im wanting to take my first trip to san francisco next spring. no exact dates set, and with that, im also quite flexible with my travel dates.

i will be flying from albuquerque roundtrip. id like to see and do the attractions im interested in while in san francisco without having to rent a car when im there.

sights i would like to see are: golden gate bridge (and park), coit tower, lombard street (the crookedest section of it), chinatown, japantown, pier 39, fishermans wharf.

if time permits, id like to see any do other attractions as well.

i have thought about staying 5 days, 4 nights in san francisco. not sure if this is sufficient and ample time to see and do all of the things ive listed above.

i am very concerned with finding reasonably priced lodging accomodations: nothing extravagant. ill pay a little more if it gets me in an area that is somewhat equidistant to the sights id like to see. but i dont need a five-star hotel and breakfast in bed with a rose,..just a clean decent affordable place to sleep and shower will certainly suffice me.

i would also like to find a superb place to eat authentic cantonese cuisine. im thinking chinatown should offer a host of selections. one of my favorite dishes is orange chicken. can anyone tell me what is considered and hailed as the best for cantonese cuisine in the san francisco area?

does anyone know of any tour groups i could go with that would take me to all the sights i am wanting to see? i feel that this would be my best option, as i would feel cumbersome and disoriented at attempting to navigate san francisco trying to ascertain and learn where each attraction is situated in regards to the other.

any and all assistance appreciated. thanks.

Have been to San Francisco recently, lots of good advice if you search on this website for Stu Dudley or San francisco also suggest you get a guide book with map so you can get an idea of distances involved. The transportation system (muni) is very easy and covers most of the city with buses, trams and cable cars. Get a 3 or 5 day pass and muni map and you can easily get to everywhere, we found all the drivers to be very helpful. Also there are open top bus tours which can include some of the sites you mentioned. We had 5 days in the city in Cow Hollow Motor Inn, not from the marina and could easily have spent more time, you have to find the things that interest you and prioritise those. Good Luck
Hilary

Your itinerary is a good start - there is sooo much to see in SF. Some additional sights : The Legion of Honor Musuem - a great art musuem in an incredibly beautiful hilltop setting; Clement St - the 'other' (non-touristy) Chinatown; a boat ride to Alcatraz (book ahead!).
Some hotel suggestions:
San Remo - a small, European style hotel in North Beach. Lots of charm.
The Kabuki - An upscale hotel in Japantown that often has good rates.
Japanese style luxury.

You definitely won't want to rent a car unless you plan a trip to wine country or somewhere else outside the city. SF public transportation is great.

Many people here have had good luck with getting a hotel through Priceline. If you time your visit overlapping a weekend, and if there's no huge conference going on in town, you should be able to get a good deal.

My mom and I stayed at the Hyatt Embarcadero (bidded through Priceline) for $85/night over the Labor Day weekend.

Do a search here for Priceline if you're not familiar with it.

I lived in the San Francisco area for almost 18 years and would have the following suggestion:

Your most important decision re: your San Francisco experience is location of your hotel and I would HIGHLY RECOMMEND that you stay VERY CLOSE to Union Square...even at the risk of some price penalty!

From Union Square (which has a very large number of hotels at all price points) you can easily walk to North Beach (Little Italy), Chinatown, wonderful shopping, and use the cable cars to go to Fisherman's Wharf, etc.

Basically, almost everything you have an interest in doing in the city can be easily and efficiently done from a Union Square base.

As to Golden Gate Bridge, etc. you would have to join some sort of tour for that...many to choose from.

Hope this helps.

Walt

p.s. you should seriously look to get a ticket for a outstanding San Francisco show that has been running for years and changes with the times...Beach Blanket Babylon (in the North Beach/Little Italy area)...absolutely WONDERFUL and funny! It is a true San Francisco Treat!!!!!

p.p.s. have dinner at the North Beach Restaurant (Italian) and go to the show above which is ~1/2 block away....fun, fun, fun evening and then go to Cafe Grecco or Cafe Puccini (~1/2 block away on Columbus) for an expresso...voile' life is great!

ive heard many speak of some chinese restaurant in san francisco that is so good it can sometimes literally have a line wrapped around a city block.

they say the place is small, quaint and has limited seating.

any ideas as to what they may be referring to?

this place is supposed to be truly outstanding

there are so many excellent hole in the wall chinese restaurants it is hard to say.
if you are into dim sum, try ton kiang on geary street or for more upscale dim sum, try yank sing in the downtown area.

thanks for all the replies thus far, but yet i find myself perpelexed by something:

if san francisco boasts an excellent transporation system supported by muni, cable cars, etc, then why would i be recommended to stay near the vicinity of union square? is it for walking distances?

where exactly is japantown? im interested in the kabuki. can anyone tell me what four streets comprises the borders of japantown?

i would like to spend less than $100 a night. Id rather have a nice hotel a bit away from the attractions, than to have a luxurious hotel in the center of everything if the transportation system can get me there from either destination.

im quite flexible on when i take my trip.

i would like to go in april because i have heard much of an annual cherry blossom festival. since this is my first ever trip to san francisco, im sure ill be overwhelmed with other attractions as well. due to that, im wanting to try to stay as long as i can in a reasonably priced hotel rather than a luxurious one.

one poster said they stayed at hilton embarcadero for $85 a night. im looking to obtain a similiar deal, so ill be sure to scour priceline and hotels.com for deals.

do anyone know of any other lodging sites they can recommend to me, im specifically interested in those sites that show a map of where the hotel in question is located in relation to the rest of the city.

thanks

In terms of why people recommend "Union Sq" for you, is precisely because of the location. You can visit many places on foot, eg Ferry Building, MOMA, Yerba Buena Gardens, Chinatown, and of course, lots of shopping in that area.

You'd still need to take public transportation to other areas eg GG Park.

That was me who got the Hyatt for $85/night. But you have to realize this was Labor Day weekend, when the city is devoid of business travelers and conventions.

BTW, if you go to SF's Official Tourist website, you can find lots of info there, and you can request a free visitors guide. I requested one and it came in the mail in 1 week. It has a great map and lots of good info.
http://www.onlyinsanfrancisco.com/