bluestructure

Just got back from San Francisco, I must say, It was an interesting experience! Arriving on Friday afternoon, took the BART from the Airport to downtown (4.95 one way, 40 min). Met a friend downtown at Powell st. station who came flew into Oakland. Was able to walk around and do a lil bit of shopping and walked up to Union sq to this lil art fest they had there. We had to waste a few hours cuz the friend we were staying with didnt get off work til 5pm. It was REALLY hot Friday afternoon and night. We stayed in the Mission district and walked around a few of the areas in the city Fri night. Had some good Tapas at a nice place called Cafe Picaro on 16th street. Umm, yeah saw a naked guy wandering in a daze on the street walking back home late....seemed kinda odd. He said he was ok and we just kept going.

Saturday we took the tour of Alcatraz and it was well worth it. Our appt was for 1:15pm, we rushed to get down to the pier, the cabbie drove extra fast and reckless for us and we tipped him well. What a ride!! We got there at 1pm but the line to pick up the pre-paid tickets was long and we missed it. We had to wait in the "stand by" line 45 min and ended up going....the stand by line is no guarantee that your going. My advice is when you buy ahead of time, have them mail your tickets to you so you dont have to wait in line in case your running late. Again, the weather was very hot sat morning/afternoon til about 2pm. It was pretty clear and you could see the Golden Gate Bridge, after about 30 min on the island it got really windy, foggy - couldnt see the bridge anymore - temp dropped about 25 degrees or so. I was shocked cuz we were in shorts. The tour is very worth it on alcatraz, gots lots of good pictures. After the tour, we walked around pier 39 and ate at Pier Market seafood...food was ok, service sucked and was very slow. Again, toured the city some more, went up to Coit Tower and loved it.....rode a cable car which was fun. Went to a house party sat night...umm in south beach/south park area?? yeah so its hard to find a cab or anything late at night in SF (230am)...even called for a cab 2x b4 we ran after a bus to make him stop for us. LOL

On Sunday, we rented 2 bikes at Blazing Saddles, they have a few locations in the city. They arent the only company that rents bikes either. It was $7/hr or $28/day. We rode around the city and down to the pier again. From there, we took the bike path down to the Golden Gate Bridge and rode across it and up to Sausalito. Again, it was grey/cool in SF and very clear/sunny/warm 10 miles away across the bridge in Sausalito....talk about micro climates! Had lunch at Poggio, had some Tuscan flare to it. Nice place, food was ok...again like most of the places the service was very slow. Seemed like our waiter was juggling several tables at once. We took the ferry back to SF.

The experience was so so in SF, I didnt have a bad time nor did I have a great time. I can say that Ive been and they have a few nice treasures/landmarks worth seeing. The transit system can be a bit confusing, Ive never seen so many homeless & street performers in a city, and the weather can definitely catch you off guard.

Oh yeah, anyone walking around down by the piers...beware of the "bush man" LOL

dcespedes

Nice trip report bluestructure. Did you get to Chinatown or the Ferry Market? Had to laugh at your reference to the bush man--I've been to SF several times and have seen him in action...one year I let my guard down and he caught me by surprise! >)

bluestructure

Yes, we did walk thru Chinatown....I must say that you would think your in China. Was very crowded and "alive", lots of people out shopping sunday afternoon. Another thing I noticed was, the second we went across the street into North Beach -- things changed really quickly, so amazing.

Curious

Regarding mailing the tickets in case you are late, don't you think it is easier to make it a point to get there on time?? I mean a 1:15 appointment shouldn't be that hard to keep. Frankly, your cab ride sounds standard for San Francisco.

Had you done a little research, you would know that shorts are pretty much a no-no in San Francisco just about anytime of year. The only people you see in shorts in SF are tourists. Otherwise, as you found out, you take your chances. I'm sure the friend you stayed with would have happily provided that information.

Bush man is GREAT!!! We hung around him for a while the last time we were there. He has quite a sense of humor. Seemed like a really nice guy.

Curious

acwsf

In bluestructure's defense, it was an unusually *HOT* day in SF last Saturday, probably about 85 degrees. Had s/he not worn shorts, s/he would have been extremely uncomfortable. So, while the no shorts in SF is usually the case for 98% of the year in SF, this day actually called for shorts and tanktops. Too bad it wasn't as nice the next day!

bluestructure

The Stand-by line was for people who missed their appt times and only for those folks who had tickets. Im sure hundreds other people arent as slow and lazy as us. Again, we got there at 1pm so I didnt realized there would be people in front of us taking all the time in the world just to show a credit card to pick up tickets! We did get to the boat at 1:14ish and they had already by then gave up spots to the people in the stand-by line SO its safe to say....have your tickets in hand and get there at least 15-20 min early. Yes I did do my research and thanks to the fodors peeps, im glad I took shorts with me!

love7220

I will be staying in Sausalito in November and have intentions of dining at Poggio's. Should I find another restaurant or stick with Poggios?

shannon44

I just love Chinatown in San francisciso! Maybe you should have explored it more. If nothing else, it's the place to go for inexpensive souvenirs (asian footwear, sake sets etc...) Also, there are some incredible restaurants there. Many of them look like nothing on the outside, the "menu" is in chinese, and no one who works there seems to speak any english. Don't be put off. If it's a busy little spot, with a mix of patrons - and you're adventerous - go for it!

MaryG1

Liked your story about the naked guy in the street...it made me chuckle..only a tourist would ask if he was okay....just everyday for us in SF. The homeless here is outragous..please write our mayor Gavin Newsom and tell him what you thought. We want people to write what a beautiful city we have not about the homeless!!!! Come back and I'll give you recs for some fab cheap restaurants.

bluestructure

Love7220, Poggio's was a very nice restaurant. The food was pretty good, I just think the waiter made the dining experience just plain unacceptable. I would say stick with your plan, service can vary you know? I wouldnt find another place just cuz we had a slow & busy waiter. Let us know how it went in November and then we'll make a final call on this joint.

shannon44, we did go thru chinatown...that main street was very busy. and we stuck out like a sore thumb. we didnt stay long but i must say...we appeared very tall to alot of those old, short asian folks...esp the ones who ride the bus thru there...i kept getting hit in the groin area with all the stuff they lug around!

MaryG1, if only I had my camera 24/7....I think that naked guy startled us as much as we did him. He had shoes and a hat on...i dunno where he was going but definitely some eye catching moments.

donnapg

We were in SF last week (left as the hot weather came in) and the Bush man got me good.

Had fun for the next 1/2 hour or so watching him "get" others.

Was great.

Donna

janeg

I grew up in the Bay Area but left a long time ago. Never heard of Bushman. Please explain.
Shorts? well I still have trouble wearing white shoes ANY time of the year. A leftover from the many "rules" I grew up with.

J_Correa

The bushman is a guy who hangs out on the street near fisherman's wharf with a couple tree branches. He hides behind them and then jumps out at unsuspecting passersby. It's pretty fun to watch.

janeg

Bushman: Boy, am I getting old & grouchy. I think that is really stupid and I would be inclined to hit him with my cane.

kimamom

I'm surprised he doesn't get cited for loitering and ordered to under go therapy from a judge! LOL

Why is SF one of the only places where this kind of bizarre behavior is seen as entertaining? Does he have a plate for collections by him? ***kim***