ncc2309

Hello, my husband and his parents (both 75 years of age) will fly into SF on Thursday Sept 23rd from Georgia. We plan to spend a total of 10 days on West Coast: about 3-4 days in California; 2 days in Oregon and 3-4 days in Washington/Vancouver Island. Flying back to GA from Portland on Oct 3rd . We have not been to SF before. I have previously reserved rooms at the Grosvenor Suites at 799 Pine St. because of its seemingly good location to transportation, Chinatown, restaurants, etc.-His dad cannot walk great distances. We'll be bringing a wheel chair just in case it's needed. We will have a rental SUV. I would really appreciate feedback if this is a good lodging choice/location. If not, other suggestions.

#2 question- If we use SF as "homebase" for three days and two nights, is it feasible to go to Napa and Monterey both? We plan to leave late Saturday for Yosemite. Are Napa and Monterey each full day trips?

Thanks so much! We have just entered "empty nest" category as our 3 children are all in college... and looking forward to this trip immensely!

J_Correa

Regarding your question #2 - I would choose either Napa or Monterey for such a short trip. Otherwise you will be spending a lot of time in the car, and not much time in SF.

Monterey is a couple hours from SF, and is definitely a day trip (at least). Napa is about an hour, so it can be seen in an afternoon, possibly combine it with a visit to Point Reyes or Muir Woods.

sludick

Are you driving up the coast? I don't really see a time allowance in your itinerary for that. Also, how does Yosemite fit into your timeframe? Seems like it might be out of the way, considering your plans to go to Oregon and Washington/Vancouver. Drving up the coast is beautiful. Growing up, we used to take an annual drive from SF to Seattle to visit relatives; making it in 3 days. You might want to consider a somewhat less ambitious schedule, or additional time.

jimshep

I agree with the advice about Monterey and I would add that I think you are cramming way too much into ten days. A more leisurely trip would concentrate on San Franciscso and the California and Oregon coast between SF and Portland.

ncc2309

Hmm...My husband is one of these fellows who wants to pack alot into a day! I am not surprised by your answers. I am sure we will not hit everything.

Any comments regarding lodging while in San Fran?

We were thinking of hitting Napa Thursday, SF on Friday, leave for Monterey on Saturday AM and go from there to Yosemite, spending Sat night there and driving in Yosemite on Sunday. Sounds like this is way too much.

But since we will have his parents with us the the entire trip, this is going to be more "look see" than hiking or action. -

myst

I would cut out Monterey. If you are driving up the Coast to Oregon on 101 you will see plenty of beautiful coastline. If you want to see an aquarium, as nice as Monterey's is, you could easily substitute Newport, OR acquarium.

And I would chose to either do SF and Yosemite and SF and Napa not both. Your time is just too short.

myst

I meant to say "or" in that last sentence. As in are you wine-tasters or are you nature lovers? You will probably need to chose.

Oregon also has a wine region so that is another idea to consider. Or instead of taking a daytrip to Napa, just stop at a couple of wineries in Healsdsburg on your way to Oregon. Healdsburg is on 101 so it would be a small "pit-stop" as you head North. Have a picnic and be on your way.

easytraveler

Hi, Ncc!

10 days and you are planning to zoom to San Francisco to Monterey to Yosemite to Oregon to Washington to British Columbia and then BACK DOWN to Portland.

Ummm, are you planning to get out of your SUV at all?

And his parents? Do they need to go potty sometimes? I've driven elderly folks who belong to the IBBC - the Itsy-Bitsy Bladder Club. Are your in-laws dues paying members of this club?

First things first: the Grosvenor Suites seem to be a fine choice. Check tripadvisor.com for many reviews of any hotel for which you have plans.

Grosvenor Suites is on a hill and believe it is on the corner of Mason and Pine, both are ONE-WAY streets. Downtown SF has a number of one way streets, plus a major diagonal street, Market Street, which will confuse things no end. But then, you are not planning to get out of the car to actually stay in a hotel, are you? No time!!! (Just kidding!)

If one way streets up and down hills will bother you, then I suggest that you switch to Fisherman's Wharf or try and get rooms at the Hyatt on Union Square on Priceline.

