I am taking a vacation to San Francisco for two weeks. Does anyone here have recommendation for the area to stay? I would be able to narrow down my search much faster since I only have a couple of days to do my homework. My aim is to just relax and enjoy the city, not into rushing through all the tourist spots at once. Thanks in advance. 
repeat questionâŚ
Go to the TenderloinâŚgo to Edinborough Castle Bar on Geary Street and drink heavily. Tip the Piper as he can be a real prick if heâs not drunk. They hae good fish & chips also (they get them from a Korean place out their back door and up the alley)
Other than that, go to the corner of Van Ness and Union, its on Van Ness. Say Howdy and ask how the family is doing. Go to the bar next door and ask them - "HeyâŚdidnât this place used to be the âOff Union Saloon?â Then drink heavily.
Walk down Union Street from there, youâll know what I mean, and visit âCow Hollow.â
Ask about the âBermuda Triangleâ area.
Have fun!
I enjoyed a great garlic meal at The Stinking Rose. thestinkingrose.com/
Donât try to defecate at the Bus Station as they have ripped all the doors off to prevent drug taking.
San Francisco is very hilly. Donât think you can walk from A to B! Take the tram.
Alcatraz IS worth the money.
Try to spot âBush manâ down by pier 38. He hides⌠wait, I wonât spoil the gag. (or you can do an internet search for him.)
The youth hostel up by the national park has a free pool table!
The church featured in Vertigo is around there somewhere⌠Mission Dolores. Itâs in a rough part of town. Its a scary, religious day out. missiondolores.org/
And then there is the windy road - you get a great view of the bay area - Lombard Street. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lombard_St ⌠_Francisco
And do the Golden Gate too. I hitched a lift to the bridge, then took a bus back.
What kind of âstayingâ are you looking at? Fancy hotel? Budget hostel? B&B?
If a budget hostel, your choices are limited: theyâre concentrated between the Tenderloin and Union Square. A very convenient location, though it may be dodgy at night.
If a B&B, these tend to be far from BART stops, making transportation a pain, but it depends.
If a pricey hotel, you can stay anywhere you please. Iâd recommend somewhere around Union Square, making access to all of San Francisco easiest.
[quote]repeat questionâŚ
Go to the TenderloinâŚgo to Edinborough Castle Bar on Geary Street and drink heavily. Tip the Piper as he can be a real prick if heâs not drunk. They hae good fish & chips also (they get them from a Korean place out their back door and up the alley)
Other than that, go to the corner of Van Ness and Union, its on Van Ness. Say Howdy and ask how the family is doing. Go to the bar next door and ask them - "HeyâŚdidnât this place used to be the âOff Union Saloon?â Then drink heavily.
Walk down Union Street from there, youâll know what I mean, and visit âCow Hollow.â
Ask about the âBermuda Triangleâ area.
[/quote]
:bravo: I will remember the lines
superking,
Thanks for the tips.
It is legal to hitch hike there?
Chris,
Thanks for the info.
I guess I am still more on the budget side. I am also trying to see if I can find furnished apartment for short term rental. Since I am kinda making my booking late, I would probably have limited options.
A couple of hotel recommends:
-
The Nob Hill Motor Inn. Its on Pacific Avenue just off Van Ness. Easy walking distance to all the places. This has been a favorite of mine and other folks Iâve recommended it to.
-
The Nob Hill Hotel
hotel-rates.com/us/californi ⌠hotel.html
Just a few from memory that I would recommend.
Of course there my favorite, The Seal Rock, but that place has its ups & downs quality wise and may be bit $$$.
Be sure and bargain hard for your price. Hotels in SF can be very competitive and it nevers hurts to ask.
Im living near San Francisco so I may as well chime in with some ideas. San Francisco is a fairly large cosmopolitan city and if you ask ten people to give you a list of things to do, you will get ten different lists. So this is only MY personal recommendation.
