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Anyone travelling to San Fran this year?
03-21-2019, 09:17 AM
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#1
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Recycles dryer sheets
Join Date: Apr 2017
Location: Denver
Posts: 60
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Anyone travelling to San Fran this year?
I've been considering a trip to SF but have seen extensive coverage of the severe homeless problem out there. Also have a friend from Denver who went last year and came back saying "we won't go back."
Does anyone have a recent trip experience to relate? Would be interesting to take the "earthquake tour" where some main historical sites of the '06 quake are visited. Tour is all downtown though - probably includes some some areas where the homeless problem is bad.
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03-21-2019, 09:26 AM
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#2
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Thinks s/he gets paid by the post
Join Date: Sep 2017
Posts: 1,110
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I used to live in the area and still go back for w*rk regularly. Yes, the homeless problem is bad and the traffic is horrible, but that wouldn’t prevent me from taking a site seeing vacation there.
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03-21-2019, 09:33 AM
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#3
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Thinks s/he gets paid by the post
Join Date: Jul 2006
Location: Denver
Posts: 3,519
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If you haven't been to SF before, don't let talk about the homeless population deter you. Sure, there are homeless people there, but we have that sad problem in Denver too.
SF is a beautiful city & worth a visit.
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03-21-2019, 10:03 AM
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#4
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Thinks s/he gets paid by the post
Join Date: Aug 2013
Location: North
Posts: 4,043
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Was gonna go with a 1 and 3 year old and wife advised against. Suburbans were really cheap to rent, which told me there probably was no where to park it lol. We cancelled the trip and decided we will take the kids when older. We had a really fun trip planned though with a trip to alcatraz, visiting friends, hiking, riding trolly, museums etc. Looks like a lot to do but the mainstream attractions get busy FAST!
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Time > $$$ ~ 100% equities ~ FIRE @2031
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03-21-2019, 10:07 AM
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#5
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gone traveling
Join Date: Mar 2015
Posts: 3,508
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Denverite
I've been considering a trip to SF but have seen extensive coverage of the severe homeless problem out there. Also have a friend from Denver who went last year and came back saying "we won't go back."
Does anyone have a recent trip experience to relate? Would be interesting to take the "earthquake tour" where some main historical sites of the '06 quake are visited. Tour is all downtown though - probably includes some some areas where the homeless problem is bad.
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If seeing a homeless person here or there would ruin the trip for you, by all means don't go.
Of course that means you should never visit any big city - particularly in the warmer months.
I've been to San Francisco recently. I don't know what your friend thinks is "severe" but it didn't bother me. Lots to see and do in a great city for walking.
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03-21-2019, 10:19 AM
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#6
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gone traveling
Join Date: Dec 2018
Posts: 1,196
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One of the few places I have been where AC is just an afterthought. One can live without it. And I'm from Florida where I run the central AC Feb thru Dec. Alcatraz, and a great diverse mix of ethnic food in SF.
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03-21-2019, 10:23 AM
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#7
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Thinks s/he gets paid by the post
Join Date: Oct 2015
Posts: 2,330
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Quote:
Originally Posted by kgtest
Was gonna go with a 1 and 3 year old and wife advised against. Suburbans were really cheap to rent, which told me there probably was no where to park it lol. We cancelled the trip and decided we will take the kids when older. We had a really fun trip planned though with a trip to alcatraz, visiting friends, hiking, riding trolly, museums etc. Looks like a lot to do but the mainstream attractions get busy FAST!
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Yeah, not really a good idea to take your car anywhere in SF, regardless of whether it is a Suburban or a Mini Cooper. Park at your hotel and use public transportation. Doable even with small kids.
In any event, if you want the kids to actually get anything out of the trip, you are indeed better off waiting until they are older. 1 and 3-year olds will get zero out of Alcatraz (and probably pretty much anything else on the sightseeing list). However, if you want to wait until the homeless are gone, sadly, you'll be in for a long wait. This is a societal problem that will take sustained, long-term efforts to address.
