Thinking of going to San Francisco this year in th fall. What activities are there to do for a couple in there early 30's? Also how's the weather in the fall? What are some nice hotels near the water or Union Square...

Thanks!!

The weather in September and October can be the best of the year. I live in the area, so I don't often stay over night there, but I have stayed at the Chancellor Hotel which is on Powell Street in the Union Square area. It is not snooty or fancy, but is a great, relatively quiet, well run, smaller hotel that I thought was an extremely good value.

Hi Lilley. SF is great for any age, in any season. Be more specific regarding your interests and I'm sure you'll get lots of input regarding activities. For a place to stay, check out this website:

www.kimptongroup.com/hotels.html

Lots of good options at various prices and watch for specials and packages. Have fun!

September is often the finest month of the year, with warm sunny days, cool evenings, and no rain.

Museums, restaurants, clubs & nightlife, shopping, Chinatown, North Beach, Pier 39, the zoo, walk across the Golden Gate Bridge, GG Park (Conservatory, Japanese Tea Garden), daytrips to Muir Woods (redwoods) or Napa Valley, hiking or bicycling if you want to arrange it -- whatever suits your fancy!

Has anyone stayed at the Tuscan Inn (Wharf area)? We are also planning a trip there in the fall, and thought the Tuscan Inn seemed promising from the website. We were there in October in 2002; the weather was nice and it was not crowded. I used to live in the Bay Area and worked in San Francisco, but did not really appreciate or take the time to experience all that this area has to offer. So now I'm a tourist..

Hi Lilley, Fall is a beautiful time to go to SF. If you like art there are some fabulous museums (Modern Art, Legion of Honor), you can take free walking tours of different parts of the city through Cityguides (http://www.walking-tours.com/cityguides/) there are theater productions, shopping, tours to the wine country and so much more! let us knkow some of your interests and your hotel budget.

Suggestions: Stay in the quietest place you can afford near Union Square, buy a three-day pass to public transportation (including cable car), buy a map to public transportatin routes, buy a guide to walks in the city, take the cruise to Alcatraz, go to the Modern Art Museum, and, before you arrive, go on line and buy tickets to Beach Blanket Babylon.

We have had great luck at The Andrews Hotel twice on Post Street, a few blocks from Union Square. It is a "boutique" (read that as euopean style) and only 44 rooms...Their continental breakfast on each floor is to die for in the a.m., plus wine in the p.m. We have found it conveniently located and a very friendly and helpful staff. www.andrewshotel.com

Thanks for all the info. We are not picky people. Like to sightsee, eat, shop, jazz clubs and have a good time. We were thinking about going in October or November? We also would like nice warm weather.

Lilley, SF is not known for its "nice, warm weather," at any time of year. While it doesn't freeze or snow, it is always cool in the evening, even in July. Mark Twain once said, "The coldest winter I ever spent was a summer in San Francisco."

Especially in November, it is likely to be cloudy, rainy, and chilly. You should shoot for as early in Oct as you can in order to have the best weather. If you really want warm weather in November, you need to head further south.

If you are looking for a nice hotel near Union Square, one of our favorites is Campton Place.
http://www.camptonplace.com/

Also, the food and service at its restaurant is absolutely wonderful, though I understand they have a new chef since the last time we were there.
http://www.camptonplace.com/restaurant.html

Woody

Yes it is not warm on SF in the summer but Marilyn, FYI Mark Twain never made the oft repeated quote about the coldest summer he ever spent being a summer in SF. It's an urban legend.

Son of a gun, SAB, ya learn somethin' new every day! Thanks!

We visited San Francisco at the end of a heat wave in September. When people talk about the bone-chilling fog, they're not kidding. In our case, the fog rolled in later in the day and the temperature dropped suddenly and drastically.

My original hotel choice was the English-style White Swan Inn near Union Square. We didn't stay there but I think it would have been fine as long as we had passes to ride the cable car up the steep hill from the square. Instead we chose the nautical-style Argonaut Hotel at the wharf for a view of the ships and bay. It is situated conveniently around the corner from a cable car turnaround.

There is so much to see and do in San Francisco, you just have to make priorities. Riding the cable cars might be the most fun of all. You can catch one to the cable car museum, which is free and worth a visit, if only just a quick one. If you go to Alcatraz be sure to do the audio tour as you would miss a lot without it. We're older than you but we liked the art in San Francisco (Legion of Honor is free on Tuesdays), the view from Coit Tower and the walk down the Filbert Steps (gardens and Bogie/Bacall-movie building), and we enjoyed walking across the Golden Gate Bridge. Well, we just liked everything.

My husband and I were in SF during Christmas 2002 and had a blast. We loved it so much that we want to go back again.

A great site for hotel rooms there is www.hotelres.com. When searching for a room, we didn't find many places that could beat the prices. (Expedia.com will run some great specials every once and a while, so if you have time, you could check them on a regular basis once you decide what hotel you want to stay at.) We ended up staying at the King George Hotel and it was nice. It wasn't your 4 star hotel, but that wasn't what we were looking for anyway. We'll stay there again when we go back.

Have fun!

Sludick, Tuscan Inn is my favorite place to stay in SF. It's a block or two from Fisherman's Wharf, but far enough from it to not be noisy. It's a Best Western. Has a lovely lobby with coffee and biscotti in the morning and free wine for happy hour (in all the times I've stayed there I've never managed to tear myself away from sightseeting to make it back in time for the free wine, but it's a nice gesture) Rooms are nice. Has a sort of European feel to it. First floor has a restaurant that opens onto the street called Pescatore. Great place for nice breakfasts and not even bad for lunch or dinner. There's a very interesting restaurant about two blocks further inland and a block or two to the right called Albona. It's the only Istrian restaurant outside of NYC or something (Istria being the little peninsula beyond Trieste Italy, now part of Croatia)and the chef owner is wonderful, a real handkisser. Food is a sort of cross between Italian and Austrian/German. Doesn't sound as good as it is. Fun place.

jmv, thanks for the Tuscan Inn opinion. Will try the Albona while we're there also.