Since you mention budget type hotels you should probably stay away from the downtown areas as it gets raunchy there. What I would recommend to my friends who want to visit would be to take the N JUDAH streetcar all the way to the end of the line at OCEAN BEACH. There are 3 cheap motels there that run bout 50 to 60 / night. And they are not bad. This location is nice in that you are right at OCEAN BEACH. Which is quite scenic and within walking distance you have the CLIFF HOUSE and Golden GAte Park as well as the beach itself (dont swim there, rip tides and super cold water) and the BEach Chalet restaurant which is worth going to for breakfast and its home made beer. There is a cafe right at the end of the N Judah line thats ok. And walk a bit back towards the downtown you have a 7/11 and also a very good Japanese restaurant right at the second to the last stop (if my memory serves me).
You will be in the sUNSET district. wHICH is nice. YOu can also take the number 18 bus at the 7/11 to the Palace of the legion of honor museum ( a very nice museum to visit) and you can walk along this fabulous trail right at the cliff edge for bout an hour and see some great views of the Golden Gate bridge plus walk around the SEA Cliff area where there are some very expensive and beautiful homes. Taking the number 18 going in the other direction for bout 20 minutes will take you to Stonestown GAlleria (a nice san francisco mall) .
The N judah will take you downtown where you can connect to the F Market vintage street car to the fishermans wharf. The fishermans wharf is really very fun and a must do /see place. YOU should stop at POWELL and take the world famous cable car to the fishermans wharf and take the F Market back to the POWELL station so you dont have to wait in line for bout an hour for the cable car. While at fishermans wharf you can take a one hour tour on a fishing boat for bout ten bucks. They take you under the bridge and back. You can also take a tour on a fire engine across the bridge to sausalito and back . You could even rent one of those 3 wheel scooters and drive yourself around if you have a license. Or you can rent a bike and bike across the bridge. The shops will give you detailed directions. OR you can take a ferry to sausalito and hang around that cute town for an hour or two and take the ferry back. its very nice to get out on the bay and really is a must do unless the weather is bad.
On the way back you can stop at the POWELL bart station area and walk over to the UNION SQUARE. Which has San FRanciscos deluxe department stores and other stores and is worth visiting. Right at the end of market street is the FERRY building which has a few cute restaurants and you can walk along the pier too . Thats a nice place to catch a 30minute ferry ride to LARKSPUR LANDING. Where there is a small center with a few cafes and restaurants and cinemas. Worth doing for an afternoon. The ferry is bout 6 bucks each way and is a very nice, worth doing , scenic ride.
At market street you can also connect to tHE BART subway system. Thats where you can take the Bart to and from SFO . YOu can also take the bart to other bay area cities. I would recommend a day trip to WALNUT CREEK. Which is a deluxe and pretty , upmarket town in the East Bay. With dept stores and other stores, cafes, etc. Bart comes up on the surface on much of the East Bay so you can see a bit of scenery. Another great place for a day trip is to visit BERKELEY , the college town. There are plenty of cafes and restaurants around the UNIVERSITY of BERKELEY there. ITself worth a visit. And you can go up the Tower adn see the view around you.
The N JUdah street car also stops at 9th and IRving where you can walk a few minutes to the de Young Museum within the Golden Gate park (this park is really big and its not fun to walk its entire length from ocean beach). A ticket to the de young also allows same day visits to the Palace of legion of honor. The De YOUng also has a viewing room on the 8th floor i believe. You can see much of San Francisco from there.
I would recommend one week staying at one of the motels at the end of the N judah. And the other week I would recommend you stay at one of the many many motels in the Marina district.
you can get there by several ways. You can take the number 28 line from Stonestown (or along 19th avenue, which you can transfer to from the N Judah) and ride it till you get to the area around the marina. There you can find a lot of restaurants along Chestnut Street. A lot of nice motels (pricier then the end of the N judah but much more upmarket. Theres even a few pubs and late nite mini clubs around there. Union street parallels Chestnut street and has many fine dining places too and cafes, etc. Very nice place where the beautiful people go. Its the beginning of the super deluxe living area Pacific Heights where the old money san franciscans live. FAbulous super homes. A great area to walk around . its hillly and good exercise. the higher you go the better the view of the bay below. The Marina district is closer to the bay on the other side of the Lombard Street there.
