sfbound

My husband and I are palnning to travel to San Francisco in mid-march for a weekend. It is our first visit to the bay area and we'd like to know what area of town would be reccomended to stay in? At an affordable price $150 or less a night? Reccomended places to visit and do? Keeping in mind that we have one weekend what could we do to capture the essence of S.F.? Which airport should we fly into? And what form of public transportation to utilized to and from airport (inexpensive)? Is there a metro/bus/train line?

TOM O

i WOULD FLY INTO SF AIRPORT UNLESS YOU GET A GOOD DEAL TO OAKLAND---UNION SQUARE IS A TOURIST CENTER, WITH MANY HOTELS OF DIFFERENT PRICES---I WOULD CONTACT THE DISCOUNT HOTEL BROKERS TO SEE WHAT MIGHT BE AVAILABLE---THERE IS A BIG MARRIOTT, FOR EXAMPLE--I DON'T KNOW WHAT YOU LIKE TO DO--I WOULD SUGGEST TAKING A FERRY TO SAUSOLITO, TAKING A TROLLEY CAR TO FISHERMAN'S WHARF, GOING TO THE CONTEMPORARY ARTS MUSEUM (IF YOU LIKE THAT SORT OF THING) THE BUS SYSTEMS SEEM QUITE GOOD WHENEVER I AM THERE--BUT I NEVER TRIED TO FIGURE IT OUT

kam

You can see a lot in one weekend, but you won't see it all. Staying at Union Square or Fisherman's Wharf is probably the best plan to save time. I think the above poster means take a cable car to Fisherman's Wharf. That's a good plan if you do it early in the morning. If you just want to ride a cable car later on, ride the California Street line. We do have trolleys as well that go up and down Market Street. They are fun and historic as well. Saturday is the big farmer's market day. Not just produce but small local restaurants have booths as well. It's held down by the Embarcadero near the Ferry Building. Ghiardelli Square is a nice place to browse. Have an Irish coffee at the Bueno Vista, supposedly the place where it all started, but even so nice and warm if it's a cool foggy day. From here walk down to Fisherman's Wharf and then turn right on Columbus to go to North Beach, the little Italy of San Francisco. Lots of great little restaurants and coffee houses where the Beatniks used to hang out. From there you can walk up into Chinatown, but if you're really interested in see Chinatown in depth, plan to take one of the many guided walking tours (Wok Wiz is a great one). Climb up Grant St. and either cut over on California to Nob Hill to see Grace Cathedral (doors were cast from the mold of the Baptistry in Florence) or continue downhill on Grant to see the Chinese gate. You will run directly into Union Square with street people and posh shopping. My best advice would be to keep your eyes and ears open--SF is a very diverse city, really unlike any other in the U.S. and the best way to get around for tourists is on your feet. It might still rain in March and you will want a jacket and good walking shoes. Try looking at the Visitor's Bureau site for loads of information.

Laurina

My husband and I stayed at the Clarion Bedford Hotel, which is just a few blocks from Union Square about a 15-20 minute walk. The best transportation to take around the city would be the bus or the subway. The cable cars are fun, but can be more expensive and only run at certain times.

rob

i would stay somewhere off of powell st. we stayed at the Grosvenor (sp?) located around the powell/pine st intersection. although i can't really recommend the hotel, the location was perfect.

bobbie

The Andrews Hotel is very convenient to Union Square and a great small hotel with a helpful staff. If time permits, definitely take the trip to Alcatraz and listen to the tape, unbelieveable!! Although I'm in NYC every day, the restaurants in SF are among the best in the world. Visit Fisherman's Wharf but wouldn't stay there. I agree with above advice on walking the area, be prepared for hills and have fun!

dougd

We stayed at the San Remo in North Beach, a very charming European style hotel, very reasonably priced. It is about a block from a cable car stop. The one drawback is a somewhat seedy housing project about a block away, but we never felt uncomfortable.