Following the excellent suggestion above, I'd add my voice to those saying you should skip Monterey.

Here's a plan for you: go directly from SF Airport to Yosemite. Stay somewhere near Yosemite, even you stay in Sacramento, you'd be half way there.

Day one: visit Yosemite. Come evening, drive out of Yosemite on your way to SF. Stay somwhere on Interstate 80 for the night (cheaper than SF).

Day two: visit SF. Stay at the Grosvenor Suites/other hotel.

Day three: visit SF for 1/2 day/more, drive up to Sonoma, stay the night (cheaper than staying in SF).

Day 4: Visit a few wineries, drive around - the Russian River Valley and the Alexander Valley are beautiful to drive through and have numerous good wineries. Skip Napa. Stay the night somewhere around Sonoma.

Day 5: Get to the coast about 11am -probably on Highway 12 to Hghway 116 to Highway 1. It's going to be a beautiful drive along the coast but slow because you will want to stop at several places. Highly recommmend Fort Ross as well as any number of coastal towns like Gualala or Mendocino.

Stay the night somewhere along the coast.

Day 6: See the redwoods in Mendocino if you haven't already done so yesterday. Zoom on your way to Oregon. Day 6 in Oregon.

Day 7: Oregon to Washington. You can go along the coast in Oregon or zoom inland along Interstate 5. I don't know what you want to do in Oregon and Washington, so can't suggest anything.

Day 8: Washington to British Columbia (Vancouver).

Day 9: BC back to Washington

Day 10: Washington to Portland for your flight back.

It's certainly doable, but you will have two elderly people with you. Depends on their health.

Hope this helps!

ncc2309

Dear Easy Traveler... You made me laugh out loud while I was reading your response. I know, I know. Too much to see and do and too little time. I like your suggestion about going straight to Yosemite. -Or else save it for another trip.

You have done an excellent job of planning the 10 days. --Thank you. My husband is a golfer and a former Scout Master for our son's troop. He really wants to see Pebble Beach/Big Sur area and Redwood Forest. Can you give me suggestion on best area for Redwoods? I am hoping that you (and others) might share your thoughts on what is most important to see in Oregon. -We have considered Crater Lake and heading toward the coastline. Understand it is awesome. In Washington, what about Mt St Helens, Columbia River Gorge area, Woodinville Wine area, Seattle, Olympic Natl Park. --Which are considered "cream of the crop" as we say here in Georgia!

I'd truly be grateful for some comments!

otownrob

...stayed at the G. suites about 5 years ago. they upgraded us to a suite that had a kitchen and a seperate bedroom. it was a good deal for the price....and great location wise....close to one of the main cable car lines. i seem to recall that there wasn't an air conditioner. also, it appeared that some people live there.

applejack

easytraveler - you seem so knowledgeable about San Francisco - wanted to ask where you would recommend to stay at Fisherman's Wharf (we can't walk the hills in SF). Plan to do mostly greyline or other typs of tours of the city and other areas. Also wanted to know why you recommend Sonoma instead of Nappa? PLan to be there for a week - any other tips you feel would be helpful would be appreciated. Thanks.

gailscout

I also would suggest you find a flatter area. My son lives 1 block from the Grosvenor Suites . Although it is a great location, it is extremely hilly in that area. Fisherman's Wharf, perhaps the Sheraton, would be flatter and you can always catch the trolley's as well as the cable car down there. Another flat area would be at the base of Market where the Hyatt is.

easytraveler

Hello again, ncc!

Best place for you and your family to see redwoods would be Muir Woods in Marin County. You could go there before getting to Sonoma. The park is wheelchair friendly.

If your husband really wants to see Pebble Beach, then I'd recommend skipping Yosemite this trip and going down to Monterey instead. You could go straight to Carmel/PG/Monterey from SF Airport.

Stay the night in a B&B in Pacific Grove or try a smaller hotel in Carmel. Drive the 17 Mile Drive, have lunch/dinner at the Pebble Beach Lodge or, better yet, pack a picnic and dine at the seashore.

Go south of Carmel a couple of miles to Point Lobos. It's gorgeous there and you can put Pop in his wheelchair and away he goes on some of those trails! Just ask the ranger for which are the best trails for him.

