Cheap lodging for three students, accessible to Giants stadium
 

My son and two of his guy friends will drive to San Francisco from their school in L.A. this coming Friday. They are attending a special event at the Giants stadium on Saturday. So they need a (very inexpensive) room for Friday and Saturday nights, with free parking.

They are 20 years old. The Travelodge Airport-North has a double room for 3, for a total of $136 for the two nights. The guys are old enough to check in there, as the hotel's requirement is just 18. (We're not concerned about its rating per se, just the location and that it's safe.)

Would that location be ok for going to the Giants stadium and back on Saturday? It's at 326 S. Airport Blvd.

Or any other suggestions? Are there hostels to consider?

(Please do NOT suggest the guys find their own lodging, or that I should not be helping them. I have the time, and I offered to investigate prices for them.)

You may want to repost this stating that they are going to Candlestick Park. Giants Stadium is in New Jersey!!!

Correcting myself: the Giants stadium in SF is AT&T Park. The 49ers stadium is Candlestick Park.

You need to clarify - the Giants play in central San Francisco at AT&T park - it is not near the airport/travelodge.

The niners play at Candlestick which IS near the airport/travelodge.

So which is it?

If you mean AT&T - there won't be anything cheap or w/ parking close by. In the city most hotels charge $30 - $50 a day to park.

So they might actually be better off taking the travelodge/free parking and using BART to get into the city.

There is nothing cheap and decent in SF. the Trvelodge is fine, it's about a 15 min. drive from the stadium (sans traffic - it will take longer on a Friday night). The problem is that once in the city, long-term street parking is hard to come by. There are plenty of lots near ATandT, but their rates change depending on the popularity of the event - can be anywhere from $50 (Giants v Dodgers during a pennant race) to $10 when nothing is going on.

It is a VERY easy drive from the park to the hotel.

FWIW, it's only a few miles, maybe 5 (straight shot on the freeway) from Candlestick to ATandT.

Thanks, all. I do mean AT&T park. So if it's a very easy drive, that's good.

The guys have press passes for the event, so they might have parking passes, too, but I'll remind them of that point.

Problem now is that Travelodge says their minimum age policy is 21, not 18 as the Expedia site said.

So, that's a problem.

When I was 20, the last place I would want to spend 2 nights would be outside of SF near the airport. Stay in the City. There are plenty of hotels on Lombard St with free parking, and Lombard is 1 block from Chestnut St $ 3 blocks from Union St which are areas that are loaded with other 20 year olds on weekends. Driving to AT&T is a snap from there.

Stu Dudley

Well, they're 20, not 21 , so I'm not sure I agree that Union/Chestnut is so great for them. Also, are there motels out there with free parking for $136 for 3 people for 2 nights?

There always seem to be a lot of college kids on Chestnut Sat night - and most of them (college kids) are in the 19 to 21 range. 20 YOs won't get into bars - but most of the places there are restaurants with bars, where they will be welcome. I bet they would only get carded sitting at a bar in a restaurant if they order an alcohol drink. Bus Stop on Union would be out, but Balboa Cafe is OK.

Stu Dudley

I think they would have trouble finding any double for 2 nights in the City for $136 total. PeaceOut asked for "Cheap lodging" - I don't know if $136 is the upper limit or just the current "cheapest" that he/she has found, so far. However, they can't stay there because of their age, so $136 is irrelevant.

I still would try real hard to stay in The City near Union/Chestnut or North Beach.

Near the airport is BORING.

Stu Dudley

Stu: There are three of them - they have a car - and are under 21. It will be hard for them find anything appropriate and cheap inside SF. The Travelodge or other motels along 101/Bayshore are probably their best bet.

Since they driving up Friday night for an event on Sat, and most likely driving back on Sunday - my guess they aren't spending much time/money sightseeing or fine dining.

I think their age and their budget are the limiting factors. The airport location is the right price, but I don't know if they can count on getting a room. The sites like Expedia, hotels.com and Orbitz all say the hotel has an 18 age limit, but the hotel itself says it's 21. Paying in advance on those sites would be a big gamble when the guys show up to check in.

