San Francisco/Carmel
 

We have dollars that need to be spent with Frontier so I think we will travel to SF and Carmel. We have visited each years ago. I would like to make this as easy as possible with transportation. I see that the airport is south of SF so of course we will do Carmel either at the begining or end of trip. I know we do not need a car in SF so would love to drop the car(or not pick it up) until done with SF. I would like to visit the Filoli Historic House Garden on the way to or from Carmel and possibly also visit Pinnacles National Pak as a day trip from Carmel. Where would you suggest we pick up and drop the car? We would consider staying outside of SF if public transportation was easy to reach SF. We will do this trip in early October.

Filioli is an easy drive from SFO either coming or going. It’s right off 280, which is a direct freeway drive to SFO via 380. It’s also right on the way from SF to Carmel if you decide to go into the City first.

Each of the major rental car cos has offices in the City so you can pick up at SFO, drive to Carmel via Filioli, and return in SF City office. Or vice versa if you decide the reverse. I’ve done that several times at essentially no different cost than pickup and return from SFO.

DO NOT stay outside of SF and attempt to use public transportation to visit SF. I've lived near SFO airport for 40 years, and before that in San Francisco for 7 years. You might consider staying on Lombard St near Cow Hollow/Marina with a car for a few days and visit sites over the Golden Gate Bridge and west of Van Ness (there are many).

I love San Francisco - but for many reasons the area east of Van Ness (Union Sq/Financial district) & along Mission St has become a little "grungy" in the past 3 years due to Covid & the homeless spreading everywhere. We were in The City last night to meet friends for dinner, and drove home along Mission St south of 16th St, and I've never see so much graffiti, iron bars on windows, and homeless people. My wife is an Alamo Square Victorian Houses tour guide with SF City Guides ( www.sfcityguides.org ) and did a tour on Thursday a week or so ago. I "hung out" on Union St (not Square) had lunch at Rose's Cafe - and The City was spectacular (west of Van Ness).

Filioli now requires a "timed" reservation.

Here is something I posted a decade or so ago. Some of it is obsolete, and some is unreadable due to changes in Fodors system design.
https://www.fodors.com/community/uni...ations-356478/


Stu Dudley

Decide what you want to see first in downtown SF.
When I stay with my sibling (near Millbrae) I typically drive in to Golden Gate Park, or to Marin County. There isn't a whole lot in San Francisco that I actually want to see anymore, given the huge parking hassles and expense. There are good restaurants outside of SF, it isn't necessary to go there to eat out. Unless you have to meet someone.

I had heard that the city had become overrun with the homeless. What a shame, it is much the same in many big cities. So it sounds as though it is pretty easy to drive to Golden Gat Park or to Mairin County. I will do some reading then will surely need to post more questions. I welcome all recommendations.