San Francisco in Feb for 4 days - need suggestions
 

Hello! I have been trying to read through many of the previous posts on San Francisco so please pardon me if my questions duplicate anything! My husband and I will be in San Fran 2/9 - 2/13 and I would appreciate help in planning please. (I feel like I am doing this late!)

We have not yet set all of the things we are going to do. Since we have never been to SF before I feel like seeing things (Golden Gate Bridge, Fisherman's Wharf, Union Square, Alcatraz, etc) I should do, however we typically like to get away from touristy things and really see what the area is like. Tenatively, we are going to do a local tastes tour in North Beach, hit Chinatown for lunch one day, and do one or more of the SF Library guided tours (thanks Stu Dudley for that suggestions!)

Here are my main questions:
We will not have a car so where is a good location to stay at? (flying into Oakland and will be taking the BART).
What are some hotel recommendations ideally $100 - $150/night? Are there certain areas that are better to stay in to be close to cable cars, etc?
What are the top recommendations for what we should do in only 4 days?
I know the weather will be on the cool side (We are from Buffalo so that really won't be a problem) however I would love to know what to expect - rain every day? Damp to the bone or just warmish drizzle?

Thanks to anyone in advance for suggestions!!

Karen

BART is a wonderful way to get to San Francisco. It's also great because the traffic and the parking costs are outrageous.You can take the Muni busses and the trolleys. You can also get a Muni pass, which gives you multiple days to use the busses.
I would definatly start with the "tourist" stuff. You really should go to Fisherman's Wharf and Peir 39.
Walk to the end of Peir 39 past all of the shops, etc. and you will be in for a treat. You will see an incredible view of Alcatraz and sea lions!
A boat tour to Alcatraz would also be wonderful. I would highly recommend you rent a car and drive accross the Golden Gate, if you can. Also, 4 days can be a long time to be exclusively in SF. Even for one day, you may want to rent a car and go head up north of San Francisco to Bodega Bay and Point Reyes. You won't regret it.

While down at Fisherman's Wharf, walk past the Argonaut Hotel and get on the cable car there. The ride up the hill is fabulous and you can get off part way and walk down the crooked part of Lombard St., and visit the cable car museum (free).

In Chinatown watch fortune cookies being made.

We really enjoyed our walk down from Coit Tower as well as half way across the Golden Gate Bridge (although I don't know what that would be like in Feb). With four and half days we ran out of time in San Francisco!

We stayed at the Hyatt down t the Embarcadero a few years back and really thought that the location was great for not having a car. You can catch the subways and buses right outside the door. The little F buses run right down to Fisherman's Wharf. Also right outside the door is a cable car turn around, which I found to be one of the easiestplaces to be able to get on the cable cars. You can get one of the transportation passes that will give you unlimited access to any of these. The subway there is connected with the Metro bus system, not BART, so I am not really sure about getting to the hotel with BART. But it really is a great area for convenience. There are lots of restaurants and a shopping mall in the Embarcadero itself, not to mention the Ferry Building that is just a few blocks away. I checked room prices on there website and they are running $149 a night during the time you are talking about. Also, if you decide that you want to rent a car for the day there is a Budget car rental agency right there in the hotel. By the way, right down by Pier 39, you can catch a ferry over to Sausalito, not to mention a booth that sells all kinds of daytours if you don't want to see soething in the area and don't want to rent a car.

Speaking as someone who grew up in the City, I have several suggestions:

If you're staying in Oakland near the airport, just be aware that the area's not the best. You may want to consider renting a car and staying in some nicer city that's on the Concord or Fremont BART line. You can also take day trips to Marin, Sonoma and Napa for a spot of wine-tasting...You can park your car at the BART parking lot for free--have to get there before 8 a.m.

The must-sees or -dos in the City: The Legion of Honor Museum in Lincoln Park--great views of the GG bridge on a clear day, the Presidio complex, including Fort Point where Hitchcock filmed the scene where Jimmy Stewart rescued Kim Novak, walking down Grant Ave. from Chinatown to Downtown--stopping for a stroll through Maiden Lane, the de Young Museum, and the Asian Art Museum.

Have a good trip!

Lil

If you are renting a car for a day to go north of the Golden Gate bridge, consider driving to the top of Mt. Tamalpais if it's a clear day. From there you will have the whole bay at your feet. The walk around the peak is easy and unforgettable.

SF is good Priceline territory for hotel bookings. Go to biddingfortravel.com and study the bidding process thoroughly. Come back to this thread if you need help.

The Cartwright is a neat old boutique hotel....or if you don't mind more basic accomodations, check the reviews for The Columbus Motor Inn, it's really a perfect location for you, in North Beach.
Most hotels will require a taxi or bus ride after you get off the Bart from Oakland.

