Originally Posted By tashajilek So, im thinking about booking a trip to San fran from October the 5-9th and i need advice on almost everything. I have never been there and dont know a lot of what to do and where to go. Is the weather good that time of year? what are some funky restaurants/bars to visit? are there any good ones on the Wharf? Any really neat touristy things to do? I was planning on Alcartraz for sure and got a tip to do it in the evening which makes it creepier. Any tips would be wonderful and appreciated!
Originally Posted By tashajilek Oops, i meant to say that i am planning on going from October the 6th and leaving on the 9th which will give us 3 full days. I would like more time, but this is all we can do.
Originally Posted By DyGDisney Sept through Oct are generally good times to go to SF, but layering is always necessary in the City. I have gone to Pier 39 so many times I'm tired of it, but it is a touristy place to go if you like to shop and it is right next to Pier 41 where you catch the ferry to Alcatraz. I don't care for seafood, but we love the Boudin Bakery cafe at Pier 39 for breadbowls and sandwiches. Do ride the cable cars. If you've never been it's a must do and worth the wait. If you will have a car, take a drive through the Presidio. It is beautiful, and there are some great views of the ocean. It's especially pretty at sunset. There is a Disney museum housed there as well. Walk across the Golden Gate Bridge if you get a chance. People travel from all over to see it so it's an opportunity not to be missed. Golden Gate Park is a huge area in SF with lots of things to do. The awesome CA Academy of Sciences is there, as well as the DeYoung museum. There is a Japanese garden there which is at it's prettiest in the spring, so you may want to skip it, but it is pretty all year. If you get a chance to catch a show, do! It's a unique experience to go to the theater in SF...perhaps not as awesome as on Broadway, but pretty darn close!
Originally Posted By tashajilek Thanks for the advice! We love Seafood, so any oppertunity for seafood is great. I forgot about the bakery, so we would check that out. "I have gone to Pier 39 so many times I'm tired of it, but it is a touristy place to go if you like to shop and it is right next to Pier 41 where you catch the ferry to Alcatraz." How many Piers are there? "There is a Japanese garden there which is at it's prettiest in the spring, so you may want to skip it, but it is pretty all year." Thats something i would be interested in seeing for sure.
Originally Posted By DyGDisney If you go to Golden Gate Park, which you really should, there is also a Buffalo Paddock there. If you've never seen Buffalo you should check it out. I don't know how many piers there are, but most of them do not have tourist attractions. The ferry leaves either pier 41 or pier 1 and goes to Tiburon or Vallejo. Tiburon is a beautiful little town, so if you want to escape the city for a bit, you could take the ferry there. Fisherman's wharf has great seafood restaurants (I've been told), and is close to pier's 41 and 39. There are also a lot of tourist shops in that area, as well as the wax museum and the Ripley's Believe it or Not. I've never visited either of those myself. Oh, there is also a Rainforest Cafe in the area, if you like that. A bit further down is Ghiradelli Square...the piers, Fisherman's Wharf and Ghiradelli Square are all within walking distance of eachother. Ghiradelli Square is the beginning/end of the cable car line. There is a ghiradelli ice cream shop there, which can develop huge lines, but has great ice cream. The old Cannery is also in that area. Are you visiting with kids?
Originally Posted By DyGDisney BTW, if you were to go to Tiburon on the ferry, there is a wonderful Mexican restaurant right there on the bay called Guaymas. It's so yummy, and much more traditional than many mexican places around.
Originally Posted By DyGDisney I forgot to mention one of our favorite restaurants in SF --- The Daily Grill. It is near the Union Square area. Union Square is a great place to go if you like to shop because all of the big stores are there, including Neiman Marcus. Plus, it's near the huge mall.
Originally Posted By tashajilek We are just two Adults. It doesnt have to only be touristy things to visit, just soemthing that shouldnt be missed or unique. The most important part would probably be visiting downtown and just general sight seeing. The Fisherman's wharf and Ghiradelli Square are places we would check out for sure. Thanks for the tips, i am hoping 3 days will be enough for us.
Originally Posted By Kar2oonMan There is also a hop on/hop off double deck bus tour available. This is a great way to get to the most popular sites in the city at your own pace. <a href="http://www.allsanfranciscotours.com/body.asp?tour=SFO-B0009&page=TourDetails" target="_blank">http://www.allsanfranciscotour...rDetails</a> The weather in San Francisco in fall is usually the warmest time, warm being a relative term. As others said, dress in layers as the temperature "micro climates" can vary wildly depending on where you are in SF. >>How many Piers are there? << A lot, but most aren't open to the public, they're actually warehouses. Pier 39 is designed for visitors, lots of shops and restaurants, if you enjoy shopping its a fun stop. The Ferry Building is filled with foodie places and worth a visit. Walking around the palace of Fine Arts (a small replica of the dome is in DCA) is really pretty. The Cable Car line that runs from Ghirardelli to Union Square is the most picturesque, but the lines can be super long. If you take the California line, you can experience the cable cars with a fraction of the wait times. Be sure to pop into the cable car museum if you have time, too. There are tons of great restaurants to explore, especially in North Beach, without having to visit any of the big chain restaurants. A walk across the Golden Gate Bridge is always spectacular.
