san fransisco vacation
 

We are from UK spending 8 nights in SF staying in the Cartwright near union sq. arriving Monday
Looking for best eaterys, bars, out of city tours
Are beggars a problem? do we ignore or cash them?

Hi from SF. Beggars shouldn't be a problem, either ignore them or politely smile or nod in their direction and keep going. I recently started doing this and I find that they just say have a good day and let me pass with no harrassment.

Enjoy your stay, the weather is great - but bring a jacket as the nights cool down.

Nina

There are so many good places--we always eat at least one meal at Scala's Bistro, which is close to your hotel.

Panhandlers in SF my look intimidating, but they aren't. It's a losing battle giving them money, because there are so many of them. The most I do is to sometimes smile and say, "Hi."

Alcatraz,the Wharf( touristy but nice,nighttime crowds are different than in the day)If you have a car Reyes point just north of S.F. is pretty nice.We never made it there on our trip but I here nice things about walking around and eating in Sausalito(just on the north side of the bridge)
enjoy your trip
P.S.I'm speaking as a tourist,someone from the area may be of more help

forgot to mention you can take ferry over to sausalito

Ride the cable car from the start at Market Street, down thru Chinatown, to Fisherman's Wharf. That's something I do everytime I visit.

There are a lot of street people but they are not generally menacing. You can ignore them or give change. It's up to you.

For dinner I really like to go to "Belden Place" you can find out about it with a quick Google search. It's an alleyway in the financial district with a number of nice fun restaurants all in a row. Very "San Francisco"!

I always enjoy the Ferry Building. Had some great steamed clams there awhile back. Good cheese shop and bakery. Nice place to stroll through. The Wharf area is VERY touristy but even when I lived down there my husband and I would often go over on Sunday and spend the day. I just love being by the ocean, we would tour the Balclutha, part of the Maritime Museum..old sailing ship, and wander around the Canery and Ghiridelli Square. Fun shops, over priced of course. I personally think Pier 39 is horrible but the place is packed most all the time and that's where you can check out all the sea lions. The thing is, if you like it then you'll spend the time you want, if you don't like it, then a quick walk through does it. I never try to anticipate what will please someone else. Hope you have a wonderful visit. Re: beggers. I throw some change in the pot from time to time..just depends on the begger and how I'm feeling at the time. Watch out for Bushman!!! He's still out there I think. Who is Bushman? You'll for sure know it when you meet him.

Ah, Bushman!

Caught me unawares one morning and nearly caused a heart attack!

Stay away from the Bushes!