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03-21-2019, 10:27 AM
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#8
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gone traveling
Join Date: Mar 2015
Posts: 3,508
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Quote:
Originally Posted by kgtest
Was gonna go with a 1 and 3 year old and wife advised against. Suburbans were really cheap to rent, which told me there probably was no where to park it lol. We cancelled the trip and decided we will take the kids when older. We had a really fun trip planned though with a trip to alcatraz, visiting friends, hiking, riding trolly, museums etc. Looks like a lot to do but the mainstream attractions get busy FAST!
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Your children are far too young to appreciate San Francisco. Consider something like Disney instead.
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03-21-2019, 10:33 AM
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#9
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Give me a museum and I'll fill it. (Picasso) Give me a forum ...
Join Date: Feb 2004
Location: Portland, Oregon
Posts: 7,113
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I agree that a trip to SF is wasted on pre-schoolers.
In my opinion, do not take a car into San Francisco; use Uber, Lift or transit for in city transportation. My daughter works in Menlo Park and uses Uber to visit the SF office because of car break-ins and the challenge of finding a parking spot.
__________________
Duck bjorn.
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03-21-2019, 10:39 AM
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#10
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Give me a museum and I'll fill it. (Picasso) Give me a forum ...
Join Date: Feb 2013
Posts: 9,358
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There's a lot to see and do in the Bay Area outside the city, which is only 49 square miles. The homeless issue varies by location and is worse in certain parts of the the major metro areas and not as noticeable in many of the outer suburbs. You could stay outside the city and take BART in for day trips. With a car outside the city you can go places like wine tasting in Sonoma, wine tasting in Napa, Muir Woods, Angel Island, an overnight or long day trip to Lake Tahoe or Santa Cruz, whale watching on the coast, lunch in Sausalito, a day trip to the Monterrey Aquarium, etc. We live here and still have a long list of cool places we have never been to or want to see again.
There are many great places for young kids, especially outside the city. Our kids really enjoyed the children's museums in San Jose and Sausalito, the Academy of Science at Golden Gate Park, Tilden Park in Berkeley (great views, hiking, steam train, carousel, little farm), Chabot Space and Science Museum, Six Flags, Waterworld, the Railroad Museum in Sacramento, the Boardwalk in Santa Cruz, and the Oakland Zoo. The Oakland Zoo had a major upgrade recently and now includes a gondola ride with killer views.
__________________
Even clouds seem bright and breezy, 'Cause the livin' is free and easy, See the rat race in a new way, Like you're wakin' up to a new day (Dr. Tarr and Professor Fether lyrics, Alan Parsons Project, based on an EA Poe story)
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03-21-2019, 11:17 AM
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#11
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gone traveling
Join Date: Sep 2018
Location: Washington, DC
Posts: 575
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Quote:
Originally Posted by joeea
If seeing a homeless person here or there would ruin the trip for you, by all means don't go.
Of course that means you should never visit any big city - particularly in the warmer months.
I've been to San Francisco recently. I don't know what your friend thinks is "severe" but it didn't bother me. Lots to see and do in a great city for walking.
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I don’t know why some people have to respond with such animosity. [emoji849]
Wife and I went to Carmel, and then Napa about a month ago, with a day stop in SF. We really only drove in early in the AM, went to the wharf and Alcatraz, then drove to Napa late that afternoon.
Driving back to the airport 5 days later, traffic was pretty bad, and Waze took us some back roads to avoid traffic. That’s when we saw the most “tent city” homeless areas, but we were just driving through so no biggie.
I wouldn’t let that deter me. I think most of those areas can be avoided.
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03-21-2019, 11:19 AM
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#12
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gone traveling
Join Date: Sep 2018
Location: Washington, DC
Posts: 575
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Quote:
Originally Posted by daylatedollarshort
There's a lot to see and do in the Bay Area outside the city, which is only 49 square miles. The homeless issue varies by location and is worse in certain parts of the the major metro areas and not as noticeable in many of the outer suburbs. You could stay outside the city and take BART in for day trips. With a car outside the city you can go places like wine tasting in Sonoma, wine tasting in Napa, Muir Woods, Angel Island, an overnight or long day trip to Lake Tahoe or Santa Cruz, wale watching on the coast, lunch in Sausalito, a day trip to the Monterrey Aquarium, etc. We live here and still have a long list of cool places we have never been to or want to see again.
