Where to stay in San Francisco
 

Where would be the best place to stay in San Francisco, Union Square, Fishermans Wharf, etc?<BR><BR>

Having lived in San Francisco for over 8 years I can tell you this:<BR><BR>Fisherman's Wharf is a hideous tourist trap teeming with chain hotels, overpriced seafood restaurants and fat, clueless out-of-towners with screaming children.<BR><BR>Union Square is as congested as any city's downtown area, but much more central. There are many nice hotels in the area - also in the Theater District. South of Market, near the Yerba Buena Center, there are some nice new hotels as well - this is also very central and right near the Museum of Modern Art.<BR><BR>Union Square

Maura's right.<BR>US is the better place to base yourself.<BR>I have NO IDEA why people flock to FW.<BR>Yuck! It reminds me of the bad part of the north Las Vegas strip.

Hi<BR>Maura - you mention "many nice hotels" can you name a few as I wanted to try and find their websites.<BR>Many thanks<BR>Andrew

Sister just went on her first trip I helped with arrangements as I was meeting for Kauai trip. She stayed at the Fairmont and thought the $229 AAA rate was worth every penny. She orginally wanted Fisherman's wharf but I talked her out of it guessing it would be like the South Street Seaport in NYC. <BR><BR>One regret my sister had was not finding restaurant location before hand. No one could direct her to quality Chinese food in China town or Clam chowder or seafood in fisherman's wharf. She loved the Tonga Room at the Fairmont fisherman's wharf and Lappert's Ice Cream don't know where she found this store as this is a Kauai based company. <BR><BR>She also had the complaint of not seeing too many SF colorful characters. I think she expected to see more creative types, gays etc instead saw a lot of tourist and the corprate crowd.

We stayed in the Theater district on Geary Street last year. There were quite a few hotels in the area that were just wonderful. I wish I could remember the name of the place we stayed and the website we found them through! It was a French style inn, maybe 8 floors, but absolutely charming and very affordable. I'll try to get the name and post again. <BR><BR>Geary Street was a few blocks from Union Square and we found it to be very convenient to anywhere we wanted to go. Don't stay at Fisherman's Wharf.

Ok! The name of the place we stayed was The Savoy Hotel. Their website is www.thesavoyhotel.com. Highly, Highly recommended!

Might want to go to http://www.sftravel.com/lodge.html to get some reviews of SF lodging by category.<BR><BR>I agree about Union Square. Great location, good lodging choice and access to public transportation.

Lynn,<BR><BR>Agree that Fisherman's Wharf is not a good place to stay. But Union Square is very dirty. Lots of homeless people flock to this area harrassing people for money as well as using sidewalks as a public toilet. It is absolutely disgusting. It's so unfortunate that much of SF in recent years has been getting rough around the edges.

Andrew - try looking for these hotels on-line to see what you think:<BR><BR>The Clift Hotel<BR>The Palomar<BR>The Monaco<BR>Hotel Nikko<BR>The Clift Hotel<BR>The Huntington Hotel (this place is not quite downtown, but on the hill overlooking it)<BR>The Vintage Court Hotel<BR>Hotel Rex<BR><BR>

Andrew - Sorry, I listed The Clift Hotel twice. I meant to mention The Bijou, which is a less expensive, less frills, but still fun and viable option.

Anyone who hasn't been to Union Square in the past month or two is in for a treat. It's been unveiled and is very nice.

SF girl,<BR><BR>I hate to rain on your parade, but Union Square is already slowly being taken over by the homeless and the druggies. It will only be a matter of time before it becomes as dirty as it was before the renovations.

Andrew: On second thought - The Bijou is very close to The Tenderloin (which may or may not be a bother to you ... depends upon your tolerance of a city's frayed edges). For a less expensive and lovely, lovely stay in a stellar little bed and breakfast in Union Square try The Golden Gate Hotel. It's TOPS.

