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San Francisco Questions
Planning a trip for March.
Fri evening arrive in SFO Sat/Sun ride cable cars segway tour alcatraz fishermans wharf chinatown crooked street Mon rent car Muir Woods Point Reyes Napa Questions I don't really understand the Muni System after reading about it. Can you just hop on a Cable Car anywhere or are there get on get off places or what? I would like to take Bart to my hotel. I am looking at Hyatt and Argonaut. Bart and cable car has stops just outside Hyatt I believe, but I had rather stay at Argonaut, I think? Where do I want to eat Dim Sum (is this something worth doing)in Chinatown. We have never had this? Which Alcatraz Tour should I consider. Is the evening tour the best? Planned on renting a car and heading north for a day. Can I do Muir Woods, Point Reyes, and Napa all in a day or should I consider just Muir Woods and Point Reyes. |
Finally
Is March a good time of year to go? |
We spent 12 days in SF and area in March of this year and it was wonderful!
Cable Cars are only on 2 routes; they are not really transportation as such. Yes, there are stops along the route however - each ride is $5! So that everytime you get on and off you pay. Buy a MUNI pass and you can use them on everything but BART. We did the night tour and I highly recommend this over the day tour for several reasons: - since only one group goes over for night tour there are less people. - You get to go into parts that are not open during the day [the hopsital ward where the Birdman's cell is located] - you can linger and read the posters and you get a free audio included in tour price - the sunset on the way back to SF and the city lights are magical as is the Golden Gate Bridge. We took BART from airport to our hotel in Union Square. It worked out well for us. It depends on how many people, since a cab becomes more reasonable the more people you have. We drove to Muir Woods in the early morning, hiked, and then went on a bit north to beach, had lunch and then headed back to city. It took most of the day. I have pictures, I will post a link. Deb |
Don't confuse BART and the cable cars. Two separate networks that don't overlap on ticket access.
As DebitNM reports, cable cars cover two very limited routes. Not a city wide transportation system at all. |
We drove to Muir Beach, then Stinson Beach where we had lunch and then drove back to SF.
Photos - Night tour at alcatraz http://picasaweb.google.com/DebitNM/Alcatraz2008 Deb |
MUNI covers: the Cable Cars, the buses and the trolley that runs on Market. {I think that is right]
BART is more like a commuter train and you buy and pay fares on it based on where you get on and off. MUNI http://www.sfmta.com/cms/mfares/passports.htm A three day pass runs $18 a person. It is good for any 3 consecutive days. When you figure riding a cable cars 3 times [on-off x 3] is $15 this is a real bargain. |
BART = trains connecting San Francisco with 2 airports: SFO and OAK. Limited stops in the city.
You can take it to Embarcadero and Union Square area, not to Fishermen's. MUNI = buses running all over San Francisco. Cable Cars - not a mode of transportation, and usually the lines are long, mostly used by tourists. $5 each way or get a MUNI pass that includes unlimited rides (which is useless, why do you want to stay in line again?) Yes, March is a good time to be here. |
March is supposed to be the best time to see the whale migration at Point Reyes. Hope to get there someday at that time. We are planning on going to San Francisco late September with a day trip to Point Reyes. (didn't make it there last time)
We did go to Muir Woods. Go early AM because the parking lot (which is small) fills up early. If you just started researching type in Stu Dudley -- lots of great information on the area. It does take a while to get to Point Reyes and if you want to do some hiking there I think it may be pushing it to go to Napa. (with what you have planned for two days Sat/Sun you might be able to fit Napa in one of those mornings) I tried very hard to figure out the muni system before we went. It is very confusing until you start using it -- then it becomes pretty easy. Get a map (I think it is $3) of the system (it was much better than anything we found online) when you get your passes (which I agree you should get). We did the evening Alcatraz tour and really liked it -- went on the first one so we went over in the daylight and came back in the dark. (not sure which one it would be at the time of the year you are going). Haven't taken the day one though so I can't compare. Seeing the crooked street (Lombard) comsists of either driving or walking down it -- or just taking pictures which won't take much time. You can ride a cable car along a route which also doesn't take much time if you don't try to catch it at the turnaround which can take forever because the lines can be really long. It is fun to watch them turn them around, but by the time we got on the cable car we were in the back and didn't get the view anyway -- most people tell you to take the California line (which we will do this time) because it is less crowded. You can hop on and off the cable cars -- if they aren't full! There are signs posted for the bus and cable car stops, but we had trouble finding them until they were pointed out to us -- had no trouble finding them after that. You will be at Fisherman's Wharf when you take the Alcatraz tour so you can incorporate what you want to see there at that time. |
Thanks for the quick replies and for the pics Deb. I have looked at Studud posts several times.
Is a different kind of Trolley Car that is used on the Embardadero? |
It's a streetcar, MUNI line F, connecting Castro with Fisherman's.
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fisherman's warf.. eat at Fog Harbor Restaurant - the apps are amazing, and you can make a meal out of them
napa/woods/ pt reyes can't be done in the same day.. well it CAN if the only thing you want to see is the inside of your car. Dim Sum - TOTALLY worth it, Imperial Palace is my favorite spot. |
Imperial Palace is in Chinatown. DimSum available on weekends as well?
