Just in case this info is useful -- a friend suggested comparing car rentals on Kayak. I normally compare airfares on Kayak, but I wouldn't have thought of using Kayak to compare car rentals.

And Kayak is useful. I can see the cheapest is Enterprise for about $37 a day. I'll have to load up on all the insurance if I rent though.

Is Enterprise something to avoid? I think the cheapest is a Chevy Aveo.

I also checked Hotwire. Someone had mentioned that rentals are much more expensive at airports. If I compare an SFO rental vs. a city rental, I see that SFO taxes are much higher. Not sure why that is.

Anyway, I'll see how it goes.

All car rentals that I've experienced are more expensive at the airport because they take on extra airport fees.

Several Fodorites have success with rental cars booked via Priceline. Good luck - with the trip and the interview.

My daughter and I just reserved a room at the Orchard Garden Hotel thru Hotels.com for $90 a night (Mar 29 - Apr 1). When I called the hotel to see if we could switch from a king bed to 2 doubles, the very nice man who helped me mentioned that you can always ask for that same rate if you call the hotel directly. Main difference I think is that the hotel wouldn't charge your credit card when you reserve, but rather when you check out. Plus you can be more specific about your preferences. We're planning to take BART from Oakland airport, then walk to the hotel.

Good luck with your interview!

Regarding Priceline for cars, I assume people bid for the rental?

I looked at BFT and someone mentioned on 3/3 that he couldn't seem to bid for a car downtown. He was speculating bidding is allowed for airport locations only. Is this true?

Orchard Garden is really nice, but I just can't figure out how you were able to book it so cheaply, Golondrina. In any case, out of curiosity I checked and those dates are gone on both the hotel's website and hotels.com. I'd be happy to stay there for $90 a night -- but I don't think it's possible for me. I did check some other dates and the rate is always above $150 on both.

Thanks for the well wishes. I'll need the luck I'm sure. The more the better.

Hi, I've a few more questions.

1. Walking Tours

Regarding the walking tours on sfcityguides.org are there some favorites?

I checked the website and no reservations are necessary. I'll see what I feel like when I am there.

2. Bus Tours

I don't know why I didn't think of this before -- but I think I'll go with some tours instead of drive. Driving just feels too risky to me. I'll put this on a to-do list on a future trip.

I checked Greyline and searched some threads on Fodor's. Someone used Tower Tours. Is one tour group more recommendable than another? Monterey/Carmel, Wine Country and Sausalito/Muir Woods are all covered.

I'll check what the hotel has to offer when I get there.

3. City Pass

Is this worthwhile?

http://www.citypass.com/price/sanfrancisco.html

Muni/Cable car 7-day transport is $24. I'm not sure how much the bus and cable car rides are, but I'll be in the city for a couple of days. I'll probably go to SFMOMA and take the cruise (if that's good -- but if not, let me know). I'm confused though by why Legion of Honor and De Young are grouped together (is this a joint admission for $10?). Aren't they quite far apart?

4. Restaurants

I'm wondering if there's anyone here who has eaten at Michael Mina. It has two Michelin stars and I've checked the Lounge menu online and it seems reasonable. How's this place?

Also has anyone eaten at Range?

I'm taking a friend out to dinner at Chez Panisse (well, that's the plan anyway).

-----

I've pasted StuDudley's thread into a file on my PC so that I can pull it up and read later even if I don't have internet access.

I've skimmed the suggestions here and I'm just trying to gather information for later. I don't have too much time now to plan actually.

Thanks again!

Hi 111op,
Stu Dudley can probably give you more info on the tours. I plan to take the Victorian one on Sunday.
Re Chez Panisse - do you have reservations? It's usually pretty darn hard to get a reservation there.
The tour sounds like a good option. I'd put Muir Woods and the wine country on the top of the list.
Have fun! I'll be there next weekend so give a shout if you head out then.

Hey starrs, I'm actually leaving that Sunday, so it looks like we'll just miss each other.

Yes I made reservations for Chez Panisse already. It was actually surprisingly easy. There are two sections -- the cafe upstairs and the main restaurant downstairs. Supposedly the main restaurant is a tougher reservation, but I just called a few days ago and got the date we wanted.

Out of curiosity I checked the French Laundry. I was surprised that I could have chosen to have lunch there the coming week or even dinner. I forget which days. The restaurant is on OpenTable and I think it must have been last-minute cancellations. The only thing is that FL doesn't seem to take one person for reservations on OpenTable, but there were spots available if I tried reservations for 2.

