San Francisco Trip Report
 

I have posted our November trip to wonderful San Francisco and Sonoma Valley on our website: <BR><BR>http://www.ourtraveljournal.com.<BR><BR>We had a great time and can't wait to go back.<BR><BR>A special thanks to all of you on this forum who helped me when I had questions. This was my first &quot;Fodors&quot; inspired trip and I look forward to many more. Hope you find something helpful for your next trip. Enjoy!

GeeGirl, You got me interested in your trip and your link didn't work.<BR><BR>How about copy and pasting the text into this thread for us?

Hmm. It works for me. I don't know how to make a hyperlink in a reply, but if you type the address: http://www.ourtraveljournal.com<BR>into your browser, you'll get there.<BR><BR>I'm not real crazy about posting it here because there are some forum users who have gotten really nasty about San Francisco lately. I don't want their comments to sour my trip. Or anyone elses.<BR><BR>Let me know if you still can't get to it.

You're right. I missed a link. Try clicking the picture of the Golden Gate Bridge or the drop down menu in the upper right hand corner. <BR><BR>I'll fix the errors this evening and post again. I guess I got too excited. Sorry.

GeeGirl,<BR><BR>Thanks for the great report (well-rendered web-site as well). I simply love San Francisco and reading about your experiences makes me want to return ASAP!<BR><BR>Again, thanks for the fine contribution to Fodors.<BR><BR>Davidcs

GeeGirl, Very nice trip report. You got a great rate for the Grand Hyatt and believe it or not, the amount you paid for parking is very good for SF.<BR><BR>We were just in the city last weekend and made a special trip to Berkeley to visit Scharffen Berger Chocolate factory. Great tour, even better chocolate. Plus they had free parking, even though we had taken bart/cab to get there.<BR><BR>Glad you had a great time, it is a nice city.<BR>

Here we go again with the people from the SF Visitor's Bureau trying to advertise to fool more unsuspecting tourists into coming to their overrated city. My gosh, I have never seen SF looking so dirty. There are homeless all over the place, drug addicts, hookers, garbage in the streets. It's no wonder that SF tourism has dropped so much. You people at the chamber of commerce should spend more time trying to clean your city up of all the derelicts instead of falsely promoting your town in order to get vacationers to waste their money.

Hel-loo! Did you read the report? Obviously not or you would have found an honest outsider's views of San Francisco, homeless and all.<BR><BR>You - my friend - are the real joke on this thread. I wonder which chamber pays your bills? Now stop wasting my time.

GeeGirl,<BR><BR>Honestly, that was one of the best trip reports I've read - on this board and others. It was long, but entertaining and honest. Please keep it up and don't let the &quot;nasties&quot; deter you from posting a report after your next trip. I for one await it with baited breath!<BR><BR>

GeeGirl, you did put up a pretty good website. Glad you had fun in SF. Or should I say, I'm glad SOMEBODY likes it.<BR><BR>I guess I'm one of those San Francisco haters you were concerned about, but I have a right to be. I lived there for many years before I moved to high-energy and exciting North Texas. <BR><BR>Personally, I think the place has some severe problems with livability, but if it pleases you, go for it.

Me,<BR><BR>I love San Francisco to visit, but I could never live there. And I understand why you moved. I think we have it pretty good in North Texas. <BR><BR>That said, Dallas will never compete on the same level as San Francisco for destination travel. There is no comparrison. That is why we will go back.

GeeGirl, It seems odd that you would like SF as a place to visit but on the other hand you seem to agree with &quot;me&quot; that SF has some major livability problems(ie: homelessness, grimy streets, etc.) There are many cities that have ALOT MORE to offer than SF ever will. SF is resting on its laurels, and as such there are many other places that far exceed SF in terms of culture, restaurants, shopping, parks, etc. and that also are much cleaner cities. If you ever visit New York City, Chicago, or LA you will see what I mean.

Frankie,<BR><BR>I don't think it is odd at all. I can appreciate all the great things San Francisco has to offer without wanting to live there. I could say the same things about New York and Chicago. I found them fantastic places to visit, with all the great things you hope to find. But I don't want to live in New York or Chicago either.<BR><BR>The places I choose to visit and the place I choose to live have different criteria, as I am sure most would agree. I really enjoy being in a new place experiencing life in that spot for that momment. That is what travel is about, right?

GeeGirl,<BR><BR>SF has really few, if any redeeming qualities. What is so great about stepping over the homeless and their belongings as well as being harassed for money, putting up with the smelly streets, as well as the drug addicts and prostitutes that frequent the tourist areas downtown. Oh, and I forgot to mention the terrible weather, especially in the summer when the thick fog blocks out the sun for all but a few hours during the day. And how about the lack of great museums and overpriced restaurants. Doesn't sound like there's too many great things about SF to me.

Frank, why don't you give it a rest? Your opinion is clear and it is equally clear that many don't share your opinion. As a person who lives in SF I couldn't not disagree with your more. But all those other places you prefer need you so please, go to them!

Belinda, For your information I also live in San Francisco because of my job. So I think I know this city quite well. When I first moved here 10 years ago it was a totally different place: much cleaner, less crime, less homeless. Now the problems with SF are getting worse all the time. Why can't you also recognize this instead of denying it?

Frank is a jerk. Belinda quit answering him. Never argue with an idiot. People will begin to wonder which one is the idiot.<BR>People who go to SF and enjoy it know he's exaggerating all of the problems.<BR>Let him post away. Probably nothing else in his life.

The Real oops, I meant to say Belinda;<BR><BR>Nice try attempting to pass yourself off as someone else.<BR><BR>Why can't you open you eyes and admit to the real problems that we have here in SF? You can say what you want about Sf, but we all know the real problems that exist here.

If you can afford to live in San Francisco, you can afford to live just about anywhere. So stop your bitching. Either do something about your city or get the hell out. Let the rest of us enjoy San Francisco.

GeeGirl, the only cities that I have seen that challenge the Texas cities as a place to live... are all in Europe. The major Texas cities (Dallas, Houston) are large enough to offer the urban amenities, and have escaped the severe urban liabilities of the larger USA cities.<BR><BR>There is a reason why California and the USA northeast are losing people to the rest of the USA.

GeeGirl, I really enjoyed your trip report! Thanks so much for putting up the website, it was really well-planned and an enjoyment to read. You really saw a lot and took advantage of the opportunities this wonderful town has to offer - good for you! Glad you had fun, and again, thank you for posting - your experience will certainly benefit fellow travelers!

Me:<BR><BR>Good point. But the irony here is that Dallas and Houston both have much larger populations than San Francisco, and yet SF is the city that has all the problems with blight and the homeless.<BR><BR>I also here that San Antonio is a nice place to visit and live? I have visited Austin and I like it as well, although it is not nearly as big as Dallas, Houston, or San Antonio. Austin has a lively downtown area along Congress and Sixth Streets will all the clubs.