One Day In San Francisco
 

We will have part of one day in SF before heading to San Jose for an early morning flight the next day. Never been to SF and with that amount of time can we squeeze in a cable car ride, seeing the Wharf area and GG bridge. Is there a place we can park once and get to these places? Thanks

Seeing the GG Bridge and even walking the span is a definite must. There is lots of parking near fisherman's wharf, but it can be pricey ($20), but perhaps the easiest locale to take both the cable car, and to get to the GG Bridge. I don't find that the wharf is very enjoyable as it is mainly full of tourist types of attractions. I would suggest visiting Chinatown and Northbeach and GG Bridge and a nice cable car ride for good scenic views.

Skip the Wharf - unless you like T-shirt shops, fast good, schlocky souvenirs, boring street performers, etc .

If you'll have a car, take the driving tour I posted here.
http://www.fodors.com/forums/threads...1&tid=35129049

Take the Cable car ride as late in the day as possible - or you'll be waiting in line a long time. Take the Powell/Hyde line & sit on the east side of the car for the best views.

Stu Dudley

WoW ! thanks! we will have a car, so parking in Wharf area is OK to get to bridge area , etc.?

>>so parking in Wharf area is OK to get to bridge area , etc.?<,

The Wharf is not near the bridge area. Do you have a good map???

Stu Dudley

thanks STu we have such limited time there I am trying to hit the hilites without too much prep!

I would consider the Wharf to be a low-lite.

Stu Dudley

got it so is their parking near GG bridge?

There is a vista point on the south end of the bridge where you can park. If that is full, there is a road the goes downhill a bit - and there is more parking there.

Stu Dudley

Stu's right -- skip the wharf! It's crowded, not enjoyable in my opinion, and has nothing to do with the "real" SF. The bridge will take your breath away -- it was way more than I expected when I first saw it :) Definitely get out and walk even part of it. It's awe-inspiring.

Get a map and follow as much of Stu's driving tour as you can. Even if it's not convenient for you to ride the cable cars in the short amount of time you have, just seeing them is cool... and driving around getting a taste for the city is a highlight in and of itself. My personal favorite area(s) is North Beach and Telegraph Hill. A good site to look at for info on the various neighborhoods is www.sf.gate.com/neighborhoods