joannpadgett

We are trying to figure out how to group these activities by day. We are staying for 4 nights, 5 days.
We are arriving at noon, and we are leaving on the last day at 6:30pm.
We will be staying on the Fisherman's Wharf and we do not have a car so we will be taking public transportation.
(transportation recommendations as well please)


a academy sciences
b tea garden
c tiled steps
d haight ashbury
e castro
f taco orgasmic
g balmy alley (mission district)
i hayes valley
j a mano
k japantown
l union square
m sf mama
n ferry marketplace
o embarcadero
p chinatown
q sausalito
r fisherman’s hard
s lettermans
t disney museum
w eight am breakfast

AustinTraveler

Get a map or use Google and map all of these locations out. Then you will see which ones are close to each other and group them that way. Buses are easy. Just put your destination in Google Maps and hit the bus symbol. We bought Clipper cards ($3) and put money for fares on them ($2.50 / $2.75 using cash). Note that riding the cable cars costs $7.

janisj

>>We are arriving at noon, and we are leaving on the last day at 6:30pm.

sf7307

Fishermans Hard was obviously meant to be Fishermans Wharf.

As for Mama, could mean MOMA.

janisj

Yep MOMA or Mama's -- two entirely different animals

newtome

seriously I think your first move is to buy a map of San Francisco. Or look at an interactive map with these things listed.

joannpadgett

Thanks so much for the feedback and apologies for my typos that you figured out. We knew we had too much on our agenda but we can be hopeful. Are there thing you would suggest we pass? We definitely want to go to Presidio and Golden Gate Park. And do a harbor boat ride. We can give up Japantown, Chinatown, and Sausalito. Are there places on list we can do in evening where sights, shops, eateries are still open to extend what we can do on any given day? Is the Academy of Science worth it?

Do you think we should invest in Muni Pass for a few days?

JoAnn

Dayenu

Janis - tiled steps close to tea garden? Where? Those are on Moraga @ 16th St, not close to anything. Or maybe there are other tiled steps?

For buses https://www.sfmta.com/getting-around...-trip-planners

janisj

>>Janis - tiled steps close to tea garden? Where? Those are on Moraga @ 16th St, not close to anything. Or maybe there are other tiled steps?

sf7307

Re skipping Japantown, Chinatown and Sausalito - skip Japantown, there's nothing there that's remotely Japanese except for some products in a mall. Chinatown is definitely worth a walk through (on Stockton Street rather than Grant Avenue) unless you're from Vancouver or another city with a vibrant Chinatown of its own. Sausalito is a lovely little town on the Bay. Great for a stroll in nice weather. But with short time, I'd leave it out.

If you like farmers markets, then don't miss the Ferry Bldg on outdoor market day, preferably Saturday morning ( the market closes up at 2 pm). It's fantastic - you can combine it with lunch, either outdoors at one of the stalls, or indoors/outdoors at one of the restaurants. Walk through the interior too. Really, fabulous.

Haight Ashbury (on Haight Street) is a good walk, if only because it isn't full of chain stores. It looks (even if it isn't really) like a throwback to the 60s. There are some gorgeous homes in the area surrounding Haight Street.

Hayes Valley on the other hand is just a recently gentrified area with lots of lovely shops and many restaurants. We go there often for a couple f hours, but I wouldn't feel I missed something if I didn't see it (as a tourist) unless you're dying to see how millenials in San Francisco live. If you do go, make it a Saturday or Sunday.

If it's nice weather DEFINITELY walk from AT&T Park to Pier 39 - 2.9 miles along the Bay. We live near the ballpark and we take this walk often. On a weekend afternoon, it's really lively.

bachslunch

Second visiting Chinatown. It's the largest and arguably the best one in the US.

aprillilacs

As mentioned by other posters, you could group a-d (Calif. Academy of Sciences, Japanese Tea Garden, 16th Ave./Moraga tiled steps; Haight Ashbury) and spend a long day visiting all these sites as well as choosing a few more highlights in Golden Gate Park, like Stow Lake, the observation tower in the DeYoung (great view, free; next to the Tea Garden; the museum itself costs); SF Botanical Garden; Conservatory of Flowers--lots of choices depending on your energy level. Cal. Acad. of Science is excellent but expensive. If you get to the Tea Garden before 10 am it's free, which will save you a little to spend on the science academy. The steps are a bit of a walk to get to, uphill--and if you go to them, keep going up to the top and on up the hill to Grandview Park for a spectacular view. There are also tiled steps on the other side of the park, at 33rd Ave. and California Street, if you are in search of lovely tiled steps.

