San Francisco for a weekend
 

My husband and I will be traveling to San Francisco in two weeks for a long weekend. I have two questions -
1) Can we ride Bart from SFO to the Sir Francis Drake in Union Square?
2) What are the must see sites since we only have a couple of days?
Thanks!

Not sure where Drake is, is it on Powell? Bart Powell station (Powell and Market) is the closest, or at daytime maybe even Montgomery, check the map.

Take a city tour, they will point out all must sees. Or do a search of this forum - everybody asks the same question.

Donna,
The Sir Francis Drake is not like it use to be......but yes you can take Bart and get off at market St. Walk up hill (slightly) past Union Square. It's on your right. As far as sights, check with the Corceiege for the Bus Tour. It is supposed to be very good. I always drove but it has good reviews. I had a cocktail there last Summer and couldn't wait to leave. Cocktails at the Mark Hopkins affords beautiful views. Take the Cable car up......walk or roll down.

BART is $4.95 per person one way from SFO and you'll be able to follow the signs from the terminal. (Depending on where you are arriving, it can be a little bit of a maze to follow, including a walk through a parking garage, up an elevator, around on the terminal tram -- just keep following the signs). For the ticket machine, your best bet might be to bring a $5 in good condition for each of you, if you don't want to commit to the mode for your return trip. Some of the dispensers take charge cards, but I believe that there is a $10 minimum charge and I'm not sure if you can break it between two tickets or not. You'll save enough by taking the BART instead of a taxi to cover a lunch on the deal and it's about 35 minutes travel time.

The Sir Sir Francis Drake is not a particularly long walk from the Powell Street BART station, but if the line for the cable car doesn't look too formidable at the terminus at Powell & Market, you can just hop on. It's $3 for a single ride or $9 all day, so if it's early in the day, you might choose to just pay for an all day pass on board. That way, you'll break even if you go down to Fisherman's Wharf and back later on. (Don't bother with the ticket booth -- it's just an unnecessary stop for you.)

While I'm sure the bus tours are fine, you should have no problem filling your time in San Francisco on a freelance basis between Chinatown, Fisherman's Wharf and your immediate neighborhood down to Market Street and the Embarcadero. It's not all that complicated and things aren't all that far apart. (If you like Farmers Markets, head down to the Embacadero Ferry Terminal on Saturday morning until 2 p.m. for a fun one.)

Have a great time in San Francisco!

Must sees in SF would include Alcatraz (buy your tickets online before you go, otherwise your dates may be sold out). Also riding the cable cars are a fun experience and a great way to see the city. Walking along the waterfront is also nice, try from PacBell Park (or whatever its called now) towards Fisherman's wharf. Don't forget the bridge!

Huge Thanks to everyone for your help and responses!
I've been reading some terrible reviews on the Sir Francis Drake lately but we are determined to have a wonderful time in San Francisco.
Thanks again for the ideas and the information on the transportation we can't wait to go!

Alcatraz was great, we were so pleasantly surprised. We, too, bought our tickets online and they were sold out when we got there, saw a lot of disappointed people. Also, if you like Thai food, the Lemon Grass Restaurant at 2348 Polk Street is simply some of the best I've ever had. Bonus: its relatively inexpensive! Have fun.