San Francisco for a day - what to see and where to stay?

[Fantic125]

I'm heading over to the US for a 2 day meeting in Pittsburg on Sep 14 & 15 and was intending to depart back to ADL on the 16th, however I now need to also attend a 3 day meeting in Tijuana on Sep 20 to 22 as well.

(Due to my travel being discount economy, LAX to ADL return only gives me 110 SC's and there is no way I'm going to fly back to ADL just to hop back on the plane to LAX again. )

So, my plan is to fly from PIT to SFO, arriving in SFO @ 19:15 on Sep 16. I will then be flying out of SFO to SAN @ 08:55 on Sep 18.

I would like to see as much of the 'iconic' San Francisco sights as I can in the time I'm there.
I don't intend hiring a car, so will be using public transport and/or taxi's, and am looking at around $140 ~ $160 USD per night for accommodation. (Not too concerned about the neighbourhood as long as it is central).

I'm open to suggestions!

 

[straitman]

I'm heading over to the US for a 2 day meeting in Pittsburg on Sep 14 & 15 and was intending to depart back to ADL on the 16th, however I now need to also attend a 3 day meeting in Tijuana on Sep 20 to 22 as well.

(Due to my travel being discount economy, LAX to ADL return only gives me 110 SC's and there is no way I'm going to fly back to ADL just to hop back on the plane to LAX again. )

So, my plan is to fly from PIT to SFO, arriving in SFO @ 19:15 on Sep 16. I will then be flying out of SFO to SAN @ 08:55 on Sep 18.

I would like to see as much of the 'iconic' San Francisco sights as I can in the time I'm there.
I don't intend hiring a car, so will be using public transport and/or taxi's, and am looking at around $140 ~ $160 USD per night for accommodation. (Not too concerned about the neighbourhood as long as it is central).

I'm open to suggestions!

Fantic125,

What do you define as central :?:

San Francisco is Downtown, Fisherman's Wharf and/or many other places :!: From Downtown you can get a Cablecar to/from the Fisherman's Wharf area and that is an experience that cannot be missed. You can also get a tram car to/from via a different route with a variety of 'old' tram cars from around the world including Melbourne.

Fisherman's Wharf tends to be commercialised but there are still some good areas so not all is lost. There are many good seafood places to eat.

An audio tour of Alcatraz is a must. Booking ahead though is probably a good idea.

Accommodation is good in most areas though I do not recommend the HI Express at Fisherman's Wharf. Nothing specifically wrong just ordinary IMHO.

 

[cove]

We hired a driver thru our hotel for a 3 hour drive in a Lincoln Continental around the beaches,the city and the Golden Gate bridge.The architecture is wonderful so it is a great city to tour around and take in the beauty.
I tend to use Expedia to study the reviews versus the price and location of a hotel to work out what suits us personally.
We have used Fairmont,Intercontinental,Hyatt and Omni in the last 3 years and they all were excellent.
My kids loved Bobs Steakhouse in the Omni but Americans had commented that Bobs prices were too high on Expedia.

 

[cove]

If you really have to do Tijuana stay in a group and dont stray from the group.
Crime has really spiked since Mexico went after the drug industry so there are criminals looking to make a new living off tourists.

 

[Fantic125]

Fantic125,

What do you define as central :?:

San Francisco is Downtown, Fisherman's Wharf and/or many other places :!: From Downtown you can get a Cablecar to/from the Fisherman's Wharf area and that is an experience that cannot be missed. You can also get a tram car to/from via a different route with a variety of 'old' tram cars from around the world including Melbourne.

Fisherman's Wharf tends to be commercialised but there are still some good areas so not all is lost. There are many good seafood places to eat.

An audio tour of Alcatraz is a must. Booking ahead though is probably a good idea.

Accommodation is good in most areas though I do not recommend the HI Express at Fisherman's Wharf. Nothing specifically wrong just ordinary IMHO.

Thanks Straitman! By central I meant Downtown. For accommodation it's sometimes a bit difficult to wade through the bull***t reviews from people paying peanuts and expecting 5 star digs.
Alcatraz is certainly on the list!

