Welcome zebec! You will LOVE this site. We don't travel often, but when we have, the members of this board have proven themselves over and over to be an excellent source of valid and valuable information!

And thanks for the suggestion of our girls assisting in the planning of the trip. An excellent idea as we all know teens will grumble less when they've had a hand in deciding what we'll do!

would love to hear your plans for your SF trip!

I've parked near Union St perhaps a thousand times in the last 32 years. I've either found street parking on Union, or a little west of Steiner & north or south of that area a bit. At night, I usually find myself parking at a garage on Fillmore & Lombard that you access from Moulton - which is a small 1 way street that you pick up on Webster St.

Get a AAA map.

Stu Dudley

You might consider revising your itinerary. You could visit Santa Cruz on Day 5, en route to Monterey. You could then visit Henry Cowell Redwoods State Park which is very accessible, and a short drive from Santa Cruz, and on a good road. There is a very easy one mile hike,and some longer ones, that go through lovely redwood forests. Close by is the train at Felton which goes through the redwoods. You'll hear and see the train from Henry Cowell Park. You could stay that night in Santa Cruz and go to the Santa Cruz Boardwalk and have dinner nearby. Capitola has some very nice restaurants, and it is close to Santa Cruz.

The following day, it would be only around an hour's drive to Monterey. Chateau Julien is a very picturesque winery and has good tours. It is easily accessible from Monterey or Carmel.

I love Cambria - especially the Moonstone Beach Area. We usually stay at the Sand Pebbles Inn. Check with them for midweek specials. Another possibility would be the Burton Inn, which is in town, but has suites. Big Sur is also very nice, but might be somewhat pricier. Do not stay in San Simeon. There is nothing there except a dismal string of motels.

It will be a very slow, but beautiful, drive on Hwy 1 from Hearst Castle to Santa Cruz. You will arrive in Santa Cruz in the evening.

From Santa Cruz, take Hwy 17 to Hwy 85 to Hwy 280 to Hwy 380 in order to get to the airport. It should take around an hour and a half for the drive.

I would not suggest staying near Fisherman's wharf as it is a very "touristy" part of the city and doesn't give you a real feel of the city. very depressing at night. You could opt for another area like union square which is still a bit touristy, but not as bad as fisherman's wharf.

the golden gate bridge is about 3.2 miles, roundtrip from one end to the other and takes about 1-1.5 hours to walk. Definitely a must see!

the city is only 7x7 miles, so you can get to multiple places in the city with a rental car, or a cab. a cheap rental car would run about 40-50 bucks and would be worth it. Be forewarned that the parking is very difficult, though.

to me, your plans seem very feasible from day 1-4. I am not familiar with Big Sur or Monterrey.

kinokinuya is a very good store....the prices are a tad steep at times, though. you may want to look at the other stores in the japantown mall as some are a bit cheaper. you might want to consider going to Najiya market in japantown for some to go bento boxes and then taking those lunches to golden gate park or washington square park, etc. they make some of the best bento boxes!

Thanks for the suggestions Sandys. I would love to see Henry Cowell Redwood State Park, but my only hesitation in revising the itinerary per your thoughts is that then on Day 10 we will be driving all the way from Hearst Castle (or Cambria) up to the airport in San Francisco. I'm guessing thats probably about a 4 hour drive? Too long to then add on what will end up being 8 hours of air travel plus another hours drive when we get off the plane. Just too much! That was part of my logic in planning the last night in Santa Cruz, so we'd have a shorter drive to the airport the next morning.

Moonstone Beach does look wonderful! I may email you with more specific questions once I am ready to book somewhere, if thats ok with you, Sandys.

VivaLasVegas....thanks for the thoughts on Fisherman's Wharf. There are just so many areas to consider. Honestly I haven't even looked at Union Square, so I will check that out.

I'm not sure I'll be joining my hubby and kids walking across the golden Gate Bridge as I have fear of heights. We'll see.

I love your suggestion about the bento box lunches! My 17 yr old would flip at that idea! She is totally into Japanese everything. Do you know if they have a good selection of Japanese movies on DVD at kinokinuya?

Just in case you are googling your interests in J-town:

It's Kinokuniya Bookstore

and

Nijiya Market

P.s.

You might want to call Kinokuniya first to see if they've moved back into their own quarters in the Nihonmachi mall. The last time I was there, they were undergoing massive remodeling and the bookstore was open but in a much reduced space right across the hallway.

Santa Cruz, on whichever day you do it...

