Hello all,

I haven't posted here in a looooooong time (mostly because I haven't really travelled anywhere new) I need some advise now however and hope I can rely on this community for some help in planning this last minute trip (we leave next week) to San Francisco. I've never been there and have only today began to read up on it so I am in a bit of a panic!

Question #1

Where to stay? My hubby and I like to go for dinner, maybe drinks, theatre etc. and feel safe on the walk back to the hotel. I can handle a few pan-handlers but don't want to feel unsafe. My research says Union Square is the best area so I have looked into The Chancellor, The Triton and The Maxwell. I have read a number of posts on this board that suggest that union sq. is a bit sketchy....Which hotel is on the best street for "feeling safe at night"? OR, any other suggestions for safe reasonable accomodations? ...maybe union sq. isn't the best? (please...no priceline...)

Question #2
We would like to do a day-trip to Carmel/Big Sur for the purpose of sightseeing and possibly a few short walks. We would only rent a car for the one day. Is it possible to do such a thing in a day and be back in San Francisco late at night? If it is not do-able, what would make a nice day trip with nice scenery? We are not into wine tasting (if it were beer tasing--we would love it!!) but are into hiking and great scenery.

Question #3
ALCATRAZ--Is there a tour available that leaves late afternoon/early evening and arrives back at night?

Question #4
Shopping--where to go for cool moderatley priced funky boutique shopping? I've heard Union Street is good?

Question #5
Shows--what is playing and what is worth seeing. I would like to check out something that captures the essence of the city.

I know this is a lot to ask. Thanks in advance to everyone for your help!

Corgie

Corgie,

I'll have to think about your questions, but I can say right away I'd stay at the Triton. I live here, so I'm not in hotels much, but I like the location there best: close to Union Square but further from the Tenderloin and closer to Chinatown.

Union Street has good shopping, but it's not what I'd consider funky. Hayes Valley, the Mission and that old standby the Haight are all funkier, IMO.

Hopefully others can weigh in with more informed answers to your questions.

Good luck!

Corgie, Here is a great recent SF trip report: http://www.fodors.com/forums/threads...1&tid=34587525

Carmel is certainly do-able but it would be a LONG day with a lot of driving (if you want the scenic route, at least 6 hours of driving, maybe more). Maybe just drive down the coast to Half Moon Bay. You will still give the coastal drive and can have a nice seafood lunch at Pillar Point.

If you don't get to do the Alcatraz trip, be sure to get out on the Bay (a Ferry to Sausalito would be great). I'll keep my fingers crossed for you that the weather improves.

Hi Corgie, personally I like the Hotel Villa Florence (part of the Kimpton Group). It is on Powell St., one half block south (going toward Market St.) from Union Square.

It is impossible to get away from panhandlers in SF it seems but I have never been scared around Union Square.

I believe what people are referring to is going west from Union Square you start to walk into the Tenderloin. That area as you get into is not a good place to be.

You might want to go to the online website of the SF Chronical which is: www.sfgate.com for ideas etc.

Yes, you can do a day trip to Carmel but it probably is something I would not want to do but am sure others would.

I agree with Leely's thoughts regarding shopping.

One nice thing about Union Square is the ability to walk to so many different areas (if you area able or like to walk a lot).

I do not think you will lack for fun and intersting things to do in SF.

Have fun planning your trip! Going somewhere new is always fun IMO.

I think Carmel would be a bit much but if you want to do the shore why not head north and go out toward Stinson Beach and those areas? Also, the Wine Country area is beautiful scenery, great restaurants, neat little towns, shops etc...it has a lot more to offer than just wine so don't necessarily count it out because the wine part doesn't interest you. You also didn't metion how long you were staying. That may have some effect on what you plan to do.

1. Union Square is fine, full of visitors and shoppers. I like the location of the Triton right by the entrance to Chinatown.
2. Day trip to Carmel is a long trip, would recommend going to Point Reyes instead for natural sightseeing, or as another poster suggested going to wine country as there is a lot more to do other than wine tasting.
3. There is a late afternoon tour, many recommend it because you get to see the sunset plus Alcatraz at night is a whole different experience.
4. Hayes Valley, Union Street, Haight for funky, Upper Fillmore all feature boutique v. chain shopping. For big label--Union Square.
5. Beach Blanket Babylon without a doubt--a SF institution.

Thanks everyone! Our dates have now changed and instead of leaving this Wednesday (panic!!) we now leave next Sunday and are there until Friday....so we will be there for 4 full days, really. I'm really looking forward to it. I'm really leaning toward the Triton even though there are some cheaper deals out there...hotels in tenderloin etc. I'm also booking an evening tour to Alcatraz! Still trying to figure out day trip possibilities. Still looking for suggestions! Thanks again.