Have you thought of looking into the Embarcadero/Financial area? <BR>We've stayed at the Harbor Court Inn and the Park Hyatt (more Financial District) and got both pretty cheap thru P'line and Hotwire.<BR><BR>Good luck and don't let anyone rain on your parade.<BR>Kal

These are my picks from personal experience in order<BR><BR>The Anna Hotel, if you can afford it, corporate<BR><BR>The Savoy, Frilly and romantic<BR><BR>Hyatt Embarcadero, only been to the lobby but it is famous for the lobby.

Gee, all these put downs about Fishermans Wharf! It IS for tourists. But it is central to public transportation and close to the ferries. I live across the Bay and when I come to the city I stay at Sheraton, Holiday Inn or Tuscan Inn near Fishermans Wharf, or Days Inn out by the Beach (SF Zoo). I'm SWF and feel safe at all of these. Yes, there are bums in SF and sometimes they're threatening. But this is the big city! While you're here, be sure to do the Alcatraz tour! Well worth it and you get the ferry ride too!

Eastbay,<BR><BR>Please, SF the "big city? Sf in reality is more of a mid-sized city (750,000). In case you forgot, the 3 "big cities" in California are Los Angeles, San Diego, and San Jose.

Stay at the Marriott on Market St. Very nice, great price.

The said state of affairs in San Francisco. <BR><BR>San Francisco, the former free love capital of the '60s, today is a for-pay love Mecca attracting tourists, businessmen and sexual adventurers of all types -- including pedophiles.<BR><BR> What many consumers overlook is that drug trafficking, open-air violence and sexually transmitted diseases cling to prostitution like the tightest fishnet stocking, as do other forms of felonies.<BR><BR> "We know that prostitution leads to all kinds of other problems -- murder, rape, child abuse, kidnapping, fraud," Folsom County police Sgt. Skip Rogers says.<BR><BR> One example is the huge overlap between pimps and drug dealers. The same pool of criminals manipulates youngsters into selling both narcotics and sex.<BR> <BR><BR>The men cruise in their Hondas and SUVs, roaming the streets of San Francisco each night looking for an hour or two of love. Many are middle-aged or older, many have wives or families, and almost all are white. Some are looking for young women and others are looking for boys. It is both San Francisco's reputation as a mecca for homosexuals and the steady stream of drugs in The City that brings the hustlers here.<BR><BR>The people on both sides of this sex equation are hurting. The johns crave intimacy, and they find it in The City's open-market attitude toward sex. What many don't realize in buying that moment of satisfaction is that they often end up funding larger criminal elements -- pimps, drug dealers and even organized crime families.<BR><BR>

Poor Ray-All of this and yet all sorts of tourists continue to flock to and then return to SF year after year.<BR>"Folsom County" in California? Yet another great job of researching an article about SF. You bashers are really keeping all of us quite amused now. Can't you come up with something more original than the usual stuff found in most cities with a population of 500,000+ (that was close. I almost said "big city" ).

GG Bridger,<BR><BR>I would like to name me other cities with a population of 500,000+ with as much of a criminal element (prostitution, drugs, etc.) as SF. SF is not what it used to be. Unfortunately, people such as yourself can't admit to the obvious and instead misrepresent SF to potential visitors.<BR>

Lynn,<BR>Let's get back to your request.<BR>If you are arriving in S.F. via car on a road trip, particularly with kids, then staying at the Fisherman's Wharf hotels or the motels along Lombard Street would be a good option, as these properties usually provide an on-site parking lot. Yes, FW is an extremely toruisty area, but if you want to catch the ferries, buy some tee-shirts, etc., it might suit.<BR>If you are arriving in S.F. without an auto, then Union Square, the Theater District or the Embarcadero would be more suitable. The hotel suggestions above cover a range of budgets and preferences. I'd add the Donatello and the Prescott as well.<BR>Staying in the Embarcadero or Financial District would give you a slightly different feel and view of the city. I work in this area, and find the bustle of walkers, the architecture, the little parks and squares to be of interest day after day. You would also be within easy walking distance of Chinatown and North Beach.<BR>Let us know some details of your needs, and we can zero in on an appropriate place for you to stay.<BR>Regards and welcome.