I guess this can be something to look forward to on a future trip (when I actually drive...).

I suspect it's the economic crisis -- but honestly, many restaurants in NYC still seem absolutely packed. But there have been articles in the paper about falling rents. I was just reading another one this morning.

And starrs -- I forgot to say, have a great trip! We'll have to exchange notes afterwards.

3) The muni buses are $1.50; Cable Car $5. deYoung and Legion of Honor together form the Fine Arts Museum of SF; a bit like Met + Cloisters in theory. If you take MUNI to deYoung you can get $2 off admission by showing your bus ticket. Of course, you can get in museums for free if your schedule is flexible.

Thanks. I checked the museum websites and I don't really see free days like the museums in NYC. It seems like the free days are first xx of the month. Did I miss something?

I took the following notes for myself. Any other museums I should think about visiting? I'll just write down a list and see what I feel like doing when I get there.

yk, you mentioned the architecture at Contemporary Jewish Museum. Was there a reason why? Thanks.

SFMOMA, Contemporary Jewish: Closed Wednesdays. Open late Thursdays. SFMOMA 1/2 price after 6 pm on Thursdays.

de Young + Legion of Honor: Free to one if you visit on the same day. de Young is open late Fridays. Both are closed Mondays.

deYoung & SFMOMA - First Tuesday of each month is free

Re: CJM - I was simply interested to see the new/old buildings. You can enter the lobby and see parts of the old substation and a bit of the new section without paying admission.
http://www.thecjm.org/index.php?opti...=article&id=45

Thanks. Admission to CJM is $10 but they say the tours are free? But I assume you still need to pay $10? I just copied and pasted the tour hours.

By the way, can someone recommend things to do in Berkeley? Since I'm going to Chez Panisse, I may as well try to see some other stuff while there. I've been to Berkeley before also, but I just don't know what's really there.

yes, you still need to pay admission for the tours at CJM. But they also have a free cell phone-guided tour of the building/architecture. There are #s and signs in the lobby area, so you can pop in, do the cellphone tour of the free section which you can wander around, then leave. The admission fee is really for the art exhibition - if it's not something you're interested in there's no compelling reason to go in. Is the Chagall show there yet? If it is and if you didn't see it in NY, it's worth paying admission for that.

Chagall show starts April 23. I didn't see it here actually.

Actually the cellphone tour won't be free for me as I don't have a monthly plan for my cell. But your idea of wondering in and seeing the architecture sounds good. Thanks!

Sorry -- wandering in. Who knows how many typos I've made, but that one is especially egregious. Sorry.

>>1. Walking Tours

Regarding the walking tours on sfcityguides.org are there some favorites?

I checked the website and no reservations are necessary. I'll see what I feel like when I am there.<<

When will you be here? - my wife leads the Victorian San Francisco tour today, and a few times in April & May too.

What you might like really depends on your interests - architeture, history, quirky things, Murals, neighborhoods, Chinatown etc.

DebitNW really liked the Cityscapes & Public Places tour - which walks you around downtown & shows you some places that visitors rarely discover. The guide on Deb's tour had his dog with him - which made an interesting ensemble.

I like the Chinatown tour, the Victorian tours (naturally), Haight/Ashbury, Palace Hotel (all inside), Gold Rush City, Nob Hill, Pacific Heights Mansions, - but these really reflect my interests. I also love the neightorhoods walks - Noe Valley, Castro, Inner Sunset, Mission Dolores, North Beach, Cow Hollow, Dogpatch, and also architecture walks - Art Deco Marina, Rising Steel (never beeen on this one), Downtown Deco. There are lso several "Mural" walks.

>>2. Bus Tours

I don't know why I didn't think of this before -- but I think I'll go with some tours instead of drive. Driving just feels too risky to me. I'll put this on a to-do list on a future trip.<<

Tour buses are not allowed to go to several places in the city. There are Mr Toad tours, and the motorized cable car tours.


>>I'll check what the hotel has to offer when I get there.<,

It's usually tours where they get a commission.

