San Francisco recs

hoffse · March 2016

Hi everybody,

H and I are leaving for my firm retreat in LA in about 2 weeks. We're going to take a couple days on the back end to fly up to San Francisco to visit his grandma and possibly some of my aunts/uncles who live in the Bay area.

We have both been to San Francisco a number of times growing up, but this is our first trip together as adults, and some of our memories from previous trips are fuzzy. We land on a Sunday morning at SFO and thought we might go to Sausalito for lunch/ice cream before heading down to see his grandma. His grandma lives in Moss Beach, so it's about an hour away.

We will spend Sunday afternoon/evening with his grandma. Her house has a view over the Pacific and a wildlife refuge. The photos are beautiful. I can't wait.

Then the next day we thought we might head into the city to do a little sightseeing. We are not exactly sure what to do. I remember liking Pier 39 as a kid, but I've read that it's gotten kind of kitchy, so I'm not sure about that. I also remember loving Chinatown, and I think we would enjoy Golden Gate Park if the weather is nice.

What would you all suggest for just 1 day in the city? How would you suggest we get there? We will have a rental car to get to grandma's house, but I'm willing to pay for public transport or Uber if it would be easier.

I wish I could ask for suggestions for LA too, but I'm afraid we're going to be marooned at the resort for the duration of our stay there. It looks beautiful, but it's eye-wateringly expensive. We are going to do our best to keep that leg as cheap as possible so we can enjoy San Francisco.

Thoughts?

julieanne912 · March 2016

TBH Sausalito is kind of in the wrong direction... it's north of the city/airport and Moss Beach is south.

What I would do instead is go do lunch in Half Moon Bay or even down into Santa Cruz. It'll save you a lot of headache in terms of traffic etc, and it's still really pretty. I love Half Moon Bay.

For the city itself, since you all like museums, I'd hit up Golden Gate Park and go to one or two of the museums there. I enjoyed myself at the De Young last time I was there. The Japanese tea garden and the Conservatory are also fun too.

julieanne912 · March 2016

Oh and as for transportation, I'd just stick to a car. There's plenty of parking garages/options at Golden Gate Park... and I think Uber etc. could get really pricey to get down to Moss Beach.

hoffse · March 2016

Yeah, I know Sausalito is the wrong direction, but H is insisting... I'm working on it, lol.

If there is plenty of parking we might just do that. TBH I was reading tripadvisor about it, and people were all DO NOT BRING A CAR TO SF!!! It kind of worried me. It's been so long since we've been there, neither of us could remember what traffic/parking was like.

julieanne912 · March 2016

hoffse said:

Yeah, I know Sausalito is the wrong direction, but H is insisting... I'm working on it, lol.

If there is plenty of parking we might just do that. TBH I was reading tripadvisor about it, and people were all DO NOT BRING A CAR TO SF!!! It kind of worried me. It's been so long since we've been there, neither of us could remember what traffic/parking was like.

If you were staying in SF I'd say to not get a car. Parking in most of the city is so ridiculously expensive and it's easy to get around without one. Last time I stayed overnight the parking at our hotel was $60. I found a garage a few blocks away that was $30 so we just parked there and walked. I had driven in from elsewhere so not having a car wasn't an option.

But, since you're not staying in the city and you're going to be a bit all over the place, I'd just do a car.

hoffse · March 2016

Santa Cruz looks promising as an alternative to Sausalito on our first day. I'll see if I can talk H into it.

There's a good chance we'll end up in Half Moon Bay at some point because I have family that lives there. My aunt and his grandma apparently run into each other at the grocery store frequently. Life is weird like that.

If the weather is nice I think Golden Gate Park is a go. The Japanese tea garden looks wonderful, and I bet it's great in the spring.

julieanne912 · March 2016

Also the De Young has a garage... it's not the cheapest, but it's not terrible either, especially since you may not be there for a whole day. https://deyoung.famsf.org/deyoung/visiting/parking

dragonstarjk · March 2016

I'm not super familiar with SF but we did spend a few days there as part of our honeymoon. We drove, so we had a car, and it sat in the parking garage from the time we arrived at the hotel until the time we left the city. They have the best public transportation options of any place we have visited.