You can visit the Palace of Fine Arts which was built in the Greek style i believe or was it Roman? The whole Marina, Pacific Heights area has enough to do for a week! You can walk down to the docks where a lot of nice yachts are parked and you can walk all the way to the Golden Gate bridge there, along Crissy Field (formerly the first place where planes could land way back when) . You will find lots of people exercising and riding bikes and what not around there. Great views, etc.
You could also walk on LOmbard Street away from the bridge and end up on the cityâs crookedest street Lombard Street (yes its the same street, but it gets real narrow around here). You can actually walk down it and back up, or turn left and end up at the fishermans wharf area again.
Bus 30 actually takes you to the fishermans wharf area from the marina district. It runs from the Palace of Fine Arts to 4th and Powell and back by way of the wharf area .
You can also visit SAn Franciscos famous Gay area at the CAstrol District . You can take the F Market from the Fishermans Wharf all the way there . The F Market runs between the fishermans wharf and the castrol area. The castrol area has a lot of nice restaurants too. And the gays wont bother non gays .
If you want to visit the hippy area of Haight Ashbury you can do so by taking the N Judah until it gets out in the light from its underground stations under Market STreet to the DOG PARK. And its a short walk to the hippie zone. The Castrol Area is also accessible by the N Judah as well.
So the thing to do is to get yourself a nice map of the city and the bay area to give yourself a good birds eye view of the city and to know in what direction is what.
And if you arrive at the beginning of the month I would recommend you get the FAST PASS (last I checked it was 45 dollars for an Adult pass good for the month) which is the MUNI monthly pass. Which you can carry with you and no longer have to pay for any rides on MUNI buses or street cars or even the cable cars. Otherwise the buses and streetcars are 1.50 good for 90 minutes (transfer to other muni is possible with this ticket) . Be sure to keep your transfer (as they call it) because they have inspectors now and then . Riding illegally can get you a stiff fine.
I think they have day passes as well and/or weeklong passes. Enquire on a MUNI bus/ streetcar.
If you are riding a streetcar, they have two cars , except the F Market line. So be sure to board the first car only as you have to pay when you board the car . Pay and get a transfer (ticket) and you have bout 90minutes to ride with your 1.50
Have fun in san francisco !!! its worth visiting. Best to come with friends as the locals are NOT particularly friendly (New YOrkers are actually friendlier) ! NO need to wear a flower in your hair !
EDIT: THE two motels at the end of the N Judah line are the OCEANVIEW MOTEL and the BEACH MOTEL . The first is bout 75/nite plus tax and the latter is 60/night plus tax. Both are nice enough. Prices have gone up a bit though. The first one you can book on their website , the second not. The Beach has a nice pub downstairs .
[quote=âtommy525â]Im living near San Francisco so I may as well chime in with some ideas. San Francisco is a fairly large cosmopolitan city and if you ask ten people to give you a list of things to do, you will get ten different lists. So this is only MY personal recommendation.
Since you mention budget type hotels you should probably stay away from the downtown areas as it gets raunchy there. What I would recommend to my friends who want to visit would be to take the N JUDAH streetcar all the way to the end of the line at OCEAN BEACH. There are 3 cheap motels there that run bout 50 to 60 / night. And they are not bad. This location is nice in that you are right at OCEAN BEACH. Which is quite scenic and within walking distance you have the CLIFF HOUSE and Golden GAte Park as well as the beach itself (dont swim there, rip tides and super cold water) and the BEach Chalet restaurant which is worth going to for breakfast and its home made beer. There is a cafe right at the end of the N Judah line thats ok. And walk a bit back towards the downtown you have a 7/11 and also a very good Japanese restaurant right at the second to the last stop (if my memory serves me).
You will be in the sUNSET district. wHICH is nice. YOu can also take the number 18 bus at the 7/11 to the Palace of the legion of honor museum ( a very nice museum to visit) and you can walk along this fabulous trail right at the cliff edge for bout an hour and see some great views of the Golden Gate bridge plus walk around the SEA Cliff area where there are some very expensive and beautiful homes. Taking the number 18 going in the other direction for bout 20 minutes will take you to Stonestown GAlleria (a nice san francisco mall) .