I would suggest staying in Union Square. Kimptonhotels.com has several hotels in your price range and near Fisherman's Wharf.

Alcatraz is definitely worth going too, but there is a bit of walking to do so wear comfortable shoes. Tickets sell out really fast, so you must purchase them online at least 2-3 weeks before the trip. I think Blue & Gold Fleet are the people who do the trip. You can buy them online and then pick up the tickets from a self service machine just before you board (sort of like when you pick up movie tickets - just put in a credit card). You can take a really nice cable car ride from Union Square to Fisherman's Wharf, in order to get to the ferry to Alcatraz. I also recommend that you check out Ghirardelli Square, right near where the cable car stops at the end of the line.

Hello Kebrown,
Regarding the weather:
So far we have had a fairly dry winter with temps lower than normal. But that could change at any time. Rain in San Francisco is almost always cold rain. We often have a spate of clear warm weather in January or Feb., but of course you can never pinpoint it. Come prepared for rain and chilly temps, but rest assured that it won't resemble Buffalo - for instance, today is very cold by S.F. standards, but for us this means some ice in the street gutters and frost on the rooftops - NOT standing drifts of 3 feet and higher!

Hi Kebrown, Hornblowers now has the contract to provide the Alcatraz Tours. Here is their official website http://www.alcatrazcruises.com/.
Dress warm and have fun!!

http://cowhollowmotorinn.com/

Despite its unlovely name, my bride and I found this to be quite a decent hotel at a very reasonable price.

Sorry, I should have been more explicit....the Inn and the Suites are different. We stayed at the Inn...seems to me it ran about $110 for the two of us. Interesting district, too, lots of tasty ethnic restaurants scattered in the 'hood.

DEFINITELY stay in Union Square - (doable in your price range, and Priceline is a great way to find a good deal for a hotel) - this is most central for access to places in the city that you will want to get to and easy transportation connections... and very easy access from the airport on BART to the Powell Street station. You can walk out of your hotel and you will have tons of options of shopping, eating, galleries, people watching. And from Union Square you can easily get to many other neighborhoods by walking, MUNI/BART or cab.

San Francisco is all about the many neighborhoods and their various personalities. Not sure what you've pulled off this forum already, so here are my thoughts.

From a local's perspective, I would spend minimal time around Fisherman's wharf (go in the evening when the tourists have gone - if the cable car line in Union Sq is too long - get there another way and take the cable car back) and skip Pier 39 completely.

All these are easy to get to by walking or on the MUNI/BART Market Street line...

If you want that feel of shopping on the Bay, instead of Pier 39 hit the Ferry Bldg where both locals and tourists patron - if you're here on a Saturday there is a fantastic farmer's market. Great foodie shops, restaurants and wine bar (you can bring food in from the shops)- not to mention the fabulous architecture.

If you get a nice day, skip Alcatraz tour and grab a Ferry over to Tiburon and have lunch at Guaymas on the terrace overlooking the Bay and amazing skyline view of S.F. - not touristy and you get a great boat ride on the Bay that goes right past Alcatraz.

From Union Sq. you can walk through Chinatown to North Beach - Columbus is great, but also check out side streets including hip Grant just off-Columbus on the other side of Chinatown. But also a short cab ride if you're not up for walking.

On the other side of Union Square walk across Market St. and check out SOMA area for great restaurants, more shopping (new Bloomies mall), and museums (SFMOMA, African Diaspora, Cartoon and many galleries).

Catch BART at Powell St. and head into the Mission just a couple of stops away at 16th or 24th Street stations. Valencia just one block over is chalk-full of great restaurants and bars, nightlife and people-watching. Does tend to be more of a 20-30 something crowd.

Hayes Valley is a great newly revitalized neighborhood near Civic Center (Opera, Symphony, Asian Art museum) with great restaurants, bars, boutiques and galleries.

If you want to go a little further afield, but easily accessible by bus (or cab) is the Cow Hollow/Marina neighborhoods - very close to each other. Great main streets for more upscale shopping(Union and Chestnut respectively) - the Marina has the very cool Palace of Fine Arts building and is an easy walk to the harbor where you have great views of the Bay and the GG Bridge. Lovely area for walking, picnicking - also some nice galleries and views at Fort Mason - and good food at Greens restaurant located there.

The S.F. Chronicle website (www.sfgate.com) is a great resource for restaurant and bar recommendations. Top 100 list and reviews.

Always expect weather in S.F. to be cool year round - plan to layer. Check weather.com for 10-day advance to get an idea about rain - it could rain, it might not.

Hope this helps - it's a fantastic city...you'll have a great time no matter what you do.