My flight next week gets in at 11:00 am and then I'll be going back out to the airport that night to meet a group of friends. I plan to use BART both ways to and from the airport. I visited SF once about 15 years ago for 4 days so I remember a bit about the city and what I do and don't want to do.

If it is a nice day I want to rent a bike and bike for maybe 3 hours around the Golden Gate Recreation area (but not over the bridge) and Golden Gate Park. Is it an interesting ride along the waterfront all the way over to Embarcadero? I have no interest at all in Fisherman's Wharf. After I return the bike I plan to walk, unless some of what I want to do could also be done from the bike. I really like to walk and can walk for miles. I like to look at markets, interesting houses and neighborhoods, and, while I am not a big shopper, I could stop in some interesting non-chain shops or high quality antique shops for a bit. I am thinking of spending the late afternoon and early evening strolling around Pacific Heights/Cow Hollow area. I may want to visit Chinatown but that is not for sure. We were in Vietnam this past winter and I don't know if I need to visit Chinatown.

Now my questions. With the exception of a bike rental shop I found near Golden Gate Park where they told me I should take the BART to Embarcadero and then the streetcar to Juda St., it seems the bike rental shops are around Fisherman's Wharf. Do you have any thoughts on finding a bike rental that is near the locations I am interested in and near a BART?

I am also looking for recommendations for a place to have lunch and dinner in the areas I am talking about. I don't need anything fancy or upscale or expensive. I am an adventurous eater and would probably prefer something ethnic. Lunch can be anywhere in the areas I am talking about for biking. For dinner I want to be in a place that is safe for a single female to walk after dark and near a BART station so I can get back to the airport.

Is this plan of mine at all doable? Or, do I need to go back to square one. Thanks so much.

This is a really interesting post with great questions.

The BART goes nowhere near Golden Gate Park. If you want to bike there, then rent the bike there. If you want to bike on the Embarcadero then rent the bike there. They are really far apart, halfway across the city, actually.

That said, I strongly suggest you copy and paste this query into the San Francisco Forum on the California Forum on Trip Advisor.

You will get some really good advice and information. Many locals there.

I don't remember, you may have to "join" to post, but it doesn't cost anything and it's worth it. The site is searchable with keywords, etc.

(Looking forward to seeing your post and the answers over there....your questions and the answers generated will be most helpful to other travelers.)

jtrandolph has given you some excellent suggestions.

I'm not a biker, but understand your desire to see San Francisco by a different mode of transportation than most people. Here's a link that might be useful to you:

http://www.sfmtb.com/

It's the San Francisco Mountain Biking website. The reason for mountain biking is because San Francisco has a lot of hills and some of them are quite steep.

This website offers some trails and links to other websites with other trails. Hope you find it useful.

I'd suggest, depending on your biking skills, to rent a bike at Fisherman's Wharf (it's really not that bad a place), then head out along the seashore westbound. You'll pass Fort Mason, then go along the Marina, along Crissy Field to Fort Point. From Fort Point you can access the Presidio and go southbound on Lincoln Blvd. When you exit the Presidio on Lincoln, follow El Camino del Mar which will take you to the Legion of Honor in Lincoln Park. At the Legion of Honor take 34th down and exit Lincoln Park on 34th. Go down on 34th to Geary and make a right turn. Take Geary all the way out to the ocean (Geary becomes Pt Lobos Blvd). Bike carefully here or better, just walk along the walkway by the Cliff House to the beach. Ride along the beach and the Golden Gate Park by way of John F Kennedy Drive. Enjoy the park, then at the far east end of the GG Park is the Haight Ashbury area. Maybe you could park and lock your bike somewhere and wander this area. You can then take some of the non-major south-north roads back to Fisherman's Wharf to return the bike.

Take the streetcar from Fisherman's Wharf to the Ferry Building or, if you have the time, walk, but it's not that interesting, since it's mostly the exterior of wharf buildings that you will see. Walk around the Ferry Building. Then take BART to meet your friends.

This can be quite strenuous a bike ride. I'd suggest you check sites such as the Mountain Biking site and see how much you would like to do.

If your time is limited, the better way to see San Francisco is to rent a car for a day from the airport and just drive - like the Forty-Niner Route.

I'm certain other Fodorites will have more suggestions.

have a great trip and welcome to California!

Thanks to both of your for your thoughtful replies. I did post on Tripadvisor as suggested and got some helpful hints from posters there. Now, it looks as though all my planning about biking may be for naught. My day in SF is 2 days from now, and the weather forecast doesn't look particularly favorable for biking. I'll have to figure out something else to do.

julies: if you are going to be here on Wednesday, it looks like Wednesday late morning it will clear up and be clear until late Thursday or Friday. You could still do your bike trip if the weather breaks for you.

Otherwise, things depend on what you personally like to do. With the limited time that you have, you could rent a car and drive around to several locations.

Or you could get a one day transportation pass and take public transportation. It'll be slower and you'll be able to see less things.

Have you been to the cable car museum? That's close to Chinatown. Then Chinatown is next to Little Italy. Have you ever been to Castro Street? Lots of places to go and see and do things in SF.

Have a good trip and welcome to San Francisco!