Go with the Triton. Even though I haven't stayed there, I love the Kimpton Group boutique hotels. I always stay at the Monaco, but Triton is #2 on my short list if I ever decide to venture away from the Monaco (I just love it so!).

For a day trip, I'd head to the wine country of Napa or Sonoma with a stop by Muir Woods on the way. If you have time to spare you could come back by via the seaide (north side) although you'll probably love the wine country so much that won't happen.

Another option would be to pick up a rental car someone in town, check out of your hotel and head to Muir Woods and the wine country, spend the night up there somewhere and then work your way south and on to the airport in the rental car.

Thanks Starrsville...you have set my mind at ease. I've been reading San Francisco archives on this board (maybe a bad idea) Some real negative feed back on Union Sq.... Union sq. is the best area to stay for 30ish types to walk to dinner and maybe a bit of nightlife...right? Better than fisherman's warf?

OK, my .02
I'd avoid staying in the Tenderloin -- not a very good area. The other posters have given you good advice.

Driving to Carmel/Big Sur is to far from SF for a day trip. If you're looking for lovely scenery, drive instead up to the Sonoma area; there's a mission there that's nice to visit, and the area is beautiful. If you want to see the ocean, drive up to Point Reyes instead. You'll get to drive over the Golden Gate. Or, you can drive south to Pacifica and Half Moon Bay. I like the Fish Trap in HMB for some great seafood.

For shopping, this site will help you find what you're looking for http://www.sanfrancisco.com/shopping/index.shtml

Don't forget a stroll in Chinatown, and a cable car ride.

Have a great time!

Corgie,
Have you checked out the Sir Francis Drake? pricey but amazingly located, safe, surrounded by dining, trolleys, cabs and....shopping galore. There is also the Ritz which is supremely located. I'd take these two over the other suggestions any day. As well, there is a budget option of the holiday inn near fisherman's wharf. very touristy but then what's not.
As for funky boutiques....I live for them and I can give you some great recommendations starting with the most amazing place called Ambiance. The best one is in the Haight neighborhood (everything there is NOT hippy) it's a mix of high end beautiful dresses and jeans with a funky eclectic mix of moderate to moderately high priced colorful and not so colorful clothing, scarves, shoes (the best part)
There are a few more of these stores in the Noe neighborhood, and the Marina. Also if you're interested in high end second hand........gucci, prada, etc. check out "Chris" in Pac Heights neighborhood on Polk St @ Broadway.
And on the day trip. I'd say it's pushing it for monterey and definitely too much for one day to go to Big Sur but Sonoma County is much more than just wine tasting. they've got a few excellent breweries such as Bear Republic (they have a restaurant in Healdsburg), Lagunitas, and then there is the ACE ciderhouse in Graton. Also , many lovely hikes and biking trails. The actual town of Sonoma has old historic missions, quaint restaurants and shops, excellent dining and cheeses (especially the Girl and the Fig)and a fabulous beer store with every beer imaginable, even Fat Bastard Ale.
good luck and Cheers
Brooke

Hey I am jumping in on this post!!! I leave next weekend also for SF and have posted many things and have received great answers. Safe areas: the tenderloin where is it so that I can avoid it? Street names please. I am not familiar with that name the tenderloin. We are staying on Nob Hill. Is this a safe area? I was assuming that it was a very safe neighborhood. Also, we are planning a day trip and were thinking Monterey. How far up is the Sonoma area? Would it be interesting for kids (11and12 year old girls)? And finally there are so many days predicting rain and I have walking tours planned!!! What's the verdict on the rain situation? Thanks.

Sonoma would be very interesting for children that age. Our school used to take kids that age on a field trip to Sonoma every year.

The tweens will enjoy the mission and the cheese factory. Ask for a tour.
have fun.

The Tenderloin is the area north of Market Street between Van Ness Avenue and Union Square and south of Nob Hill. It includes the Civic Center, and has several very good Indian and Vietnamese restaurants. It is not the worst area of the city, although it is pretty grungy and has lots of homeless and drug dealers. But it is right in the heart of the city, you can hardly avoid going through it or at least by it, if you travel anywhere along Market and Van Ness or Union Square. It's not a place where drive-by shooting occur, or anything like that, it's just a pretty grungy area that has a bad reputation dating back to the early days of the city. You will not be shot for taking a wrong turn, even the bad elements there know how close they are to the more fashionable parts of the city and act accordingly. You might be offered drugs, or the services of a prostitute, as why else would you be in the area?, but if you simply refuse the offer with a smile (no thanks, not tonight), you will come to no harm. There are tons of people of all types passing through the area all the time, so you should not worry too much about your safety in the area, though you might find it unappetizing. To come to harm you'd have to try to cheat a drug dealer or start yelling about how "that guy just tried to sell me crack!" or something like that. Don't flash a lot of money about, or wear a bunch of jewelery or anything like that either.

girlonthego and others:

This is a response to your request for SPECIFIC street boundaries for the Tenderloin. Here are mine:

Northern boundary: Sutter Street between Van Ness Ave. and Taylor St.; Ellis St. between Taylor St. and Powell St.

