San Francisco Itinerary... Advice please...
 

My husband and I are going to San Francisco in July for 7 days (not including 2 days for travel back and forth). Our interests are: farmer’s markets; anything related to animals; nature (flowers, trees, etc) and just being outside. We aren’t big into outdoor sports – just sightseeing and walking the town.
We are staying at the Huntington Hotel & Nob Hill Spa the entire time we are there. We also have a rental car.

Any suggestions on places to eat (restaurants the locals frequent)?

Below is the preliminary itinerary we’ve set up. I’ve marked the things we already have tickets/reservations for.

Tuesday – Arrive at 3 pm. Coming from east coast, so we don’t have anything really planned this day as we don’t know how tired we’ll be.
Wednesday – Alcatraz tour & Angel Island tour. (tickets purchased)
Thursday – Yosemite for the day
Friday – Monterey & Carmel by the Sea
Saturday – Sightseeing in SF – Lombard Street; Fisherman’s Wharf; China Town / Reservations for Ruth’s Chris (personal favorite)
Sunday – Napa Valley (we aren’t wine drinkers – so we are just planning to go to see the beautiful scenery)
Monday – San Jose (husband’s an engineer, wants to see Silicon Valley) / tickets to a Giants game (already have)
Tuesday -- Muir Woods & Sausalito (Golden Gate Bridge)
Wednesday -- Fly back home

Does this look like it will work?

Your opinions/advice will be most helpful!

Two comments so far:

-I understand Ruth's Chris is a personal favorite, and the steaks are very good, but it isn't a "place the locals would go". For "beef", the locals would go to the House of Prime Rib on Van Ness Avenue.

-San Jose (to "see" Silicon Valley) -- there's nothing to "see" except office parks and office buildings. What were you expecting to see?

I have three thoughts:

One day for Yosemite is a bit of a rush.

If your husband must see San Jose sprawl, he can check it out when you drive from Monterey to San Francisco. There's no need to set aside a day for this purpose.

With a day free, you could drive south from Carmel on Highway 1 for some spectacular views.

HTTY

So far my comments are:
Thursday - Do you know it is at least a 4 hour drive to Yosemite ? Then another 4 hours back to SF -
(I am puzzled as to why people want to do this as a day trip)
If you must do this, don't drive 4 hours back to SF-
try to find a place to stay near the park, say in Mariposa.
In-Park Lodging most likely won't be available this late in the game, yet you could keep trying as there is the rare cancellation.

On Friday- you could drive from Yosemite over to Monterey
in about 4 hours. What do you want to do there ?
Although it's a bit over a 2 hour drive back up to SF,
I would consider spending the night here as well.

Sunday- Why not Sonoma ? It's truly beautiful up around Healdsburg & the Russian River.

Tuesday-After the Muir Woods skip Sausalito and head over
to the Pelican Inn at Muir beach or The Mountain Home Inn
above Mill Valley for lunch.

It will be interesting to hear what others have to say.

R5

I'm guessing you're aware of this, but it seems odd that for a trip to San Francisco, you're spending almost no time there. And there are no shortage of things in this city and nearby Oakland and Berkeley to see.

And while Fisherman's Wharf draws a lot of tourists, it's a really tacky tourist-y experience -- kind of like South Street Seaport in NYC -- and is even less interesting now that the pod of hauled-out sea lions that used to be there have disappeared. The crooked block of Lombard Street is unusual and pretty, but not worth much more than a short gawk. Chinatown however is great, and I very much liked Alcatraz (though there are a couple folks here who aren't as taken with it). Consider taking in a museum or two, ride a cable car, go up Coit Tower, visit North Beach or Haight-Ashbury or Golden Gate Park if you haven't done so.

<<<and is even less interesting now that the pod of hauled-out sea lions that used to be there have disappeared.>>>

They're back.

Instead of being outside and enjoying nature/flowers/trees (which you stated were your preferences), I think you'll find yourself spending waaaaay too much time inside your car looking out the window. I certainly would not do a day trip to Yosemite followed by a day trip to Carmel followeed by the tacky Fisherman's Wharf followed by a day trip to the wine country followed by a day trip to silicon valley (during commute hours??). I don't think you'll return home with a favorable impression of Northern Calif. What you'll probably remember most is the traffic, heat, crowds, and time in the car.