I'm too lazy to look at how far the places are that you are talking about visiting, but we took public trans. to Golden Gate Park no problem, and then we walked around looking for the Full House houses (and got lost) but just got back on a bus.

AprilZ81 · March 2016

Once you get into the city I would find a place to park and then use public transit. You will waste so.much.time dealing with traffic and trying to find parking. With only one day to explore I wouldn't waste it on having a car.

The old street cars/trolleys are fun and a good way to see a bit of the city. Tip: Don't wait in the long line at the origination point. Go one or two stops up the route and get on there. You might not get a seat, but you should be able to get on within 1-2 cars instead of waiting for an hour in line.

You can get a day pass for the public transit, one includes the cable cars and one does not.

I enjoyed China Town, Fisherman's Warf (although it is touristy) and going to Alamo Square to see the Painted Ladies (Victorian homes that are on the intro to Full House).

Alcatraz is neat, but with one day it will take a big chunk of your time.

There is a neat little hole in the wall (alley) in China Town where you get to watch them make fortune cookies. http://www.sanfranciscochinatown.com/attractions/ggfortunecookie.html It only takes a few minutes to stop in and see it (just one room with one person working the machine) so if you are in the area I would stop in.

hoffse · March 2016

Thanks, that's super helpful. And that makes sense in terms of staying in the city, vs. not. We are staying with family. It's hard to argue with free, even if it means we have to drive!

JoanE2012 · March 2016

We went to San Fran a few years ago, but we only spent a couple of days there (we were out there for a wedding and also squeezed in Yosemite and Napa). We did the typical touristy attractions - Alcatrez (I think you really need to buy in advance to avoid sellout), Pier 39, Fisherman's Wharf, Lombard St. We had a really delicious lunch at Boudin Bakery at the recommendation of a colleague. We also stopped at the Golden Gate Bridge on the way back from Napa. It was September and Napa was hot - we got to the bridge and I was FREEZING. Bring some layers.

bmo88 · March 2016

My parents live in Central California, so we visit SF every winter for a few days with them. I personally love going down to Fisherman's Wharf to window shop and get clam chowder. There is also an old school penny arcade called Musee Mecanique not too far from the wharf that is fun, cheap and nostalgic.

We also love the desserts at Tartine Bakery. The line can get really long, but the desserts and bread are worth it.

Golden Gate Park is beautiful and viewing the Golden Gate Bridge at sunset is also gorgeous.

hoffse · March 2016

Thanks for all the recs! We will definitely try to incorporate some of these.

We will definitely bring layers. The weather there is crazy.

lbonga1 · March 2016

I second going to the Boudin sourdough factory. Even if you don't eat there, it's fun to see them make the bread, and they have fun shaped loaves to buy (turtles, alligators, etc.). And SF is known for their sourdough

hoffse · March 2016

I do love Boudin, and it would be fun to see the factory. That's the go-to Christmas gift from most of my aunts/uncles out there, so we get a great stock for the freezer every year! You're right that it's absolutely delicious

emily1004 · March 2016

If you have the time, I would say skip the city and drive up to St. Helena/Napa for a night. But if you stay in the city and you want to try something really different for dinner, I recommend "La Mar Cebicheria Peruana", It was phenomenal, and it's on the Pier. Also the bar in the St. Regis is super cool. We stayed there last year and saw John Stamos having a drink at the bar.

short+sassy · March 2016

I haven't been to SF in 20 years (unfortunately), but I did have a layover in the airport a few years ago. For once, I was really excited about a layover because I was able to get clam chowder in a sourdough bread bowl. Sooooo good, just like I remembered.

Not specifically recommending the airport place, lol...just recommending soup in SF sourdough bread bowls, in general.

cbee817 · March 2016

I was going to recommend the modern art museum, but it looks like it is closed for expansion until May. I only spent 1 day and night in SanFran (part of a x-country road trip) but that was one of the highlights for sure.

bparkhur · March 2016

DO NOT GET A CAR IN SAN FRANCISCO. Seriously, though. If you can avoid it, don't do it. The traffic getting into the city is insane, and it's extremely expensive to park. There's plenty of public transit to be had!

San Francisco recs

Re: San Francisco recs

Choose Another Board

Search Boards