The N judah will take you downtown where you can connect to the F Market vintage street car to the fishermans wharf. The fishermans wharf is really very fun and a must do /see place. YOU should stop at POWELL and take the world famous cable car to the fishermans wharf and take the F Market back to the POWELL station so you dont have to wait in line for bout an hour for the cable car. While at fishermans wharf you can take a one hour tour on a fishing boat for bout ten bucks. They take you under the bridge and back. You can also take a tour on a fire engine across the bridge to sausalito and back . You could even rent one of those 3 wheel scooters and drive yourself around if you have a license. Or you can rent a bike and bike across the bridge. The shops will give you detailed directions. OR you can take a ferry to sausalito and hang around that cute town for an hour or two and take the ferry back. its very nice to get out on the bay and really is a must do unless the weather is bad.
on the way back you can stop at the POWELL bart station area and walk over to the UNION SQUARE. Which has San FRanciscos deluxe department stores and other stores and is worth visiting. Right at the end of market street is the FERRY building which has a few cute restaurants and you can walk along the pier too . Thats a nice place to catch a 30minute ferry ride to LARKSPUR LANDING. Where there is a small center with a few cafes and restaurants and cinemas. Worth doing for an afternoon. The ferry is bout 6 bucks each way and is a very nice, worth doing , scenic ride.
at market street you can also connect to tHE BART subway system. Thats where you can take the Bart to and from SFO . YOu can also take the bart to other bay area cities. I would recommend a day trip to WALNUT CREEK. Which is a deluxe and pretty , upmarket town in the East Bay. With dept stores and other stores, cafes, etc. Bart comes up on the surface on much of the East Bay so you can see a bit of scenery. Another great place for a day trip is to visit BERKELEY , the college town. There are plenty of cafes and restaurants around the UNIVERSITY of BERKELEY there. ITself worth a visit. And you can go up the Tower adn see the view around you.
The N JUdah street car also stops at 9th and IRving where you can walk a few minutes to the de Young Museum within the Golden Gate park (this park is really big and its not fun to walk its entire length from ocean beach). A ticket to the de young also allows same day visits to the Palace of legion of honor. The De YOUng also has a viewing room on the 8th floor i believe. You can see much of San Francisco from there.
I would recommend one week staying at one of the hostels at the end of the N judah. And the other week I would recommend you stay at one of the many many hostels in the Marina district.
you can get there by several ways. You can take the number 28 line from stonestown (or along 19th avenue, which you can transfer to from the N judah) and ride it till you get to the area around the marina. There you can find a lot of restaurants along Chestnut Street. A lot of nice motels (pricier then the end of the N judah but much more upmarket. Theres even a few pubs and late night mini clubs around there. Union street parallels Chestnut street and has many fine dining places too and cafes, etc. Very nice place where the beautiful people go. Its the beginning of the super deluxe living area Pacific Heights where the old money san franciscans live. FAbulous super homes. A great area to walk around . its hillly and good exercise. the higher you go the better the view of the bay below. The Marina district is closer to the bay on the other side of the Lombard Street there.
You can visit the Palace of Fine Arts which was built in the Greek style i believe or was it Roman? The whole Marina, Pacific Heights area has enough to do for a week! You can walk down to the docks where a lot of nice yachts are parked and you can walk all the way to the Golden Gate bridge there, along Crissy Field (formerly the first place where planes could land way back when) . You will find lots of people exercising and riding bikes and what not around there. Great views, etc.
you could also walk on LOmbard Street away from the bridge and end up on the cities crookedest street Lombard Street (yes its the same street, but it gets real narrow around here). You can actually walk down it and back up, or turn left and end up at the fishermans wharf area again.
Bus 30 actually takes you to the fishermans wharf area.
You can also visit SAn Franciscos famous Gay area at the CAstrol District . You can take the F Market from the Fishermans Wharf all the way there . The F Market runs between the fishermans wharf and the castrol area. The castrol area has a lot of nice restaurants too. And the gays wont bother non gays usually.