Is there any reason you are spending almost no time in San Francisco (I don't consider Alcatraz, Angel Island, or the Wharf to be part of San Francisco).

Here are some of my ideas
http://www.fodors.com/forums/threads...1&tid=35129049

Stu Dudley

I may have to go take a nap just READING your plan.

We were at FW and P39 (sorry <i>Thee</i>) a few weeks about and saw "my in-laws" were returning little by little. :-d

Darn spookie without them.

Thanks everyone. I knew I could count on this group for some advice.

We are considering a move to San Jose - so that's why we want to check it out. One of the reasons we are coming to S.F. I know nothing about it (except how glorious the area is per my husband...) so that's why we had a day planned. However, if you don't need that much time, I'll cut down that day and maybe do as happytrails said, and see it on the way to Monterey.

Ruth's Chris -- we've been to at least 25 of them in different cities, so it's a must - understanding that the locals don't go there -- but we kind of have to since we love it so...

Yes, I know it's 4 days to Yosemite. Being so close - we wanted to go to see it. Maybe we'll rethink.

I'll check Sonoma out. Again, must stuff isn't in stone - so we can change our plans. The only think locked in is the room for the week we are there.

Yes, I know we aren't staying in the heart of SF for a long period of time, but from what others have told me, it's touristy and not a lot to do. Maybe that's wrong - which is why I asked this question. We are planning to do the cable cars, but museums are just not for me.

Coit tower, and the Golden Gate Park sound nice.

Stu, thank you for the link. That's an incredible list. I think we've got some more (at least different) planning to do.

Thanks all for your help. Back to the planning stage...

<<<from what others have told me, it's touristy and not a lot to do. Maybe that's wrong - which is why I asked this question>>>

That is so beyond "wrong", it's hard to know where to start, but Stu's list is a good place!

SF, like Kauai, is too touristy and should be avoided at all costs.:O)

Related to animals? I bet you didn't know about "Safari West" it's not a zoo, it's a private land where exotic animals roam semi-free and you can only see them taking their safari vehicle tour. Highly recommended (Santa Rosa, N of SF on 101)

http://www.safariwest.com/

Markets: visit the Embarcadero (Ferry building) Saturday market, from there you can take a ferry to Sausalito, and another day combine Muir Woods with Napa/Sonoma

Hubby an engineer? Visit Bay Model Center in Sausalito

<<<from what others have told me, it's touristy and not a lot to do. Maybe that's wrong - which is why I asked this question>>>


I'm dumbfounded !!! What "others" are you listening to??? Don't follow any additional advice they give you. Have you read any travel publications that say San Francisco is one of the most pupular travel destinations in the world??? You are the frist person who has indicated that you've heard the City is "touristy & not a lot to do" - maybe you can say that about Fisherman's Wharf - but there are so many nooks & crannies in the City that you could spend decades here & still find new & neat stuff.

If you like beautiful/scenic nature walks, take the Land's End walk in the City
http://sanfrancisco.about.com/od/env...ndendtrail.htm

Stu Dudley

this is one tough itinerary. don't think you can reasonably do all that stuff in 7 days.

do you have to fly in and out of SFO?

I am glad you took the time to read Stu's great insider's tips; I esp. love his "shopping/people watching" suggestions.

I live about 3 hrs away from SF and after countless visits and even spending my long ago college years in the area, I still have not seen many of the neighborhoods or sites. Please don't shortchange your trip to SF by trying to fit in so much of Northern (and Eastern, if you count in Yosemite) California.

I spent an entire afternoon two weeks ago in just a couple of blocks of Chestnut/Union streets, ending up for dinner on Chestnut and an after dinner walk down to the lit-up Palace of Fine Arts.

Another day was spent walking (lots of walking) from the Ferry building and the fabulous Farmers' Market (nosh away, you will walk it off!) to Levi Plaza, up the Filbert Steps to Coit Tower, down to North Beach (stop here if you need a coffee stop or Italian food) and City Lights Bookstore and Vesuvio's for a trip back to the Beat era, on to China Town for fun shopping and tea tasting.

I can while away the better part of a day in Golden Gate Park.

I'd cut out two of your side trips (well, at least two, but that's me!). At the very least, save gorgeous Yosemite for another trip when you can actually stay there overnight or longer and enjoy it.