>>3. City Pass

Is this worthwhile?

http://www.citypass.com/price/sanfrancisco.html

Muni/Cable car 7-day transport is $24. I'm not sure how much the bus and cable car rides are, but I'll be in the city for a couple of days.<<

In addition to the cost analysis - note that you can't transfer on Cable Cars - each trip is $3. So, if you want to get on the Calif Line & transfer to the Powell/Hyde - that's $6. If you are staying downtown or at the Wharf, and want to take the Cable Car to a restaurant on Hyde - and then back after dinner - that's another $6. Bus transfers are good for 1 1/2 hrs (with some hedge in there).

>>I'll probably go to SFMOMA and take the cruise (if that's good -- but if not, let me know). I'm confused though by why Legion of Honor and De Young are grouped together (is this a joint admission for $10?). Aren't they quite far apart?<<

If you've visited Paris or other cities, passes for 2 museums on the same ticket are common. They are both in the western half of SF.

>>>4. Restaurants

I'm wondering if there's anyone here who has eaten at Michael Mina. It has two Michelin stars and I've checked the Lounge menu online and it seems reasonable. How's this place?

Also has anyone eaten at Range?<<

I've dined at Range a couple of times. Don't know why it's a 1 star - when Quince, Gary Danko, la Folie, Boulevard, Chez Panisse are also 1 stars - but much better, IMO.. I think Aziza is much better too, and it's a 0 star (these are from my '07 Michelin guide).

Stu Dudley

Thanks. I'll be there the coming week.

I actually can't recall any museums in Paris that are paired up, but maybe that's because I normally go to them separately. I agree that the Met/Cloisters analogy in NYC is a good one, but the Cloisters is normally not on people's itineraries. I've only been to the Cloisters there once myself.

The friend I'm taking to Chez Panisse likes Range and not Boulevard. I guess it's like everything else. People like different things. Personally I was surprised to see that Range has a star also -- at least based on what I can find on its website. Michelin can be like that sometimes. The Spotted Pig in NYC has (had?) a star.

111, I haven't been, but everyone I know who has been to the CJM has enjoyed the building/architecture but has been unimpressed with the exhibits themselves.

Re Range, when I mentioned recently to some foodie co-workers that we might go there for my birthday, their collective eyebrows raised, as in "why Range?".

Oops, forgot Berkeley. We were just there yesterday. I would take a walk through campus, up Bancroft, down Telegraph a bit (you'll get the full "Berkeley experience" on Telegraph. If you have time and you're driving back to the city, drive down College Avenue through Rockridge, it's a great neighborhood. Berekeley residential architecture is excellent, too.

That's interesting. Range seems to get good reviews online.

Others I've noted to check out -- Nopa, Burma Superstar, Slanted Door, Yank Sing. I think that I've to go to Yank Sing because I'd heard about it for so long and I've never been there. Even if it's not good, I'll have to check it out for myself.

I don't plan to have a car, but I'll try to walk around Telegraph Avenue.

I just went to buy a copy of Time Out SF and I was flipping through it. I saw a mention of Amoeba Records in Berkeley that I remembered reading about elsewhere many years ago. Supposedly the one in Haight-Ashbury is bigger these days. So if it's convenient I'll see what I can find there. I buy classical music CDs once in a while.

By the way, "Good" hotel (the one on 7th and Mission) was reviewed in NYT a few months ago. I saw the article when I was checking the archived articles in the Travel section on SF. But with good Priceline deals the prices it charges are really not that competitive.

So many questions, so few brain cells (for me).

I'll try to answer some - those that I can remember. :)

1) Airport rentals have an airport fee tacked on. Cities with airports have found one way to tax people is to slap a tax on anything going on at the airport. Our airport has a $3 per airline passenger fee, that's coming and going. Car rentals also have to pay a fee. These airport taxes/fees can get to be prohibitive.

2) Enterprise is a good rental company. It's become the biggest car rental agency in the US and so has gone downhill because of its size. However, their weekend rates are usually 1/2 price and they will also pick up and drop off at your home/office/etc. - within a reasonable distance. If you can find a good rate at an Enterprise location inside SF, then I'd say go for it.

2) The Legion of Honor and the DeYoung Museum have always been grouped together - don't know why, but I've been a member for many years and have always been happy that one membership lets me into two of the better museums in the City.

3) Unless the SF MOMA has an exhibit that you want to see, it's not worth spending the money for the ticket. This is not the NY MOMA. BTW, I'm saying this even tho I'm a member of SFMOMA too.