Since they have press passes for the special day-long event, which includes concerts, they won't be interested or able to do any sightseeing in the city.

Maybe hostels?

columbus Motor Inn or Chelsea Motor Inn. Parking is included in the rates even though they are in such a great location.
not sure about the 18/21 thing

I thought NJ, as well. But, as it's clear it is SF, have they thought about youth hostel?

I was ion SF last week and stayed downtown near Market and 3rd. But, I found it very easy to meet my BIL for dinner near his aparment in the Upper Market area as I just took the "F" Market cable car straight up.

I believe there is a cable car line that runs along the Embarcadero from the foot of Market out to the ballpark.

There are lots of hostels - but the only one I can think of that has parking might be the Adelaide. They do charge for parking though.

I'm sure others might have some other suggestions for hostels w/ parking.

Red Roof Inn down near the airport is $75 per night and 18 yrs is okay

If they can get the Red Roof for $75 - that would be cheaper than most any hostel by the time they factor in parking.

The Red Roof Inn requires 21, also. Some of the chains say 18 ok, but not when you look into the specific hotels in California.

So, hostels with parking in safe neighborhoods with access to AT&T park?

Have them take a 21 yo friend w/ them. That will solve the whole problem :)

Plus a quad will cost less per person than a triple . . . . .

Try the Ritz Inn in San Bruno. I don't know the policies or price, but it's a standard motel on El Camino (which runs parallel to the freeway). It would be fine for them. There are also a few Days Inn hotels in the area that you might try.

http://www.ritzinnsfo.com/reservations.htm

Thanks for your tips. I'm researching them.

I'll also ask if anyone who's 21 is going, but I'm pretty sure my son is the oldest at 20 of the three buddies. Maybe there's a fake ID. . .

Jeeze - when I was in my teens & early 20s & living in LA (this is in the early/mid 60s), SF was the most fabulous destination in the world. Kingston Trio, Glen Yarbrough, Haight/Ashbury, Wharf, away from the parents.

While in high school, three of us guys drove up to SF from LA at night after a high school basketball game & planned to sleep in GG park - really that's no lie. My parents "sprung" & booked a room for us near the airport - and we really wished that we could have stayed up all night in SF instead & just roamed around The City and crashed anywhere.

During college (in the midwest), my girlfiend (now my wife of 37 years) came out to visit during the summer (I was still in LA). We ventured up from LA to SF and had a fabulous time. We pounded the pavement and walked everywhere. The City is really an exciting place. It's a Disneyland for adults.

SF is a remarkable place - don't let $$$ influence your plans. I would rathar sleep in a shack in SF, than a luxury place outside the City. When I was 20, it really didn't matter where I slepted - just as long as I was near the "action" (SF).

Stu Dudley

Hi, Stu. Times are different now. They don't let kids crash in parks anymore. Those days may be why the hotels insist on 21 IDs now.

Yep, Stu -- things have changed. It was a simpler time back then. Almost all chain and most non-chain places (even the "shacks") will not rent to under 21's. I think even the holes in the Tenderloin have limitations.

But read again what PeaceOut says - they are not really coming up for sightseeing or pounding the pavement. They are coming up to (I think) an X Games-type event at McCovey cove. So all the romantic things you did 40 years ago - not too relevant for those working/visiting a snow boarding/skiing/music festival .

http://www.chelseamotorinn.com/

Free parking. Great rates.

CAll the Adante Hotel just off Union Square. There's no free parking in the area, but reasonable parking is close by. The rates will be a bit higher but not much.

When you call (and you will need to call and make the reservation, probably with your credit card) ask for the owner of the hotel, who is a retired SF baseball player (sorry can't remember his name), and a great guy. Explain the situation and I'm sure they would be able to accomodate the guys.

So - you need to be 21 to rent a room?? Wow - if we had gotten married while a little younger, & went to SF for our honeymoon (which we did) I guess we would have been out of luck.....

