utahtea

Ok, this is a little embarrasing...you can ask me almost anything abou Utah and I'll probably be able to give you an answer off the top of my head but when it comes to my own back yard (San Francisco) I don't know what to tell a friend what to do with one day in the city.

So guys...help me out. How would you spend one day in SF? (By the way, this will be Saturday, Dec. 15th if that makes any difference.)

Utahtea

egret

Go to Fisherman's Wharf, go Pier 39 at Fisherman's Wharf and walk all the way to the back past the shops (you will also want to visit the shops). In the back,is lovely view of Alcatraz and an up close look at sea lions. I would recommend a trolley ride and a cruise to Alcatraz. Lombard Street, noted as "the crookedist street in the world" is a wonderful ride.

nstevey

If there's no fog, I would walk across the GG and back or go to Twin Peaks. SF has great food - I'd check chowhound.com for new restaurants. If I had a car, I'd go to Point Reyes or Bodega Bay and just wander around. There was an oil spill though, so views might be tarnished a bit.

easytraveler

If they have never been to San Francisco, then I'd suggest a half-day tour like the Grey Lines Tour, just to understand all the different neighborhoods and get quickly to the major sighseeing spots.

Then rent a car for the second half of the day and go back to the areas they liked best on their tour.

If not a tour, then rent a car and drive the 49ner Scenic Route (just follow the signs).

Having dinner somewhere in a great dining city is a terrific idea.

End the evening with Beach Blanket Babylon or a cafe on the sidewalk in Little Italy.

StuDudley

For 1 day, I certainly would not go to Fisherman's Wharf or Pier 39 - niether of these "touristy" spots are what makes this such an interesting place to live. Alcatraz will consume too much time - great for a 3 day visit but not for a 1 day.

Here is a re-post of something I wrote a while back.

Driving Tour of San Francisco

As a native San Franciscan and 33 year resident of the area (I lived in Southern Calif. for 27 years when I was young & didn’t know any better), I’ve come to realize that the thing that makes San Francisco unique and one of the top tourist destinations in the world, is The City’s majestic setting with the bay and ocean on 3 sides, its ethnic diversity, its many different neighborhoods, the “spirit” and love for The City that residents have (they certainly pay a high cost of living for the privilege of living here), and the many different “one-of-a-kind” sites and events that exist in The City. Most cities have a downtown and/or business district that is somewhat similar to San Francisco’s. You will find Macy’s, Nordstrom’s, Nike, Virgin records, etc in many cities in the world and San Francisco too, but that’s not why we choose to live here.

When I want to “show off” San Francisco to friends from elsewhere, this is the route I take them on.

Early in the Morning (9:00 or so) head out east on The Bay Bridge (Hwy 80) towards Oakland. Stay in the left most lane, and when you start to approach Treasure Island/Yerba Buena Island, exit left towards Treasure Island (only left turn once on the Bridge, but pay attention – it’s easy to miss). Follow the road until you get a fantastic view of San Francisco from a flat area with a large grassy area. Park the car & take in the view. After the view, return the same way you came & take the Bay Bridge back to San Francisco. There are some great views from the Bridge (I used to come home from work this way every workday for about 5 years).

Once back in San Francisco, take the first right off the bridge (Fremont St exit). At the end of the off ramp, turn left on to Fremont St (it’s a one-way street to the left/northwest). From Fremont, take the first right onto Howard, and then the first right onto Beale. Follow Beale southeast until it hits Bryant, and turn left on to Bryant. In two short blocks, Bryant will dead end into the beautiful Embarcadero, which runs along the San Francisco Bay. Up until the ‘89 earthquake, a freeway was perched above this lovely section of the Embarcadero, and it was not an attractive drive at all. All that changed when the freeway was demolished and The City spent a lot of money/time to spruce up this area. It’s now one of the prettiest & most scenic drives in San Francisco.

Continue north along the Embarcadero, past the recently refurbished Ferry Building on the right, and the Embarcadero Center on the left (I worked there for 2 years). As you approach the ultra touristy & tacky Pier 39 complex, turn left onto Bay St. Cross Kearny and then turn left on Stockton. Continue south for a few blocks on Stockton and turn left onto Lombard St (watch for the signs to Coit Tower). Follow Lombard up to Coit Tower where it dead ends. Find a place to park (difficult later in the day) and enjoy the views of the Bay and the City all around you. After viewing everything from the car park area, walk towards the tower and pass the tower (on your left) until you get a good view of the Financial District area. Notice the nice houses/apartments with the great views in front of you – wouldn’t you like to live there for a while? You can visit the tower with the 1930’s WPA murals, and then go up to the top for a little nicer view.