Annabelle2, we live here, and we're in "tourist" mode now that our children are grown and we have our weekends to ourselves. We've done the same couple of things you mentioned above on a couple of successive weekends recently (along with Alcatraz).

"Yes, I know we aren't staying in the heart of SF for a long period of time, but from what others have told me, it's touristy and not a lot to do." - this may only be said about Fishermen's area, not the whole city!

Thanks again everyone for the tips. We are going to redo the itinerary based on these suggestions. We'll skip Yosemite this trip, and we will drive through San Jose on the way to Monterey. That frees up two days. We'll forget about Fisherman's Wharf, and instead make a point to go to the Farmer's Market and the Bay Model Center. So, to redo the list:

Tuesday – Arrive at 3 pm. Coming from east coast, so we don’t have anything really planned this day as we don’t know how tired we’ll be.
Wednesday – Alcatraz tour & Angel Island tour. (tickets purchased)
Thursday – Sonoma
Friday – Hike Land's End; Lombard Street (just to see it); Cable Car;
Saturday – China Town / Coit Tower
Sunday – Monterey; Carmel by the Sea (drive through San Jose)
Monday – Open... (maybe take a couple of the walks Stu mapped out)
Tuesday -- Muir Woods; Bay Model Center; (Golden Gate Bridge)
Wednesday -- Fly back home

Does this make more sense? Thanks again!

Yep - except visit the Ferry Bldg Farmer's Market first thing on Saturday.

Stu Dudley

Much better! You can actually do a lot more on Friday and Saturday than the few things you mentioned. In fact, you should consider going to the Ferry Bldg. early Saturday - the farmers' market there is fantastic (New York Magazine refers to it as the "granddaddy of them all") and the permanent stores inside are worth a look, too. You can follow that up with a cable car ride and/or Chinatown/North Beach, which are walking distance from the Ferry Bldg. Do some of the stairway walks, they're wonderful. Also, although Fisherman's Wharf is very touristy, you still might like a stroll along the Bay -- from the Ferry Bldg. to Ghirardelli Square is about 2 miles, and it's a really nice walk (just avert your eyes from all the junk being sold in all the shops).

You can get some GREAT pix of the Bay from the end of Pier 39.

<i>Thee</i>...you haven't seen the new Rolly Coster they built in UnSquare? I think they named it <i>The Bum's Rush</i>?

agree on doing the Ferry Building and Farmer's market in on a Saturday...great time.

Silicon Valley is really a sprawl and i wouldn't drive through it just to drive through it unless you want to see the HQ of Google or Apple or something just to say you did. I live in the area and would never recommend a visitor to drive through silicon valley.

A different suggestion would be to stop and eat at one of the Silicon Valley or Peninsula neighborhoods on your way to or from SF to Monterey. It is about 1.5 hours into your 2.5 hour drive and would be a good break in the drive. I might suggest stopping in downtown Palo Alto (University Avenue) and walking the small downtown and grabbing dinner and then continuing on to SF. That might give you more of a feel for one of the Silicon Valley towns. Other cool little downtown is Mountain View (Castro Street) with lots of great ethnic restaurants.

just a thought...

Also...make reservations at some great restaurants way in advance...SF is a great foodie town but it is also tough to get into the best spots.

I don't know your budget or your tastes but here are some popular (and very good) San Francisco restaurants:
- Frances
- A16
- NOPA
- Zuni Cafe
- Kokkari
- Slanted Door
- Perbacco
- Boulevard
- Delfina
- Bix
- Piperade
- Waterbar or Epic Roasthouse

I would put all the spots above in the $$$ category...if you're looking for $$$$ category there's a whole additional list of places.

Vova has given you great advice (except that I'd put both Waterbar and Epic Roasthouse in the $$$$ category, and not worth it either, except for the killer views).

There is a GREAT Middle Eastern restaurant in Sunnyvale (vova, I'm posting this for you as much as for the OP) called Dish-Dash.

Dish Dash is great - been there a couple of times. I kept my list to SF only. if the original poster wants peninsula/south bay suggestions, i've got plenty of those as well.

i haven't been to epic (been to waterbar and enjoyed the views) but threw it in for the tourist factor. i too have heard the food is just decent and prices inflated for the views and for the money spent by kuleto on the finishes.

