Going to San Fran for first time. Staying at Pan Pacific Hotel.I would like to hear from anyone who stayed at this horel and what to do for a 5 day trip

My husband and I have stayed at the Pan Pacific three times over the years, though not in about 4 years.

It is a beautiful hotel. The rooms are very large and well appointed. The bathrooms have miles of black granite. The service was excellent. We were even upgraded to a suite on our last visit (don't know why).

The location is terrific, central to Union Square on Post.

The only reason we haven't been back is we prefer a smaller boutique style hotel, but the Pan Pacific was lovely.

Gooey,

The Pan Pacific is a nice hotel, but being near Union Square is is a disadvantage. Much of that area, as in many parts of SF, the city has really become very dirty(trash in the streets, many homeless use the public areas as their personal toilet). As a first time visitor to SF, I would not want you to be disappointed. I have found that in general SF is overhyped.

Union Square just had a ribbon cutting today for the 18 month re-do! It is all brand new.

You will love San Francisco and the Pan Pacific. It's a gorgeous hotel in a great location. I stayed there in the late 1980s when it opened as the Portman and have been back several times since. Enjoy!!

The redone Union Square will no doubt get trashed fairly quickly by the many drug dealers and street people in the area. This is most unfortunate.

Butch it up a notch, Cary. Quit being such a sniveling sissy-bitch. Anyone with an ounce of citysmarts knows how to have fun in beautiful, lively, colorful San Francisco!

"Cary" posts the same crap over and over and no doubt he will have a witty comeback about how nasty and pathetic San Francisco has become. Readers of this month's Conde Nast once again pick SF as their second favorite North American city, so you be the judge...Cary or Conde Nast's thousands of upscale readers. OK, your turn Cary. Show us how clever you are!

This is the unfortunate reality of what San Francisco is like today for those of us here in SF. It saddens me when I think about how nioce of this this used to be for both residents and tourists. But I could not in good faith recommend anyone visit SF when it is in this condition.

San Francisco, which has long had a reputation for generosity to the
poor, is teeming with homeless people. By some estimates, well over
10,000 of them live here. They line the bustling sidewalks along Union
Square, drift and mutter to themselves on the avenues leading to the
Golden Gate Bridge and stare with blank eyes from the doorways and
alleys of restaurants and cafes in Nob Hill and North Beach. Sidewalks are soaked with urine and stained by human feces.

While many residents seem resigned to the problem, a recent San Francisco Chronicle editorial noted how the city has become almost a public toilet in the eyes of tourists.

"Homeless people are more visible and have themselves become more aggressive than they previously were, and that combination has increased the displeasure of citizens," says San Francisco Mayor Willie Brown.

Please spare us your comments on post-apocolyptic San Francisco. Just provide Gooey the info she wants on the Pan Pacific and some suggestions on what to do during her visit. Geez.

x,

I have provided useful information for Gooey. There area around the Pan Pacific Hotel is not good, although the hotel itself is okay.

Your info is NOT useful, dear. It's the same crap you post over and over and over again. We've stopped listening!!

KK, X, JJ, Gregg,

I guess that hearing the truth about SF is painful, but we must not mislead tourists into thinking that SF is some great tourist destination. It may have been a great place in the past, but is no longer.

Why not let tourists decide for themselves? It seems they continue to pick SF as one of their favorite cities in nearly every poll I've seen, including this month's Conde Nast Traveler. I wouldn't say SF is perfect but it's still one of my top cities to visit, warts and all. While it's not nirvana, it's not the hellhole you describe either!

I think that it is our responsibility to be as truthful as possible, instead of misleading people with false pretenses of how great SF is.

Gooey,
To get back to your original request for information:

Since I live in the city, I have not stayed at the Pan Pacific. I have, however, heard from friends and business associates about how pleased they were with the hotel, way back from when it was called the Portman. I had dinner in their restaurant about a year ago and enjoyed it very much, both the elegant setting and good food. You are right downtown at this location, but it's a little less congested than being on Powell Street. Easy walking distance to the department stores, cable cars, and many restaurants.
Give us an example of what your interests are and we'll be able to respond better with ideas on what to do in your 5-day stay. FYI, the Pan Pacific's location on Post Street is close to several of the rental car agencies - I believe Avis is right up the block - so if you are planning on day trips, it would be easy pick up and drop off.
Regards, and welcome.
Lizbeth

Devin/Cary/xxx/whatever/[david???] --

You really are a louse; it is never hard to find the sources you plagiarize.

Like I said before, you are a sissy-bitch.

http://csf.colorado.edu/mail/homeless/dec98/0011.html

Well, San Francisco is full of Sissy-bitches, but we like it better when they are slinging food down at AsiaSF. Make that Asian sissy-bitches (This tongue and cheek comment is only relevant with regard to the ok quality AsiaSF drag queen restaurant).

Anyhow, I live across the water from SF. they DID just have a opening for Union Sq. The article in the paper today says that the city plans on having a lot of activities going on in the square, in part to help keep pigeons and homeless from nesting there.

You're in the middle of the shopping/theater district, so you could spend your time buying stuff and seeing shows. I always recommend SFMoMA, because I think it's a cool museum. I'm also a rabid fan of the Japanese Tea Garden in Golden Gate Park.

You could compare and contrast the two Chinatowns. There is Chinatown™ downtown with Grant St running through it, but you could also take a bus out to Clement St. and check out the area that runs from Arguello to Park Presidio. It's not a tourist area, but it's a vibrant neighborhood with lots of Chinese shops. There are also cafes and one of the City's best bookstores GreenApple.

Since you have 5 days, I'd say it's worth it to get out of town for at least one. Sonoma County has wine and very nice beaches...

I am a native Bay Area Res. Left SF itself after 12 yrs of increasing traffic, parking, rude citizenry problems for a small town on the E. Coast where life is FAR superior; BUT would like to encourage visitors to SF to Take the walk along the Bay from Fish. Wharf to the Marina. To visit the Cliff House, the Beach Chalet, China Beach, the SIDE streets of Chinatown, The DE Young Museum in Golden Gate Park and everything in that lovely park, the Museum at the Palace of the Legion of Honor and its coastal walks, Clement St., The Sunset District restaurants, the Richmond Dist. Dim Sum Restaurants, West Coast Live Radio Program on Sat AM's (live!) North Beach. JUST DON"T GO TO ALL THE TOURIST HAUNTS. THINK OUTSIDE OF UNION SQUARE>