Stay at one of the 3 HI Hostels in San Francisco http://www.hihostels.com/dba/Hostels-San-Francisco-list.php?lang=E&city=US|0059&linkid=988000&linksubid=Sanfran&gclid=CKOt5InUmbICFWHZQgod3GQAXw
Take the Amtrak bus over to Emeryville and take a San Joaquin train south to a place you can rent a car at a more reasonable cost.
You can walk across the GG bridge. There is a new visitor center in SF. Go there before you pay for a single ride on a cable car. There is a pass.

Thanks for the Hostel suggestion, but there is NO way the BF would go for that!

As for the car, San Joaquin?!?!?!? that is a bit far and i would think it would cost us as much to get down there than pay the taxes. Thanks for the suggestion though.

I guess I wanted to know more along the lines of - is it cheaper to rent a car in Oakland? Sausalito? Somewhere close by (that we could take a taxi to or get the rental car to pick us up..) Or is it more reasonable to suck it up and deal with the 15% taxes?

I now see that the hoste does offer a individual room, thanks for the suggestion, not sure it's a very competitive rate, but certainly worth checking into. Thanks again.

First, you do not need or want a car IN San Francisco. The cost of parking is prohibitive at most hotels. There are a few with free parking, but the vast majority charge around $40 and up per day. Use public transit and/or walk. Easy to do.

Rent the car the morning you are leaving the city. Renting a car in the city is far cheaper than renting at the airport. Dollar Car rental has no fee, one way rentals meaning you can pick it up in the city and return it to the airport without a hefty fee. They are located in Union Square on O'Farrell St and also have a location at Fisherman's Wharf.

What is your price range for hotel?

I always recommend The Mosser hotel. Great location with small but very clean rooms. They have some rooms with private, in room bathrooms and some with hall baths. The hall baths are very clean and are well maintained.

themosser.com

Here are some ideas for alternatives to Fisherman's Wharf.

http://www.fodors.com/community/united-states/san-francisco---stu-dudleys-recommendations.cfm

Stu Dudley

The San Joaquin is the name of the route the train takes. Not sure if you would save any money that way plus the places the San Joaquin stops may not have handy car rental outlets. For example, the train stops in Stockton, which is on the way to Angels Camp, but the station is in a bad part of town and not sure what kind of car rental agencies, if any are there.. Bite the bullet and do as Deb suggests and rent the car relight as you are leaving SF.

Nice time of year to be heading to Angel's Camp: the wine grape harvest will be going on, colors will be starting in the higher elevations. Are you going to Yosemite? Beautiful time of year.

Thanks for the clarification Michelle.

We don't plan to spend long in SF. We are not "city oriented" people (and live within a hour of NYC so we get our fill),however, that said, I think we would be stupid to not check out SF. Our flight comes into SFO at 1130 wednesday, so we were planning on spending wednesday afternoon/evening in SF and possibly thursday if we like what we see, and probably getting a hotel outside the city on thursday (location TBD). Our timeshare starting friday at 4pm in angels camp.

@DebitNM, our price range for hotel is less than $150. requirements: clean, good neighborhood, close to what we want to see (especially if we don't rent a car till thursday).

Thanks so much for the suggestions!!!

And, yes, our BIG destination is Yosemite while we are in Angels Camp (if you have any other recommendations about that, please share, or I could start a new thread). After our timeshare, we have another 4 days in which the BF would like to drive up north and explore. We have no reservations and were just going to shoot from the hip. We have several recommendations for visiting Lake Tahoe, and also the highway along the pacific. We fly home on Wednesday the 17th.

The Mosser bits your requirements. Unless you are going during convention, you should find a room there that will work well for you.

Fits, not bits...

The bad news: The Amtrak bus leaves San Francisco about 4:45AM and goes to Stockton (2.5 hours) then you have a 35 minute trip on the Amtrak San Joaquin to Modesto which is the closest to Angels Camp (36 miles). http://www.budget.com/budgetWeb/locationsearch/locationBrowse.ex?location=MD7
Budget and perhaps Enterprise will pick you up at the train station in Modesto shortly after 8AM.
Amtrak also has a deal with the YARTS bus out of Merced to go to Curry Village in Yosemite.

tomfuller, for pity's sake, leave off with the Amtrak! Even you have to see it was never a good idea, even if the timing had worked. Honestly, these recommendations for tourists on tight schedules to waste their time taking Amtrak hither and yon are on my last nerve!

You could spend both Wed. And Thu in SF. Leave SF by noon to head to Angels Camp, that way you are ahead of any traffic and get there inplentyof time. Murphys is a cute town with shops and tasting rooms. After AC, you could go to Lake Tahoe or head over to the cast to check out Monterey and Carmel area.

One way to save a lot of money on your car rental is to rent from the Avis located in the Sears Automotive dept. in San Bruno. You would take BART from the airport just one stop and walk to the store, which is located right behind the San Bruno BART Station in Tanforan Shopping Center. This location won't have the extended hours of an airport facility (it's probably like 9-5, you should definitely check the hours) and it won't stock a bunch of different kinds of vehicles -- but check the rates on avis.com for this location and compare with airport and downtown rates to see how much you would save.