There are many great places for young kids, especially outside the city. Our kids really enjoyed the children's museums in San Jose and Sausalito, the Academy of Science at Golden Gate Park, Tilden Park in Berkeley (great views, hiking, steam train, carousel, little farm), Chabot Space and Science Museum, Six Flags, Waterworld, the Railroad Museum in Sacramento, the Boardwalk in Santa Cruz, and the Oakland Zoo. The Oakland Zoo had a major upgrade recently and now includes a gondola ride with killer views.
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Great summary! And helpful to the OP!
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03-21-2019, 11:22 AM
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#13
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gone traveling
Join Date: Mar 2015
Posts: 3,508
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Brat
In my opinion, do not take a car into San Francisco; use Uber, Lift or transit for in city transportation.
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Or walk! San Francisco is a very walkable city.
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03-21-2019, 11:27 AM
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#14
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Give me a museum and I'll fill it. (Picasso) Give me a forum ...
Join Date: Jan 2018
Location: Tampa
Posts: 11,300
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Quote:
Originally Posted by joeea
Or walk! San Francisco is a very walkable city.
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Although there are some very steep hills.
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TGIM
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03-21-2019, 11:28 AM
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#15
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gone traveling
Join Date: Mar 2015
Posts: 3,508
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Dtail
Although there are some very steep hills.
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Steep but fun!
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03-21-2019, 11:33 AM
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#16
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Give me a museum and I'll fill it. (Picasso) Give me a forum ...
Join Date: Jan 2018
Location: Tampa
Posts: 11,300
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Quote:
Originally Posted by joeea
Steep but fun!
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Yes agree. One really knows where they stand aerobically after the climb up.
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TGIM
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03-21-2019, 11:33 AM
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#17
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Give me a museum and I'll fill it. (Picasso) Give me a forum ...
Join Date: Feb 2013
Posts: 9,358
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The Rocket Boats only run during the warmer months, but those are also a blast. The first time we visited SF, I think our highlight was a bay cruise. If you stayed in the suburbs, you can take BART in, walk along the waterfront or take an electric trolley car and go to the Fisherman's Wharf area for the day. There's a lot to do there - Exploratorium (children's museum), rocket boat/cruises, an aquarium, a Martime Park, shopping, restaurants, sea lions galore, cable car ride and the Alcatraz tours leave from there. I haven't taken that walk in a while but we used to not see many homeless along that route, at least compared to locations like Civic Center BART where the issue is a bit more intense.
__________________
Even clouds seem bright and breezy, 'Cause the livin' is free and easy, See the rat race in a new way, Like you're wakin' up to a new day (Dr. Tarr and Professor Fether lyrics, Alan Parsons Project, based on an EA Poe story)
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03-21-2019, 11:38 AM
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#18
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gone traveling
Join Date: Dec 2018
Posts: 1,196
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Quote:
Originally Posted by joeea
Steep but fun!
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I thought I was in shape but walking briskly up those SF hills is an intense workout, even my shins were sore. Fortunately the crosswords were always blowing and my sweat evaporated rather quickly. You also needs some good brakes in your car driving in SF.
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03-21-2019, 11:59 AM
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#19
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gone traveling
Join Date: Mar 2015
Posts: 3,508
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Nick12
You also needs some good brakes in your car driving in SF.
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Very true. You need to learn how to turn your wheels into the curb when parking, too.
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03-21-2019, 12:00 PM
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#20
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Give me a museum and I'll fill it. (Picasso) Give me a forum ...
Join Date: Jul 2008
Posts: 35,712
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We used to go to SF quite a bit in the early 80s. And I was able to find parking spots in Chinatown by driving around a bit. It would be impossible now.
We used to go to Portland too, and were able to find street parking spots, and there were no meters. Two years ago, I could not find any street parking, although there were parking meters everywhere now. Headed for a paid underground parking, and saw a "Full" sign. That was when I gave up, and drove the toad back to where my motorhome was, in Vancouver Washington.
Where do these people come from? Are they all residents, or visitors? I am glad I visited these places a few decades ago when it was easier.
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"Old age is the most unexpected of all things that happen to a man" -- Leon Trotsky (1879-1940)
"Those Who Can Make You Believe Absurdities Can Make You Commit Atrocities" - Voltaire (1694-1778)
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