As for Oregon, I'm not the best person for recommendations there. Haven't driven along the Oregon coast for several years. Crater Lake is inland and certainly worth a trip. I'd guess that, having driven along the California coast and been to Monterey, by the time you reach Oregon, you'll want to be inland.

I'm driving north to Seattle in October, after your trip, so mebbe you could offer me some suggestions when you come back!

Take the ferry from Seattle to Vancouver. There are also ferries going across the Strait of Juan de Fuca from the Olympic Peninsula to Canada, either Victoria or Vancouver. Wonderful experience! The view of the snowy peaks on the Olympic Peninsula from Victoria is gorgeous!

If you do a search on this forum, you'll find a lot of wonderful ideas. Just type in your query in the box at the top, like "Mendocino redwoods" or "Sonoma Wineries".

On San Francisco, type in "degas san francisco naked ladies" to check out his recent wonderfully well-written trip report. (No!!! Not THAT kind of naked ladies!!!)

applejack: Thanks so much for the complement! I'm really just a resident of Northern California and I love this state! If you knew how long I've lived here, you'll know how old I am - so let's not go down that road! LOL!

Napa Valley is too touristy. It's become a foodie heaven and the scenery is not as great as in the "Sonoma" valleys. In addition, there are all these charges - $5-$10 for tasting three wines!

You have to realize that I used to live very close to the Napa Valley in my youth. In those days, Napa was just a sleepy little town. The wineries were so eager to have visitors that they would hand out free wine glasses to their visitors. (I just broke my last Mirassou souvenir wine glass! Boo hoo!) Then, business got a bit better and they started charging for souvenir wine glasses, but the tastings were still free. Nowadays, it's completely changed. The gourmet restaurants are among the most expensive in the state. You get "gourmet" cheeses, etc. on display in the wineries and you are charged an arm and a leg for these gourmet items. And, of course, you are charged for tasting their wine.

For more of the genuine wine experience, go to the Sonoma wineries. The Russian River Valley and the Alexander Valley are my two favorite valleys in that area. Again, there are lots of excellent recommendations on which wineries to visit on this forum, so check out the previous posts!

Hotels in "flat" San Francisco: at Fisherman's Wharf, there's the Argonaut Hotel as well as a lot of chain hotels: Hyatt, Holiday Inn, Sheraton, etc. Fisherman's Wharf is the number one tourist destination in San Francisco and its hotels are more family oriented. Some people consider FW "tacky". You certainly don't want to eat there, but the hotels are fine and easy to access. Close to Fisherman's Wharf is the Columbus Motor Inn, very often recommended on this forum, as it has free parking. Everywhere else the parking fee per day could run $18-$30.

gailscout has given you another excellent place to stay: the Hyatt Regency at the Embarcadero.

You really don't need a car in SF. It's actually better not to have a car and use the excellent public transportation system. Get the three day pass, believe it's called Passport. It allows you to ride on every single mode of transportation in SF: cable car, trolley, bus. Believe it even allows you to ride the Bay Area Rapid Transit (BART). BART is the easy way to get to downtown SF from SF airport.

Greylines has a good tour. Take the tour first and then you can go back to the places that you found you liked. San Francisco is not that big, so the taxi rides shouldn't cost all that much.

Greylines also runs a tour of Muir Woods. Highly recommend that, without a car, you take that tour as well to get a taste of the redwoods.

Well! Enjoy! Enjoy! folks! And welcome to California!

easytraveler

Correction: Sorry, gave you a bit of wrong information. Just asked my niece who has spent the summer working in SF and therefore taking public transportation.

The Passport cannot be used on BART. It used to be that the SF Muni pass could be used on Caltrain (different train system), but not any more.

Nevertheless, the Passport is still a good deal. It'll save you quite a bit if you are going to be travelling all around SF.

There is also a Citypass, which includes entrance fees to some local attractions.

Do a Google or Yahoo search. I'm certain there a website that the SF Muni system runs on line.

applejack

easytraveler - thank you so much for your help - its kind folks like you that make trip planning easier to places we have not been. Thanks again.