Anyone travelling to San Fran this year?

[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.

 

[tb001]

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.

 

[walkinwood]

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.

 

[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!

 

[joeea]

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.

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.

 

[Nick12]

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.

 

[euro]

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!

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.

 

[joeea]

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!

Your children are far too young to appreciate San Francisco. Consider something like Disney instead.

 

[Brat]

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.

 

[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, 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.

 

[Tiger8693]

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.

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.

 

[Tiger8693]

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.

Great summary! And helpful to the OP!

 

[joeea]

In my opinion, do not take a car into San Francisco; use Uber, Lift or transit for in city transportation.

Or walk! San Francisco is a very walkable city.

 

[Dtail]

Or walk! San Francisco is a very walkable city.

Although there are some very steep hills.

 

[joeea]

Although there are some very steep hills.

Steep but fun!

 

[Dtail]

Steep but fun!

Yes agree. One really knows where they stand aerobically after the climb up.

 

[daylatedollarshort]

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.

 

[Nick12]

Steep but fun!

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.

 

[joeea]

You also needs some good brakes in your car driving in SF.

Very true. You need to learn how to turn your wheels into the curb when parking, too.

 

[NW-Bound]

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.

 

[Chuckanut]

In my mind the #1 reason to not visit San Francisco is that it is the only city in the USA that dammed a National Park to get its water supply.

The O'Shaunnesy Dam was built to provide water for San Franfrisco after Yosemite made was a National Park. It destroyed the Hetch Hetchy Valley that many consider to be the equal of Yosemite Valley. Given the crowding in Yosemite Valley these days, the Hetch Hetchy would be very useful to say the least. In the 1980's the Regan administration proposed removing the dam. It was to be replaced by other dams to be built. But that was shot down by SF Congressional members, and the other dams were never built. Very sad.

Homeless? They exist in most big American cities due to drugs and mental illness. How bad SF is compared to LA, Chicago, Seattle etc. I don't know.

 

[skipro33]

I live about 2 hours East of SF. My son lives in Napa and works right in downtown SF for the Golden State Warriors. (Building a new facility downtown opening in Sept 2019. Come after then and be nice to me for tickets to a game.) We go to SF a couple times a year with grand kids as young as 5 and it's fine. There is so much to see and do in 'The City', you can't possibly do it all in one trip. Highlights for us are Chinatown, Japantown, the recently opened Presidio, Coit Tower, Musconi Center, several hotel lobbies, Fisherman's Wharf, Golden Gate Park, Aquarium, SF Zoo, Ghirardelli Square and the Chocolate Factory, Alcatraz, Angle Island

To get to the city, start in Vallejo and take the ferry across to Fisherman's Wharf. Walk all the piers and Aquarium when you get to the end, take a rickshaw ride back to the other end where you started. One can handle 3 adults and 2 kids, but tip the poor guy well! Ha! Rent bikes to ride around GG Park. There are lots of things there; museums, the Kiezar stadium, etc. Get a map, but don't try to take any sort of tour, just explore. Ride the buses to get around from there. The view of the GG Bridge from the Presidio is the tops. Rent a room at one of the hotels over night. The city at night is spectacular, especially the new Bay Bridge lighting. Any hotel is good, upper stories better views. Take the 2 story tour bus rides with no tops on them. Great views and great guides that describe what you are seeing. Some specialize on movie scenes filmed in the city and point them out. All will drive you through the places you don't wanna walk. Haight Ashbury for example. Homeless never bother me, but there is the occasional pan handler. Some are nice; playing a guitar with a parrot on their shoulder for example. Don't watch them unless you leave them a tip. They'll tell you how rude that is. Ha! Otherwise, pan handlers who ask me for money, directions, what ever; anyone who just randomly stops me on the street to ask a question I reply, in German, I do not understand English and if they speak German. Without looking at them and continuing my walk without breaking pace. Never been bothered by them more than just that. Tour boat out under the GG bridge is also nice. Walk or bike across GG bridge. I've done this both ways with grand kids as young as 8 walking and with a 5 year old on a bike carrier. It's pretty nice on sunny days.

 

[Teacher Terry]

We live 3 hours away and have been there a lot. Lots to see and do. A year ago the smell of urine was awful and the homeless problem was worse. But if I had never seen it I would probably go. I just don’t want to go anymore.

 

[Denverite]

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.

From what I understand the SF homeless problem is far beyond "seeing a homeless person here or there" and is worse than in other large cities due to the permissive policies of the city's government. I'm more concerned about the human fecal matter/urine on the streets/sidewalks along with the used syringes/garbage.

The local media has detailed some of the consequences of this problem:

However, I may still go due to the other great tips on this thread! Thanks everyone!

 

[big-papa]

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.

I go there every year for a conference. Was just there back in February of this year. Yep, homelessness is a big thing there. Don't quite know what to say - I haven't seen too much aggressiveness when I'm there, and I mainly just keep walking and keep my head facing forward. Then again, I live in Austin and we have similar issues so maybe I'm just accustomed to it. I can easily see that if somebody hasn't been around it much, they would be really put off.

Still, SF one of my top two favorite cities on the planet, along with Prague. I've walked up and down the Embarcadero and climbed the steps up to Coit Tower which winds itself through some beautiful gardens. Been there with the family and done museums as well. Some of my favorite restaurants anywhere. No question - I'll keep coming back. And if it weren't for earthquakes and it being one of the most expensive places anywhere to live, I'd probably live there. I'll just have to settle for visiting, I guess.