Must see in San Francisco??

Hi everyone

My son will be in San Francisco on business at the beginning of December.Looks like he'll have one (possibly 2) free days, to see the sights. What are the "must see" places & any tips on the best way to get to see them?

Many thanks

Golden gate bridge, wine country, Muir woods, Alcatraz.

Be sure to ride the Cable Cars. Great fun ! We rode the Hyde-Powell line from Fishermans Wharf.

I would take the hop on hop off motor vehicle that looks like a cable car. You can get it at Fisherman's Wharf. It's one of several ways to get an introduction to the city. Before or after it's fun to walk around Fisherman's Wharf and Pier 39.

I would visit Alcatraz and it's best to purchase tickets ahead of time. Afterwards (if he does the morning tour) he should stop off at the Ferry Building and have lunch there.

Take a cable car.

Walk some of the areas such as Chinatown, and Little Italy.

There are many other things to do and see but he shouldn't plan every minute either.

Keith

Yes I forgot the Fishermans wharf, great places to eat.

In addition to above:

Climb to the top of Coit Tower for a great view.

Visit the shops and restaurants in the old Ferry Building.

Walk across the Golden Gate Bridge.

Visit Fort Point historical site.

Have fresh crab at Fisherman's Wharf.

Visit Golden Gate Park and especially the De Young (art) Museum and the new California Academy of Sciences.

Little Italy in San Francisco = North Beach.

Not sure what his interests are or where he is staying, but he must check out Union Square.

The Macy's window displays will have the most adorable puppies and kittens up for adoption. The ice skating rink in Union Square, plus the excitement of it all.

Have him check out the new Grand Hyatt on Union Square - I was just there last eve and it is a great place for a drink. Burger Bar on Union Square is great views of the square, tree, skaters, etc. Get a table by the window! This is Chef Hubert Keller's gourmet burger restaurant.

The Ferry Building is full of eateries and unique shopping.

Fisherman's Wharf is fine for what it is. If he's not seen it - well you just have to. Then go have dinner at one of our amazing restaurants - but not in that area. Overpriced and not the quality you want.

Oh - Buena Vista Cafe (near the Pier 39) is where Irish Coffees were made, it is open all day, but I recommend for breakfast. They have "community" seating so it is fun to mingle with others.

I could go on and on ... if you give me more specifics, I'm happy to provide more suggestions for our city by the bay.

Public transit is easy and who doesn't want to check out the coolest baseball stadium anywhere? OK, I realize that is up for debate ... but we did have the winning team and great photo ops with a stadium right on the water along with a statue of Willie Mays.

Hope this helps!

Thanks for all the really helpful information, my son is very grateful & looking forward to his visit.

Does anyone know of a good hotel in the financial district of San Francisco ?

Thanks for all the really helpful information, my son is very grateful & looking forward to his visit.

 

Does anyone know of a good hotel in the financial district of San Francisco ?

Financial district ... the Mandarin Oriental is lovely. I'm not sure why you select the Financial District, you will find mostly business travelers. Very sleepy at night and weekends.

Thanks Coreopsis

Its for my son who will be in San Franisco on business, hence this area! He asked me if I could get information from people who know the area as opposed to advice from Trip Advisor etc. Cruise Critic have always been invaluable to me when planning cruises so I thought advice from folks who live in San Francisco would again prove useful. We live in UK.

Thanks for replying.

Thanks Coreopsis

 

Its for my son who will be in San Franisco on business, hence this area! He asked me if I could get information from people who know the area as opposed to advice from Trip Advisor etc. Cruise Critic have always been invaluable to me when planning cruises so I thought advice from folks who live in San Francisco would again prove useful. We live in UK.

 

Thanks for replying.

Happy to help! It is very small/compact city ... so he could also stay at Embarcadero area right on the water. Here is a map - this area is all relatively flat so he can easily walk to Financial District as well. The other areas he might consider with many more hotel options:

• Union Square - Grand Hyatt, Omni (practically in Financial District)
  
• SoMa - South of Market around Yerba Buena - Westin, Palace Hotel
  
• and Embarcadero where it meets Market - right on the water, there is a Hyatt Regency - also cable cars start here, so that's also a nice bonus.
  

Depending on where he will be conducting his business, I would probably stay either at Embarcadero (great views and right across the street from Ferry Building which has plenty of eateries, open air market, etc. and fun to walk around), or Union Square which is bustling with shops, restaurants, etc.

I've only listed the big hotel chains as they will have services for business travelers that some of the boutique hotels might not. That said, my preference is to stay when I travel is the boutique hotels which often offer amenities like breakfast, reception in the evening, etc. Kimpton and Joie de Vivre are two boutique collections I highly recommend.

