San Francisco trip from 11/29-12/03
 

I will be trvelling alone, and am a little nervous. Looking for a clean,safe, mid range hotel. Can I rent a car and do the coast or wine country in one day? Weather wise, what to pack. Would I need a winter coat, or would a light wool jacket and sweater do?

Welcome to SF, Marcia. I'm goint to top a post for you that's entitled "Need recommendations for SF lodging." There's a lot of good information there. You could rent a car for a day easily and see the coast or wine country. Another thought would be to arrange for a one-day tour. Your hotel will probably be able to help you with this. The weather can vary in early December. It could be rainy, blustery and cold or it could be sunny and delightful. Wear layers--turtleneck, sweater, jacket. You won't need a winter coat. A raincoat with a zip in liner might be good too.

Marcia, What hotels were you considering on staying at in SF. There are a number of areas to avoid, especially the Union Square area, since you are traveling alone.<BR><BR>In order to appreciate the coast and the Wine Country, I would suggest spend a couple of nights there. It is kind of difficult to do see these areas with just a day trip.

re: Mona's post<BR><BR>Union Square area is where most of the hotels are located and it is safe and central for seeing SF, although parking is a premium there. <BR><BR>You can search for a thread entitled &quot;Is Union Square Unsafe&quot; and go with the consensus. (Note: one person uses numerous aliases to bash SF on unfounded grounds, so take that into account)

Adam, I live in SF and know this area quite well. Union Square is a shady area of town. I am not bashing Union Square, but am offering a truthful assessment of the area given that Marcia is traveling by herself.<BR><BR>Marcia, Please disregard Adam's post. There are lots of other area in SF that are nicer and safer than Union Square.

Mona, the only time I EVER see your name on this board is to tell tourists to stay away from Union Square! Do you have any other advice to offer travelers? You sound like a broken record!

Fodorite, I can assure you that I have offered other advice to travelers in addition to the sensible advice of excercising caution in Union Square.

Mona, <BR>If you tell me which neighborhood you reside in (nearest major cross-streets) I will be more than happy to give you a comparative crime analysis as related to the Union Square grid. You can also state all prior crimes you have encountered in your home region and in U.Sq., the percentage of time you spend in each, and how long you have lived in SF -- that's all I need to chart the analysis. Thanks.

Mona, please top the HELPFUL threads. I'd love to see them!

I visited SF last summer. I have never felt so unsafe in a US city as I did there, nor have I seen so many weirdos. It was impossible to visit Alcatraz as the tour was fully booked for a week in advance &amp; I was only staying 3 days (thankfully). The weather was awful for July - cold &amp; windy &amp; frankly I was glad to move on. <BR>

Do exercise caution when traveling alone in SF. Many tourist areas are sprinkled with the city's homeless (the Union Square area, for example), who beg for change. Some may be also be intimidating in their approach of asking for a handout. Don't flaunt purses, shopping bags or cameras; avoid walking through dark streets and alleys; try not to look too much like a vulnerable tourist. If you drive and park a rental car, lock all valuables out of sight.

Ah, Lois, I guess you weren't familiar with the famous Mark Twain quote: &quot;The coldest winter I ever spent was a summer in San Francisco.&quot;<BR><BR>September is the month to be here.<BR><BR>Marcia, be sure you have a raincoat and if you're going to walk around the city much, an umbrella, too. It could also be warm &amp; sunny, high 60's. Depends on whether we have a storm or not.

I always stay at Union Square - I use common sense and have NEVER had a problem. Yes, people will ask you for money (like they do in ANY large city) but ignore them and keep walking - they don't chase you! I found lots of folks walking at night, I kept to the well-lit streets and I was just fine. Very convenient for theater and dining!

High in the 60's is warm??? Marilyn, you must be from Siberia.

Try the Hotel Julianna. It's close to Union Square - but it's very safe, and very centrally located.

Marcia,<BR><BR>We travel to San Francisco almost every year and love to stay in the Union Square area. Yes, there are homeless people. Yes, they will ask you for money. If you politely say no, they leave you alone. We have never felt unsafe or had a problem in that area.<BR><BR>As for hotels in the US area, there are a wide variety to choose from. We prefer the Hotel Monaco but if that's out of your price range you might try the US Hyatt, the Sir Francis Drake or go to quikbook.com and check their rates.<BR><BR>Adam is right about the parking in US--it can run as much as thirty $$ a night give or take. Adam is also right about the San Francisco bashers like Mona. Thay usually show up only to hinder and rarely offer any truly useful advice.<BR><BR>San Francisco (including Union Square) is a great and fun city. I'm sure you'll enjoy it!<BR><BR>Davidcs

David, Excuse me but I don't get why you call me an SF basher just because I happen to point out that Union Square is not a good area for a woman traveling alone. I live in SF, so it makes no sense for me to bash my own city.<BR><BR>Marcia, I am sorry that you have to put up with the nonsense on this board by people such as David, Adam, and Fodorite. I urge you to disregard their advice about staying in Union Square. It is not a place you want to be alone at night.