If you want to visit the hippy area you can do so by taking the N Judah tillll it gets out in the light from its underground stations under Market STreet to the DOG PARK. And its a short walk to the hippie zone. The Castrol Area is also accessible by the N Judah as well.
so the thing to do is to get yourself a nice map of the city and the bay area to give yourself a good birds eye view of the city and to know in what direction is what.
and if you arrive at the beginning of the month I would recommend you get the FAST PASS which is the MUNI monthly pass. Which you can carry with you and no longer have to pay for any rides on MUNI buses or street cars or even the cable cars. Otherwise the buses and streetcars are 1.50 good for 90 minutes (transfer to other muni is possible with this ticket) . Be sure to keep your transfer (as they call it) because they have inspectors now and then . Riding illegally can get you a stiff fine.
I think they have day passes as well and/or weeklong passes. Enquire on a MUNI bus/ streetcar.
If you are riding a streetcar, they have two cars , except the F Market line. So be sure to board the first car only as you have to pay when you board the car . Pay and get a transfer (ticket) and you have bout 90minutes to ride with your 1.50
have fun in san francisco !!! its worth visiting. Best to come with friends as the locals are NOT that friendly at all ! NO need to wear a flower in your hair ![/quote]
As an ex-San Francisco resident all I can say is that Tommy525 has just saved me alot of typing⌠
Good advice and travel tips I sent my family on 95% of his recommended day expeditions while I was attending a Trade show.
Nice work, Tommy525 - that sums up the whole area nicely. SillyBunnie, San Fran has some of the best food anywhere. Eat yourself silly!
Thanks to you all for the great input!
I got my tickets today and I will be there in 10 days. San Fran, here I come ~
When in chinatown, dont miss the âhouse of Nankingâ chinese restaurant on Broadway I think which is the edge of Chinatown. Youâll see alot of white guys standing in line outside.
Reminds me of the joke (with some truth in it) that in San Francisco out of every four guys , one is White, one is Asian, one is Black and the other is Gay. Asians often remark that there are sooo many Asians around that they are not sure they are in America, could almost be in Singapore? haha.
And Asians do seem to all end up going to Chinatown, although I wouldve thought, why bother if they are coming from Asia ?? But i dont think any Asians miss out on Chinatown though.
Oh and if one is able to drive and knows the area already and/or is confident to drive in America. Then a few places are certainly a must go. Twin Peaks in the city for the panoramic city views. Marin Headlands across the Golden Gate bridge for a fantastic view of the Golden Gate bridge. Mt Tamalpais (mt tam to the locals) for its great overall views of the area from 2500 feet up. Drive up to the top, pay the six buck self toll for parking and walk bout 15 minutes to the ranger tower on the very top. Mt Diablo in the east bay is certainly worth going too. Its the highest mountain in the area (nearly 4000feet, similar to seven star mountain in taipei). And its often so windy up there it feels way higher. From there on a clear day you can see Half Dome in Yosemite over 200 miles away. And see bout 1/3 of california.
Then I would strongly recommend a day trip to NAPA to visit a few of the wineries (personal favs: Robert MOndavi , 25bucks a head, and the Chandon champagne house near by with its 15 bucks a head tour). And two overnighters I would strongly recommend is Lake Tahoe to see the majestic high mountain scenery and the very beautiful lake itself. LIke a giant Sun Moon Lake. Hotels there are a real bargain!! And also MOnterey to visit that very quaint seaside town with its world famous aquarium. And a further drive along the beautiful coast to Carmel bout ten miles further south is really nice. The beautiful white sand beach there is super. Still too cold to swim though without a wetsuit. HOtels can be had for 80 to 100 a night. The drive along highway one down there and back is worth it in itself ! Yosemite is worth going if you are willing to go camping as the one hotel there is very expensive at about 500 dollars a night and its hard to get a reservation.
When in Berkeley drive up the hills around Berkeley (Berkeley hills) for a great view of the bay where all 3 bridges can be seen. The Richmond San RAphael, the Golden Gate and the Bay Bridge.
I forgot to mention that when in the city the 28 bus also stops at the Golden Gate bridge where you can walk all the way across in about 45 minutes and a great many people do once in their lives . Walk across to the other side and back . Its a little scary on the bridge as its about 270 feet high from the walkway and it shakes a little bit. Or you could walk just half way and back.