Once finished with Coit Tower, return to the Embarcadero via Lombard, Stockton, and Bay. Turn left onto the Embarcadero towards Pier 39 and Fisherman’s Wharf. The Embarcadero kinda turns into Jefferson St (where The Wharf is located). I loathe Fisherman’s Wharf. It’s tacky, tacky, tacky. It’s not what I would show any visitor I wanted to impress. It’s mostly T-shirt shops, wax museums, and fast food places. I can’t understand why anyone would want to visit it. I’ve read that most first time visitors want to tour this area, but few (if any) second time visitors ever return. Follow Jefferson past the Wharf until it hits Hyde St, and then turn left onto Hyde St. Quickly go over the Cable Car tracks where you will turn Right onto Beach Street, directly in front of the Cable Car turnaround.

Note – from here on, I talk about Union Square and Union St. These are two different places and are not close to each other.

You have two options that I suggest for taking a ride on the Cable Cars. The last time I did this itinerary, I dropped our guests (and my wife) off at the Hyde St. turnaround, and then I drove & met them 1 hour later at Macys & Union Square, near the end of the cable car line. You can certainly park the car & everyone can take the cable cars down & back. However, this can add about 1 hour to your journey, and the Powell/Market St turnaround (where you will line up to return to The Wharf/Hyde turnaround) is not an area I like to show guests – it’s full of pretty scruffy looking people/pan-handlers, etc. There is a parking lot on Beach St. just under Ghiradelli Square. If you decide to park in this area, it is perhaps worth the trouble to quickly walk through Ghiradelli Sq and even the Cannery. The last time I was there, many of the storefronts which were used for retail space in the early 70’s (when we first visited), were now taken over by commercial offices. Same with the Cannery. If you want to visit, don’t spend more than 30 mins – there are places you might want to linger a bit later in this itinerary. To take the Cable Car ride you will need to buy a ticket at the kiosk at the turnaround, and then get in line. Sit on the east side of the cable car to get the best views. Once the car is turned around, this will be the side that is the farthest away from where you approach the car to get in (go around to the other side of the car to board). Obviously, use whatever “persuasion” you need to either sit or stand on the outside of the car. Don’t go into the inside section – wait for the next car. After the trip (I still enjoy them after all these years) get off the Cable Car at Union Square. If you choose to do a “round trip” down & back, when you line up to return on the Powell/Market turnaround, make sure you board the Hyde St line (it’s marked on the outside of the car), not the Taylor St line (you will end up returning to someplace else). If you headed out this morning early & got on the Bay Bridge at 9 or 9:30, you should get to The Wharf around 11:00. If it’s much later than this, you had better pick up the pace.

If you do the one way trip on the cable car to Union Square where the main group is picked up by a driver (that was me the last time we did this), then for a continuation of this drive, go to the paragraph starting with “From Union Square, in front of Macy’s”.

If everyone does the “round trip” on the cable cars, leave the Ghiradelli garage by turning left onto Beach and then left onto Polk St. Continue south on Polk to Lombard St and turn left onto Lombard. Continue east on Lombard and after two blocks you will be on The crookedest St in San Francisco. If you see a line of cars as far west as Polk when you approach, go past Polk, turn left on Filbert, and then left again on Hyde until you reach Lombard. This way allows a right turn onto the crooked part of Lombard & is a little faster.

At the bottom of the crooked section, continue straight on Lombard until it hits Columbus St. Columbus is the only street north of market in this area that cuts a diagonal across the other streets. Angle right on Columbus (same direction as cable car tracks) and continue southeast on Columbus. You are now in North Beach, which is San Francisco’s version of Little Italy. This was the Italian section of The City the first half of last century, and the home of the “beat generation” in the 50s. It’s the most “alive” section of The City in the evenings. There are lots of Italian restaurants and outdoor cafes. Continue on Columbus until it kinda angles right on to Montgomery St.

Montgomery street is the heart of the Financial District. Immediately on your left is the Transamerica Pyramid. Continue south on Montgomery, and then turn right on to California St.

Continue west on California St (you will be driving along the California St Cable Car tracks). Proceed several blocks to Powell St (where you will cross another set of cable car tracks).

