Is a Car really needed in SF?
Jun 21st, 2005, 02:20 PM
#21
Join Date: Jan 2003
Posts: 1,630
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
I like having a car in SF but then again I usually stay with friends and can park on their Twin Peaks street! I don't use it when in the "city proper" but have used it extensively exploring the Bay Area.
Jun 21st, 2005, 02:26 PM
#22
Join Date: Jan 2003
Posts: 15,749
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
If I were staying in Twin Peaks instead of one of the more usual "tourist" or "central" areas, I too might want a car. But not if you're staying at Union Square, Cow Hollow, or Fisherman's Wharf areas. Big difference.
Jun 21st, 2005, 03:19 PM
#23
Join Date: Feb 2004
Posts: 145
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Just thought I'd add my 2cents. DON"T RENT A CAR!!!! I live in SF now, I grew up in SF, I also lived in NYC. I would call NYC's public transportation system excellent and I would call SF's public transportation system adequate. You can get most places you would like to go as a tourist by bus/ferry very easily and therefore, I would say that you should NOT rent a car. By not renting a car, you avoid having to navigate your way around by car (which despite what people who live here say, SF is NOT the most logical city streetwise. Not to mention, I've gotten into numerous fights with my husband while driving and trying to navigate in a new city so I refuse to do it unless absolutely necessary!) and you avoid having to find parking.
Meanwhile, I say this and I generally use a car as my main mode of transportation. However, I know my way around and I also know where to park. If you truly live here, parking does not have to be that bad b/c you know all the secret parking places/areas and/or you have hawk eyes (I can see someone leaving 2 blocks ahead of me and yes, I will do an illegal U-turn to get a spot b/c if I don't do it, the spot will be gone by the time I've gone around the block) and you know to take the bus or cab it to the areas where parking is really hard to find. Someone who lives here and doesn't have access to a garage (connected to their house or apartment) may disagree with my last statement. Anyway, that said, I would rent a car only when and if you plan to leave the city proper.
Remember, San Francisco is very small (7miles X 7miles) and you can walk to a lot of places!! I would argue that you get a much better sense of a place by walking through it rather than driving the whole time.
Meanwhile, I say this and I generally use a car as my main mode of transportation. However, I know my way around and I also know where to park. If you truly live here, parking does not have to be that bad b/c you know all the secret parking places/areas and/or you have hawk eyes (I can see someone leaving 2 blocks ahead of me and yes, I will do an illegal U-turn to get a spot b/c if I don't do it, the spot will be gone by the time I've gone around the block) and you know to take the bus or cab it to the areas where parking is really hard to find. Someone who lives here and doesn't have access to a garage (connected to their house or apartment) may disagree with my last statement. Anyway, that said, I would rent a car only when and if you plan to leave the city proper.
Remember, San Francisco is very small (7miles X 7miles) and you can walk to a lot of places!! I would argue that you get a much better sense of a place by walking through it rather than driving the whole time.
Jun 21st, 2005, 03:53 PM
#24
Join Date: Apr 2004
Posts: 16,253
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
my2cents, you really brought it all back.
My guy really lost it once in SF. Lanes just abruptedly end and he couldn't believe the double parking and "I'll be back thing" blocking an entire street.
We only used the car 3 days out of 8. But I loved the places we got to with the car. He refused to take it out after that because it was such a hassle getting it back anywhere that our host though permissible and/or adequate. We saw that the big, big sedan was causing him great stress. So we left it in a grassed/courtyard where he wanted it to be for the last 4 days we where there. We had many more things to do inside of SF anyway.
SF is really, to my mind, not a big city. It's like one neighborhood in Chicago, almost smaller. My guy will not drive at all in Florida, and will drive only under great duress in SF. He just hates the driving habits there and hated the signage more.
We have drived in downtown Chicago, Boston, NYC and many other places with aggresive drivers, so take that for what it is worth.
My guy really lost it once in SF. Lanes just abruptedly end and he couldn't believe the double parking and "I'll be back thing" blocking an entire street.
We only used the car 3 days out of 8. But I loved the places we got to with the car. He refused to take it out after that because it was such a hassle getting it back anywhere that our host though permissible and/or adequate. We saw that the big, big sedan was causing him great stress. So we left it in a grassed/courtyard where he wanted it to be for the last 4 days we where there. We had many more things to do inside of SF anyway.
SF is really, to my mind, not a big city. It's like one neighborhood in Chicago, almost smaller. My guy will not drive at all in Florida, and will drive only under great duress in SF. He just hates the driving habits there and hated the signage more.