I am a 40-ish female who stayed in the Union Square neighborhood twice this summer. There are several upscale hotels in this area and some affordable ones too. I stayed at the Powell, where the cable car turnaround is. Not as fancy as I usually get, but at a $79 internet rate it was a bargain and in a GOOD neighborhood. What you want to avoid is anything south of Market or the Civic Center. <BR><BR>Yes, there are bums, but you can walk right by them. I am from a small town in the Midwest and I was not scared. I found the cable car turnaround the handiest of spots for fun transportation. I also thought that temps in the 60's was comfortable. You will want a jacket to wear when the sun goes down or you visit the wharf. It is always windy at the wharf. <BR><BR>Have a great trip, San Francisco is a lovely city!

Mona - where would you recommend Marcia stay in SF?

I recently stayed in Union Square while traveling alone. I would have to agree with those who do not recommend it as a place to stay. It was okay during the day, but the streets were rather dirty and there were a significant number of bums who could be quite agressive at times. One even tried to grab hold of my purse when I ignored his requests for a handout! At night I really did not feel comfortable walking alone in Union Square. I would recommend not staying there.

Why the dabate about whether Union Square is safe or not? I've lived here for over 20 years, and can't imagine why anyone would want to stay in the Union Square or Fisherman's warf area no matter how safe they may be. <BR><BR>The only thing I'd add about safety is that many hotels advertise as being near Union Square (which is true), but in reality they are in the &quot;Tenderloin,&quot; which is about 5 blocks west and is not a place you should stay. Stay East of Mason if you insist on staying in the Union Square area.<BR><BR>Unfortunatley, I don't have much experience staying in hotels here. I have stayed at the Holiday Inn Financial District (on Kearney street), which is a reasonably priced hotel on the edge of the financial district, North Beach, Jackson Square, and Chinatown. If you can get an upper floor room facing North, you'll have a spectacular view as well.

Marcia, <BR>I just returned from S.F. and had a wonderful time. I was with another woman and felt perfectly safe, although, like most big cities, there are some areas you shouldn't go alone at night. We were only in Union Square in the day, but I have stayed there with my husband in the past and felt safe.<BR><BR>San Francisco is a terrific city--one of my favorites--and I'm sure you'll have a great time.

26 responses to a San Francisco thread and no one has mentioned San Jose? This must be a record....<BR><BR>Marcia, just another voice to let you know that San Francisco is VERY safe. The area such as the Tenderloin are more seedy/dirty than unsafe. Union Square is ridiculously well populated with locals, shoppers, tourists, business people, store workers at all times of day. Sure, at night after everything closes, it's a bit quieter, but there are enough people around to make you feel safe. <BR><BR>Here's the deal on wine country. If your REALLY love wine and the thought of relaxing at a spa and wine tasting all day, definitely rent a car and spend a night or two up there. If you just want to drive around and see the scenery, you can easily do it in a day from SF. <BR><BR>The coast is pretty much the same deal. You'd have to go down as far as Monterey or Carmel to get a place to stay. Personally, I think the drive down the coast from SF to Santa Cruz and back is quite an easy daytrip. <BR><BR>There is a lot to see and do in SF, so don't try and pack too much into too few days. Decide what you prefer (city life, shopping, natural beauty, wine, etc) and plan accordingly.

Although I never had to stay in a hotel in SF I live in the city for nearly 13 years, all this time in downtown area, so I visit the Union Square area often, worked nearby most of the time, and it puzzles me why would Mona be so aggressively against this area? Daytime shopping, nighttime theater life, restaurants from fast food to upscale, never ever heard from anybody except Mona that this area may be dangerous.

I find it interesting how upset people on SF threads get when someone disagrees with them. Mona is not really wrong about Union Square. It does have a problem with the homeless and its proximity to the Tenderloin is not a plus. I think the person posting under the different names is not Mona, but in fact those who are promoting Union Square as being very safe. I find that very interesting.

Homelessness indirectly will lead to crime. When an area gets run down as a result of the homeless, it attracts criminal elements to the area. Criiminal statistics back up this premise. That is one of the reasons why Mayor Giuliani was sucessful in making NYC safer, because he was adamant about the small things such as fixing broken windows and getting rid of graffiti. Criminals seek out the run down neighborhoods to conduct their &quot;business.&quot;

If you are visiting SF as a tourist, why not stay at Tuscan Inn Fisherman's Warf. Lovely hotel (small rooms though), close to the cable car line, restaurants, and other friendly tourists. If you are driving a car, the warf area is also a lot easier to maneuver since it's flat. We found Tuscan Inn was an easy location to reach from Highway 101. Fisherman's Warf is certainly not the most elegant area of town, but it's fun, safe, and full of tourists - they can't all be wrong!

Joe - it's not really that people get upset when people disagree with them, it's that they get upset with a couple posters who constantly say negative things about an area without giving any good information about alternative areas.

Mona, what about a response for us? As usual, you're going to ignore our pleas for HELPFUL advice??

Mona?