour. They will show it all to you. Of course there's Fisherman's Wharf, Alcatraz, The Golden Gate Bridge, Chinatown--and Ghiradelli's Chocolate Factory.

It's usually a foggy, cool area. So, make sure you bring a jacket. We were wearing sweatshirts in June!

I think it's a beautful city--too bad sin has taken a toll on lots of its residents.

Enjoy!

 

Ride the trolleys. Go to China town.

 

I love San Francisco! We went in April a few years ago. Good advice from Songbird and Saggywoman. I agree--take the tour. Also, see Alcatraz if you can. That was my hubby's favorite thing. It's a beautiful city, and I know you'll have a wonderful time.

God bless!

 

I enjoyed the ferry ride from Sausalito to Fisherman's Wharf.

 

San Francisco is one of my favorite cities. It is very easy to get around via public transportation too. Do not drive at all if you can avoid it. Here are my recommendations.

Lodging -- Nothing is really cheap there. Stay near Fisherman's Wharf (though it is a bit more expensive there) since that is where you will be most of the time. There's a Radisson and a Holiday Inn that are a bit more reasonable than the Marriott.

Food --- A lot of choices and a lot of very good food. Normally, very expensive. You may want to have lunch be your larger meal & that will help offset some of the costs.

Fisherman's Wharf -- Very touristy, but where you may spend the most time. Plenty of shops and restaurants. It's where you catch the shuttle to Alcatraz and other sightseeing boats.

Alcatraz -- You need to buy tickets on-line before you go. Otherwise, you will have to go via a tour and pay double the normal cost. It is a wonderful visit and a must see. The National Park Service does an excellent job.

Chinatown -- This is a must visit and plan on lunch in the area. Note - there are not a lot of public restrooms in the area - find the McDonald's on the main drag if needed (from experience).

Lombard Street --- The crookedest street in the world. Fun to walk down. Not up.

Trolley Rides -- This was one of my kids' favorite things. Go from Fisherman's Wharf all the way to Market Street. Cheap too.

Baseball -- If the Giants are in town and baseball has started, it is a great place to see a ball game.

Muir Woods -- The closest Redwood forest is across the Golden Gate bridge - only about 30 minutes away. This is a beautiful area and a must see. We drove there, but you might be able to find a tour if you don't want to drive.

Sausalito --- This is a very beautiful area across the bay, with neat shops and restaurants. A bit calmer than the city, though high end (read expensive).

Gray Line Tour -- Not a bad way to see the city on the first day. This will give you an overview of the city. They make several stops where you can get out and take pictures -- including the Golden Gate Bridge.

Wine Country -- Even if you don't drink wine, you can appreciate the beauty of wine country. While Napa and Sonoma are a couple of hours away, there are some closer.

Golden Gate Park --- A beautiful park in the city, across from the museum. There are some nice redwoods here too.

I hope you have a great time.

Note -- there are a lot of homeless in SF, usually asking for money and/or food. They have never bothered me, but it is a bit unnerving if you are not used to this.

Lastly, you may want to go buy a guide at the local Barnes & Noble. I have found these to be invaluable.

 

I spent a week driving a rented van around S.F. It was the youth mission trip that Songbird (my wife) mentioned. Driving in the city was a little stressful.

 

If you are driving, it means that you are not really enjoying the sights. Also, most hotels in the city tack on another $20-$25 for privilege of keeping your car there.

 

and now the worlds most cynnical pessismistic emotional train wrecked Baptist comes to give his advice: Beware of all market street. It gets worse near the end, so just stay at the piers and you might be safe, I haven't been there in a while though. Oakland, however is great. The Mexican and Chinese food is cleaner and cheaper and more readily available than in SF. We have the better bookstores, comic books stores, the only thing I can say about SF is its museums and libraries (sfpl.org) are awesome. The zoo is incredibly tiny in SF as well. As for churches, the only few I know are a branch of ours who's address I forgot, a branch of another Oakland Church meets there http://regenerationweb.com/events.php, and there is our church on 102nd and International in Oakland, other than me offering to give you a personal tour, have a happy trip!

 

...some more 'stuff: my school is awesome! ok, also beware fillmore, castro, the end of van ness, and the mission, you really get into some deep spiritual battles down there, i know a park that has a excellent view of the city that we have our retreat at, i'll try to get the address for you....

and some more about the people, which is what makes it hard to like, the homeless are ok for the most part, except for the ones who beg for drugs instead of money, or beg while taking a dump at the same time (more than 50% chance of that occuring). Most people treat SF to be a europiean or asian country, like Italy, Sweden, France, China, or Japan...and consider the rest of the country to be like Fresno (don't ask what I mean, but Fresno is full of 'rednecks' they say, I've never been that far down into CA) The niceer areas are in Daily City or Embarcendero...oh yeah and Powell, not that it's really a ok area, but there are three malls there now: THe Meteron, Nordstrom, and Westfield, two of them I think have IMAX teatres....

for a really detailed guide to places and events go to sfgate.com, the official newspaper webpage

 

There are two places I always go when I visit my sister in SF.

1. Ghiradelli's Chocolate Factory. - order a chocolate soda with chocolate ice cream!

2. Exploritorium - the hands on science museum!


Bill

 

Golden Gate is preeety far from Alcatraz and Lombard don't think a day will suffice...oh and beware the MUNI also. Try to get to Bay Street or even UC Berkeley if you can, they have the friendliest (animal) squirrels known to man, either that or they're foolhardy, if you like nature that much....

 

Rob ---

I think it will be tough to do all of the touristy things in one day. Perhaps the only way to do that is to take a Gray Line tour which includes Alcatraz plus a city tour. They do stop near the GG Bridge and let you walk up to it, take pictures, etc. plus they take you around the city. This is isn't my favorite way to do things, but if you are pressed for time, it might be the best.

Regarding the Mission District, Castro Street, etc., I can appreciate the fact that you live near Philly. However, I still agree with US. Avoid these areas (especially if you have children).

Enjoy!

 

Enjoy San Francisco!! My late daddy was born there in 1937!

I was born 70 miles North from San Francisco off Hwy 101 in Healdsburg, California.

Here are some Nice places to visit there in San Francisco.

1) Fisherman's Wharf

2) Pier 39

Here's a Wonderful Link to Learn more about San Francisco ~> Wiki San Francisco

there are so many things to see while you're there... Make sure ya take a Jacket though, the winds from the Pacific Ocean can be Very Cold!

I Miss my home State of Northern California, I lived there for 40 years before moving to Oregon!

 

One last thing: You have GOT to go to the Asain Museum on Civic Center!!!!!! It's one of the best Museums Worldwide! It's free the first tuesday of each month!

 

How very true. One time I went to visit my sister in the middle of July when the temp at home was in the upper 90s. Well I wanted to go to a ball game at Candlestick Park. My sister kept telling me to dress warm. I thought I was over dressed with long pants, a long sleeved shirt and a light jacket. The result is I felt like I had frostbite by the time the game was over. That wind coming off the bay felt like an arctic blast.

Bill