This is best map I could find of the area I'm discussing. This includes too much of SoMa and note that the blocks south of Market are MUCH bigger than the other side. Google directions is awesome - you can select the walking option and he can decide how long it takes to talk.

511.org is great for public transportation.

Such a nice Dad that you are getting advice for your son! I've lived in the city for 20 years - and I arrange itineraries for travel to the Bay Area - often for special needs folks. I love this city and we are "foodies" and are also very knowledgeable about the dining scene.

Speaking of - OpenTable.com is excellent resource to make dining reservations and peek at menus, and to help narrow down what kind of dining experience he might like. If he wants to feel at home - there is a nice British style pub in Financial District called the Elephant & Castle. He might enjoy popping in there.

OK, I think I've overstayed my welcome!

Hope he enjoys our city by the bay!

check out yelp for places to eat..everyone uses it. I like outerlands for a hip place on public transport...a few blocks from the beach. zazies in cole valley is also very good and casual..have a drink at the kezar bar.

he should go to valencia street between 18th and 24th...have a cup of coffee at Philz...24th and folsom..and it is part of the youth culture. if it is sunny..forget union square...go to dolores park. on the muni.

museum mechanique at fisherman's wharf..forget the rest, other than boudins bread and historic ships.

check out who is playing..at the fillmore or great american music hall...check out crissy field and ft point..can bike or take the bus or run there along the northern waterfront.

I think the haight is creepy and full of tourists and addicts. the ferry building is great.

what a young business person would like may be different than the standard tourist spots.

Thank you for your help & the brilliant map. My son was very grateful & has booked the Hyatt Regency as it seems to fit all his requirements. He's really looking forward to visiting your city.

I appreciate all the helpful replies, by the way I'm his Mum not his Dad!!!:D

Thank you for your help & the brilliant map. My son was very grateful & has booked the Hyatt Regency as it seems to fit all his requirements. He's really looking forward to visiting your city.

I appreciate all the helpful replies, by the way I'm his Mum not his Dad!!!:D

Of course! Women are better planners.

Oopsy, did I just offend half of the folks here? Oh well :eek:

One of the most interesting places i have visited recently in San Francisco was the Walt Disney Museum, located on the parade grounds at the Presidio. It is a collection of all the memorabilia that Walt himself kept and that his family is now sharing with the public.

This includes his Academy Awards, all his old drawings and original cartoons (the actual drawings and animations), including the evolution of Mickey Mouse, the original concept model for Disneyland, etc.

A wonderful place that you will take you about 2 hours to fully view.

For anyone of any age that appreciates Disney, this is a must see!

Coreopsis, seeing you design itineraries for the Bay Area, maybe you can help us! We arrive on Saturday March 16 on the Grand Princess. We will be staying at the Argonaut Hotel at Fishermans Wharf, and depart late Tuesday afternoon. We'd like to see Alcatraz, Muir Woods, Napa Valley and not sure how much more we could fit in? How should we design our itinery having 3 full days and the 4th day until flying out at 5:00pm? Is there any companies, you could recommend to us for tours? Yours or anyone else's help would be much appreciated!

Thanks

Janelle

-Fisherman's Wharf (great photo possibilities)

Buena Vista Cafe

-Ghirardelli Square

-Cable car

-Chinatown

-Union Square

-Coit Tower

-Pier 35 or Embarcadero

-Lombard Street

The first time I went a girl friend and I took a Gray LIne tour which was a great introduction to the City. Then we went back to the areas we wanted to see. If I were going now I would probably take a Hop on Hop off tour!

Absolutely the best Mexican food I have ever had. Not haute cuisine, not expensive, just great.

Palace of the Legion of Honor art museum is wonderful and worth a whole day as is the Exploratorium science museum and the lovely and peaceful Mission Dolores. Walking across the Golden Gate Bridge was fun and has a great view.

Coreopsis, seeing you design itineraries for the Bay Area, maybe you can help us! We arrive on Saturday March 16 on the Grand Princess. We will be staying at the Argonaut Hotel at Fishermans Wharf, and depart late Tuesday afternoon. We'd like to see Alcatraz, Muir Woods, Napa Valley and not sure how much more we could fit in? How should we design our itinery having 3 full days and the 4th day until flying out at 5:00pm? Is there any companies, you could recommend to us for tours? Yours or anyone else's help would be much appreciated!

 

Thanks

Janelle

Hi there - happy to help. First of all, you will be very happy at the Argonaut. So fun. I would spend Saturday enjoying Alcatraz (info to purchase tix here http://www.nps.gov/alca/planyourvisit/index.htm), Ghirardelli Square, and Pier 39. You can take the cable car (Powell-Hyde line) to Union Square area and then take the cable car back.

http://www.sfcablecar.com/routes.html . I would also include a walk to the Ferry Building - or you can take our historic trolley cars (different from cable cars) to/fro. 511.org is great for public transit planning or from Powell Street you can walk to Chinatown.