4) If you go to the De Young, then I'd recommend spending some time also at the California Academy of Sciences just across from the DeYoung. Go especially for the "green" building aspects of this redesigned and rebuilt "aquarium-cum-science" building. Yes, I'm a member here too.

Come to think of it, when will you be here? I could possibly get you into a couple of museums...

5) Buildings and walking tours: I'd definitely recommend any one of the SF Library tours that has to do with the 1906 earthquake, especially one that deals with the three great surviving hotels: Palace, St Francis and Fairmont. Another Fodorite, Shanghainese and I went on the Sutro Forest hike and really enjoyed it. This walking tour is more about outdoors and great Pacific Ocean views. If you do go on the Sutro Forest tour, then I'd suggest dining at Cliff House, the Bistro side.

Another great historical building that survived the 1906 earthquake is the Flood Building on Market Street.

Yet another interesting architectural building is Coit Tower. Go inside and look at the murals, they're wonderful.

6) City Pass is definitely worth it. You really don't need a car in San Francisco for the majority of the days that you're here and the public transportation system is great.

Can't remember any more...

Oh yes, one more - Berkeley. There's also Fourth Street in Berkeley, but again, it's really not worthwhile making a separate trip for this neighborhood street, especially when you have lots of interesting neighborhood streets in San Francisco.

Thanks easy. The last time I rented a car from Enterprise was probably 10 years ago. But anyway, to make it simple this time, I won't rent a car. I don't think that I'll be able to relax if I drive. Maybe it really is easy and it will come back, but I'd rather not take a chance. I'll just join a tour if I want to get out of the city.

Thanks for the thought about the museums. I'll be there the coming week. It's nice to get into musuems for free. I get into most of the ones in NYC for free too.

I've been to Coit Tower. I even sort of have a story to tell about it. But maybe it's best forgotten. :) I do remember the rickety elevator though. It was a rather interesting experience. If I remember right, there were warning signs in English and Chinese -- but I forgot what they were warning people about.

Burma Superstar is just another good Asian restaurant - of which we have hundreds of. We dined there 2 weeks ago & decided it was above average, but it's not close to where you are probably staying.

Online reviews. This is just my guess, but I think most of the people who post to online food sites are younger than people who don't post. Younger people usually like loud, eclectic, hipster, party - more than older folk do (like me). Range is in the "hipster" Mission district - Boulevard is definately a downtown/business area restaurant. You see a much older & "refined" crowd at Quince than at Range. BTW, I dine at all types of restaurants - hipster & refined.

Stu Dudley

Or if you are looking at restaurant reviews, Yelp is for younger people and Chowhound is for older people.

111op, please email me at my junk email address: bells918@hotmaildotcom and we'll arrange something!

Take Stu's advice, except when it comes to live Dungeness crabs (Just kidding, Stu! Do bring a cooler next time! :) )

Yelp is interesting. It seems like a Bay Area thing -- I learned about it from a friend there; now I use it for NYC too. But maybe I just don't know hipsters in NYC. I'd never heard of it before until this friend told me about it.

Even more interesting, I found that there were Yelp reviews on a few very questionable venues. I couldn't believe that people actually reviewed them. It's definitely more than just restaurant reviews (so in that sense it's not like Chowhound).

But what about TripAdvisor restaurant reviews? If I remember right, Range is ranked pretty highly there too.

I didn't get the joke about Dungeness crabs. Actually that's on Michael Mina's menu. It looks really good. I'm already thinking about ordering the Maine lobster pot pie. :)

Anyway, easy, I've e-mailed you from my junk email address. As much of a planner as I usually am, I didn't plan much for this trip and I'll decide what I want to do when I get there. But I'll try to be online now and then. Thanks again (regardless of whether we actually end up meeting)!

Sorry about the dungeness crab reference. It goes back to an older post when Stu found out where to get some live dungeness crabs and he went and bought some - but the transport home smelled up his car!

You're coming this next week, correct?

Monday is definitely out for me, so we'll touch base late Monday/early to see which day will work best for you.

I'll go check my email now. :)

<i>I'm already thinking about ordering the Maine lobster pot pie. </i>


What a waste of a Maine lobster :-) (IMHO, there is only one way to eat Maine lobster, and that's whole, steamed or broiled)

Hi easy, thanks for your e-mail and again for your kindness. I've replied.

Well the lobster pot pie is supposed to be $20 on the Lounge menu, so there's probably not much lobster to be had. :)

Re: Burma Superstar.

