Mona

We are planning a trip to CA.
There is a lot of bad things about San Fran on this site. So, what are the "good areas" in SF?
Then, is it difficult to drive up the Pacific coast if you are from Europe?
Then, what car rental should we use?
And how much time should we reserv for the trip up from LA to SF?
We only have 3 weeks vacation!!!!
Hoteltips: How does Farmers Daughter in LA sound? And if we decide to stay in SF, how does Cow Hollow sound?
Or should we skip SF and stay in Sausalito or Tiburon? Hoteltips in these areas are welcome too.

xxx

Mona, I know this is the 3rd time you're posting (and this is the best subject line you've used) but you already got 44 responses to your first question--look a little further down on this page and you'll see it

Liz

Mona, we were in SF a few years ago. We stayed at the Lombard Motor Inn, which I think counts as the Cow Hollow area. We liked the hotel and thought the area was good.

Mona

XXX!
Yes, I know about the 44 answers, but if you check them out........they are fighting about some silly magazine that I never heard of!! There are some very good answers there too. But I´m still trying!

Faina

Cow Hollow is a good safe area. Sausalito is a very nice place, lots of tourists there. Connection with the city via Golden Gate transit or ferry boats. If you plan to rent a car - avoid peak hours driving over the bridge ($3). Tiburon is far, far away.

gail

Yes, there are a lot of bad things about SF on this site - but if you listed Heaven as your desired destination, there would probably be as many bad things about that, as well. Don't skip SF.

Mona

Faina!
Isn´t there a ferry to Tiburon also? From SF I mean.
And how far away is Tiburon.
We are not planning to rent a car in SF. We will drive up the coast and if we survive that we`ll be walking the rest.

Mona

Gail!
No I wont skip SF! Last time I was there I liked it a lot. Most of all the shopping. Had to buy a new bag to get everything home.
Shoes, clothes and so on!
Shoes take a lot of space!!

m

For lots of info (and great photos) of calif. coastal areas, check out the book "COMPASS American Guides: Coastal California", available thru amazon or bn.com. San Francisco is a lot of fun to visit and is safe. Maybe for those who live or have lived there, they feel it's not what it used to be but from a visitor, it's a lot of fun and a great city to visit. In 3 weeks you can certainly cover a lot of territory. The LA to SF drive can be done in as fast as a day (no stops), but leisurely in 3 days. The scenic stops are well worth it. As is Santa Barbara, Hearst Castle, Carmel, Monterey and Big Sur. The drive itself is similar to the Amalfi Coast in parts, but generally not too bad.

Faina

Mona, I think it takes 1,5 hours one way on a bus from SF to Tiburon. Check Golden Gate Transit web site, bus #10, on weekends runs once an hour. Ferry information is on the same website - same ownership. If I'm not mistaken there is not direct ferry SF-Tiburon, all stop at Angel Island, what takes time. Check the web. Sausalito is much easier if you want to stay outside SF.

Imelda Marcos

Mona: Just a suggestion on buying shoes on vacation - throw away the boxes, and after placing them in your luggage, fill each shoe with socks, underwear or any small item that will fit - they will then do double-duty.

Terry

Mona,

I took a trip to San Francisco about 2 months ago and it was not at all what I expected. Yes, it is a big city and I do not expect Disneyland, but the city was so dirty, it was repulsive. The homeless are a significant part of the problem, since they really made us feel uncomfortable, even when we just ignored them. They really need to do a better job of dealing with this terrible problem. In addition, the trash in the streets and the very open prostitution was disgusting. I would definitely think twice before going there.

t

up

Wendy

No one's commented yet about the Farmer's Daughter Motel in LA. Never been inside, but it looks decent and clean though not big, hip or ritzy. If you're just looking for a place to rest your head, this is a good choice. Plus, it's located in a good,safe area. You'll be able to walk across the street to the Farmer's Market, or down 3rd Street, Melrose or Fairfax for some more food/shopping. However, public transportion is not great so you'll still need a car to see the rest of the LA sites.

Mona

Thank you everyone!
I´m glad for the respons of Farmers Daughter.
I think we will have a very nice trip, thanks to you all!!

Lindsey

We are doing this trip next week. Hope to file a report after we get back.

Based on what I have read, three weeks is plenty of time. In context, it is like a drive from Rome to Milan. What is your itinerary? With three weeks you should also consider the Napa Valley and/or Yosemite. Depends a lot on your interests.

