SFO ideas

[madlibs]

Heya! DH and I are taking a trip to SFO in December to go to the Colts/ Raiders game. Neither of us have been there before. I think we're going to come in Thursday night, and stay thru Monday morning. Sunday night will have to be spent in Oakland, because that's the day of the game.

Can any of you give us some pointers? Where to stay (hopefully cheaply/ close to things), or things to check out? We'd like to do some of the "tourist-y" things... Alcatraz, Golden Gate Bridge, streetcars, etc. Any suggestions would be GREATLY appreciated.

[spotty4]

Yay! SFO! Since its a Raiders game, do you intend on staying in SF or Oakland?

As for touristy stuff, definitely do the GG bridge, drive down Lombard St, and visit Alcatraz. My fiance's mom was visiting us this past summer so we took her up to do the whole Alcatraz thing. Definitely worth it. Here are some pictures from that trip: shelleypotts.com - Shelley Potts

Also, you MUST MUST go get dinner at Scoma's. Skip the touristy seafood restaurants. Scoma's is where the locals go to get AWESOME seafood. It was delectable.
http://www.scomas.com/

Have a great trip! I hope its not foggy ... :-/

[ASLhands]

Other than the touristy things, what are you interested in? I mean what do you like? If you like shopping, go to Union St in the Marina, between Vanness and Fillmore. North Beach, the Italian area is a lot of fun. The Sea Lions at fisherman's wharf are my favorite. There is also the aquarium at fisherman's wharf. Haight-Ashbury is definitely an experience. Let me know what you like to do and I can help you narrow it down. As far as places to stay... there are no cheap hotels here. I have family coming in Dec for my wedding and they are all complaining about hotels. I would look into the Holiday Inn at Fisherman's wharf. Stay away from anything "civic center" and below market st. Let me know if you had any other questions.

[madlibs]

Man... I am SO happy I posted this on here! Thank you guys so much for the help you've given and the help you're offering. I'll talk to DH about things he'd like to do, and get back to you some more. The game is the weekend of the 16th, so we have a little time to plan. I started looking at some websites last night and it got me excited. DH and I never go anywhere just us, just for fun. I mean, all of our non-reving is back to visit family. I'm really not complaining about that... it's an awesome perk. But, it's REALLY great that we're finally doing something just for fun.

I would definitely like to check out the things you guys mentioned. It's so great that I can get some advice from locals! While I'm thinking of it, do you know the best place to get the tickets to go out to Alcatraz and do the tour of the island? I saw a few places online, but didn't know if there was an "official" one. Also, how is the public transporation there? (Specifically, getting from the airport to GG area...) Buses? Trains? Taxis? Are they pricey?

And, just so you guys are on the same page as me, we're planning on going out there Thursday night (December 13th) or Friday morning. We'd stay in SFO thru Saturday, so we can do the touring around there. My Dad and a couple of my brothers are flying into OAK on Saturday to go to the game with us. I guess that means we'll spend that night and Sunday night in OAK. We'll then fly out on Monday, the 17th.

Alrighty, I'll get back to you guys some more when we've narrowed plans down a bit. Thanks again!

[spotty4]

We used Alcatraz Cruises. They are the official ferry for the National Park Service, and I'm all about supporting the national parks. There are other SF Bay ferries that leave from nearby (or even same) piers, but not all of them actually make a stop at Alcatraz (just swing by and say "Look, there it is!"). Its not cheap, but I think its worth it.
Alcatraz Island - Plan Your Visit (U.S. National Park Service)
Alcatraz Island - Official Tickets Site - Guaranteed Lowest Price


On another note, w/ your ferry ticket you get a "free" audio tour of the island and facility. The place was packed and people milled from spot to spot like sheep as the audio tour guided them through. We were short on time (did the Angel Island tour, too) so we just walked through ourselves. Granted we didn't learn ALL the natural history we could have, it was nice to move at our own pace and go where everyone else was NOT! If I go back another time, I will opt for the audio tour to learn what I missed.

[ASLhands]

The alcatraz audio tour is award winning and SO worth it. I think it actually costs an extra $7, though. We usually use Blue and Gold Fleet to buy tickets. They changed some of the rules and where you pick the ticket up from recently. The easiest way is to go and pick up your tickets at a kiosk using the credit card you reserved your ticket with.

The muni system is probably best to get to Golden Gate Bridge. It is cheapest at least. You need to get on the 28. It picks up at Chesnut and Laguna. Let me know if you need more info. It will be a FUN trip. I love San Francisco... obviously

[Amanda]

Definitely do the audio with the Alcatraz tour... without it, you are just looking at prsion cells without learning about the interesting history!

When Nick and I went to San Fran we had a blast! We decidd to do one of the bus tours and it was soooo worth it since we got to see a little bit of everything first, then decide where we wanted to go back to see the next day.

We were extremely lucky with our hotel. We were at a small "boutique" type place called the Chancellor. It was right off a trolley stop on Union Square-- right in the middle of all the excitement! We got it for about $80/night and the room was tiny but we didn't care since we were hardly there!

Chancellor Hotel on Union Square (San Francisco, CA) - Hotel Reviews - TripAdvisor

I have also been to SFO a few times for work and I always loved going to get crab at the Wharf- yum!!! Especially when I lived in AZ and couldn't get fresh seafood. HAVE FUN!

[pilot j's wife]

One other pointer about the alcatraz tour - make sure you book in advance. They do sell out.

Public transportation is really good in the bay area - good in the sense that you can get ANYWHERE via public transportation. MUNI is the system that is within the city of SF - while BART goes to the east bay. MUNI can be a little grungy and slow - but it will get you there and many routes run 24/7. I think it's still $1.25 and then you can use the same transfer for 2 hrs after (or longe if they don't check) It is mostly busses and some street cars. You might consider getting a multi-day pass (I think they sell 3 day passes). BART will take you into Oakland. It also runs to the SFO airport.

In terms of airport ground transportation, a super shuttle is not a bad idea for a van ride directly to your hotel - but BART will take you into the city cheaper (but you might have to walk a bit from the bart stop to your hotel, depending on where you stay). There is also a great bus system called Golden Gate Transit that runs to the north (even as far as Napa & Sonoma) It's a bit more pricey, but comfy charter-style buses.

I'd recomend checking out China town & Union Square shopping (they are in close proximity) and also maybe have a drink at the Tonga room in the Fairmount or at the Top of the Mark. I second the SCOMAs recomendation and also recomend Thep Phenom if you like Thai food.

Enjoy!!!

This is a great time of year to be in SF.

[spotty4]

Yes! Get to Union Square! It will be a-buzz w/ the holiday shoppers, plus it will look gorgeous w/ the Christmas tree at its center. Nieman Marcus (on one of the corners right off the square) always has a giant, spectacular tree, too.

[christykay]

When we travel to SFO we stay here:

Bay Landing Hotel

The staff is aboslutely amazing. We do a lot of traveling and I can honestly say that I have never had better service in a hotel. They also offer a free shuttle to and from the airport and when you plan on venturing to the heart of SFO I would probably take BART. (If you weren't planning on getting a car).

The temperature in SFO is always a bit cool, but in December it will be pretty chilly. Keep this in mind especially if you are planning an Alcatraz tour. (gee- I sound like a MOM don't I?)

I echo what everyone else has said, Fisherman's Wharf, The Piers, Union Square. Ghiradelli Square is a fun place with of course fabulous chocolate.

Have Fun.