1 day in San Fran.--what to do?!

Old Nov 4th, 2005, 07:25 AM
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1 day in San Fran.--what to do?!

Alas, the only day we have to see SF is the day after Thanksgiving--any suggestions? warnings about areas to avoid on the biggest shopping day of the year? parking tips (coming in from silicon valley).
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Old Nov 4th, 2005, 10:22 AM
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Hi sylvia, I don't live in Silicon Valley but I "think" there is public transportation from there into SF. Hopefully someone can advise you.

Regarding SF the day after Thanksgiving, that is one of my favorite days! Union Sq. will be crowded due to all the stores there but it is a fun time IMHO. Enjoy!
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Old Nov 4th, 2005, 12:28 PM
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The traffic, especially in the Union Square area will be at least bad, if not a complete nightmare. If you can drive up to a BART station, park there, it will be the best choice.

If you get off at Powell street first, you can buy a one-day MUNI pass to go to other areas of the city.
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Old Nov 4th, 2005, 12:45 PM
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I would definitely take public transportation. We live in San Jose and have taken BART into SF many times - we either drive to the Colma station or the Fremont Station.

Colma is only a few stops from downtown SF so the ride is short, but the drive is longer.

Fremont is closer to SJ so the drive is shorter, but the ride on BART is longer.

Either way, parking is free so you just have to pay for the BART ticket.

We get the one day MUNI passes and then just take public transportation anywhere we want to go once we are in SF.

Another option is the Caltrain. It is a heavy rail system that connects SJ with SF. I have taken this to SF Giants games and it is quite convinient. There is a MUNI light rail line right by the station, so connection transportation is easy.
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Old Nov 4th, 2005, 12:49 PM
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Is BART's weekend parking still free? I heard something in the news they are going to start charging, just don't remember when.
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Old Nov 4th, 2005, 03:30 PM
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Good question - I bet the web site has the answer.

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Old Nov 4th, 2005, 03:38 PM
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Wow, thanks for the tips, I thought driving on a holiday would be a breeze, but looks like public transport. NOW, where do we go and what do we see? (We have a teen along, but she does whatever we say...)
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Old Nov 4th, 2005, 03:56 PM
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CalTrain's the way to go from the peninsula.
http://www.caltrain.com/
Do you want to sightsee, shop, eat, or see museums and the like? Or all of the above?.
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Old Nov 4th, 2005, 07:12 PM
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Hello sylvia, our daughter always looked forward to going to SF the Friday after Thanksgiving. In fact she still does (she is now a mother of teens). Our daughter loved to do her Christmas shopping, enjoyed all the Christmas decorations, having dinner in SF etc. I don't know your daughter but I would imagine she would really enjoy SF. Well I would hope so.
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Old Nov 4th, 2005, 08:07 PM
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If you take Caltrain during peak hours (weekdays), you can catch a baby bullet that can zip you up to San Francisco in less than an hour (35 minutes from Palo Alto, 44 minutes from Mountainview, and 59 minutes from San Jose Diridon). There's a Muni Metro connection at Caltrain Depot, which can take you to downtown.
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Old Nov 5th, 2005, 11:28 AM
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So what to do while you are there?

Definitely ride a cable car. If you get the MUNI pass at the Powell St visitor's center, cable car rides are included - such a deal since I think single ride tickets for cable cars are up to $5 or some crazy price like that. Lines for the cars that go from Powell down to Fisherman's wharf can be pretty long. If you don't feel like waiting, then the California line generally has a lot fewer people.

To go from downtown (Market St) to the wharves, a good bet is to ride the F Line streetcars - these are old street cars from defunct lines around the world. Lots of fun.

Chinatown is good for some wandering around and dim sum.

You could take a trip out to Alcatraz or just a cruise around the bay. Get some good views of SF that way.

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