Hello,
My girlfriend and I will be visiting the Sonoma Valley area and San Francisco in June. We will be staying in San Francisco for 3 nights between June 22 and June 25. I just found out that the Gay Pride celebration is taking place that weekend. Will San Francisco be so crowded at that time that it will not be enjoyable? We will be staying at the Orchard Hotel. Will it be a problem leaving the hotel on the 25th to get to Oakland airport due to the possible crowds? Please help! Thanks

June 25th is Sunday... if your flight is early, check if all BART stations in the city are opened - if you plan on taking BART.

Sorry, don't know where the Orchard hotel is. The main festivities will be at Embarcadero, along Market st, maybe Civic Center and Castro street. Not all areas will be crowded.

Make advance reservations for airport shuttle if needed, and restaurants.

What are your plans for those days?

We plan to visit Alcatraz, Fisherman's Wharf area, Ferry Building and Chinatown. Since were staying in the Union Square area, we also plan to visit some of the shops and art galleries.

Alcatraz, if you have reservations, Fishermens and Chinatown should not be a problem, they are always crowded

Ferry building - depends on where the after-parade celebration is this year.

You can also take a ferry to Sausalito for art galleries and restaurants.

The Legion of Honor won't be crowded - if you like art.

San Francisco will be so crowded that it will be even more enjoyable.

Make sure you get your tickets to Alcatraz IN ADVANCE on line, or you may not be able to get tickets.

Crabhouse 39 on Pier 39 is great for dinner!

If you are looking for a unique show, Beach Blanket Babylon was great.

I second a ferry trip to Saulsito.

8-)

I agree with cwojo99 on all suggestions. I have stayed in the City for father's day in the Embarcadero on gay Pride Parade Day. The city is dialed for it and we had no problem with crowds and anyway it might be the most memorable scene of your trip!

Hi tmoom, the Orchard Hotel is on Bush St. between Powell and Stockton (Faina pay attention!).

tmoom, how did you plan on getting to the Oakland Airport? If you were planning on going via BART you would want to walk down Powell St. to Market and catch BART there to take you to the Oakland Airport station. You would than need to take the shuttle bus from BART to the Oakland Airport.

Or were you planning on taking a shuttle bus from the Orchard Hotel to the Oakland Airport?

Talk to the Orchard Hotel if you have concerns, they should be able to adivse you. And have a wonderful time in Sonoma and SF!

LOL LoveItaly, some day, some day...

And from BART it's not a shuttle bus which you need to reserve, it's an every 15' connecting bus $2 each ride.

If there is a crowd, they will have additional buses. Check the website for hours as they don't run 24/7

A shuttle to Oakland (yes, you need an advance reservation) is about $35 from San Francisco, and there are coupons on-line and in the lobby of your hotel in the tourist booklets.

As a public transit geek, I gotta encourage getting to Oakland Airport via BART. That is, if you've packed smartly (i.e., one bag each). You could still probably manage with two bags each, but more than that, and I'd advise a shuttle. Should you elect to go via BART:

1. To get to the Powell Street BART station's entrance on Stockton Street, head down Stockton to Ellis. Take the stairs down into the station and find a ticket machine.

A one-way BART fare from POWELL to COLISEUM/OAKLAND AIRPORT station is $3.35. Insert the ticket into the turnstyle and take it with you as you enter. (Each of you will need your ticket to exit at the Coliseum station.)

2. Take a DUBLIN-PLEASANTON train from the East Bay side of the platform. The first train running that Sunday morning to Coliseum/Oakland Airport station leaves at 8:06 a.m. Trains run approximately every 20 minutes from then on. So, if your flight is after, say, 10 a.m., you should be fine.

3. At 10:28 a.m., you'll arrive at Coliseum/Oakland Airport station (as the recorded message will tell you). Descend via the escalator to ground level and use your tickets to exit the turnstyles.

4. Exit the station and wait with everybody else right outside. A blue/orange colored AirBART bus will pull up shortly, if it's not already awaiting your arrival. Hop aboard, insert $2 each into the fare box, have a seat, and twelve(ish) minutes later, you're at Oakland Airport. First stop, all airlines other than Southwest. Second stop? Yup. Southwest.

Is there a way to get from Bush to Stockton? I think there is the tunnel under Bush, are there stairs down?

FainaAgain, there are. Stairs come down from Bush on either side of Stockton, and at both ends of the tunnel. But come to think on it, I've encountered litter or the odor of urine in them, so that may not be the most "fragrant" not on which to leave town.

Looking at the map on the Orchard website, it appears it's closer to Powell anyway, so it's easier to just head all the way down Powell to the BART entrance by the cable car turnaround.

I'd even cut over (east) along Post and the northern side of Union Square and then continue down Stockton. I prefer the Stockton/Ellis entrance over the Powell entrance primarily because it's cleaner and less hurried.