sanfrancisco and surrounding areas

[parsonstrish]

I've just booked san fran. flt. for october. Does anyone have any ideas on neat trips surrounding the area to do, and I will be relying on public t/port.

I'm also tossing up the idea of travelling up to the top states in area of Oregon and Washington as I've not been. Once again public t/port, has anyone done train travel if it is available?
cheers

 

[NM]

The first thing that comes to mind is Alkatraz.

You can probably find some Nappa Valley winery tours with pickups in San Francisco for a nice day trip option.

And of course the obvious sights of San Francisco including Fisherman's Wharf, cable car ride etc.

 

[lovetravellingoz]

I


, and I will be relying on public t/port.

Pity as it is an absolutely sensational area to have a car.

Drive along the coast...Moro Bay etc..

Inland to Yosemite Natinal Park...

San Fran in iteslf is a great city to visit. I loved it. Public transport is good in it with BART and buses.

 

[Batesy]

Try the Napa Valley. Great wine region and very beautiful.

 

[trooper]

I too am travelling to the Pacific Northwest for the first time this year...

Have some competitions in both OR and WA... and will take the opportunity to tour the Boeing factory while I'm there! (Cool!)

I haven't travelled that route in particular.. but I have travelled elsewhere in the USA with AMTRAK and I think it's a good option when not in a tearing hurry..

The train you'd be looking at is the "Coast Starlight" from Oakland to Seattle...

Coach fare is USD $92... or USD$250 for a Sleeper (which includes meals) .. (I looked at 12 Oct)

As it is a 23 hr trip I know what I'd do!!:mrgreen: The Coach seats are however broad, and the pitch is generous to say the least!!!

That route is operated by the "Superliner" so you have a choice of upper or lower deck accommodation... No ensuites in the normal "bedrooms" but the (shared) showers are fine IMO...

Sleeper compartments on US trains are just big enough for the bunks (when folded down) but are comfortable enough night and day The bunks are not terribly large which is interesting given that Americans are in general bigger folks!... The US trackage is not as smooth as here IME so the ride is a little bumpy... YMMV...

As I just looove train travel none of these little things worry me overly.. IME the food in the Dining car is pretty good.....:mrgreen:

A whole bunch of airlines offer fares back from SEA to SFO for about $80.. so train one way, fly the other?

Hell... If I didn't already have time constraints/flights booked I reckon I'd have talked myself in to doing the train trip! :!:

 

[Gold Member]

Alcatraz, meh... I did that on the twilight tour a year ago and have to say I was not all that entertained. But to each their own.

My recommendation would be to hire a push biike at Fisherman's wharf and then ride along the bay and over the Golden Gate Bridge. You will then enter Sausalito - a beautiful bayside town with lots of nice places to eat. Try get yourself one of the restaraunts with a deck over water with views back to the city. Finally, catch a ferry (with your bike) back to Fisherman's wharf.

A nice place for a drink in SFO is the Marriott bar up on the top floor. Its a nice setting with some great views across all of SFO. Get there an hour or two before sunset so you can see the landscape and watch the sun set. Beyond 8pm'ish they turn the music up which sort of ruins the atmosphere.

If you really must do the the Powell St tram, expect to have to wait over an hour for the privilege. Or get there very early in the morning.

Getting around greater SFO is easy with so many tram, bus and train networks (much like Melbourne). To and from the airport, a nice limousine or 'luxury car' can be had or negoatiated for only a tad more than a regular taxi fare.

 

[uzza]

I'm also heading that way in Nov/Dec, here are some of the things I'm doing around there:

• Traveling to Seattle to see the Boeing Factory and Museum of Flight. There were Virgin America flights around $60USD mark SFO-SEA so that could be worth a look.
• Were also doing a trip from San Francisco out to Yosemite National Park. Organised day trips were around the $200AUD mark on Qantas.
• Maybe too far but we are also going to San Diego to see the military displays, and of course the Zoo!

We are also hitting Vegas, LA and Florida on the trip! Can't Wait!

 

[Maca44]

The Holiday Inn and Sheraton near Fisherman's Wharf are nice and convenient lodgings, although once you have walked around Pier 39 (I think) for a while you have seen enough although there are lots of places to eat etc. You could take the red ferry from the wharf area to Sausalito where you will find some nice restaurants albeit a little pricey due to it being touristy. You can also hire a bicycle from the wharf area and ride across the Golden Gate Bridge to Sausalito, which is cheap and great fun. The winding Lombard Street is a must, even just to say you have seen it. Keep away from the Mission District unless on a tour as it's a bit rough and nothing to see anyway. Trolley cars are fun although if you take it from say the bottom of Hyde Street (closest stop to Fisherman's Wharf) you might have to line for 40 plus minutes, whereas if you walk a few blocks to where the locals get off you can jump on, stand on the step and hang on for the ride. They will collect the fare on board, but the public transport system at SFO is good and cheap, and the BART from the airport is easy.

I have not taken the train north from SFO (or anywhere else for that matter in the USA), but friends have told me it is good trip. Also a good train trip from SEA to VYR even though it departs about 7am. October would be a good time for that trip as it sometimes is cancelled due to snow etc.

 

[Gold Member]

Guys, with the dollar hovering just below 80c I would be booking all of my accommodation via Priceline if I were you! (Use the bidding option).

 

[codash1099]

Alcatraz definitely (despite the "meh" comment).

For an interesting way to see the sites, try Mr. Toad's Tours .

 

[bambbbam2]

In April, I did the Alcatraz tour and the Yosemite National Park.

Both were really good.. keep in mind that the NP is about 3.5-5 hours each way, so makes a long day.

 

[NM]

In April, I did the Alcatraz tour and the Yosemite National Park.

Both were really good.. keep in mind that the NP is about 3.5-5 hours each way, so makes a long day.

We stayed at Oakhurst just outside the south entrance to the park. Was a great staging point and allowed a full day to explore. We just happened to choose Memorial Day to be there and it was busy but coped well with the crowd.

But not sure how one would use public transport to get to/from and see Yosemite National Park unless there are tour operators that make a very long day trip from San Francisco.

 

[tuapekastar]

Once again public t/port, has anyone done train travel if it is available?
cheers

Not sure how much is specific to the area you wish to travel, but there is a lot of useful info on world train travel here

 

[parsonstrish]

thanks to all the replies, i've had a lovely day following up the suggestions, almost running out of days to do everything.

thanks trooper re. train info. as i'm leaning toward travelling up to seatle and then getting another train to Bellingham. I'm more the outdoors scenery kind of person and being autumn it should be beautiful. I've found a lovely lodge that is in the fir/pine tree area (one of my favourite tree, the smell in the autumn is lovely). hopefully there will be lovely scenery during day part of train trip to enjoy.

thinking of hiring car in this area, scary thought that it is. driving in uk is easy, but the other side of road is a little daunting for me, even tho. i grew up in states, but long time not driving there. anyway, worth doing it to get out and about in the area and see the scenic beauty.

leaning toward staying @ hilton concord out of san fran, very cheap and complimentary shuttle bus to the bart which is only 30 mins. to downtown san fran.

thanks again all

 

[coco50]

As others have said, the Napa Valley is great. Also, across the Golden Gate Bridge in Marin County is the beautiful Sausalito. This can be reached by ferry (half hour trip) from Fisherman's Wharf. Well worth at least a half day visit with lunch in one of the waterfront reataurants looking back across the bay towards the city. If you can, also try to drive down (ortravel somehow) down the coast road at least to Solvang if not to Santa Barbara. The views are spectacular and the villages such as Carmel are fabulous.