outlets in SF and Bay area
 

Coming to SF(again) in April and want to find any outlet shopping in the area. Heard someone mention Great Mall near Miltipas(?). Any info? Also need to hire a car for a couple of days but I know parking is a nightmare but is it that bad? Thanks.

Here's the website for Great Mall in Milpitas. <BR>There's a map at the website along with details on its advertised 180 stores. <BR>It advertises as the largest INDOOR mall in Northern California. Excellent huge free parking lot at the Great Mall. <BR> <BR>http://www.greatmallbayarea.com/ <BR> <BR>There's another outlet south of San Jose in Gilroy which is just off Hiway 101...not enclosed but more like a shopping center; free parking. You can find info on it by using the excellent Search Engine: Google <BR> <BR>www.google.com <BR> <BR>type in search words: gilroy outlet <BR> <BR>You COULD do both in one day but it would be exhausting. Basically, Milpitas is about a 1 hour drive south of San Francisco, then Gilroy is about 45 minutes south of that; however, the work commute is really bad in all directions. If you get caught up in that, add 50% to driving times. <BR> <BR>Parking in San Francisco is at a premium and I don't know of a major hotel that doesn't charge for parking by the day even if you are staying there. Parking on the street is by the luck of the draw and there are parking meters where you insert quarters to pay on the stree. Additionally, there are multi-storied structures that are just for parking; most are pay by the hour or a bigger price for all day parking. As has been said before, you can easily get by visiting San Francisco itself without a car and using public transportation or taxi cabs. <BR>

I personally wouldn't bother with the Great Mall. The Outlets at Gilroy are much more upscale and quite easy to access from 101 (Leavesley Road exit and you can see the outlets). Expect it to take you 1- 1 1/2 hours to get there, depending on what time of day you leave SF. There's even a small hotel there--can't recall which chain. Another good one is the Outlets at Napa on Hwy 29. This could be combined with some wine tasting for a nice day trip from SF. I would only rent the car for those days you want to go out shopping since you can expect to pay at least $20 per day in SF for parking. That defeats the advantage of outlet shopping!If you are coming to SF only to shop, you might consider staying down on the Peninsula or close to SFO but then you won't have easy access to the city and restaurants etc. Both of these outlets have websites--do a search on Yahoo.

i agree don't bother with the Milpitas Mall. The Outlet Mall in Gilroy is a little bit of a trek (1 1/2 hours south of SF), but its the largest one and has the best stores of any outlet mall I've been to.

Kam and xxx are right on. Gilroy is where Silicon Valley shops.