Eastern Boundary: Taylor St. between Sutter St. and Ellis St.; Powell St. between Ellis St. and Market St.

Southern Boundary: Market St. between Powell St. and Van Ness Ave.

Western Boundary: Van Ness Ave. between Market St. and Sutter St.

I would consider businesses on either side of the street on the "border" streets to not be in the Tenderloin.

I also would not hesitate to visit the public buildings in the San Francisco Civic Center area (City Hall and nearby) during the hours they are open, even though they are within the boundaries I've described.

These are not official, just my opinion, but the more vague boundaries you were given above are too inclusive in my opinion--they would include several of our finest hotels, among them the Hilton, a number of the best restaurants, the most convenient, best priced downtown parking garage, and the legitimate theater district. All of these are in the area a couple blocks south and west of Union Square, and there's no need to avoid this area.

I worked (much of the time in social services for the people living there), and sometimes lived, inside or just outside of what various people might call the boundaries of the Tenderloin for many years. I have been in the "fringe areas," which people might dispute as to whether they are within the Tenderloin or not, innumerable times at night, and feel I have a very good basis in experience for describing what the real boundaries are.

I agree that tourists should be advised not to go into the actual Tenderloin, but the boundaries should be described more realistically than they often are.

Question #5
Shows--what is playing and what is worth seeing. I would like to check out something that captures the essence of the city.

Three words: Beach Blanket Babylon.

Corgie:

In answer to three of your numbered questions:

1. For the specific concern you describe--a place you would feel safe walking to at night--I'd call the Triton the least suitable of the three hotels you mentioned. I used to work a block from it, and often left late in the evening. Although it is a couple of blocks further from the Tenderloin than the other two, those blocks are much less busy at night, in my experience, than the ones in which the Chancellor and Maxwell are located, and ZI'd be a little more nervous walking them for that reason.

I would not define any of the three hotels as either being in the Tenderloin (see my other post above for my opinion of the Tenderloin boundaries) or in a scary/unsafe location, but the blocks where the Chancellor and Maxwell are located I would call exceptionally busy, lively, and safe at night--and exciting and vibrant blocks to stay on day and night--and the block where the Triton is less so on all counts.

You may wish to read the Tripadvisor.com user reviews of the three hotels before deciding. All three have positive and negative reviews, but I found the negative ones of the Triton the most numerous and off-putting. The Chancellor is the highest-rated in Tripadvisor's numerical ranking (#18 in the city--really quite good for a hotel in this price range.)

Here are links to the individual hotels' reviews:

http://tinyurl.com/856ot
http://tinyurl.com/8p2wh
http://tinyurl.com/dr273

Although I am very familiar with these hotels' location, I have never stayed at any of them. But from the combination of knowing the location and reading the Tripadvisor reviews, I'd choose them in this order: Chancellor, Maxwell, Triton.

You might also want to check all the reviews of San Francisco hotels in Tripadvisor's ranking order. Since they also indicate average price, depending on your price flexibility you may find a highly-rated hotel that suits you better than any of these three. Here is a link to that:

http://tinyurl.com/d3bst

2. Yes, you can make an enjoyable and worthwhile trip to Carmel and Big Sur as day trip from San Francisco. I did so a number of times while I lived in S.F. Would an overnight (or more) be better? Is the ratio of driving to sightseeing of such a trip pretty high? Are posters above correct in saying that there is much wonderful to see in Marin, Sonoma and Napa counties that is much closer to S.F.? Unquestionably yes, on all counts.

But if you really want to see Carmel and Big Sur, and have your heart set on them, don't be dissuaded. You can do it, and it will be worth doing. But do start very early and reconcile yourselves to returning quite late.

If you don't have your heart set on those particular locations, but just want the most enjoyable day trip, then I'd follow the recommendations made by earlier posters.

5. I agree with everyone else on this: Beach Blanket Babylon is definitely the top "spirit of S.F" show.

Since Corgie was going to SF in March of 2005 all the other post would not be of help to her.

But for other travellers to SF there is some good information.