Personally, if you are visiting San Francisco, stay in San Francisco. Tiburon is definitely a hike. Sausalito is so different, the change in atmosphere could be disconcerting. I would also suggest timing your stay to be there on a weekend.

Although I don't have personal experience with the drive along Big Sur yet, it should not be difficult for you. It sounds no worse than some of the stretches in the Alps or Pyrenees. And everyone of my friends who have driven it say it is a beautiful drive, and not that difficult. It just requires paying attention.

Car rental is up to you. We are using Hertz because it was the only service that did not charge extra for picking up in LA and dropping off in SF.

James

The good areas of San Francisco... how much time do you have? I live in Berkeley, across the bay, and visit it quite often.
There is, I'll admit, a huge problem with homelessness, especially near Union Square... they're fairly harmless, though, if unsettling, and you shouldn't let them dissuade you from one of the greatest shopping areas on the West Coast - home to both the largest Banana Republic in the world and a Macy's so big it has its own food court. The Castro district also has its share of transients, as does Haight-Ashbury... though in the Haight, I think it's almost expected.
SoMA [the South Of Market Area] is home to the SFMOMA and the Sony Metreon, two very different places that are both worth checking out, and joined by a lovely little park. In addition, this is also home to many of the city's best clubs, if you're into that kinda thing 1015 Folsom attracts some of the best DJs in the planet.
Cow Hollow is a very nice area; Union Street has some wonderful eateries and shops, and the neighborhood South of Union Street is very posh. I'm not sure of the hotels in that area; the nicer ones are a bit more Downtown, and you'll pay the price for them. Nob Hill hotels are stunning, especially the Fairmont with its gorgeous lobby, but if you're on a budget they're probably best to visit for a drink, and not a night. Nob Hill also has the lovely Grace Cathedral, a hurch for all faiths.
North Beach is kinda seedy but home to some fantastic restaurants, and north of that, Fisherman's Wharf and Pier39 are very tourist-oriented little meccas where you can find little San Francisco baubles for all your friends and relatives back home that are just *dying* for a Golden Gate Bridge snowglobe There are also some very nice seafood places; though I have my favorites I'll let you go to Zagat's for a more expert opinion heheAlso, be sure to visit Golden Gate Park, The Palace of the Legion of Honor, and the Palace of Fine Arts.
The drive up from LA to SF will take a whole day; 9 hours maybe? Take the Pacific Coast Highway, it's not a much more difficult drive than the icredibly boring I-5 and it's infinitely more scenic. The drive shouldn't be bad; a bit windy at points but I assume it's nothing more difficult than a coast drive in Europe as long as you drive on the right side of the road. If you get tired, you could spend a night [or a couple of days] in lovely Santa Barbara, San Luis Obispo, or Monterey.

Sausalito and Tiburon might be nice to visit, but If you want to visit the city of SF, you should really stay there, too. Oakland or Berkeley might be a viable alternative, but anything farther away would just take too much time spent travelling back and forth.

xxxxx

James,

It's great to hear that someone is finally starting to tell the truth about the huge homeless problem in SF. But you are mistaken on one account, they are VERY aggressive. Also, who really cares how big the Macy's or Banana Republic is, they are the same old chain stores that you find at any suburban mall such as Stonestown Galleria. The Macy's has its own food court, wow what a tourist attraction that is! I have seen many other Macy's stores with there own food court, and SF's is no different.
For your information the BEST Macy's is the one in Herald Square in Manhattan.

Sony Metreon is basically just a theater multiplex/arcade with a few ordinary restaurants. Hardly something a tourist would be interested in seeing. Fisherman's Wharf and Pier 39, the ULTIMATE TOURIST TRAPS. Palace of Legion of Honor, a very underwhelming museum, Palace of Fine Arts/Exploratorium has nothing that you couild not find in any other city.

Mona

Lindsey and James!
Thank you for your tips!
Here is our itinerary ( I had to look that word up):
Leaving Finland for a 3 week vacation in California on april 21. 2003 (If I graduate from univercity, I´m not a student in "that way", I´m 37 years old and "adult-studying")
4 days in LA, staying at Farmers Market (I think, thanks to all the help I got from these sigt)
5 days driving up the coast to SF - No ideas where we should stop.
3 days in SF, Hotel del Sol or Motor motel Cow Hollow, we´ll see.
A few days at our friends house in Sebastopol. Probably we´ll visit Napa as we did last time.
The rest of the time in Pacific Grove, to take out the most of the vacation)
11 may leave the beautiful California and going home to save money to the next trip.
Thank you two!

Mona

Sorry, I ment Farmers Daughter.