1 + 2 1/2 days in San Francisco
 

Hi,

We will be arriving in San Francisco about 12.30 in the afternoon on a Sunday after approx a 14 hour flight from Australia. We have so little time there and want to get the most out of it. We are staying at the Hilton at Fishermans warf.

A couple of things were were thinking of were a cruise around the bay on our first day as I don't think we'll be up for anything strenuous. The second day perhaps driving down to Monterey and Carmel.
I'm a great foodie and my girlfriend likes the Napa wines.

What do you all consider are the absolute must sees? I kind of like to do the touristy things as well as the quirky so any suggestions will be very gratefully received.

Thanks

Why drive out of San Francisco to Carmel for the majority of your short time here? You would be doing this on a Monday, and the drive down there could take 3 1/2 hrs because of heavy commute traffic. Same on the way back, unless you left after about 6PM. That's at least 6 hrs of sitting in a car - not what I would do after sitting on a plane for 14 hrs too.

There is PLENTY of stuff to do in SF. Have a look here:

http://www.fodors.com/forums/threads...p;tid=35129049

Stu Dudley

completely agree with Stu - stay here!! Also, I think a cruise around the bay, if it's nice weather might be nice, however, it will also likely put you to sleep :-)

i completely agree with stu.
there is so much you can do right in s.f.
there is plenty of touristy stuff going on at fisherman's wharf. ghirardelli square has recently re-opened after major renovation and is fun to explore.
instead of just a bay cruise, you may want to check out alcatraz.
you do need to book tickets way ahead of time. they sell out fast.
if you like to walk, you could go to the ferry plaza which has some good restaurants and gourmet vendors with offerings of chocolates, cheese, charcuterie, wines, mushrooms........
there is also the hop on-hop off double decker bus that takes you through san francisco and also over the golden gate bridge to sausalito.

Just back from spending 6 days IN SF and could easier have spent more time. Follow Stu's suggestions, he has some great recommendations. Walk and explore by bus, cable car, tram. The 3 day muni ticket is the best bargain around as you get unlimited travel and can explore. Find out what SF has to offer from advice on this forum or in guide books then pick out the bits YOU want to do - everyone has different requirements and expectations. If you go to Alcatraz the evening trip is a great option as you leave in the light and get back in the dark giving different outlook on the bay in the same trip. We loved Beach Blanket Babylon for sheer entertainment and although from U.K understood all the satirical bits. Great atmospheric bar opposite too.
Hilary

Excellent point Stu. Thanks for the link too. Thanks everyone else also for your suggestions.

We loved our tour of Alcatraz, and going to the Golden Gate Bridge is a must. Fun to see Lombard Street too. Just walking along Fisherman's Wharf is great, you can get some crab. You will love it.

>>Just walking along Fisherman's Wharf is great<<

Did you really enjoy the t-shirt shops, Hooters, fast food places, Ripley's Believe It or Not, Wax Museum, and the trinket shops?

There was an article in the SF Chron Sunday about a noted planner/architect and his "take" on the Wharf - "too much parking lot & not enough water" - and that was one of his milder quotes.

Stu Dudley

Just wondering, Stu, if some of our SF visitors enjoy that stroll -
and also wondering if some of them mean the Embarcadero and that it
is not all that easy to differentiate between them all...

R5

We just returned from a trip to San Francisco. Apart from the wedding which was the reason for our visit, our favorite things were:

1) the Ferry Plaza Farmer's market---a "must" for foodies. There is one on Tuesday as well as Saturday.

http://www.ferrybuildingmarketplace....ers_market.php

You can also explore the shops inside the Ferry Building.

2) the Filbert steps up Telegraph Hill to Coit Tower. The flowers in the gardens alongside the steps are still amazing, this late into the fall. The murals in Coit Tower are another "must". (Check out the headlines on the newspapers, painted 75 years ago, for a jolt: "Home Foreclosures---Banks Refuse to Loan . . . Oil Magnates Arrested".

3) the walk along the Coastal Trail from Golden Gate Bridge to Cliff House. This takes about 1.5 hours; you can return downtown by bus (# 38).

Last April we did this in the opposite direction, from Cliff House all the way to Fisherman's Wharf and then back downtown. I would never go to Fisherman's Wharf again---it was crowded and unpleasantly filled with the T-shirt shops and other unattractives that Stu Dudley mentions.

It is, however, nice to walk along the Embarcadero from about Pier 39 to the Ferry Building.

4) Meals at the Slanted Door and at one of the booths set up at the Market--Rose Pistola. But there are lots of others from which to choose.

Hello All,
I have just returned from 7 glorious days in San Fransisco. This was my third trip so I was not looking to go to Fisherman's Wharf again. (once was enough)

I can only compare it to the Atlantic City boardwalk here on the East Coast. A complete circus.
My personal feeling is that when you travel you need to get a feel for the real city.
San Fransisco is not about $3.00 t-shirts,overpriced food, and chain stores.
My mom and I took the ferry from the wharf to Tiburon, but ate in North Beach and Chinatown and stayed in Nob Hill.
We drove up to Calistoga over the Golden Gate Bridge and drove back home over the Bay Bridge.
The weather was perfect and people were lovely. I could have stayed for 2 more weeks and not seen everything.
Bottom line- limit your time at Fisherman's Wharf and try to see San Fransisco. Have fun!!

This year we went to Ft Point & watched the surfers catch some waves directly under the GG bridge - we've done this dozens & dozens of times. Then we walked along the ramparts on top of the fort & admired the beautiful entrance to the Bay to the west and the downtown view to the east, and the bridge straight up. We then walked along Crissy field. We also walked along the breathtaking Coastal Trail like enzian did. Wow.

Later we drove through the Wharf and watched all the people browsing in the t-shirt shops, eating burgers - and I wanted to round up about 10 of them, load them into my car, drive them to Ft Point/Crissy, Coastal trail and shout "look - isn't this much more interesting???"

Don't know if I would have received an unanimous "yes" - lots of people must like the Wharf - or have not visited other sections of the City yet.

Stu Dudley

bookmarking.

See you guys at the GTG. :-)

Stu, am I referring to the wrong thing? We walked along the water, enjoyed the weather, watched sea lions, and ate crab. Did not go into any of the joints you mentioned.