[quote=âsillyBunnieâ]
Thanks to you all for the great input!
I got my tickets today and I will be there in 10 days. San Fran, here I come ~[/quote]
wishing you a pleasant journey !! oh you mentioned hitchhiking? NOT legal and DONT DO IT.
San Francisco is not safe like Taipei is !! Be careful of your surroundings. There are many places in the city that are not safe to go to (stick to the tourist areas) and there are many towns around the bay that are not safe, like Oakland and Richmond (the town, not the Richmond district of the city which is nice). IN San FRancisco you do have to be careful and dont look like a victim or you could become one.
Oh and bring two credit cards and have most of your money in 100 dollar travellers checks (easy to cash at banks around). And be prepared to surrender your belongings if you get mugged (not worth getting hurt for your stuff). Dont bring a few thousand dollars IN CASH, like a friend did and put it in her backpack !!! And a good friend of mine just got his roll of 4000 dollars in cash taken from him in a Las Vegas hotel by a pickpocket (and I had cautioned him to turn that into travellers checks).
I would suggest having bout 200 in cash with youi. Another 300 or so in Travellers checks. And two credit cards. Many credit cards can be used to get cash at ATMs, but just in case you cant, Having some cash and travellers checks are good as you WILL need cash. By the way, American Express is the worst card to have here (believe it or not) as most merchants wont take it. Visa and Mastercard is the way to go in the USA. And if you want to change any foreign currency into US dollars, do it at the airport before you get on the plane for the best rates. Do it in TAiwan before you get on the plane or at arrival in San Francisco (not as good rates) . Because its very hard to change foreign currency otherwise, except at American Express banks (rare) .
sillyBunny,
Whenever I go to SF, I like to spend at least a day in Sausalito. Its an artist community just across the bay⌠you can take a ferry over. Its a great place to walk around and visit the shops and galleries and grab some good food and good brews.
I also like visiting the Muir Woods. Its a lovely place to hike and breathe fresh air⌠or take a 棎ć澴⌠There are several tours that go out to the woods⌠or if you have a car, even better.
Have a great trip!
When I lived in Marin County as a teenager, one of my favorite places to go was Wildcat beach in the Point Reyes National Seashore.
My parents would drop me off on a Friday afternoon at the Palomarin trailhead, and then Iâd pack in about six miles over the coastal range. All scrub, Douglas firs, some Redwoods and a fantastically beautiful hike. Once down the other side you stumble onto this incredible meadow overlooking the Pacific about 30 very steep feet off the beach. The best part about this place other than being very remote (only saw one other person in the 20-odd times camping there) is that a mile south of the meadow is Alamere fallsâŚa 40 foot waterfall that drops right into the ocean. You could pitch your tent right at the adge of the meadow, and wake up with the Pacific filling your entire field of vision.
Amazing place 
Just be careful where you stepâŚ
[quote]Woman Gives Birth, Abandons Baby On SF Sidewalk
(CBS 5 / AP / BCN)
SAN FRANCISCO A San Francisco woman who allegedly walked away from her baby boy after giving birth to him on a street corner was arrested on suspicion of child endangerment and neglect, police said.
Nadine Matthews gave birth on the sidewalk Sunday night, then walked away pretending that it never happened, said SFPD Capt. Al Casciato.
A security guard called 911 after seeing the woman give birth on 5th and Stevenson streets. When an ambulance arrived, a 5-pound, 12-ounce baby boy was found alive and kicking, but his mother was nowhere to be found, said Casciato.
Officers found Matthews, 33, who has no known local address, about two blocks away and covered in blood.
âShe denied having a baby, but her clothing was soaked in blood,â Casciato said.
The baby was taken to San Francisco General Hospital and placed in the custody of Child Protective Services. The boy did not appear to be injured and was listed in good condition, police said.
Police had to restrain Matthews, who exhibited psychotic behavior and appeared to be suffering from mental illness, said Casciato. He observed that the sidewalk birth was, in a way, probably âthe best thing that could have happened to that child.â
The scenario was reminiscent of a March 9 birth that occurred on an Oakland sidewalk, authorities said.