Hotel rates across the board seem pretty high in SF throughout Oct. Since you're not that keen on the city anyway and you basically just want to see a few things within a day or two, maybe stay outside SF and drive in to the things you wish to see/do. In Pacifica there's a motel right on the surf at Rockaway Beach called the Sea Breeze Motel. It's like something leftover from the 50s but it's cheap and would work for a night or two. And in Berkeley there is a La Quinta near downtown on University Ave --- it usually has good rates.

I'm curious as to why Japantown is on your list of 3 things to see in San Francisco. It is so un-sightly that there is a move to plow it under & start over again.

"No Comment" from me about the Wharf - I've spent too much time on that soap box.

If you don't like "big cities" - get out in the neighborhoods & explore them (see my previous link).

Stu Dudley

Try Fox Car Rentals. I'm going to p/u at OAK 10/31 and return at LAX 11/11.

Best price at Hotwire: $1194 (pre-paid and nonrefundable)

Fox: $450 !!! (This includes a $24 saving because I signed up as a corporate member.) And no need to pre-pay. CRAZY!

FYI, I need the car in SF --not in the city itself, but because I'll be visiting friends in San Rafael and Novato, and will be needing to carry large items with me to some business in SF. I also like being able to drive out to Muir Woods and Muir Beach.

I'll choose a budget hotel that includes free parking. (Cow Hollow; Travelodge Presidio, etc ...)

Have you used Fox before? I have heard some less than good things about them.

A less costly option is to fly into oakland, p/u rental car and dre to Oaklnad's Waterfront Hotel. They have 109. per night rates on website. From there take Oakland ferry to San Fran Ferry terminal (saves on parking, pain of driving over bridge, getting lost, etc.)and then take public transport from there.


http://www.jdvhotels.com/hotels/sanfranciscoeastbay/waterfront

I've never had a problem when I rented with Fox in Los Angeles. And even if I had -- for $750 I think I'd take my chances!

Public transportation is great in SF, but I've never had any problem driving there with my portable GPS.

1JAR -- The hotel looks very nice, but I don't want to stay in Oakland. I love being able to wake up and go for a stroll in the Marina to the waterfront; watch the dogs play on the beach with the Golden Gate Bridge as a backdrop; walk to restaurants in the Marina area, etc ... and as I mentioned I have to carry heavy items on my work days in SF. I hate the idea of having to take a ferry and public transportation every time I want to go anywhere--and again to get back at night. But I'm sure it would work for some people.

With Hotwire I can get the Travelodge Presidio for $110/night -- including free parking, WiFi, and breakfast. (Yes, many times you can figure out which hotel you'll get with Priceline and Hotwire. In this instance, it's the only 2-1/2 star hotel in that zone--and all the amenities match.)

Cow Hollow Motor Inn is $140 with the same amenities. They're not 4-star, but they're fine for me and I love the location and being right in the heart of things w/o taking a ferry.

@bluestar, thanks a bunch for turning me onto San Bruno. Car rentals are a good price, and EASY there! And, there are several hotels there that are close by the airport for the night before our return flight.

Question: October 3rd (specifically) in downtown SF is almost totally booked (for reasonable rates). Not a big dea, we don't staying outside downtown but what the heck is going on???

we are considering staying near Sausalito and taking the ferry over - thoughts?

Another option - not involving Amtrak: Fly to Sacramento SMF and rent your car there. I love the easy access to I-5 and I-80 from that airport.
I've had enough trouble with Fox that I will not suggest them for anyone.

Songdoc...just for the record I was addressing the OP who seems interested in low cost options....

"We are not opposed to traveling a little to get a good deal.."

I seriously doubt if you could find anything for $150 in sauslito and not sure what you mean by NEAR SAUSALITO. there really isn't anythng near sausalito. One would have to have a car to get to sausalito or to the city to take the ferry to sausalito..Also wonder why JAPANTOWN. It isn't a destination unless you are Japanese and perhaps that is the case and even if that is the case, there isn't anything there really.

below

STAY IN SAN FRANCISCO - PERIOD - NO DEBATE. NOTHING COMPARES TO THE CITY. SF IS SMALL - NOT LIKE NYC.

Stu Dudley

I must be the only person in the world who has a soft spot for Japantown. I don't recommend going there, but the whole reason it exists is an interesting part of San Francisco history, a throwback to the days when Little Italy, Chinatown and other ethnic neighborhoods were really very distinct and different in SF. It used to be that most of the restaurants in Japantown served yakitori because Americans had yet to hear of sushi and probably would have been scared to try it.

Lots of things in San Francisco that are now popular tourist destinations are places where they actually did plow under the existing history to create something more trendy. I kind of like pokey old ridiculous Japantown for not being cool.

I agree with Stu. SF is not like NYC, so you may want to spend some more time there at the end of your trip.

b_g - Glad the car rental place will work for you - yes it's easy and will save you hundreds of dollars (up to $700 by my calculations) for a 2 week rental.