I cannot claim to be an expert on Burmese food (I have never lived in Burma!) But I definitely know good food & I very much enjoy good Burmese food. I've eaten at Burma Superstar several times, and have always loved it. In addition, the "scene" is part of the positive experience at BStar. It's lively, upbeat, and just plain fun.

The only problem is that you can't make reservations...which actually is <i>not</i> a problem, because there are several good bars very close by where you can hang out while waiting.

111op: You've got mail. :)

Hi easy, I sent you a reply. By the way, I asked the Westin's front desk agent about Michael Mina and she raved about the pot pie.

111op

I'm sure you realize that Michael Mina is one of our top restaurants. There are only 5 ** & *** Michelin restaurants in the entire Bay Area - and he's one of them.

The Lobster Pot Pie is on the fixed price menu at their main restaurant. The menu price is $105 and the pot pie is a $35 supplement on top of that. It's just a guess on my part, but I bet the bar pot pie is just 1 bite or so. If you live in NYC, you might have had lobster while visiting Maine. For a truly San Francisco experience, pick up a whole Dungenous Crab at Fisherman's Wharf or While Foods (Franklin & Calif St), have them crack it for you, pick up a fork from your hotel, had devour it for lunch at Crissy Field. Take a bottle of nice Alsace wine with you.

Stu Dudley

Actually I must admit I've never been to Maine.

There are 6 ** restaurants and one *** (French Laundry). You can find the list here:

http://www.michelinguide.com/us/09_sf_stars.html

The ones in SF are Michael Mina, Coi and Aqua.

She told me that MM won the best restaurant award for the past two years. Not sure what award taht was exactly.

But you can get the lobster pot pie on the lounge menu for $20 (or part of the pre-theatre prix fixe for $55).

MM has dungeness crab too.

Anyway I'd better get away from the computer and go out of the hotel. I am thinking of having dim sum at Yank Sing.

I'll try not to pay the 14.95 too often so I can save it for the lobster pot pie. :)

Where's/What's Crissy Field? (I'm almost afraid to ask.)

<i>Aqua</i>

Overrated.

Michael Mina:

"Michael Bauer Four Stars, San Francisco Chronicle"
"Michelin Guide Two Stars, 2006"
"Best San Francisco Restaurant and Chef, 2006", Wine Spectator
"Best Chef: Michael Mina, 2005", Bon Appetit American Food and Entertaining Awards
"Best Chef: Michael Mina, 2005", San Francisco Magazine
"Restaurateur of the Year: Michael Mina, 2005", International Food & Beverage Forum
"Best Chef, California: Michael Mina, 2002", James Beard Foundation
"Top 40 Restaurants in America, 2005", Gayot
"Wine Spectator Grand Award, 2006 and 2005", Wine Spectator
"Best New Restaurant, 2005", San Francisco Magazine
"Best Service, 2005", San Francisco Magazine

By the way, I think MM was the chef at Aqua, wasn't he? Probably now that he's gone, Aqua is overrated.

The friend I'm taking out tonight wanted to go to Aqua, but I think Chez Panisse is cheaper so I'll save money. It's $75 tonight. Actually I guess the menu (now that I've looked) is not that appealing (squid & quail), but ok, what can I do. At least there's no dress code so I'll go in jeans.

Crissy Field is the newly developed "landscape" between the St Francis Yacht Club and Ft Point (which is at the base of the Golden Gate Bridge). DO NOT MISS THIS WALK ALONG THE BAY.

I have a '07 Michelin Guide - which only hd 5 multi-starred restaurants.

Stu Dudley

I'm back from Chez Panisse. I enjoyed it. Fortunately they offered halibut in place of squid at the last minute and the quail was nice also.

I wanted to keep a copy of the menu as a souvenir but I forgot, so I just called the restaurant to ask them to mail it to me.

At one point he asked if we were celebrating a birthday. I said no, and then I decided to joke with him. So I said, yes it was an April Fool's joke and in fact it was my friend's birthday.

Could I get a 50% discount, I asked facetiously?

And he said, well I could give you 50% off and you could give me 25%.

A deal!

We each had a glass of wine. It was around $230 all inclusive. (No 50% off.) I was shocked that tax was 9.75% (it was printed on the paper menu, so that was the thing I noticed right away).

It was a nice experience, but of course, when you think about the actual cost, it's probably not worth it ultimately. But I'm glad I did it!