Two Days in SF next weekend - a few questions
 

To begin with, this is not our first visit to San Francisco. My husband is currently working there and I'm heading out to spend Friday working while also does ;( . We will have all day Saturday and Sunday to do something before both of us head back to work in our respective cities on Monday. We'll be staying near the airport due to his office location. So....ideas are to spend a day to drive to Monterray and Big Sur or just wander the typical tourist spots since its been a few years (like 9) since I've been there so Fisherman's Wharf, Lombard Street, Coit Tower, etc. I would love to drive up to Muir Woods but with the shutdown, its closed as i'm sure Alcatraz is as well. Another option is to do our normal drive to Napa and tour some wineries - maybe head a bit north past Sonoma as we've done north of Napa to Calistoga on a previous trip. If you had two days, which of the options would you choose?? we usually have dinner at Tadich Grill and Aqua but I understand Aqua has now closed. Any new places to check out??

Thanks in advance for your help!

Take public transportation to SF, see Coit Tower and also the Filbert steps (http://www.foundsf.org/index.php?tit...rchant_Gardens ). I am not crazy about Fisherman's Wharf and the ships, which I recommend, of the Maritime Museum will not be accessible if the shutdown is still on.

Check on special exhibits at the de Young or the Palace of the Legion of Honor. The top of the de Young tower gives a nice view of that section of SF.

How about staying Saturday night IN San Francisco to maximize your time in the City?

If you have never done SF City Guide Tours, I highly recommend them. We just returned from our 5th trip to SF and have done over 2 dozen tours. They are donation only and sponsored by SF Public Library. There are LOTS of tours, and they will surely have some that will interest you.

http://www.sfcityguides.org/

We had lunch at Tadich Grill our first day in town - we always have a meal their and I am happy to report they still have the BEST cioppino in the world! We like Aqua too, Michael Mina is in the space now.

We ate at Rich Table, which is new and hot/trendy. We were able to call and get early [5:30] dinner reservations, pretty last minute.

Again, it's late, but you might call and get early reservations at Frances. It too is fairly new [since you were last there] and is excellent.

You can try Opentable, but for hot spots and late date, I would call.

The one thing to keep in mind is that if BART goes on strike tonight, it might make getting into the city a challenge. IF that is the case, you might be better to head south.

We love http://thesevengablesinn.com/ in Pacific Grove.

good idea about taking public transportation TO the City (BART or TRAIN) but public buses to Coit tower, NADA. I would pickup a Walking SF book and do some neighborhood walks. Chinatown walking tour is a good one. DH is a native and he loved it as did I. We learned a lot. Do it on your own with a book or sign up for a tour. Also took a VICTORIAN HOUSE tour which met at Union Square. Very interesting. it is via public transportation. Check on line to see if they still offer it. we love STAIRWAY WALKS in SF which includes the Filbert Stairs Alcatraz is on hold as long as the idiots in DC cannot get it together! Sorry for the political stance.....A drive to Monterey Carmel and Big Sur is a whole day in itself. A great day's drive but that is one day gone in your 2 days. Wonderful history in SF and another great walking book is HISTORICAL WALKS in SF. taking you through the waterfront area and some very old buildings with explanations of the history.

Regarding restaurants...If you haven't been to Boulevard, you might want to see if you can reservations. It is consistently fantastic. If you go, try to get one of the little booths for two against the wall. Romantic and fun because you get to see the goings on in the room.

The Wizard of Oz is opening this week at the Orpheum.
Bases on the ads, it looks very good.

<i>If you haven't been to Boulevard, you might want to see if you can reservations. It is consistently fantastic</i>

We've been disappointed each time we went. I prefer l'Ardoise in the Castro.

Frances, also in The Castro, is excellent but reservations may be hard to come by at this late date. You can always call, maybe an earlier time is open?

http://www.frances-sf.com/

Personally, I'd spend one of your two days in the city and one driving south or north. Here's a trip report of a day trip we took several years ago, starting on the Peninsula, where we used to live.

http://www.fodors.com/community/unit...t-part-way.cfm

Alternatively, drive up to Point Reyes Station/Tomales Bay, maybe even Mount Tam.

How I'd spend my day in SF would depend on the weather, but a walk along the Embarcadero (highly recommend Coqueta for lunch or dinner), climb some "hidden" stairways up to Coit Tower, walk down through North Beach and Chinatown, eat dinner in one or the other.

I would drive down to Big Sur. This will be the Nike marathon weekend, and everybody will be looking for alternatives to Muir Woods and Alcatraz. People don't just come in for the marathon and leave, they explore the area, fill up the restaurants...

As of today, BART is still running, but they may go on strike any moment.

That's too bad Michael. I love Boulevard and have always come away happy and more than satisfied.

I will have to try to l'Ardoise sometime.

Don't miss the evening light show display when the west span of the Bay Bridge gets lit up. You can see it from the Ferry building area going north.

Since your time is so limited, I'd be inclined to get up into the City and spend time exploring its great neighborhoods-- not so much of the touristy things like Fisherman's Wharf or Lombard Street (which haven't changed, really). Any of Stu Dudley's wonderful posts on exploring the City will give you ample lists of things to do.

My husband and I spent five nights in the City this summer for my birthday and just basically winged it the entire time. Our only set activities were Alcatraz and a dinner with friends at L'Ardoise (which is, indeed, a wonderful French bistro in the Castro). We ended up going to the CA Academy of Sciences and the de Young (that's TWO trips to Golden Gate Park), having great Spanish tapas at Canela (on Market in the Castro), walking wistfully in the Castro and dreaming of being able to afford a pied-à-terre there someday (HA!) and slowing our lives down for a few days. And we fell in love with San Francisco all over again. Next time we want to hit the Mission and the Haight and North Beach and just wander aimlessly again. Good times...!

I'm a huge fan of wine tours to Napa and Sonoma, but with so little time in the area, just find a good wine bar and indulge in some flights of a variety you like. There are many of them.

It will be hard with only two days, but if I had one thing to suggest it would be: Take it easy and savor the City as best you can. Life is far too short to rush through. Give yourselves time to be enchanted.

Trolley Dances happening this weekend

www.epiphanydance.org

I just hope BART doesn't go on strike so we can get into the city this Friday by that means rather than a cab but who knows?

I've decided our Alcatraz tour tickets for Sat evening are probably worthless.

Have a great trip; we are looking forward to ours.