<<Question: October 3rd (specifically) in downtown SF is almost totally booked (for reasonable rates). Not a big dea, we don't staying outside downtown but what the heck is going on???>>

Fleet Week is Oct 4-8 and draws about a million people. http://www.facebook.com/FleetWeek There are probably some conferences happening too. The Mosser Hotel http://www.themosser.com/ (mentioned above, nice place, great location downtown) still has a queen/shared bath room avail. on the 3rd & 4th for $149/nt -- w/tx total would be about $344 for 2 nights. I don't know about their parking arrangement but there is the 5th & Mission garage 5th and Mission garage www.fifthandmission.com/ just a block away. I don't think you can do much better than this if you want to stay in a good location in the city (or even someplace in Marin County, where Sausalito is located). If nothing else pans out, I'd jump on it now while there is still availability.

Dollar has $234 a week for a compact for Oct 3 -17th. Pick up at O'Farrell St and return to SFO. It is far less to rent for the full 2 weeks, than to wait a day or 2 to get the car. Even with having to pay parking, it is less.

Personally, I would grab that Queen room at the Mosser and the rental from Dollar - NOW. Neither will last.

DebitNM, the Avis location I suggested prices-out at $422 (inclusive of taxes/fees) for a compact during the OP's two-week period. It's super close and convienient to SFO and they plan to stay near the airport upon returning from their journey anyway.

Just presenting another option.

Rates at the Hertz locations on 10th street or on outer Geary Street start at about $300 for the 14 days. Not sure how close they'll be to your hotel but they do offer a pickup service if needed, or they'll pay for your taxi usually. Use 62455 as your CDP discount code if you don't have AAA. It's a frequent flyer discount code, no I.D. needed since anyone can join any airline's FF club for free online.

www.columbusmotorinn.com

See the highlights you mention, but stay in a neighborhood, of which you'll have a taste as you come and go. You can try to see if B&Bs in Noe Valley (easy transportation to downtown)are within your price range.

Columbus Motor Inn is well over $225 on the nights needed.

The Hertz quote clarkgriswold suggested is extremely good. You could walk to the 10th/Folsom location from Civic Center Bart.

Agree totally with Stu, our esteemed Fodrite SF expert: however I have been living/traveling to/fr SF/Oakland for years now and Oakland-Waterfront-Hotel- Ferry to SF as a back up when costs get too high/availability too low...

Hope OP appreciates the significant volunteer Foderite effort to assist with low cost options & has a great time in SF.

I think "Fodorites" make this "effort" for their own pleasure -- or at least their own reasons, They may get more out of it, night after night, than travelers, but so be it.

The Mosser is showing sold-out now for the 3rd, so you can scratch that. (They still show availability for the 4th though.)

I guess if you you were interested in staying there on the 3rd it wouldn't hurt to call them to verify that there are no rooms.

Thank you so much for all your suggestions! I have LOTS of homework to do!!!

Actually Columbus Motor Inn has no availability that night. I would book their sister hotel The Chelsea Motor Inn. Not as great a location as the Columbus but perfectly fine, especially on a night where everything is booking up FAST. Reserve the Chelsea, you can always continue to browse around for something a bit better but won't have to worry that you won't find anything. Just cancel the Chelsea if you find something else, but don't wait much longer. $185 includes parking

As the recent posts indicate, rooms are going fast and the longer you wait, the less choice you will have and will pay more for a room. This is a VERY busy time in SF; she who hesitates...

Update - we got the car rental through Enterprise. I get a USAA discount and we got a good price. They will also drop us off at our hotel at the end of our rental. So we are set there.

I see SF is going to be more crowded than usual our arrival week with the "fleet week" events. We are considering staying north of the city and perhaps just avoiding it. I would like to see Point Reyes. Any thoughts on that? How complicated is it to get into SF via the ferry if we choose to? Any thoughts on taking the ferry into SF thursday morning and spending a few hours in the city on foot?

Another Update!
Booked a hotel for October 3 - 1 night
SEAL ROCK INN
545 Point Lobos Avenue
San Francisco, CA 94121

No credit card info taken, reservation made. need to call if we will arrive after 3pm. Can anyone provide any information in this hotel?

I didn't realize that the week of Oct 3 is not only fleet week, but also the Oracle Convention. I did see a few rooms available down town, but with all that activity, it seemed like a more low key seaside place would be nice and we can take a cab into town. Thoughts please.

Just so you're clear, a cab from the Seal Rock Inn to downtown Or Fisherman's Wharf will cost about $25.00 and take about 45 minutes.

On the other hand, it's near the Cliff House, Land's End and Golden Gate Park.

You will get to see a very different side of The City, not at all like NYC. Took my husband out that way soon after we were married. He didn't even know this area of SF existed and he had been to SF many, many times growing up.

I do realize that downtown will be a hike...we may skip downtown SF with all the craziness.

We are then thinking about heading south to near Monterey Thursday afternoon, and do a quickie visit of Pinnacles NP Friday morning before driving out to Angels Camp Friday afternoon.

edit to last post - skip downtown SF until the 16th on our way back. 17th is our flight.