bubbles76

Please let me know if you feel the Wok Wiz tour in Chinatown would be fun for a teenage girl? I heard to do Alcatraz only if we had lots of time and she was dying to see it? Do you agree with that? Any other suggestions?? Thanks so much!

LoveItaly

Hello bubbles, every teenager I have ever known has enjoyed touring Alcatraz. Has your teen expressed an interest in Alcatraz. Also, teens always seem to enjoy leisurely going through ChinaTown (don't just stay on Grant). I have never taken the WokWiz tour so I don't know if your teen would enjoy that or not. Teenage girls I have known always want to spend time shopping in SF. Teens like adults have such varied interest. I would suggest you have this young lady do some research on the computer (assuming she has one of course) so that she can help you plan your time in SF.

beth_fitz

She may enjoy going to the Exploratorium. It has appeal to all ages.

TrvlMaven

Urban Outfitters on Powell near market.

NewbE

I disagree with that Alcatraz advice, Bubbles, I've never heard of anyone who didn't enjoy it; if nothing else, the boat ride over is fun. I hope you include it on your itinerary.

Agree that you should budget time for shopping; many teenagers would like Chinatown because of the plethora of tiny little shops selling all sorts of inexpensive asian-style gewgaws. Urban Outfitters, if there isn't one near you, is also a good choice. Maybe Niketown?

Haven't done the Wok Wiz tour, so can't say about that.

Good luck!

ltt

i think alcatraz is a great place to visit for all ages. as mentioned, you get the boat ride and the interesting destination. if you're daughter is not familiar with it, have her check the history on the web and "escape from alcatraz" is an older movie but might be worth watching before hand.

dmlove

Urban Outfitters is a cool store, but it's just one of many in the Union Square area. If shopping is on your agenda, just make a day of it in Union Square (H&M, Forever 21, Urban Outfitters, Macys, Saks, Nordstrom, Bloomingdale's -- they're all within a couple of blocks of each other along with many many others, but since I don't know where you're coming FROM, I have no idea whether any of this will be of interest. If you're coming from NY or LA, likely not!!)

1JAR

I don;t know much about kids let alone teens however I did Wok Wiz tour and thought it was great to learn of architure and cultural things one just can;t know walking around.

Also within walking distance of Union Square is Virgin music store and an Apple store both with tons of kids. Surely if a shopper will like speding time at Westfield (I think) downtown mall and Nordstrom at downtown mall has a fabulous Day Spa..maybe Mtr Dtr day?

bubbles76

Thanks to all---we had decided not to do Alcatraz--she wasn't interested at all. Taking the ferry to Sausalito will give us the great boat ride, I guess. But, I will have her check Alcatraz out online and maybe she will change her mind. All the stores mentioned are 15-20 minutes away from us, but we will definitely go for the Chinatown shops they love to putter in! Is there anyplace like Canal Street in New York there in San Francisco? Thanks!

dmlove

bubbles76, where are you staying?

Nevisian

check out Pier 39, Ghirradelli Square, the international muni street cars, ..what's playing at the Geary or the Curran theaters or the Golden Gate and Warfield, The S.F. Zoo, Lands End, the weekend market at the Embarcadero, Union Sq., Fisherman's Wharf, the Exploratorium, S.F. Duck Tours (amphibious vehicles), Take BART to Oakland, Orinda, Walnut Creek, or other outlying city for the day (round trips - "excusion fares" - are cheap).

Sara

Does she like to ride a bike? I rented a bike from Blazing Saddles on Fisherman's Wharf, rode along the beautiful bike path that runs all along the waterfront to the Golden Gate Bridge, biked over the bridge (and what amazing views there are from up there!), rode down the hill to Sausalito, had fun poking in the shops there, then took the ferry back to SF. If I'd gotten an earlier start and not dawdled so much along the way - I kept stopping to take pictures - I would've eaten lunch in Sausalito as well. That was a really fun and amazing experience, I highly recommend it. I'm not exactly in top athletic shape (to put it mildly), but I had no trouble doing this ride - I did have to walk my bike partway up the hill to the bridge, but that wasn't all that far.

You can also rent bikes and ride through Golden Gate Park.

dmlove

Take BART to Oakland, Orinda, Walnut Creek, or other outlying city for the day (round trips - "excusion fares" - are cheap).

I would agree with this in a very limited fashion -- that is, maybe go to Rockridge in Oakland (funky neighborhood, lots of good restaurants and shops to poke around), or to Berkeley. But Orinda? It's a suburb -- why would anyone want to go there on their vacation? Likewise, Walnut Creek, which does have outstanding shopping, but no different from what is in downtown San Francisco. Also, I'd double-check the BART fares; I couldn't find any of the aforementioned excursion fares on the BART website.

FainaAgain

There was an excursion fare if you board and then come back to the same station. $2.60, then $3.65 if I remember the numbers. It was disconnected, I believe.

FainaAgain

I meant to say "discontinued" sorry

mommybryant

Sara,

That bike ride sounds like fun. We are going the first week of June. Can you tell me about how long it took to ride leisurely as you did from Fisherman's Wharf over the bridge to Sausalito? What was the cost?? We are probably as out of practice bike riding as you said you were, but would love to do this if we had the time. Also, what is the fare to take the bikes on the ferry?? Thanks for your help.

Sara

I'm trying to remember how long it took me to do the ride - I really did take my time, stopping often to admire the view and take pictures. I spent quite awhile at the Wave Organ, which is really cool - you can read about it here: http://www.exploratorium.edu/visit/wave_organ.html

I also stopped at the Fort Point Visitor's Center, bought a sandwich, and sat outside to eat lunch before crossing the bridge, since I'd dilly-dallied so much, and I was hungry. I spent a lot of time on the bridge, too, as the views were so amazing. I'd guess that I took about three hours to ride to Sausalito, although the Blazing Saddles web site says you can do it in one to one and a half hours.

The bike rentals range from $7 - $9 per hour, depending on the bike you want, or $11 for a tandem - or $28 - $32 for the whole day ($48 for the tandem). The ferry ticket is $9, which includes your bike (they transport a lot of bikes). One nice thing they do is give you a ferry ticket when you rent the bike, which saves you from standing in line to buy a ticket at the ferry terminal. If you end up using the ticket, they add the fare to your total cost, but if you don't use it, you just give it back to them when you return the bike, at no charge.

You can find out more information from their web site: www.blazingsaddles.com.

Good luck, and have fun - I think you'll really enjoy this, if you do it.

bubbles76

I LOVE the bike ride idea---thank you so much for all of the information!