You are now on Nob Hill, where there are several luxury hotels. Proceed west on California St. Just past Powell, take the first right on to Mason St. The Fairmont Hotel (my favorite) is on the right and the Flood Mansion is on the left. The most elegant mansions in early (1900) San Francisco were in this area. The Flood Mansion is the only survivor from the ’06 earthquake & fire (although, most of the interior was burned). The other (and more elegant) mansions were destroyed in the earthquake & fire. From Mason, turn left immediately on to Sacramento, then left again on to Taylor. On your right is Grace Cathedral. Turn left (east) on California. Immediately on your right is the Mark Hopkins Hotel and further on are more luxury hotels & restaurants. Continue east on California, crossing the cable car tracks on Powell again. Continue on California, and several blocks later, turn left on to Kearny (it’s a one way street). Travel one block & turn left on Sacramento (which is a one way street), and in 2 blocks, turn right on to Stockton. You are now in Chinatown. Notice all the food related shops. Look for roasted ducks hanging from hooks in store front windows.

Continue north on Stockton. Cross Broadway and then angle left on Columbus. In just 1 short block, turn left on Union St (a big park will be on your right in front of you before you turn right on Union). What I just described in the last few paragraphs is the route for those who did the round trip cable car event. If you did the round trip, go to the paragraph starting with “***Continue west on Union St” – the next several paragraphs describe the route for those doing the one way cable car ride with an escort picking them up at Union Square in front of Macy’s.

From Union Square in front of Macy’s, go west on Geary (it’s a one way) and turn an immediate right on to Powell (where the cable cars go). Continue north on Powell to California St and turn left on California.

You are now on Nob Hill, where there are several luxury hotels. Proceed west on California St. Just past Powell, take the first right on to Mason St. The Fairmont Hotel (my favorite) is on the right and the Flood Mansion is on the left. The most elegant mansions in early (1900) San Francisco were in this area. The Flood Mansion is the only survivor from the ’06 earthquake & fire (although, most of the interior was burned). The other (and more elegant) mansions were destroyed in the earthquake & fire. From Mason, turn left immediately on to Sacramento, then left again on to Taylor. On your right is Grace Cathedral. Turn left (east) on California. Immediately on your right is the Mark Hopkins Hotel and further on are more luxury hotels & restaurants. Continue east on California, crossing the cable car tracks on Powell again. Continue on California, and several blocks later, turn left on to Kearny (it’s a one way street). Travel one block & turn left on to Sacramento (which is a one way street), and in 2 blocks, turn right on to Stockton. You are now in Chinatown. Proceed north on Stockton. Notice all the food related shops. Look for roasted ducks hanging from hooks in store front windows.

Continue north on Stockton, cross over Broadway, and when Stockton hits a spot where it intersects with both Broadway & Green St, turn right on Green (make sure you don’t take a sharp right on Broadway). Continue east on Green for a few blocks and then turn right on to Montgomery. Proceed south on Montgomery two blocks and turn right on to Broadway (it’s a big road). Ignore the XXX places, and angle right on to Columbus. You are now in North Beach. See the prior description of North Beach.

Continue northwest on Columbus, and at Union St, angle left (a large park will be on your right in front of you just prior to the turn). Continue west on Union, and turn right on to Hyde St (you will be on the cable car tracks). Continue north on Hyde and turn right on to Lombard St and The crookedest street in San Francisco.

At the bottom of the crooked part, turn right on to Leavenworth, and proceed for a couple of blocks, and then turn right on to Union Street.

***Continue west on Union St. Cross Van Ness (busy street), and just past Gough St, you will enter the very pretty Union St. area. The “main section” of Union ends at about Steiner St. When we first visited this street in the very early 70s, we returned with a poster that said “If you lost your heart in San Francisco, you will probably find it on Union St”. Park the car, get out and explore. If it’s time for lunch, there are loads of possibilities. I like Café de Paris in the 2000 block, and Rose’s Café at 2298 Union (corner of Steiner). There is a simple sandwich shop on Union across the street from Rose’s, which might be the best bet if you’re trying to squeeze this drive into a “reasonable” day. If you started this drive at 9 or so, and didn’t do the cable car round trip and didn’t visit anything near the Wharf, you should be on Union St at 12:30 or so.

After visiting Union St, if you want to see where the rich people live, continue west on Union & turn left on Davisadero, and then right on Broadway. Proceed west on Broadway until it dead ends. In the last two blocks of Broadway, two of the richest people in the US reside – Larry Ellison, and Gordon Getty. Ellison’s house is the strange/wierd one on the north side of the street. Turn around on Broadway & head east on Broadway to Fillmore & turn right on to Fillmore.

If you don’t want to see the rich folks, after visiting Union, head south on Fillmore off Union. Hope your car’s transmission is working OK – during the Tour of San Francisco Bike Race in ’01, Lance Armstrong complained about the steepness of this Fillmore St hill, which he & others had to climb about 5 times.

