Newbie to San francisco
 

Planning a 5 day mother-daughter trip to SF the first week in March (she's 18). We have made reservations at the Chancellor Hotel....Is this a good place? I would welcome any ideas on how to have a great time, get in all the must-sees, stay safe, & not go broke! We will be landing in the wee hours of the a.m. What method should we use to get to our hotel? Thanks in advance for your input!

It's in a great location very close to Saks and Macy's. Cable Car goes right by so jump on for a ride to Fisherman's warf area and stroll down to pier 39. If the day is nice you can take a ferry to Sausalito which is a fun afternoon thing to do.

Visit China Town and walk through North Beach.

We had lunch at Kuletos which is near your hotel on Powell. It was really good and cheaper than dinner. Stayed full most of the day after that.

We took the elevator up to the 31st floor at the Westin St. Francis to see the city at night and again during the day. Make sure you hit all the floor buttons so you can take yor time on the way down.

There are lots of people at this site to give you more ideas. You can do a search too for things to do in SF. Have fun!

Would you pre-buy tickets for the city tour including Alcatraz? Will we need a Cable Car/Muni pass? Should we pre-buy shuttle transportation to & from the airport? (We are not renting a car)

I'm leaving tomorrow for 4 days in San Fran, so hopefully I'll have a trip report when I get back.

I'm not familiar with the Chancellor, but it appears to have gotten some great reviews. As it is located on Union Square, I think you probably made a good selection.

You don't say which airport you are coming into, but if it is way early morning (before dawn), you might want to go ahead and take a shuttle to your destination. Normally, you can do a combination BART/bus/cab, but late night/early morning and two women alone, I wouldn't chance it.

It really depends on what you and your daughter are interested in. Union Square is known for its shopping opportunities, so you are very well situated for that. Chinatown is not that far away and is one of my personal favorites. Fisherman's Wharf is fully "touristy", but hey, you're a tourist! San Fran has some terrific museums as well. It kind of depends on whether you and your daughter like a lot of active things to do or want to take things at a slower pace.

As far as staying safe, San Fran is like any other large city. Use common sense and be aware of your surroundings. I've wandered around San Fran by myself as a single female and felt perfectly safe. I've always heard about the City's supposedly infamous panhandlers, but I've yet to encounter any. Same is true of the supposed homeless people that are "everywhere." Practice a certain amount of caution, but don't let it overwhelm you. Also, it is a good practice not to carry around large amounts of cash or take a lot of valuables with you. I'm sure you can guess at that.

We are flying into SFO at 1:00 a.m. so I should pre-buy the super shuttle? I am presuming if they are offering this service, it is available at that hour?

SFO is a major airport with traffic 24/7. You won't have any problems securing a shuttle, even at that hour. You can reserve a shuttle, but I doubt you'll have any problems.

Small Town, I would advise you not to reserve a shuttle, there are plenty around, 24/7, you just go to the first available. It will take you to the door of your hotel. If you make a shuttle reservation you'll have to wait in the middle of the night till your shuttle shows up, out in the cold (the nights will be still cold in March).

The other option would be a taxi, but much more expensive.