goodness

I need help with planning a getaway for our family. We live in Southern CA, I would prefer to drive and stay on the west coast, we can also fly. Looking for something fun that would give all of us a good time. We do best in cities. We have two girls (who love to shop as do I) and a son who is better off in museums. Thank you for your ideas. This will be our only family time this summer and we could use a little bonding.

bon_voyage

Hi goodness,

Another SoCal resident here whose husband strongly prefers travel by car, and so we are accustomed to long distance driving. San Francisco and Sacramento would both be doable in three days. You'd have to decide how tired you'd be after that day's drive back home. I read recently that San Francisco's science museum, now in a new space, is supposed to be terrific . Sacramento has a great Railroad Museum, lots of other historical venues with the Gold Country nearby. Portland is a very cool little city. Excellent shopping, not sure about its museum scene.

montereybob

Kids and teens love the Monterey Bay Aquarium in Monterey and the bike trail along the ocean in Pacific Grove and the Beach Boardwalk Amusement Park on the beach in Santa Cruz. Shoppers of all ages love Carmel-by-the-Sea. All these places combined make a great trip from So Cal. Monterey has a great airport if you want to fly.

elnap29

San Francisco would be great fun and provides a little something for everybody.

hookedtogo

This sounds great, we will have four nights giving us driving time. I think that San Francisco could be our destination. I am now looking for a hotel (2 rooms) that has a cheaper parking option as well as a breakfast. This save's time and money.. I read on Travel Zoo about a Japanese hotel animae style hotel in Japan town. I think that our son would love it? Any thoughts?

hookedtogo

San Francisco Hotel Question:
I know that I do not want Union Square or Fisherman's Wharf. I would like to know what is the best area for a family with teens? I like the reports and price of the Harbor Court Hotel and the Hotel Tomo - a Joie de Vivre Hotel, are these fun area's for teens? Any thoughts? Often we like to walk around the hotel to get dinner or let the kids walk around by them selves. Thank you

paula1470

hookedtogo-Not sure why you wouldn't want Union Square or Fisherman's Wharf. I would say that Union Square is the best place to be with teens as they can go wander around the shops. Second best would be Fisherman's Wharf because they could at least walk around there. When I took my DD and her boyfriend (high school age) to SF a couple of years ago, we stayed closer to Fisherman's Wharf. After all the sightseeing was over, the only place they wanted to go was Union Square. The two hotels you picked are nice, Harbor Court in the Embarcadero and the other in Pacific Heights. I like those areas but I think they'd be pretty quiet in the evenings for teens. It will be interesting to see what other advice you get.

sf7307

Harbor Court is in a nice businessneighborhood - the block is filled with hotels and restaurants, and its on the Embarcadero, which is great for walking, especially to and from SF Giants' games (on game days, there'll be plenty of people around). It's very close to the Ferry Building. But is it a "fun area for teens"? No, because it's really not a "fun area" per se at all.

You might be better off staying at one of the Cow Hollow Inns (free parking) -- the hotels get great reviews on this board, and they're close to excellent walking/shopping/eating neighborhoods (Union Street and Chestnut Street).

paula1470

sf7307-Thanks for backing me up as far as the teen thing is considered. The Cow Hollow Inns are nice but I still think that neighborhood is quiet for teens. Honestly Union Square is the place to be for teens.

sf7307

I agree, and should have said so in my last post -- Union Square has something for everyone (shopping, eating, people-watching, museums). I think there are two different families asking for SF hotel advice on this thread. My response was to hookedtogo (not realizing that the question was originally asked by goodness).

goodness

Ok, my issue with Union Square is that it is filled with lg. stores that we have at home. Also the parking rates are huge for most of the hotels. Thank you for all of this, am I missing something? Is there more to U.S than lg. stores? We are from Los Angeles.

paula1470

OK I am a little confused. Goodness, are you and hookedtogo the same person? It was hookedtogo that said they didn't want Union Square. Yes, I agree parking at the hotels in Union Square is very expensive so I understand you not wanting to stay there for that reason. And you are also right that Union Square has the same stores that you have in LA or in San Diego where I am from (or really are found in any good sized city). The thing is you asked what teens would like to do and that you would feel comfortable letting them walk around after dinner. Teens love shopping and just hanging out in those areas. As sf7307 said, there is people watching and I would feel safe letting my teens go out on their own. Not sure what you think they would do in the evening in some of the other areas. There are small shops that stay open in the evenings in the neighborhoods you mentioned but really it is very quiet. Union Square has such a different feel that what they would get in Los Angeles. So I don't think it's so much about shopping as it is walking around the area, seeing the people and just enjoying the vibe.

If you feel comfortable with your kids going out on their own for awhile, you could definitely stay in another area and just have them take a taxi back to your hotel.

goodness

I am sorry about the identity thing, I changed to goodness as I was having problems finding past info a started over with my name. Still thinking about the Chelsea area.

Kailani

The Hotel Tomo looks really fun for your purposes, and the $20 parking isn't too bad. That part of town is not as difficult to navigate as Union Square, and it is centrally located for places you'll want to drive to, or for public transportation.

Another area for hotels would be South of Market, closer to the Museum of Modern Art or Yerba Buena Gardens, such as the Palomar, or the Westin on Market, or the Mossar.

As for walking around after dinner, I think that North Beach is the best. City Lights Bookstore, Spec's 12 Adler museum café, and the quirky shops along Grant and Columbus are fun to explore after a family style Italian dinner.

Or, take a walk along the shore near the Cliff House, http://www.cliffhouse.com/, or Golden Gate Park after the Beach Chalet for lunch http://www.beachchalet.com/.

yk

goodness/hookedtogo - I recently spent 4 days in San Francisco and stayed right at Union Sq (the Westin St Francis). I agree with others that your teens may enjoy that neighborhood the best, with plenty to do. And don't forget the Powell St Cable car runs right next to Union Sq - something your kids may enjoy doing at night when the cable cars are much less crowded.

As for parking, there are cheaper garage options around the area apart from hotel parking. They are about $30 for 24 hours; cheaper for Sat night-> Sunday. Here's a recent thread with comments and links:
http://www.fodors.com/community/unit...ion-square.cfm

paula1470

I agree North Beach is a good area to walk around in but really you do it in a relatively short time. Another hotel to look at is Columbus Motor Inn which is owned by the same group as Cow Hollow, etc. Free parking and they have some one bedroom type suites for a good price. You can walk to North Beach from there and also to Fisherman's Wharf. The cable car stop is right around the corner so the kids could ride that. It is a popular hotel so don't know if you can get the room if you need it soon.

yk has some good ideas about cheaper parking alternatives for Union Square.