I was thinking of maybe just a meal in Napa or Sonoma. We don't drink, so really wine isn't that big of an interest, but thought we might like to see the area and have a meal on the way back from PR. |
I just can't invision the cable car, muni, bart, trolley, street car system. I know I will get it when I am there, but WHOA. I guess I just don't know how long it will take me to get from point A to point B and how long to wait in line to get on etc.
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The cable car turn around is right around the corner from the Argonaut.
Cable Cars are not a mode of transportation? We took them quite a bit to and from the Argonaut when we visited one September and never found the lines very long. You can also stop along the line to visit the free Cable Car Museum, which we thought was interesting. |
I believe what Deb was referring to, is the fact that cable cars only service limited territory essentially going from downtown to the Wharf via Nob Hill. They are not a method for getting all over SF and they are used by very few locals for daily transportation.
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As others have said, doing Pt. Reyes and Napa on the same day is too ambitious. From SF, it's a two hour drive out to the Lighthouse and then two hours to get to Napa. If you do Muir Woods, you will not make it to the Lighthouse until about noon and then you will want to spend the rest of the day seeing the sights. Drake's Beach Cafe is a good choice for lunch and it should be open on Mondays but I'd check before going out there just to sure.
By the way, the Lighthouse is closed on Tues/Wed so Monday is your best day for doing Pt. Reyes. Hopefully, the weather will be good. It's still the rainy season in March. |
What SAB said :)
Deb |
One might say that taxis aren't much of a mode of transportation in San Francisco either. We called for one on the outskirts of town but, after we stood around like lost waifs for about half an hour, a person took pity on us and gave us a ride in their car. We did take buses too.
No Coit Tower in your plans? We also enjoyed visiting the fortune cookie factory in Chinatown, and walking across the Golden Gate Bridge. |
spirobulldog,
Just wanted to add that you might want to time your cable car ride with discretion, especially if you plan to board at the Powell/Market turnaround. Try not to go in the middle of the day. That's when I see most family groups with kids, and the line can be really, really long. Wouldn't try the morning or evening rush hours as well - for some city dwellers, the cable car is their normal commute vehicle. Around 10 or 11 a.m. or after 6:30 p.m. is a good time. Alternatively, late night is a great time to ride the cable cars - very uncrowded, and the night views of the downtown skyscape and the Bay are unforgettable. And to underline what others have advise, split your out of town driving itinerary. The only time I would advise combining the Marin/Sonoma coast and Napa is if someone were starting out early in the morning and planning to settle into accommodations in Napa late the same evening. |
FWIW, I used to commute on the cable car (all the way down California Street).
If you want to take a cable car ride just to take one (they are fun), you can easily get on at the bottom of California Street (the one you mentioned that is outside the door of the Hyatt Regency Embarcadero), ride it up the hill as far as you want, and either walk or ride back down. You can ride up, e. g., to Powell Street, walk back down a couple of blocks to Grant Street - and start your walking tour of Chinatown. |
Next time you're on the MUNI site, use the 511 trip planner link. Plug in your starting and ending addresses and when you want to travel, and it will give you a complete printable route map. We used this site quite a bit before we went to San Francisco.
We had dim sum at Gold Mountain on Broadway in Chinatown. It was tasty and inexpensive. Lee Ann |
Is Dim Sum served in the evening or only at noon?
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We had it for lunch.
Go to www.sfgate.com/food and use their restaurant search feature. www.chowhound.com is a good site, too, but I've never used it for San Francisco. Lee Ann |
Bookmarking - Answers to many of my own questions! Thanks!
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bookmarking
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Please take into consideration the traffic on Higway 1 going north out of SF and returning. It is heavy most of the time going back and forth across GG Bridge. It takes 1 1/2 hours to get to Napa and it really isn't good to do it in a day. Muir Woods/Pt Reyes maybe.
BART (BAY AREA RAPID TRANSIT) connect bay area cities, has a few stops inside SF but don't plan on it for getting around town. Cable Cars are very limited to Powell & Hyde Street areas. Muni system/cabs best for getting around. Dim Sum is only served at lunch. |
>>Please take into consideration the traffic on Higway 1 going north out of SF and returning. It is heavy most of the time going back and forth across GG Bridge. It takes 1 1/2 hours to get to Napa and it really isn't good to do it in a day. <<
Not sure I agree with this. It's heavy getting into San Francisco during commute hours in the morning, and also leaving SF in the evening during commute. It's heavy leaving on Friday "getaway day" after about 2pm. On weekends it's not heavy at all except possibly Sunday late afternoon, especially after a 3 day weekend (then it's on Monday). It takes me about 1 hr from the GG bridge to Napa. Another 30 mins or less to Calistoga. I've done day-trips dozens of times. On day trips from The City you're traveling in the opposite direction of commute traffic. There are 3 cable car lines: 1. Powell/Hyde 2. Powell/Taylor both the above run north & south 3. California line, from Calif & Market, to Calif & just short of Van Ness. This runs east & west. Stu Dudley |
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