There are good fresh fish restaurants lining the Municipal Wharf. No need to eat in Moss Landing. Riva's Fish House is the one the locals like, but they do not take reservations. If that is not available, Carniglia's is our second choice.

Also in that area is Natural Bridges State Park, for tidepools, about a mile or so north on West Cliff Drive. Also on West Cliff Drive, on the way to or back from Natural Bridges, Steamer's Lane where you can watch surfers. (Look for a miniature lighthouse)

Doing the Roaring Camp train in Felton would be too time consuming, I think I would skip it, but Henry Cowell Redwoods State Park is just 7 miles up Highway 9 from Santa Cruz, if you want to walk through a redwood forest, not just see them from the road.

Your mention of Ano Nuevo and the elephant seals. This is quite far north of Santa Cruz on Highway 1, so best to see it on your way down, if you are taking that highway.

Yes, getting to the airport...as already mentioned...Highway 17 to Highway 85 to Highway 280 then take Highway 380 and follow the signs when you get down to Hwy 101. We can get there in an hour and a half and there is usually no traffic on Highway 280, which is 8 lanes divided and has been called "the most beautiful freeway in the world". It goes between the coast mountains and the peninsula behind Stanford University.

If you are staying overnight in Santa Cruz, I would avoid most of the motels around the Boardwalk. but if you want to be near that area try www.bayfrontinnsc.com which is within walking distance to the Boardwalk and just two blocks from the Municipal Wharf.

Your daughters would enjoy a stroll down tree-lined Pacific Avenue where there are lots of boutiques, and cafes, and coffee houses, and a great local bookstore.

You will have a memorable trip.

mwessel, we stayed at Columbus Motor Inn which was clean & comfy, a great value for San Francisco, with the free parking. We loved the location, convenient to Fisherman's Wharf, North Beach, cable car lines, etc. If you stay there, there's a great pub/Indian restaurant across the street with delicious food. I wouldn't keep a car at the hotels that charge for parking ... it's astronomical! We stayed at Best Western Bayview Inn in Carmel, a great little place for the money. These SF experts on this board were so helpful when I planned my trip.

mwessel.

Another possibility is that since you weren't planning to do much in Monterey on Day 5, and it is a short drive from San Francisco to Santa Cruz (less than two hours on Hwy 1), you could see Henry Cowell State Park that day (you can skip the train at Felton since you will have seen the redwoods at the park), and then continue on to Monterey - another hours drive. Then visit Chateau Julien and see the shops of Carmel. Beware of parking in Carmel. The meters have rediculously short time allowances, and the meter maids are constantly marking tires. Park further from Ocean Avenue, or in the city parking lot, in order to avoid a parking ticket.

On Day 9, you can still drive to Santa Cruz and have a late dinner and go to the Boardwalk.

Day 10 - Drive to San Francisco from Santa Cruz.

Be sure to reserve a tour at Hearst Castle ahead of time - you can do it online - in order to avoid a wait.

For your car rental at SFO, you could take BART to the airport on the day that you leave San Francisco. You then would need to transfer to the free tram that takes you to the car rental center. (It runs every couple of minutes.) That would save you a lot of money since parking rates in San Francisco are astronomical, plus you would save car rental charges for the days that you don't need a car.

Yes, it would be fine for you to email me with any questions.

We have stayed in several nice places in Cambria. The Blue Whale Inn is a nice B&B there, right across from Moonstone Beach. The Pelican Cove Inn and the Fireside Inn are also very nice properties on Moonstone Beach Drive.

Don't miss meals at the Black Cat Bistro, the Sow's Ear Cafe and the Moonstone Beach Bar & Grill (Moonstone Drive) while in the area.

The Tea Cozy is a nice little place to have tea and sandwiches in Cambria, pick up some ollallieberry goodies at Linn's, they also have a cafe called Easy As Pie there. Enjoy your trip! ***kim***

I wouldn't stay in Fisherman's Wharf. I would stay in Union Square as it's central to the public transportation.

Also, you have too much planned for Day 4. The Buckeye in Mill Valley is a great restaurant. Stinson Beach is one of my favorite places in the world.

1 day in Fisherman's Wharf. It's a total tourist trap and all the stores are the same. Try not to get too sucked in and limit your visit to a few hours.

I think you should stick to Haight St. It's an American icon and has some cool funky shops. Your daughter will love Ambiance store, which is a local chain with a location on Union Street.

>>Your daughter will love Ambiance store, which is a local chain with a location on Union Street.<<

And on 24th St in the Noe Valley. My 50+ YO wife has purchased stuff from there.

Stu Dudley