I will be taking my 9-year old granddaughter to visit San Francisco during her Spring Break (Tuesday 4/15 to Friday 4/18). My husband is staying in Walnut Creek on Business and the hotel is right across from the Pleasant Hill BART Station. This is what I think I want to do: Walk or bike across the Golden Gate Bridge, visit Alcatraz, Fisherman's Wharf, Chinatown, Farmer's Market in Embarcadero, and Lombard Street. I want to leave every day around 9am and get back to Walnut Creek to have dinner with my husband around 6pm each day. Since I don't know where anything is in San Francisco, I would appreciate it if someone would help me to plan a four day tour by BART/Cable Car/bus/walk.

Enter the BART system at Pleasant Hill and get off in San Francisco. Embarcadero or Montgomery or Powell Street Stations are probably best. Use a search engine to find the websites for BART and SF Muni (sfmuni.com?). You don't need to look up BART. Just buy a ticket and look at your watch to see how long it takes (30-40 minutes?)

You can walk from Montgomery Street to Chinatown. You can take a bus to Fisherman's Wharf (and take a ferry to Alcatraz).

Maybe start coming home at 4:00 to 4:30 and you will arrive before your husband.

When you arrive in San Francisco (or oakland) get a free guidebook. One third are ads but the other 2/3 have maps, tips, etc.

You need to double check on current status of pedestrians being allowed on the Golden Gate bridge. When the war started all pedestrian and bike traffic was prohibited on the Golden Gate bridge. I am not sure if that ban continues or has been relaxed. Perhaps someone else can respond to that.

Also, be aware that the BART (Bay Area Rapid Transit) doesn't put you anywhere close at all to the Golden Gate Bridge. Be sure to check out the BART website: www.bart.gov/ Also this transit website may be helpful: http://www.transitinfo.org/

Farmers Market doesn't open until 4/30. You might want to rent a bike in Walnut Creek or Pleasant Hill and take it on BART. You could ride along the Embarcadero, through Fisherman's Wharf, over to Marina Green, and up to the GG Bridge (you can ride across now). Then ride across the bridge, down to Sausalito and take the Ferry back (to the Embarcadero Ferry Building) where you will catch BART right back to Pleasant Hill. Be sure to leave SF before 4:30 as bikes aren't allowed on during commute hours.

Thanks Grasshopper, I might just take your suggestions except that my husband is worried about my granddaughter ridding the bike in the traffic and the hills. I will modify your suggestions and possibily incorperate them with bus/walk.

Thanks Grasshopper, I might just take your suggestions except that my husband is worried about my granddaughter ridding the bike in the traffic and the hills. I will modify your suggestions and possibily incorperate them with bus/walk.

I understand. If you're interested I can help you with a route that will avoid most roads. you can email me if you like ([email protected])

Even if the Golden Gate Bridge is closed, there are nice views from the San Francisco side and Fort Point (under the bridge). The Marin County side also has nice views.

If you don't want to visit www.sfmuni.com, you can refer to the many bus maps on about 2/3 of the bus stops. Bring a notepad and pen to write down the bus numbers. Bring your reading glasses, too. Your granddaughter may be good at maps and guide you!

Hiroshi, you are a piece of work! Reading glasses? I have read Pat_Rick's post several times and have no idea where that came from!