On one of your partial days you could group e-g (Castro district, a famous taqueria, and Balmy Alley) but they are pretty far apart. I have never heard of "taco orgasmic," but you won't go wrong at La Taqueria on Mission at 24th Street (note the difference between streets and avenues), which is close to Balmy Alley. I like the walk from the Castro to the Mission because it takes you past Dolores Park (another fab view at Church and 20th St), but it's a long walk. Still, you will see a great part of SF that isn't tourist central--and there are tons of murals to see besides the ones on the alley. You might want to take a bus or car service (Lyft/Uber) from Castro to Balmy Alley and explore from there, to save time.

If you want to walk around Hayes Valley to see some cute shops ($$) you can combine that with a meal at A Mano. Nearby is also City Hall and the wonderful Asian Art Museum, if you like Asian things. Hayes Valley is kind of walking distance to Japan Town if you want to include that. Be careful when you walk in this area, though--not the safest part of town.

You could combine l-n (SFMOMA, Union Square, Chinatown). Again, a bit of a walk in between, but the best things in San Francisco are encountered while walking!

Since you are staying near Fisherman's Wharf, I'd suggest spending your first afternoon walking the Embarcadero (o) from the wharf (r) e to the Ferry Building (n). You may miss the farmer's market at that time so if that's important to you, make it a morning walk instead (it's not every day, though). The inside shops at the ferry building are fun even without the farmers market.

Finally, group the Presidio (Disney Family Museum) and a brief stop at the Letterman center to see the Yoda fountain and the Darth Vader statue in the lobby--not sure what else you are allowed to see there, though. The Presidio itself is a wonderful place to walk, with great views of the Golden Gate Bridge and the Bay. I highly recommend the current Eyvind Earle exhibit at the Disney--running until January--a wonderful artist beyond his work for Disney.

That's about 5 days worth of sightseeing and lots of walking. You will want a transit pass or bring lots of dollar bills and change for the Muni (no change given on the buses). Make judicious use of car services and you may just be able to fit most of your wish list in. Have fun!

janisj

A great, informative post by aprillilacs -- just realize you don't have 5 days so will have to trim something. You will be lucky to be checked in to your hotel at the Wharf before about 2:00 PM. Then you have to be at the airport by about 4:30 so back to your hotel to retrieve you luggage by 3:30 PM

StuDudley

Some ideas:

http://www.fodors.com/community/unit...mendations.cfm

Stu Dudley

IMDonehere

BTW, the Chinese population of NYC is about 570,000 people compared to the entire population of SF which is around 870,000. The most vibrant and interesting Chinatown in NYC is in Flushing, Queens.

sf7307

A couple of notes:

We walked from 24th and Diamond (just above Castro) to 16th and Mission just yesterday, and back through Dolores Park. It is a long walk (that was the point) but on a nice day it's great. 24th Street between Church and Castro is one neighborhood, Valencia between about 16th and 24th is one neighborhood, and only a block away, Mission between about 16th and 24th is a completely different neighborhood.

If you're interested in murals, be sure to see the one on the Women's Building at 18th between Guerrero and Valencia.

"Taco Orgasmic" - do you by any chance mean "Pizza Orgasmica"? I've never had it so I don't know if it's worth going out of your way for. My two favorite pizzas in SF are in the Mission --- Arinell (that's for a slice, there's no seating), and Delfina (small whole pies). They're just a couple of blocks from each other.

StuDudley

sf7307

We had dinner at Fresca on 24th St on Sat night. When we left home in San Mateo at 6:30, it was 71 degrees & sunny. When we got to the restaurant at 7:00 it was 58 degrees, totally fogged-in (couldn't see Twin Peaks), and the Noe Valley wind was howling.

Stu Dudley

dlongan

We did Haight AShbury, China Town, Little Italy, Coit Tower, cable car to Fishermans Wharf in 2 days. We did Alcatraz 1 day, and we rented bikes and rode over the bridge to Sausalito and then on to Tiberon (ferry back) 1 day. Great trip and not too much thrown in there. If you want the itinerary let me know.

dlongan

And we stayed in Union Square so that was everyday as we walked.
Saving the museums for another trip. Can't do those and the sites in one trip.

joannpadgett

Thank you everyone so much for all of this very useful information. As I read your posts I got more and more excited about our upcoming mother-daughter trip. We expect to have a fabulous time and will do our best to have a fun-filled but not frantic time. Since we live in San Diego, we can always go back. I fell in love with SF about 20 years ago but subsequent visits (by car) with no place to park for under $30 and lots of crowds left me disillusioned. I need to recapture my love for the city and share it with my daughter. I cannot speak to the restaurants, but she has selected them and there is no shortage of great dining spots. I am very excited to see Coit and Mission murals and would love to have drink at Palace and stare at Maxfield Parrish's Pied Piper. We just switched from Hyatt Centric at Wharf to boutique hotel at called Hotel Zephyr, which looks fun and edgy. I will invest in Muni pass and also download recommended app to help navigate transit options. And am doing my exercises to prep for LOTS of walking! THANSK THANKS THANKS, I love Fodor's forum, it has never failed me.