 

[Fantic125]

If you really have to do Tijuana stay in a group and dont stray from the group.
Crime has really spiked since Mexico went after the drug industry so there are criminals looking to make a new living off tourists.

Thanks for your comments cove, and I would also say the same for anyone new to Tijuana. Like any new city, don't show bling, be alert and watch what is happening around you.

Things have improved in Tij though - my first trip there a couple of years ago saw 92 drug related murders in 2 weeks - last year was less than 20. Progress is happening!

 

[straitman]

Thanks Straitman! By central I meant Downtown. For accommodation it's sometimes a bit difficult to wade through the bull***t reviews from people paying peanuts and expecting 5 star digs.
Alcatraz is certainly on the list!

I emphasise the 'audio' tour of Alcatraz.
As far as hotel go I really cannot recommend much. The HI Civic Centre looks good and fits your price from the web write up though as we all know pictures can lie.

 

[kamchatsky]

Here are some of it that I can think of ....

- Fisherman's Wharf
- Golden Gate Bridge (it would be great if you can walk on it!)
- Alcatraz
- Catch cable car
- Union Sqaure
- Lombard Street
- Chinatown

That should cover 1 day easily

 

[Fantic125]

I emphasise the 'audio' tour of Alcatraz.
As far as hotel go I really cannot recommend much. The HI Civic Centre looks good and fits your price from the web write up though as we all know pictures can lie.

Thanks! Will do the audio tour and will check out the Civic Centre.

 

[markis10]

Have a look at the ICH family and friends rates, the SFO IC is $158 while the HI SFO Civic Center is $127, make sure to do the trolley car and Fishermans Wharf, its well worth it.

 

[Fantic125]

Here are some of it that I can think of ....

- Fisherman's Wharf
- Golden Gate Bridge (it would be great if you can walk on it!)
- Alcatraz
- Catch cable car
- Union Sqaure
- Lombard Street
- Chinatown

That should cover 1 day easily

Thanks edison. I'll do some further research.

 

[AdMEL]

A few comments (that will hopefully be of assistance) after recently spending a few days in San Francisco as part of a 5 week holiday in the US (arrived home 3 weeks ago) ....

Alcatraz ... needs to be booked in advance ... we didn't and consequently couldn't go, as it was booked out for several days!

Cable Cars ... great experience (this was high on my list, coming from Melbourne and loving trams), but be prepared for at least an hour wait at either end of the lines ... it's a big tourist attraction (not really used by locals as far as I could tell) ... you can possibly get on a few stops from the end a little easier, but depends. It costs USD $5 per trip, so not cheap or convenient to use as a form of transport. I also used the more conventional trams ... USD $2 per trip. I knew they had a couple of Melbourne trams, but didn't see them.

Expect it to be cool ... despite being summer, it didn't get above 20C (was about 15-17) when I was there, due to the fog!

Walked across the Golden Gate, which was great, but very cold and windy!

If you like food and/or wine/eating out, Ferry Building on the waterfront is worth a visit. Some great restaurants (I ate at The Slanted Door, a vietnamese restaurant which was great) and wine bars, but not cheap. It's much less touristy than Pier 39 (the place most refer to as Fisherman's Wharf) though.

Location - I stayed near Union Square, which is where a lot of hotels are - it was very convenient catching the BART train to and from the airport (station a couple of blocks away and a 30-40 min train ride, at a cost of USD $8.10 each way), but it was a long way from the Golden Gate Bridge, Fisherman's Wharf and Ferry Building, and as eluded to above, not easy to get by public transport. We ended up taking one of the hop on hop off tourist buses at a cost of USD $30 (for 48 hours) to get around.

 

[Ewing]

but be prepared for at least an hour wait at either end of the lines

Take the California line - as suggested to me by a local I was talking to at a bar.

I hopped straight on, as did everyone else waiting

Later in the day I walked past the end of the Powell/Mason line near Fisherman's wharf and there were hundreds of people waiting in a line.

As for SFO in general, I've only been there one and for a few days. If you're into shows, I would recommend Beach Blanket Babylon - I had a blast.

Hotel wise I stayed at the Le Meridien near the Embarcadero Center / Ferry Building. It's about a 25 minute walk to Fisherman's Wharf - but it's a nice walk

Here's some pics from my room:
Le Meridien - San Francisco (paid for with Starwood points - not sure what the usual rate is, but that room was 12,000 points per night).

