complete san francisco newbie needs help ASAP!
Feb 28th, 2005, 01:16 PM
#1
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complete san francisco newbie needs help ASAP!
hello all! My wife and I just decided to take a trip to san francisco on friday 3/18 to tuesday 3/22. we will be flying out of chicago (ORD) and arriving in san fran (SFO).
Neither of us have been to San Francisco, which is where you come in. First of all, we need a place to stay. We prefer to stay at 4 star hotels -- hyatt, hilton, marriott, sheraton...
where in San Francisco should we stay? Fisherman's Warf? Union Square? Nob Hill?
We are not into the night life... we want to see the "must-see" spots in san fran. we also enjoy eating great food!
What should we do? I heard fisherman's warf is a must. same with china town. golden gate bridge? Is there a nice spot to see the bridge? i heard there's a park there. What's it called? how about Alcatraz? Is that worth it? where can i find more info on that (prices, duration...).
restaurants? what are the best restaurants? we want to try sushi, clam chowder, seafood, and since we're from chicago, we must try In-and-Out...
any other suggestions? Is this enough time?
Thank you!
Neither of us have been to San Francisco, which is where you come in. First of all, we need a place to stay. We prefer to stay at 4 star hotels -- hyatt, hilton, marriott, sheraton...
where in San Francisco should we stay? Fisherman's Warf? Union Square? Nob Hill?
We are not into the night life... we want to see the "must-see" spots in san fran. we also enjoy eating great food!
What should we do? I heard fisherman's warf is a must. same with china town. golden gate bridge? Is there a nice spot to see the bridge? i heard there's a park there. What's it called? how about Alcatraz? Is that worth it? where can i find more info on that (prices, duration...).
restaurants? what are the best restaurants? we want to try sushi, clam chowder, seafood, and since we're from chicago, we must try In-and-Out...
any other suggestions? Is this enough time?
Thank you!
Feb 28th, 2005, 01:39 PM
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Whoa! STOP! We hear ya, blab! LOL!
First off, there are no four star places at Fisherman's Wharf, only 3*, but I'd recommend that you check out the Argonaut Hotel as a possibility.
As for the other hotels, how much are you willing to spend and just how close must you be to the tourist sites? For a good price and great digs, try the Ritz Carlton, Mark Hopkins, Fairmont, Mandarin Oriental, or any number of boutique hotels. What is YOUR preference? You have to give us YOUR preferences - big bathrooms? plush sheets? great service personnel? Asian/European feel? Do you need to exercise in the mornings? Beachfront? Hilltop?
Must see in SF are: Golden Gate Bridge, Union Square, Ferry Building, Twin Peaks view, Castro Street, Fisherman's Wharf, Alcatraz, Chinatown..... why not take a quickie city tour for half a day and then explore those areas that really appealed to you?
Food? Ah, there's the rub. This is foodie heaven...what kind of food do you like? French? Italian? Japanese? Chinese? Vietnamese? Seafood? Steak? Expensive but good? Inexpensive but good? What price range?
3/18 is still a few weeks away. You should get a lot of great suggestions from the regulars on Fodors!
Enjoy! And welcome to SF!
First off, there are no four star places at Fisherman's Wharf, only 3*, but I'd recommend that you check out the Argonaut Hotel as a possibility.
As for the other hotels, how much are you willing to spend and just how close must you be to the tourist sites? For a good price and great digs, try the Ritz Carlton, Mark Hopkins, Fairmont, Mandarin Oriental, or any number of boutique hotels. What is YOUR preference? You have to give us YOUR preferences - big bathrooms? plush sheets? great service personnel? Asian/European feel? Do you need to exercise in the mornings? Beachfront? Hilltop?
Must see in SF are: Golden Gate Bridge, Union Square, Ferry Building, Twin Peaks view, Castro Street, Fisherman's Wharf, Alcatraz, Chinatown..... why not take a quickie city tour for half a day and then explore those areas that really appealed to you?