Is there any maximum age limit??? Maybe I need to worry about that!!!!

How about camping??? We camped in Marin at a campground when we were in our 20s.

I can't imagine traveling to SF, and not doing some sightseeing & partying when I was 20...

Stu Dudley

You can stay overnight for 4 years in Iraq if you're 18, but you can't stay overnight to see a ball game.

Good point, joesorce.

Stu Dudley

I guess you can get married at age 20, but not have a honeymoon?

Well, I'm still looking for a room for them. The Travelodge website will book the room, and there's NO mention anywhere in the contract that the minimum age is 21.

I wonder if it's booked, and they show up, if they'd be able to get in. They are all three really nice guys, and they look very non-threatening, so maybe they could talk their way in. My son is 20 1/2, for pete's sake.

Maybe we'll reserve the room, and if they get there before 6 p.m., we wouldn't lose any money if it doesn't work.

I'll keep looking for a sure thing, though. Thanks for the names of places to check.

>>and there's NO mention anywhere in the contract that the minimum age is 21.<<

So - what's vague about that? If you want to be 150% sure - call them ASAP.

Stu Dudley

Stu, the reservation is made now. It asks for number of adults, ages 19+. But it doesn't say anywhere that the check-in age is 21. So I've booked it for them, and can cancel by 6 p.m. on Friday. The guys will need to get there before 6 and plead their case.

I did call, and they said 21 on the phone.

But how many people know that? You didn't, right? And you're our resident expert on S.F.!

So, I'm hoping they can talk their way in. Otherwise, they're in trouble!

I'll report back to let you all know what happens.

I'm feeling pretty good about it, since the reservation just asks for number of adults and doesn't specify anywhere that there's a minimum age to check in. How are their guests supposed to know about their rule?

Any other ideas, please?

I bet when they get there, the 20-1/2 year old will "pass" if he's even asked for I.D.

Stu, not only was the time you described a "simpler time" as janisj put it, but our parents just didn't know as much about our minute-by-minute lives. I'm about your age, have been married (to the same man) for 35 years, and have children 21 and 24. When I was 19, I drove across country with my then-boyfriend (now husband). We slept in cheap motels and roadside rests. We had all our worldly possessions in a Volkswagen beetle. We were "hippies". Still, we didn't really worry about safety, because all in all, it was pretty safe. We came to San Francisco and wandered around until three other kids told us about a flea-bag in the Tenderloin --- we went and slept, probably on dirty sheets and with bedbugs, for practically no money, which was handed to the clerk who was behind a cage and what looked like bullet-proof glass. My parents had no idea, probably would have been mortified, but that's just the way it was back then. Now, I know who my kids are with, where they're going, where they're staying, and if I don't like it, I offer to pay more for them to stay somewhere else :-) (for ex., the time they planned to drive to Tahoe, sleep in their car in the Squaw Valley parking lot, ski, and then drive home. Not being a good idea to me, I paid for a motel). Anyway, I agree with you completely - it was probably better "our way", but it's changed and that's life!

dmlove, you describe our college years perfectly. We also had a VW, and explored California and Colorado without any problems (and with practically no money). It was easier then. Places were more accepting, I think.

Many times in the early 70s, we drove up from LA to visit the Bay Area & north and we slept in sleeping bags in ditches just off Hwy 1, or behind a closed gas station, or anyplace we could find some area where we would not be noticed.

I went to college in the midwest (Purdue) and drove between LA & Indiana about 12 times. I don't remember sleeping in any hotel - usually I pulled off the side of the road to get some sleep. I turned 21 sleeping behind a gas station somewhere in Kansas - which I think is a dry state anyway.

What my parents didn't know !!!!!

Stu Dudley

I think I would have booked the Red Roof, near the travelodge, for $30 less per night, and printed out the page on the Red Roof site saying 18, in case they have any trouble.

I can't believe that Expedia, Red roof etc would print out information saying 18 is okay, then continually turn people away at the door. They probably just turn them away if they have 12-packs under each arm and painted faces.

Red Roof's website says 21, not 18.