I'm local and have stayed at the Hotel Pickwick many times for Christmas parties and Girls Nights Out. It is inexpensive (I'd call them directly) and very nice. The bathrooms are a little small. It is centrally located to the Sony Metreon and Union Square. I'd take a Cab for the rest. They also have a parking Garage that underneath the hotel. It's $20/day but has in and out priveledges. Hope this helps.<BR>Karly

eddy aka ray aka blah blah blah-Yet another less than original reply. Do your lips move while you cut and paste this tired old reply?<BR>This is where I'm supposed to say sure there is a lot of problems with SF but I like to warn people that it's NOT as bad as you bashers would have them believe. Have you found Folsom County on the map yet? Colorado maybe? A lot of crime in Denver, too.

Forget San Fran, go to San Diego.<BR>SF is too busy-too many people, too many cars and just plain worn out.<BR>And too expensive. For example, get a great rate on a hotel-get sacked on parking. I was there 5 days 2 weeks ago. hadn't been there for 15 years prior. Its lost its charm in my opinion.

There aren't any cars, people or high prices in San Diego!!!??? That's news to me. Plus, since SD is older than SF, it's a bit worn out too. No hookers, druggies, homeless either I reckon? Not in a Navy town!<BR>Plus, isn't it one of the "Big Cities" that is always referred to when someone calls SF a "big city". The highways are parking lots, the surface streets are like Burma Road and the electrical rates are through the roof. Just want to warn all of the unsuspecting tourists that it's not the fresh, urban city it used to be. Take off your rose-colored glasses.

Gee Gimmee,<BR><BR>How do you really feel?

San Diego is not a 6 mile by 6 mile peninsula which by its nature has limited space. SD is spread out. And like all cities, it has its underside.<BR>Funny, I had a breeze driving thru Front Street and the Gaslamp as opposed to Fishermans Wharf or Union Station. Coronado and La Jolla were quaint to me.<BR>Whats the SF equivalent? I won't even discuss the cracked streets, construction and bums everywhere.<BR>So, smarten up.<BR>Oh, and I'm not even a California resident.<BR>

What is up with the SF bashers? If you don't like SF, then don't go there, geez.

Mark,<BR><BR>You really have to wonder what these SF people are smoking. I can't believe anyone would want to defend such a dirty, run down city that is basically a haven for drug addicts, hookers, and the like. I guess that their mind is all "fogged in" and they choose to ignore the many problems SF has, all the while promoting SF as a "world class" city. Yeah, right.

J Correa-What? And fail to warn all of the unsuspecting tourists!!! E-gads! How could these busy bodies sleep at night knowing just one tourist may go to SF!<BR>And Mark, I'm not from California either but I liked SF better than SD for the very fact that it's smaller and not too big. LaJolla was the biggest rip off I've seen. Other than the over priced Del Coranado Hotel, Coranado was very run down, until you try and buy a house there.<BR>It's odd how anyone bashing SF always is able to go from So.San Diego Co. to North L.A. county during rush hour and not hit any traffic. Tell us your secret. Not bad for an out of towner.<BR>Glad you liked SD better. But I liked SF better. So, I'll smarten up if you will too??

Lynn:<BR>It's been a few years since I've stayed there, but I loved the Renaissance Stanford Court. I would suggest the hotels on top of Nob Hill in general (Fairmont and Huntington). You can get down to Union Square in a few minutes, if you actually want to go there. It's easy to get to most parts of SF from there. If you have the dough, the Ritz Carlton is lovely (Nob Hill also). Although Nob Hill is very centrally located, it's a little more peaceful and definitely classier than Union Square or Fisherman's Wharf.<BR>JP

The Clift Htoel is Fabulous as well as the Ritz Carlton yet it is not very close to Union Square. I say the clift is in top 10 favorite hotels in the world!