You know, with Twitter & Yelp already HQ'd in SOMA
and another one announced yesterday over in South Beach,
SF may a new, emerging tech center.
What will it be called ?
Social Media Gulch ?
:)

R5

tknechtges: you'll like the Ruth Chris in San Francisco. I have friends who like to dine at various Ruth Chris' all over, just like you, and they say the San Francisco one is one of the better ones. Would be interested to know your opinion. Will you be writing a trip report?

If you're driving down from SF to Monterey, you can also go along the coast on Highway 1 and avoid Silicon Valley altogether. The coastal drive is especially nice if the weather is good and you can look out to sea.

Or you can drive the more scenic Interstate 280 to Highway 101, cross over on Highway 156 to Highway 1.

Or you could go down one way and return the other way.


We just had lunch the other day at Half Moon Bay on the coast at Sam's Chowder House. They have a terrific lobster roll.

http://www.samschowderhouse.com/


If you're going to be movoing to San Jose, you will have plenty of time to explore all around this state. Your revised trip plan looks a lot less hectic and a lot more enjoyable.

Have a great trip!

Check out the Ferry Building Farmers Market. They have it 3 days a week. But Saturdays are my favorite.

Tuesday: 10am–2pm
Thursday: 10 am - 2pm
Saturday: 8am-2pm

http://www.ferrybuildingmarketplace....ers_market.php

Thank you all so much! I just got back from a week in Maine today, so I am catching up on the posts.

I will definitely mark down the Farmer's Market. We love going to those -- that will be a definite must. Also, the restaurants provided will be great for me to look up. We always try to do at least two really nice dinners while on vacation -- and we love to try all different types of foods.

I really appreciate everyone's help. I like the looks of the new itinerary better. Having never been to this area of the country before (we love Southern CA), we are so looking forward to coming to SF. I really appreciate everyone's time to give the great advice you gave! I'll be sure to let you know how we did when we get back!

<<<Having never been to this area of the country before (we love Southern CA)>>>

Well, Southern CA and Northern CA may as well be two different countries (there is nothing remotely similar about the two areas :-) )

"<i>Sunday – Monterey; Carmel by the Sea (drive through San Jose)</i>"

I know you say you may move to the Silicon Valley sometime and this is sort of a scouting trip. But it is a huge area and San Jose is just one part. It is very likely even if you do move there --you wouldn't end up in SJ proper. There really isn't away to scout out or even 'see' San Jose enroute to Monterey.

Silicon Valley is a very spread out place and you'd really need 2 or 3 days staying IN San Jose to see anything useful for your future plans.

The detour into SJ could add 2 or more hours to your drive south and you wouldn't really learn anything about the area -- except that the traffic can be a bear.

Your time is already very short for Carmel/Monterey - skip SJ . . . .

I live in downtown San Francisco and also have a home in Pacific Grove on the Monterey Peninsula. My comments:


Tuesday – Arrive at 3 pm. Coming from east coast, so we don’t have anything really planned this day as we don’t know how tired we’ll be. (prepare for traffic driving into the city. It can get real busy around 4pm)

Wednesday – Alcatraz tour & Angel Island tour. (tickets purchased)

Thursday – Yosemite for the day ( I would save this for next trip. It is a long drive and will leave you with limited time in the city)

Friday – Monterey & Carmel by the Sea (Another long day. It is 2 hours to drive to Monterey and 2 hours back in the evening)

Saturday – Sightseeing in SF – Lombard Street; Fisherman’s Wharf; China Town / Reservations for Ruth’s Chris (personal favorite)

Sunday – Napa Valley (we aren’t wine drinkers – so we are just planning to go to see the beautiful scenery)

Monday – San Jose (husband’s an engineer, wants to see Silicon Valley) / tickets to a Giants game (already have)( There is nothing to really see in Silicon Valley. It is a lot of buildings. I work in the area and it is not a good use of your time. Skip this one)

Tuesday -- Muir Woods & Sausalito (Golden Gate Bridge)
(you can drive the GG Bridge on the way to Napa area. Combine the Muir Woods and bridge drive then head over to Napa to drive around. This saves another day)

I would stay in SF area a few days and do all of that then drive to Monterey Peninsula and stay there a few nights. The Bay Area traffic is bad. You are spending too much time in a car. You will get stuck in traffic somewhere...guaranteed.