Alcatraz - worth doing, but book in advance as suggested. There was a sign out front when I was there saying it was sold out for the next 5 days and there were a lot of disappointed people.

I'm going to head back there next year as I loved my brief time in SFO (made even briefer by my flight back to LAX to meet QF12 being cancelled and my departure time taken from 6pm to 2pm).

 

[dajop]

Can someone please enlighten me what is so special about Fisherman's Wharf? On my brief visit there I was seriously underwhelmed, in the same sort of way I find Darling Harbour in Sydney underwhelming.

I've made two brief visits to San Francisco - the first reaching downtown at 10pm and leaving at 6pm next day, the second reaching there at 11am, leaving at 8pm.

Visit 1 - got up very early, did the trolley car with a stop at Lombard St, bus to Golden Gate Bridge, walked across the bridge and then walked on to Sausalito for lunch, ferry back to San Francisco, quickly through Fisherman's Wharf, up Coit Tower, back on the trolley, a spot of shopping around Union Square and off to the airport.

Visit 2 - bus to Japantown, quick walk around there, before going on to Golden Gate Park. Spent a fair bit of time in the park, but walked through and eventually got to the pacific ocean where I walked along the beach, then caught a bus past the GG bridge back to somewhere near cable car terminus, walked around there before catching cable car to Chinatown and walking back to Union Square. Some brief shopping, dinner in SOMA and then off to the airport.

To get round I purchased 1 day MUNI pass, which included the cable car rides, so used them as hop on hop off that way.

Out of it all I think the highlights were the Golden Gate Bridge, both viewing and walking across - it is an icon after all , Cable Car/Lombard St and one from left field - Coit Tower, the view from there was quite impressive.

 

[JetLagged]

One of the best ways to see the iconic SF is by using the double-decker red bus tours - keep running around the loop and is hop-on.hop-off and tickets last for 24 hrs - starting point is right down near Fisherman's Wharf - we used it extensively when there last.

 

[Danger]

AdMEL and Ewing, where and how did you book for the Alcatraz tour?

 

[ozbeachbabe]

AdMEL and Ewing, where and how did you book for the Alcatraz tour?

Alcatraz Island - Official Tickets Site - Guaranteed Lowest Price

 

[Keith009]

I personally love the W on 3rd and Howard, 2 blocks away from Union Square, stay report here:
http://www.australianfrequentflyer....dedicated-taipeiflyer-12373-5.html#post163124

You get free one way limo services from the W in an Acura SUV, and it's also around the corner from BART (Embarcadero). But make sure there aren't any big tech conferences on when you're in SF - the W is right next to the Moscone convention centre where a lot of these things are held and they like gathering at the W for mixers, which tends to make the Living Room and XYZ bar VERY crowded with no standing room and everyone spilling out on to the sidewalks.

I've also sent friends and family to the Clift and the Abri - both are great, very sexy and fun, and located in the Union Square area.
Boutique Hotels in San Francisco | Hotels in San Francisco | Hotel Union Square | Hotel Abri
San Francisco Hotel | Luxury Hotels San Francisco | Clift Hotel

You can get 1br suites at the Abri for under $200/night. Clift is part of the Morgans Group founded by Ian Schrager which also owns other really funky hotels like the Sanderson in London and the Mondrian in LA.

If you're there Thurs night, check out NightLife at the California Academy of Sciences. Pretty cool event - it's a science museum that throws a big party every Thurs evening. So you can party whilst looking at exhibits at the same time! Only way you'd ever get me into a museum.
NightLife: California Academy of Sciences

 

[danielc]

If you want to find a clean, centrally-located, reasonably priced place check out Hotel Astoria. It is in a safe area right at the entrance to Chinatown. As far as transport, use BART from SFO to get downtown. The Hotel is within walking distance (ie 5 minutes) to both the Powell and Montgomery BART stations. Not only do you have lots of great (and cheap) restaurants in Chinatown right outside your door, but you are convenient to Union Square and all of its shopping options as well as the cable cars. Enjoy your stay in SF !