The Fillmore St Shopping District is another one of our premier neighborhood shopping streets – and my wife’s favorite. The main section is between Jackson & Bush. Continue south on Fillmore (it’s a little gritty after Sutter St).

Proceed south on Fillmore several blocks, past the busy Geary St (you’ll overpass it) and turn right on to Fulton St. In one block you will be in the Alamo Square Historic District and the site of the famous Postcard Row that has been pictured in countless TV shows, place mats, and postcards. Continue west on Fulton with Alamo Square Park to your left. On the corner of Fulton & Scott is the Westerfield mansion -–one of the most photographed Victorian houses in The City. Turn left on to Scott, & there will be more Victorians on your right. Circle Alamo Square, turning left on to Hayes. As you proceed east on Hayes and just after you “crest” at Pierce, look slightly to your left and you will see Postcard Row – with a row of Queen Anne Victorian homes in the foreground, and downtown San Francisco in the background. Park the car ASAP (you may have to turn left on to Steiner to find a spot). Walk along the grass to where Pierce hits the park for the view – you’ll see lots of other people there also & tour busses are always close by. Assuming all the “exceptions” that I stated earlier, and only 30 mins for a sandwich on Union St. plus 1 hr shopping, you should get to Alamo Square around 2:30-3:00.

If you dawdled along the way and are behind schedule (it’s later than 3:00 by now), perhaps skip the next route up to a fantastic views from Twin Peaks. If you choose to skip this section, then after Postcard Row, head west on either Fulton or Hayes, left (south) on Divisadero, then right on Haight and drive for several blocks to get to the Haight Ashbury area (nice Victorians along the way).

In the 1970s, before the GGNRA was formed (see later text), a radio station had a “best view of San Francisco” contest. The view from Twin Peaks won. It’s a little tricky to get there, so pay attention. After Postcard Row, head west on either Hayes or Fulton, and south (left) on Divisadero. Divisadero will kinda flow left into Castro St (follow the traffic). Proceed south on Castro until you hit Market (big intersection), and turn right (west) & go up Market St. Market St will flow into Portola after Market St stops it’s steep uphill climb. Shortly Market St. changes to Portola, look for a Twin Peaks Blvd on your right and then turn right on to Twin Peaks Blvd. & keep following this street up to the “top of the world”. You’ll know when you have arrived at the view point. After the view, follow Twin Peaks Blvd North (not the way you came up – get a map). At 17th St. Twin Peaks will become Clayton. Shortly after crossing 17th, angle to the right on to Ashbury, and then turn right on to Frederick and then left on to Masonic. Proceed north on Masonic to Haight (there are some lovely Victorians along Masonic). Turn left on to Haight.

You are now in the Haight Ashbury district (locals call it “the Haight”). Proceed west along Haight & enjoy the sights & people. Haight will dead end into Golden Gate Park. Turn right on Stanyan, and continue in the right hand lane slightly past the entrance to GG park (no left turn allowed into park). Just past the no left turn sign, turn right on a cloverleaf road that circles into the park. Drive down JFK drive through Golden Gate Park. Notice the wonderful Conservatory of Flowers on your right that was opened up in Sept ’03 after years of restoration. Continue on JFK drive (look for the Buffalos just after Spreckels lake) until you hit the ocean. Turn right on the Great Highway, and continue as it passes the Cliff House & becomes Geary Blvd at about 39th St. Continue east on Geary & turn left on to 36th St. Proceed north on 36th two blocks until it ends at Lincoln Park & then turn right on to Clement. If it’s clear, you can see the Bank of America Bldg. in the distance.

Turn left on 34th St. and enter Lincoln Park. Continue on to the Palace of the Legion of Honor. This is one of our major art exhibition places (along with some other uses). It was built by Alma de Bretteville Spreckels, who married into the Spreckels fortune (sugar), built the museum, and donated it to The City. A few years ago it displayed the Toulouse-Lautrec exhibit, last year the Degas exhibit, and also has the largest collection of Rodin statues outside of Paris.

After passing the Legion, take the right (only way you can go) on to El Camino Del Mar. Get the camera ready for some fantastic views of the Golden Gate. I always take guests on this route. You will be driving along a golf course. Just before you leave the course and enter a residential area, park the car & walk to the viewing platform to your left – you’ll see it from the road. Return to the car & continue along El Camino Del Mar. You will enter the Seacliff Area which (I suspect) has the most expensive homes in the City. Robin Williams lives there – look for a dinosaur topiary peeking over a hedge on his home (it’s not on the immediate waterfront). When entering Seacliff, keep left whenever you can – especially paying attention to a “Y” onto Seacliff Ave. Just after this Y, turn left on to a dead end & perhaps have a look at China Beach & the views from there. Continue along Seacliff Rd as it snakes around and exits the Seacliff area at 25th St. Turn left (east) off 25th on to Lincoln. Proceed north on Lincoln for some more exceptional views of the Golden Gate and the Bridge.