We have drived in downtown Chicago, Boston, NYC and many other places with aggresive drivers, so take that for what it is worth.
Jun 21st, 2005, 05:08 PM
#25
Join Date: Jun 2003
Posts: 4,181
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
In my opinion, San Francisco is a very easy city to navigate in & around in a rental car (unlike Boston, for example). Just purchase a Flashmaps and you'll be all set.
And I agree about SF's "adequate" public transportation -- be prepared to WAIT.
And I agree about SF's "adequate" public transportation -- be prepared to WAIT.
Jun 21st, 2005, 07:00 PM
#26
Join Date: Jan 2003
Posts: 5,107
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Well, wait a minute there!
I honestly don't think DRIVING in SF is much different from other large US cities. Parking can be impossible, however, and if you happen to be in the wrong place at the wrong time, you can sit in complete gridlock that is hard to believe. We've lived in this area for decades, but we still get caught occasionally in a traffic nightmare, where it takes a half hour to go a couple of blocks.
But the biggest difference to me is that SF is not like ONE neighborhood. It is like a bunch of neighborhoods, and you need to know how to get between them. There is often no simple or straight route from one part of the city to another, and that can make it time-consuming for a stranger to get around.
So if I were going to the usual tourist points of interest, I would not want a car in SF.
I honestly don't think DRIVING in SF is much different from other large US cities. Parking can be impossible, however, and if you happen to be in the wrong place at the wrong time, you can sit in complete gridlock that is hard to believe. We've lived in this area for decades, but we still get caught occasionally in a traffic nightmare, where it takes a half hour to go a couple of blocks.
But the biggest difference to me is that SF is not like ONE neighborhood. It is like a bunch of neighborhoods, and you need to know how to get between them. There is often no simple or straight route from one part of the city to another, and that can make it time-consuming for a stranger to get around.
So if I were going to the usual tourist points of interest, I would not want a car in SF.
Jun 21st, 2005, 07:20 PM
#27
Join Date: Sep 2004
Posts: 45,322
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Marilyn explains it well. If you know SF a car is not a problem. If you are new to SF a car is probably a problem. I don't find driving in SF a problem (I know SF so well) but hate the driving in and out of SF. Go figure, LOL. Again, for a visitor I would suggest not having a car while seeing the areas of SF that most visitors desire to see (and with good reason of course). Than rent a car for those places where a car is needed. And most of all, have a beautiful time in San Francisco. It is a fantastic city!
Jun 21st, 2005, 07:29 PM
#28
Join Date: Oct 2004
Posts: 17,226
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
I haven't found SF particularly difficult to drive in. I have it VERY difficult to park in. My company's fleet options for SF and NYC include PT Cruisers specifically for parking issues. We've tried to get them elsewhere in the country, but no-go. Only the little car for the parking-challenged cities.
I've had large, full-sized rental cars when traveling on business and had no trouble driving them in and out of the city. But, when I've traveled there for personal reasons I don't rent a car UNTIL I'm ready to head out to Napa or Monterrey. Then, I pick up at the closest Hertz (usually the one near Union Square). As I've said before, don't rent a car to "do" the city, but rent them for only a day or two if you are planning to go out on some side trips.
In both cases, I valet park with the hotel or turn it into the Hertz garage.
I've had large, full-sized rental cars when traveling on business and had no trouble driving them in and out of the city. But, when I've traveled there for personal reasons I don't rent a car UNTIL I'm ready to head out to Napa or Monterrey. Then, I pick up at the closest Hertz (usually the one near Union Square). As I've said before, don't rent a car to "do" the city, but rent them for only a day or two if you are planning to go out on some side trips.
In both cases, I valet park with the hotel or turn it into the Hertz garage.
Jun 21st, 2005, 07:34 PM
#29
Join Date: Apr 2004
Posts: 16,253
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
SF is not only twisty/turny with few good straight access streets, but also has extreme numbers of lane changes needed to proceed in any straight forward mode. We had maps, GALORE. And we could SEE places we could not access quickly enough to make the turn. It wasn't the parking that bothered my EXCELLENT driver at all, he could put the thing exactly where there was space. We have patient as well and there are tons of places in the USA and Europe where it is difficult to park.
But one day he just lost it and that is extremely unusal. It was the signs that really finished him off- confusing and almost contradictory. One time he said "Now when we get into town this time, you count aloud how many times I have to change lanes in order to go straight." He's an engineer and it drove him nuts.
We'll take the Big Dig and I-80 over SF anyday. Actually he had an easier time driving in Italy he says.
