San Francisco
 

My husband and I with our 21yo daughter and 16yo son are travelling to SF in April. We plan to be there 3 days and then drive on to Heavenly in Lake Tahoe. I would like any tips you can offer. Should we rent a car? I know we will rent one to go to Lake Tahoe, but do we need one around SF? I've been searching hotels. I've heard the best place to stay is around Fisherman's Warf. True? Things to do with young adults? Thanks for any help you can give

If you're staying in San Francisco, I wouldn't bother renting a car. We only rented for one day to go to Sonoma, but with a 16-year-old, you probably won't be going to wine country! :)

A lot of people on here will tell you NOT to stay at Fisherman's Wharf -- but I love that area. It is definitely the "touristy" section, but I love crowds and waterfronts, so I thought it was great. Best Western Tuscan Inn is clean and cheap, in a great location. The Argonaut, nearby, is a cool boutique hotel right next to the Cannery. Downtown area is also very popular, but someone else would have to give hotel rec there.

Definitely go to Alcatraz. (Your son might like the night tour.) Ride the trolley. Watch the sea lions that live on the pier. Visit the top of Coit Tower. It's one of those cities where it's easy to entertain yourself! :)

Great tips. Thank you.

Just to clarify - the "pier" is Pier 39, which is a tourist (and fun) destination in itself -- shops, restaurants, entertainment and the sea lions.

You do not need a car in SF, in fact, it's a liability, since parking is expensive. The public transportation system is excellent.

If you're baseball fans, you might consider trying to get tickets for a baseball game at AT&T park (although the schedule won't come out until January or so).

Be sure to reserve tix for Alcatraz in advance - it's always booked up, especially around school vacations. I'm pretty sure the boat leaves from somewhere at or close to Pier 39.

I'd stay in the Union Square area, but I wouldn't object to the Fisherman's Wharf area. (Just as a point of reference, I go to NY with my family regularly, and we LIKE to stay in the Times Square area).

Coincidently, we live on Long Island. My husband works in the city and hates it. I like Times Square too. What is the Union Square area like? I know we will want to do the touristy things. Definately Alcatraz, cable cars. Any hotel recommendations?

Give us an idea what type of hotels you like (Ritz-Carlton? Mariott? Motel 6?).

Union Square is San Francisco's upscale shopping area. There is an actual square, which is now very nice (I don't actually like the design, but I like that it was redone and is now a pleasant place to go/sit/etc., as opposed to the homeless hotel it used to be). One side of the square is the St. Francis hotel, the other 3 sides are bordered by shopping (Macy's, Neiman-Marcus, Saks, and other small shops). Off the square are many more hotels and shops, and restauarnts, of all types and in all price ranges.

Honestly, it sounds like we might like the fishermans warf area more. We are looking for a mid range hotel. Would love a suite, considering the ages of our kids.

bookmarking

Just adding the links for the two hotels I thought were cool -- both have suites.
http://www.tuscaninn.com
http://www.argonauthotel.com/

The Hyatt and Sheraton, also on the wharf, both looked nice and were well located.