Lincoln will eventually twist around, and go under the Golden Gate Bridge. Immediately after it goes under the bridge, look on your left for a sign to the Golden Gate Bridge. Follow this up and cross the Golden Gate Bridge.

Head north across the Golden Gate Bridge. Just past the bridge, take the Alexander Av. exit towards Sausalito. When you get to the stop at the end of the freeway off ramp, turn left & go under Hwy 101. Proceed like you are going back across the bridge to SF, but take the road to the right that goes up-hill, just before actually getting on 101. There will be a sign that says you are entering the Golden Gate National Recreational (GGNRA) area. Continue up on this road – it’s called Conzelman on the map. You will see what are (in my opinion) the best views of San Francisco – The GG Bridge in the foreground & The City behind it. This was formerly a military area that is still laced with bunkers, gun turrets, underground tunnels etc. It was opened up in the ‘70s. The views of The City, the Bridge, and the Golden Gate are breathtaking. You can see down the San Mateo Coast from up here. Go all the way to the top until you hit a much smaller one-way road. On the way up, get out & enjoy the sights. Kids will love the bunkers & gun turrets. At the top where the main road ends, there is the largest gun turret, where you can climb up to for an almost 360 degree view. This view is best in the evening when the sun is in a position to light up the bridge & highlight downtown.

Return the way you came up to this area. Check the time. If there is any time left in your schedule, take a quick pass through Sausalito – otherwise head south back to SF. If you opt for the Sausalito visit, once you get to the junction just past the tunnel under 101, head straight to Sausalito. Just follow your nose (bearing right whenever possible), until you end up on Bridgeway – the main road along the bay in Sausalito. Drive along Bridgeway, enjoying the views back to the City. Continue North on Bridgeway until it joins 101 and you can return to SF over the Golden Gate Bridge again.

Stu Dudley

dovima

You might want to reconsider any references to Pier 39, in light of the fact that we have had a major oil spill here in the last week. The fate of the sea lions is unclear at this time - how many have been affected and how the oil slick will impact their homing instinct towards the wharf. A quote in the Chronicle this week from a Russian Hill resident says, chillingly, that for the first time in years, there was silence from the direction of the wharf instead of the barking and yodeling of the pinnipeds. Who knows, maybe they'll be back by December 15th. Maybe not.

easytraveler

So sad to hear that, dovima.

glimmer2

The oil spill in the Bay is horrible. It makes me so sad

Anyway, since it will during the Christmas season I would love a day at Union Square. Some people might run screaming from that area at that time, but I love the spirit in the air. They could check out the store windows, duck into Lefty's for a glass of Christmas cheer, then maybe a cable car ride to North Beach for dinner.

StuDudley

We were at the Ferry Building on Wed, and didn't see or smell any signs of the spill.

Stu Dudley

MaureenB

Definitely ride the cable car-- can't do that anywhere else.

Otherwise, what specifically would your friend want to do? Walk a lot in the city, take the ferry to Sausalito, drive to see Redwoods. . .? There's so much to choose from.
>-

maitaitom

"Alcatraz will consume too much time."

I will respectfully disagree.

We went a few weeks ago (before the oil spill). Got tix in advance at official website (12:45 p.m. boat).

Boat ride to Alcatraz (15 minutes)

On the island, walk up to where you get the audiogide (5-10 minutes)

Audioguide tour (45 minutes...by the way one of the best audioguide tours I have taken anywhere in the world. Fascinating and very worthwhile).

Caught the 2:30 boat back to SF (just a little more than 2 hours to do the whole thing and worth every second of it)

You can catch the first tour of the day at 9:30 a.m. and be able to get back and walk over to the Buena Vista for a noontime Irish Coffee or Ramos Fizz.

Then you can have the entire afternoon to walk (unless you have too many Irish coffees) and take the cable car around the city.

utahtea

Thanks everyone, I've passed along this link to my friend.

utahtea

Grassshopper

I agree with EasyTraveler that if you have a car, drive the 49 mile drive. But print a map first (you can find one if you google it) because some of the signs are missing.

There's a new Duck (or duck-like) tour in SF. It might be a fun way to get a city and bay tour all in one.