We are planning to go to San Francisco the week before Easter to look at San Francisco university. We would like to stay for 3 days and see the town as well. Is there a great economic accommodation that you can suggest?

Thank you.

Could you be a bit more specific on your dollar budget? It's hard to guess what "economic" means - $100? $150? $200? below $100?

Will you have a car? And do you mean San Francisco State University or University of San Francisco (I ask that because transportation options are very different for the two).

If you look at properties on Lombard Street (yes, the same as the famous crooked one, except where it becomes highway 101 from Van Ness towards the GG Bridge), there are many motels of decent quality, with the added benefit of parking if you need it. They get cheaper and, in some instances, shabbier the closer to the bridge it gets.

Check out the Castle Inn in Russian Hill. Nice people, good clean rooms, low prices, free parking. The one bedroom suite is particularly nice. Cable car line nearby.

I'll tick tick tick myself here.

Have you used Priceline before?

We always get good deals on P'line for SF. BUT, unless you buy their trip cancelation insurance, you lose if you can't go for any reason.

Heads up: whether Priceline will work depends on how many people in your group -- they only guarantee a room for 2 people.

Hi

if you have transportation, and some time you might do better staying outside of SF? Maybe nearer the airport, plenty of hotels - if not cheaper, larger rooms. Also, with the complimentary buses to get you back, you cld catch the BART into the city - save you the hassle of driving, parking (expensive) and most of all, looking for car parks!

Just an idea

If you do have a car, I would definitely recommend staying in the city at one of the hotels mentioned that has free parking. At least then, you will be in a position to use public transportation in the city to visit the sites you want to see. BART will bring you into the city from the airport if that's needed, but unfortunately, it will not get you anywhere near either university.

sf...good catch.

b'stroke...been wanting to stay at Castle.
Seems to get good reviews, free parking right near Van Ness and well within stumbling distance to one of my fave dive bars, Shanghai Kelly's.

>>Just an idea<<

Bad one - stay in The City

Stu Dudley

THEE Stu.

We looked at USF (Jesuit college) a couple of years ago. It's a great school and urban campus. Definitely stay in the city. Look at Stu's recommendations for housing. We liked the Hotel Rex in Union Square.

The campus has great public transit options from there. A good thing to consider with your student. It's easy to go places from there without a car.

Good luck in your search for a college.

It's a great school and urban campus.

Well, it's an "urban campus" in the San Francisco sense of that word. It's not urban like NYU or Boston University. It's in a residential neighborhood for starters.

I'd be surprised if anyone would argue that USF is not an urban campus. Even USF makes a point of saying that the city is their campus. It is intersected by a couple of streets, and is surrounded by a diverse, mixed-use neighborhood, not just residential. Certainly not outside the city.

If you're looking at USF, don't miss their Lone Mountain campus, at the top of the hill, with views all around. It's a lovely old building.

usf is close to the haight.
urban enough for me.

usf is close to the haight.

Berkeley is closer to Telegraph Ave. than USF is to the Haight! I give....obviously, I have a different (personal) interpretation of "urban"! I'd call USF "semi-urban".

sorry sf307,
anything south of the golden gate bridge is urban for me.

anything south of the golden gate bridge is urban for me.

My point exactly - it's all in the eye of the beholder

Good grief