You who know the quirks of SF and all its (to us) humorous and extemporary signage telling you want NOT to do, know what's coming up- elavation wise and "dead ending" wise also. There is no way that it is easy for someone who doesn't. One time near Mission, I think, we followed the map to get somewhere and ended up doing a "repeat" view a couple of times. Then someone told us that a street was "closed". How/ why? Who knows. When we came up on barricades/ horses we did a U turn right in front of DO NOT TURN here sign. And we watched a whole bunch of others do the same thing as well. It's also the only place I've seen outside of Europe where people park all over the sidewalks and block exits routinely.
But one day he just lost it and that is extremely unusal. It was the signs that really finished him off- confusing and almost contradictory. One time he said "Now when we get into town this time, you count aloud how many times I have to change lanes in order to go straight." He's an engineer and it drove him nuts.
We'll take the Big Dig and I-80 over SF anyday. Actually he had an easier time driving in Italy he says.
You who know the quirks of SF and all its (to us) humorous and extemporary signage telling you want NOT to do, know what's coming up- elavation wise and "dead ending" wise also. There is no way that it is easy for someone who doesn't. One time near Mission, I think, we followed the map to get somewhere and ended up doing a "repeat" view a couple of times. Then someone told us that a street was "closed". How/ why? Who knows. When we came up on barricades/ horses we did a U turn right in front of DO NOT TURN here sign. And we watched a whole bunch of others do the same thing as well. It's also the only place I've seen outside of Europe where people park all over the sidewalks and block exits routinely.
Jun 22nd, 2005, 10:26 AM
#33
Join Date: Apr 2005
Posts: 302
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Another thing about driving in SF, the streets can be quite steep. Expect to be stopped at nearly a 45 degree angle (actually 30-something is the steepest, but it seems like 45), behind four or five cars at a stop sign, regularly. And parking is a real problem much of the time. If you know where to go you can always find parking, but then, guess what? You take public transportation from where you parked to get around the city. It really does not make sense to drive from place to place within the city. Really the only place not accessible by MUNI or BART within the city is Twin Peaks. Outside of the city, a car is a necessity. So, yes, it's nice to have a car but you will leave it parked most of the time you're in the city.
Jun 22nd, 2005, 04:41 PM
#34
Join Date: Oct 2004
Posts: 17,226
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Just to clarify - I was the first responder on this post and advised against getting a rental car. "It's a hindrance rather than a help".
I also suggested if they are planning to go outside the city (Napa, Sonoma, Monterrey, etc) to pick up the rental car from a downtown location rather than going back and forth from the airport (not worth the time and effort for pennies (if any) savings.
When I DO rent a car in SF, I'm headed out somewhere. I've done a drive-by (not on, of course, anymore) Lombard Street and dropped someone off at Fisherman's Wharf on the way back in to the city. I would imagine that's the kind of driving in the city most tourists getting a rental car would be doing.
Just want to make sure it's clear I'm not suggesting a tourist to get a rental car to sightsee around the city.
I have in fact driven a car around the city for a weekend, but it was a friend's car. I was out there for a wedding and I was one of the few in the group that could drive a manual transmission. I didn't really have to navigate that much - although I had a better sense of direction than my passenger most of the time and could figure out which way we needed to go next most of the time. That came in handy when we were trying to find the restaurant for the rehearsal dinner and then as we tried to find a parking place!
But, I can promise you I did use the handbrake when stopped in traffic or at a light while on a hill!
I also suggested if they are planning to go outside the city (Napa, Sonoma, Monterrey, etc) to pick up the rental car from a downtown location rather than going back and forth from the airport (not worth the time and effort for pennies (if any) savings.
When I DO rent a car in SF, I'm headed out somewhere. I've done a drive-by (not on, of course, anymore) Lombard Street and dropped someone off at Fisherman's Wharf on the way back in to the city. I would imagine that's the kind of driving in the city most tourists getting a rental car would be doing.
Just want to make sure it's clear I'm not suggesting a tourist to get a rental car to sightsee around the city.
I have in fact driven a car around the city for a weekend, but it was a friend's car. I was out there for a wedding and I was one of the few in the group that could drive a manual transmission. I didn't really have to navigate that much - although I had a better sense of direction than my passenger most of the time and could figure out which way we needed to go next most of the time. That came in handy when we were trying to find the restaurant for the rehearsal dinner and then as we tried to find a parking place!
But, I can promise you I did use the handbrake when stopped in traffic or at a light while on a hill!
