Hello,

I am traveling to SF at the beginning of March to a conference. My wife is coming along for pleasure. The conference is in South San Francisco, but I want to stay in a more active part (Union Square? Fisherman's Wharf?) so that my wife can be in the middle of the action during the day when I am in my conference.

What is important to me is to stay in an area where I can easily commute (via public transport if possible) to South San Francisco each day. I know it will take around an hour each way, but that is OK. I also need to be in an area where my wife can get around safely and easily to shopping and sightseeing and jogging.

I would welcome any suggestions on either general areas and/or specific hotels. I am looking to spend ~ $150 (or less) per night for lodging, but the actual price is not a huge deal. Thanks!!

to the top for jstutz99, who sounds like a nice person. Let's help him out.

Maybe Embarcadero Hilton? Safe and convenient for your wife, and you can take BART to SouthSF.

The Embarcadero is a good place to jog in SF and there is a BART station at the Embarcadero which should give you access to S.SF. There is a Hyatt located on Market at the Embarcadero which might work for you and your wife. It is a safe and busy area during the day, not to imply it is not safe at night only not busy.

Sorry I meant Hyatt Thank you SAB.

This is great advice and thanks (dovima) for the compliment!

You are most welcome!
If the Embarcadero Hyatt is not available, try to get a deal for the Mandarin or the Omni (pricey, but sometimes a bargain turns up). These two hotels are in the Financial District - just a short walk up from the Embarcadero. It's a bustling neighborhood during the day, but very quiet at night. As long as you are not walking around at midnight or so, however, I don't think it's ominous or creepy, though it seems deserted.
Restaurant suggestions:
If at the Embarcadero, check out the places on Steuart Street. Boulevard for a fancier meal, Red Herring for seafood, Ozumo for upscale Japanese cuisine. My choice for a special dinner would be One Market. Also check out the food stands inside the Ferry Building - there are several good places to get salads, sandwiches and coffee.

If staying in the Financial District (or the Embarcadero - it's just a short walk) you must check out the restaurants on Belden Lane, a tiny street that is packed with good places to eat. I personally love B-44 - it serves Catalan food with individual-sized paellas.

Have a wonderful time, and I hope our weather shows its most hospitable side to you!

Another plus for the Hyatt, or for other hotels in that general area (Harbor Court, Park Hyatt), is the proximity to BART stations - you can BART to a station in S. SF and cab it from there - and avoid traffic. It's also quick from that area to drive onto 280 or 101 S, whereas F. Wharf is deeper in the city, and it's harder to get to BART or to the freeway onramps. For your wife, there's the Calif St. cable car line right in front of the Hyatt, and good bus lines galore.

BTW, the food options are much better around the Embarc vs F. Wharf. Great restaurants along the Embarc and on nearby Steuart St. F Wharf has some good places, but a lot more fast food and tourist fare.

Hi All, I was reading these posts b/c I will be in San Fran in early march as well. I went the Priceline route and will be staying at the Sheraton at Fisherman's Wharf. I hear that the Wharf is definately touristy, but it'll be my first time in San Fran, and I will be a tourist. Can anybody suggest some decent restaurants and/or places/sites I shouldn't miss on my first visit to SF? Thanks.

we had somewhat the sames husband-wife conference problem in November. Do a search on San Francisco and look for my post "Empty Days in San Francisco"...we got lots of excelellent advice.

Her conference was at the Moscone..so we were staying in the SOMA/Union Square area at the SF Marriott

I wouldn't recommend staying in Union Square as it is dirty and depressing. The Marina and Cow Hollow areas would be better. Look into the Columbus Motor Inn or Cow Hollow Motor Inn. Parking is also included in the price of the room if you have a car.

You may want to check out the links below to get an idea of which areas of SF to avoid. It seems to have been getting worse in recent years.

http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/articl...NGRA3E0RI1.DTL

http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/articl...NG7M3ER411.DTL

http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/articl...2/BU133124.DTL

The Hyatt at Union Square is in a nice area, walking distance to the boutiques and Macys and Nordstrom. I'm not sure why Abi says it's dirty and depressing. Maybe he/she is referring to some of the streets away from Union Square that are bordering the Tenderloin area. Powell Street that's a block from the Square for sure is very noisy, busy, and has panhandlers. If you stay at the hotels suggested by Abi you will need to take a bus or taxi if you don't have a car.

Thanks for all of the advice so far. Unfortunately, the Hyatt is all booked for 4 of the 5 nights we'll be there, and the Mandarin is a little outside of my budget (best deal I can find is ~$250). Other hotels that seem to be in the area and seem nice (that also fit in my price range) are Majestic or
Pan Pacific. Keeping in mind that I need to be within 1/2 mile (or so) of a BART station, any thoughts on those two hotels or any others that fit the original criteria? Thanks again!

The Majestic looks nice and seems nice judging from reviews on tripadvisor.com but it's far from a BART station. I'd choose the Pan Pacific which is close to the Powell Street BART station which is approximately a couple of blocks away. It's also close to Union Square, again a couple of blocks away. It's gotten good reviews on tripadvisor.com as well.

Pan Pacific is on Post near Union Square and would be closer to the Powell BART station as would any hotel in the Union Square area. The Majestic is not within easy walking distance of BART. Unusual the Hyatt Embarcadero is full since it is a Priceline favorite? In terms of looking for a hotel that is within easy walking distance, all the BART stations are on Market Street so hotels which are close to Market such as W, the Argent, Harbor Court might be good. Did you look into Harbor Court it is also on the Embarcadero?

Given the choice, take the Pan Pacific for the needs you've specified. It's downtown, has a nice restaurant, is close to BART and Muni connections and has several car rental agencies within a block. Either you could walk to the Powell St. BART station, or you and your spouse could take one of the numerous buses on Post Street (where the P.P. is located) headed east towards the Ferry Building. From there you could drop off your wife for her run, and then get onto BART at the Embarcadero Station (perhaps after a nice coffee sitting on the dockside at the Ferry Building?).

Thanks everyone for all of your help. I just booked with Harbor Court who was offering a deal too good to resist. A little over $100/night seems pretty good for all that they offer. I appreciate all of the suggestions, and if anyone is ever traveling to Richmond, Virginia (for some strange reason) I would be happy to return the favor!!

I guess you did look at the Harbor Court--keep in mind dovima's recommendations for the Embarcadero area.

I keep raving about the Orchard Hotel on Bush Street, corner of Powell where you can catch a cable car. Two blocks from Union Square, shopping and great restaurants. I am not affialiated with the hotel. Just stayed there last month for Xmas shopping and loved it.

Sharon,
I was at the Mark Hopkins over the weekend and spied the Orchard as we went by it's street on the cable car. As I had seen it mentioned here so frequently I did take notice. It's in a great location and looked very nice from the outside.