No need for a tour company day 1 - unless you really want one of those hop on/hop off buses. Which really aren't great for SF, IMHO. The cable car is half the fun!

A Bay Cruise is fun - but you will just be off a ship, so maybe land based tours.

Sunday, you could rent a car and easily do Muir Woods on your own - or hire this firm http://www.muirwoodstoursf.com/ you could do a Muir Woods/Point Reyes combined tour. I do not recommend Muir Woods and Napa tour. Stopping in Sausalito for lunch is great idea. Check out TripAdvisor reviews here

http://www.tripadvisor.com/Attraction_Review-g60713-d2441394-Reviews-Muir_Woods_Tours-San_Francisco_California.html

Monday - Napa. If you will be tasting, hiring a driver is the way to go - I generally use Mosaic Global transportation - if there are only two of you, it will be more economical to get a shared tour. I prefer the private tours, or at a minimum, small tour. The best wineries and facilities do not have accommodations for buses. It is generally 90 min each way to Napa. Which winery depends on your interests. I suggest starting at the northern most winery (Calistoga or St. Helena) and working your way south and have lunch at Domaine Chandon. Sterling is fun and you also get a tram ride. Most of the wineries have a fee for wine tasting and some require reservations. The gardens (not to mention the wine) are exquisite at Far Niente. I think 3 wineries is good target number and allows you enough time for a tour, or just a stroll in the vineyards.

You might want to spend stay overnight in Napa for the full experience, Sunday or Monday would be options. I would probably do Sunday night after Muir Woods which is on the way anyway. Then back in SF Monday eve to make airport departure easy.

Tuesday, I would take in more of the city. Start out by having breakfast at Buena Visa (the crab benedict is amazing + you must have an irish coffee, or two :) ). Then head out to Golden Gate Park, Cliff House and late lunch at Beach Chalet or Park Chalet. You could either rent a car starting at your hotel and return to the airport - or hire a driver, etc. This itinerary is a little less traveled and you see more of our nature - less hectic and a little more zen for your travel day.

Incidentally, I like to mention restaurants because, well, we are foodies :)

I tried a brand new restaurant that just opened - Hakkasan and it was amazing. I'm not usually a fan of duck, but I'm still dreaming about the duck salad. It is right off Market St downtown and even if you just pop in for a drink, it is worth the experience. Gorgeous restaurant. Open for lunch and dinner - which is handy. Not many of our fine dining restaurants are open for lunch - and I usually suggest trying them out for lunch because the check will be much smaller.

There are also some great restaurants (sour dough bread!) right at SFO - so you can grab Ghirardelli chocolate and a loaf of fresh bread on your way out. The wineries all ship wine and I tend to go for the boutique variety - and purchase things you can't get at home.

Do make restaurant reservations in advance - opentable.com is free and great resource. They also have an app for your phone.

Let me know if you need additional info! Enjoy your trip!

make reservations now...or as soon as you can. it does fill up. I would go first thing in the morning...and bring a warm coat, hat and maybe gloves. it is very cold on the bay and in the buildings there.

muir woods...if you are doing it on your own--again, first thing in the morning. go rain or shine...the trees are thick enough to hold the rain off somewhat.

the exploritorium is moving..so check the website before you plan to go there.

Don't miss the seals at Fisherman's Wharf / Pier 39.

Also, there are great old wooden ships to see at the Maritime Museum and the WWII ships Jeremiah O'brien (Liberty Ship) and USS Pampanito (submarine).

make reservations now...or as soon as you can. it does fill up. I would go first thing in the morning...and bring a warm coat, hat and maybe gloves. it is very cold on the bay and in the buildings there.

muir woods...if you are doing it on your own--again, first thing in the morning. go rain or shine...the trees are thick enough to hold the rain off somewhat.

the exploritorium is moving..so check the website before you plan to go there.

Don't miss the seals at Fisherman's Wharf / Pier 39.

 

Also, there are great old wooden ships to see at the Maritime Museum and the WWII ships Jeremiah O'brien (Liberty Ship) and USS Pampanito (submarine).

Totally agree - love the old ships. One tiny correction, CA sea lions are the creatures that entertain us at Pier 39 :)

make reservations now...or as soon as you can. it does fill up. I would go first thing in the morning...and bring a warm coat, hat and maybe gloves. it is very cold on the bay and in the buildings there.

Well, you can't make them now. You can only reserve 90 days out - so make a note in your calendar, and you will be good to go.