Food? Ah, there's the rub. This is foodie heaven...what kind of food do you like? French? Italian? Japanese? Chinese? Vietnamese? Seafood? Steak? Expensive but good? Inexpensive but good? What price range?
3/18 is still a few weeks away. You should get a lot of great suggestions from the regulars on Fodors!
Enjoy! And welcome to SF!
Feb 28th, 2005, 01:41 PM
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Hi,
You might read this post, as it has much of the information you are asking for: http://www.fodors.com/forums/pgMessa...ses=21&start=0
If you stay at the Hyatt Embarcadero, be sure to eat at the Tadich Grill. Cozy and casual place with excellent food and service (crab cakes to die for).
Another great restaurant is Zuni's Cafe, it's in the Civic Center area. The roasted chicken & stuffing is sooo yummy I look forward to traveling again so I can order it once more
-Sandra
You might read this post, as it has much of the information you are asking for: http://www.fodors.com/forums/pgMessa...ses=21&start=0
If you stay at the Hyatt Embarcadero, be sure to eat at the Tadich Grill. Cozy and casual place with excellent food and service (crab cakes to die for).
Another great restaurant is Zuni's Cafe, it's in the Civic Center area. The roasted chicken & stuffing is sooo yummy I look forward to traveling again so I can order it once more
-Sandra
Feb 28th, 2005, 01:43 PM
#4
HI we are going at the end of March. The Hilton is running a special for 111. per night. It is four stars. I am not staying there, but they just emailed us as HHonors members some deals and that is one of them.
I will tell you that we bought a city pass for our week to ride the cable cars as much as we want. I bought it through the Blue/Gold fleet and the Alcatraz tour is free with this if you buy through them. I believe the adult ticket is 41.00 and you get into other places free as well. You should book your alcatraz tour now as I hear they get booked up. We are also taking the Wok Wiz chinatown tour. I booked it online and called with a credit card.
I also just bought tickets for the Beach Blanket Babylon show. It sounds like a funny show. If you type in San francisco, you will see a ton of recent posts on it. I believe there are grandparents taking grandchildren the same time I am going. So, there have been numerous questions. There is also a number of posts on restaurant recommendations, etc... I wish I was going first so I could tell you how I liked these things I have booked. Maybe you can tell me how they are! Hopefully they will be good.
I will tell you that we bought a city pass for our week to ride the cable cars as much as we want. I bought it through the Blue/Gold fleet and the Alcatraz tour is free with this if you buy through them. I believe the adult ticket is 41.00 and you get into other places free as well. You should book your alcatraz tour now as I hear they get booked up. We are also taking the Wok Wiz chinatown tour. I booked it online and called with a credit card.
I also just bought tickets for the Beach Blanket Babylon show. It sounds like a funny show. If you type in San francisco, you will see a ton of recent posts on it. I believe there are grandparents taking grandchildren the same time I am going. So, there have been numerous questions. There is also a number of posts on restaurant recommendations, etc... I wish I was going first so I could tell you how I liked these things I have booked. Maybe you can tell me how they are! Hopefully they will be good.
Feb 28th, 2005, 01:43 PM
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I think Alcatraz is a must-
walking through China town -
a day trip over to Sausilito is great -
great restaurants and shopping - you can go by boat from Fishermans Wharf or drive - if you drive you'll go over the
Golden Gate Bridge-
I prefer staying in the Union Square Area - and you can take the cable car to Fishermans Wharf-
one of the most fun nights I ever had in SF was a night at Lefty O'Douls bar on Union Square- they have a piano bar and locals came in and sang and they were great!
Theres a few ideas
walking through China town -
a day trip over to Sausilito is great -
great restaurants and shopping - you can go by boat from Fishermans Wharf or drive - if you drive you'll go over the
Golden Gate Bridge-
I prefer staying in the Union Square Area - and you can take the cable car to Fishermans Wharf-
one of the most fun nights I ever had in SF was a night at Lefty O'Douls bar on Union Square- they have a piano bar and locals came in and sang and they were great!
Theres a few ideas
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