Originally Posted By Kar2oonMan The Buena Vista is where "Irish Coffee" was invented. It's almost always packed, but if you make your way past the bar there is a little annex room, with a fantastic view and tables, and it's often empty while the rest of the place is packed.
Originally Posted By Kar2oonMan Tommy's Joynt is a super funky sandwich shop/hofbrau. Fun to check out, cheap eats. <a href="http://www.tommysjoynt.com/" target="_blank">http://www.tommysjoynt.com/</a>
Originally Posted By tashajilek "The weather in San Francisco in fall is usually the warmest time, warm being a relative term. As others said, dress in layers as the temperature "micro climates" can vary wildly depending on where you are in SF" I really had no idea that SF was warmest in the fall. We live in Vancouver and October can start to be getting pretty cold. "The Ferry Building is filled with foodie places and worth a visit. Walking around the palace of Fine Arts (a small replica of the dome is in DCA) is really pretty. The Cable Car line that runs from Ghirardelli to Union Square is the most picturesque, but the lines can be super long. If you take the California line, you can experience the cable cars with a fraction of the wait times. Be sure to pop into the cable car museum if you have time, too" Thats good advice, theres no way we can miss riding the cable cars. "The Buena Vista is where "Irish Coffee" was invented. It's almost always packed, but if you make your way past the bar there is a little annex room, with a fantastic view and tables, and it's often empty while the rest of the place is packed." So weird you would mention that, we go out of our way to find Irish Coffee! Thanks for all that advice is really helps when you are going somewhere, but have no idea what you should do or what to look for.
Originally Posted By Kar2oonMan >>I really had no idea that SF was warmest in the fall.<< I say that with lots of asterisks, of course, as you really just never know around here. But usually Sept/October is Indian Summer and on the warm side.
Originally Posted By tashajilek ^^^ Thats good to know. Hopefully we will get lucky with the weather. We always like to get away anywhere from October- February because our weather stinks that time of year. Being in Orlando last Christmas and sweating was the best thing in the world! We will be at Disneyland this year for Christmas, but im sure it wont be like Orlando.
Originally Posted By DouglasDubh Drive up Market Street to Twin Peaks around sunset. Failing that, head up to Coit Tower.
Originally Posted By Schmitty Good Vibes I found Fisherman's Wharf to be just too touristy, and I haven't had a good seafood meal there in ages, but that doesn't count the fresh crab cocktails. They are terrific. I used to ba a local years ago. I'll let some of the current locals recommend a good seafood place.
Originally Posted By Dr Hans Reinhardt Hey Tasha, I'm a little late to the party, but at least I didn't miss it! Here are my suggestions for a San Francisco visit in no particular order: Visit Alcatraz (You may need reservations - check in advance) Day trip to the Wine Country (Napa instead of Sonoma is best for a first trip) The Disney Family Museum (Stroll through the Lucasfilm campus and have brunch or lunch at the nearby Presidio Social Club while you're there.) Take the F car trolley to the Castro and count how many naked people you see on the corner of Castro and Market! Check out the hipsters in the Mission on Valencia St between 14th and 19th Streets. Afterwards walk up 18th to Guerrereo and have a pastry at Tartine. After that walk one more block up to Dolores and have an ice cream at Bi-rite, then stroll down Dolores and visit the Mission San Francisco de Asis (the oldest building in San Francisco). Take a ferry or bicycle ride to Sausalito Here are some nice but casual restaurant suggestions: Bar Agricole Blowfish Sushi Wo Hing General Store Market Bar Mission Beach Café (love brunch at this place) House of Nanking (best Chinese food in Chinatown) On another note, San Francisco Fleet Week is October 4 - 8. The airshow is amazing and definately worth seeing. More info here: <a href="http://www.fleetweek.us/page_airshow.html" target="_blank">http://www.fleetweek.us/page_a...how.html</a> I think you have my email, so let me know if you need more recommendations! Have fun.
Originally Posted By tashajilek " Take the F car trolley to the Castro and count how many naked people you see on the corner of Castro and Market!" What?? seriously? oh my! Hans, thank you for the suggestions! We were going to go in a few weeks, but the prices for SF were pretty crazy. We found flights that were really cheap, but the hotels and car rentals were really high. It is our one year Anniversary and were are going back to Las Vegas to celebrate. We still really want to go to SF and i will be keeping my eye out for deals for in the future. Thank you so much for suggestions! I have saved them for when we do go
Originally Posted By RoadTrip This is second-hand, but according to my son you shouldn't be afraid to visit neighborhoods that some consider "dicey". He went to see Phish at the Fillmore West a few years back and wanted to stay at a nearby hotel to minimize cab-fare. He stayed at the Renoir which is located at Market & McAllister. Considered by many to be a "bad area", it has a park where drug users and drunks tend to congregate across the street. But he said they never gave anyone any trouble and he enjoyed his stay there.
Originally Posted By Mickeymouseclub Just saw info online about the Tonga Room, an authentic Tiki Bar. Located on Mason Street in the Fairmont Hotel. Apparently they have amazing happy hours on Wed.,Thur.,and Friday evenings. Looks FUN.
