Before we take the plunge and book a non-refundable hotel rate, mom and I were thinking we might base in Sonoma or somewhere else in Napa Valley and drive into San Fran, since we only have two or three must-do's in the city. That way we'd get to see some wine country, cross the GG bridge a couple times, visit Alcatraz and the Ferry building merchants/farmers market. Of course, we'd only seriously consider this if we can find a less expensive hotel that would help offset rental car costs.

Is this (logistically) crazy?

But - you need to consider extra cost of parking in SF, toll for GG Bridge, gas.

How much is the car rental? In May, I found the best deal with Budget - it was like $50 for a 2-day rental, plus in-town pick up with an airport drop-off.

I personally think it's nutty, but I like urban areas better than rural ones LOL! If it were me, I'd stay in Sonoma for a few nights, followed by at least a couple of nights in San Francisco. I don't really see the point of returning to Sonoma (not close) each evening.

You will spend more time sitting on the bridge in a gridlock then seeing SF. Divide your time between SF and Sonoma.

I would stay where you want to see. In Napa for a few days, then in San Francisco for a day or two. Yes I think it's logistically crazy to subject yourself to a long "commute" on your vacation.

yk - Wow! That is a deal.

sf7307 - Unfortunately we have only Fri-Mon, so I imagine you think our proposal even nuttier! We just thought since we were that close, we should at least have a look-see at wine country.

I'd say head up to wine country for two nights then back to Sf for two. That way you will be close to SFO and won't have to worry about that Monday am traffic which can be deadly.

CDG, so since you have only Fri-Mon, here's my alternate proposal - stay in the city all 3 nights, and if you decide you want to go to Sonoma, rent a car on Sunday and take a drive. I don't quite understand the "we should at least have look-see at wine country" and how that fits with your original question, which is whether you could STAY in the wine country and just take a look-see at the city (?)

I did Priceline for SF. Hotwire had some doables too and there are some that are IN the city (near Wharf area) that allow you to park for $0.

Regardless, we went to see the wine country and we spent a total of 5 days in SF. And the two days we left- one of them was a weekend day in harvesting grape season and we spent a goodly 1/2 of the day in gridlock traffic in Napa. We only hit 3 vineyards, there was such traffic.

sf7307's last plan is the best one to actually see and do things instead of traveling or driving to do so, IMHO.

Hi ChicagoDallasGirl -

Since this is your first trip to SF (based on your other thread), with such a short time, I really suggest you stay in San Francisco for the entire weekend. Otherwise, I think you're short-changing the city.

OTOH, if you and your mom are wine connoisseurs, then okay you can squeeze that it.

If you do go to wine country, I second sf7307's suggestion: rent a car for a day and drive up, and return the car when you get back into the city.

Okay, y'all. Sticking with our original plan and just renting a car to visit a winery or two seems the most reasonable approach. Seems like we need to stay focused. LOL Sometimes while planning, we can get a little ambitious, but yk's right. We don't want to short change the city. Thanks for weighing in.

You could do as yk and sf7307 have suggested, or you could fly into a different city, like Oakland, and drive directly from the airport to Napa/Sonoma and spend one night there.

You are going to need a car for at least part of the time in San Francisco because there are places to see that you don't want to do only by public transportation - e.g., the San Francisco 49 mile Scenic Drive

http://www.onlyinsanfrancisco.com/maps/49miledrive.asp

For hotels, try Priceline. You should be able to get a very good rate on a hotel. If you have not used Priceline before, please come back and ask for tips. Fodorites can guide you through a successful bid on Priceline.