San Francisco suggestions

[bigreader]

The mere mention of San Francisco on this forum sure does bring folks out.

In terms of lodging, consider AirBnB. They should look for an entire apartment (not just a room in a house or apartment) with good Muni (public transit) connections, closer to downtown (not the Ocean,). Neighborhoods like Noe Valley, Castro, Cow Hollow, Downtown (not the Civic Center) are all good, but this list isn't exhaustive.

Don't rent a car and expect to do some walking and sometimes waiting for buses. Download the app for Lyft or Uber and get a Muni pass if it looks like they will be using mass transit. Frankly, few residents actually drive their own car to the busiest parts of the City.

What do they like to do? In terms of the traditional tourist stuff, I'd say that Pier 39 and Fisherman's Wharf are not worth it. The Ferry Plaza and building are fun, as is a trip to Sausalito on the ferry. Fort Point and the Golden Gate Bridge are something to see. There are a lot of museums, including some (the deYoung and the Academy of Sciences) in Golden Gate Park, which is sort of like Central Park. The Asian Art Museum and the Museum of Modern Art are very good and there are a raft of smaller museums.

There are also good neighborhood walks, such as through the Mission District for a look at the murals. Depending on the season, SF has professional baseball and, soon, basketball; very good ballet and opera companies and a fine symphony. And a modern and fun Jazz Center.

SF is a restaurant city and best Italian and Asian food are not necessarily in North Beach and Chinatown. The local paper (The SF Chronicle) and the site Eater have restaurant listing that might be a better bet. Download OpenTable and Resy for availability.

Finally, I recommend that they check the weather. The weather is really different from Southern California, which is what most folks anticipate coming to California.

SF is a different city and unique for a city of its size in the US. It's setting is beautiful. Right now, the economy is booming and it is very wealthy, but really suffering from its small size, high desirability and income inequality. For sure, you will see things that you probably won't see in most places in the US. But that is why we travel, isn't it?


BR

 

[Chuckanut]

Really. San Francisco? The city that dammed a national park to get its water supply. They built the O’Shaunnesy dam and destroyed the Hetch Hetchy Valley In Yosemite NP. Not so good

 

[Teacher Terry]

Bring a jacket because often afternoon and evenings are cool. I moved to this part of the country 22 years ago and San Francisco was delightful. Now not so much but maybe because I have been there so many times. We usually get 20k steps when we go. Yes it’s sad that the homeless population has exploded and the city is much dirtier than it ever was. The last time I was there was 3 years ago and I don’t care if I ever go back.

 

[Al in Ohio]

I could second much of what bigreader posted. I took my family there 4 years ago and we stayed in a timeshare in the middle of downtown just a few blocks from public transportation stops. My kids had been to other major Cities before such as Boston, New York and Chicago, but San Fran has a West Coast style of diversity and scenery plus great food around every corner. Alcatraz is also a must see.

 

[Plantman]

Some of my favorites: Coit Tower, Palace of Fine Arts, Twin Peaks, Legion of Honor and Golden Gate Park.

 

[daylatedollarshort]

I know this may wake porky "but" it's an interesting question since SF has more billionaires-per-capita than any other city in the US. I guess spreading the wealth only applies when it's spreading someone else's money.

San Francisco passed a tax on the big tech companies to help the homeless but some are fighting it in court. The city cannot spend the money in the mean time because if they lose in court they would have to pay the money back out of other funds. Google is voluntarily spending $1B to create more housing for employees and some of the funds will go to homeless programs.

 

[Scuba]

Thanks for all of the suggestions! Much appreciated

 

[mh]

My experiences with SFO have been horrible, so we fly into Sacramento and drive west, if we visit SF. We spent over 3 hours, just trying to get luggage, rent a reserved car, travel via shuttle, in time to hit rush hour traffic. Maybe, Oakland would be a better airport but I have no experiences there.

Being foodies, we love Fisherman's Wharf, but I'm sure there's good food elsewhere, without the crowds.

Yes , in my experience Oakland is easier to deal with, and they have a easy shuttle to the metro if you don’t feel the need for a car

 

[NW-Bound]

We went to SF quite often, starting in the late 70s through the 80s. Back then, I could drive around a little bit to find a parking spot right on the streets, in the center of Chinatown. Oh man, I realize that was 40 years ago. Even back then, I remember talking to the father of a coworker who owned a farm in San Jose. He said SF was so crowded, he did not go there often anymore.

I have read that visitors should be aware of where they step. It's not just human waste, but also discarded needles from drug addicts. I am glad we went when it was nothing like that.

PS. Back then, there was no freeway going to Napa Valley. It was just many country roads going through small towns to get to Yountville.

 

[Aerides]

I know this may wake porky "but"

Porky never sleeps. We can either keep this on topic with helpful sites and experiences or we can drag this down with politics and we all know where that goes.

 

[bigreader]

San Francisco passed a tax on the big tech companies to help the homeless but some are fighting it in court. The city cannot spend the money in the mean time because if they lose in court they would have to pay the money back out of other funds. Google is voluntarily spending $1B to create more housing for employees and some of the funds will go to homeless programs.

I am not sure of the current numbers but SF, a city of under 900,000 spent over $240m on services for the homeless in 2016. Not saying that all of it is well spent, but this is a significant amount of money. The most basic problem is that the median cost of a house in San Francisco was $1.6 million dollars last year. SF was always expensive, but these new highs are thanks to wildly successful businesses outside SF in Silicon Valley, like Google, who have outsourced their problem with employee housing to San Francisco. As a result, there isn't much diversity in the housing market as poor and middle class people are forced out since even with a $15/hour minimum wage, people can't make the rent. SF always had homelessness, but it's an especially big deal now since housing is in such short supply, land is limited and building is expensive.

 

[Chuckanut]

Finally, I recommend that they check the weather. The weather is really different from Southern California, which is what most folks anticipate coming to California.

+1

It can be downright cool to cold and damp in SF while the Central Valley is 100+ degrees. California is a big state with a very diverse geography.

 

[Katiek]

First off, I haven't been there in a number of years, so my advice doesn't take into account any recent changes in safety. But have they been there before? If not, I think it's worth doing some of the touristy things. When I had people come visit when I lived in the area, my basic city tour included: Fisherman's Wharf, cable car ride a quick run through Ghiradelli Square, drive down Lombard St (although I gather there have been complaints recently and discussions to shut it down or start charging and having timed reservations), Coit Tower, Pier 39 and a walk though Chinatown before having dinner in the North End.


For a second day, I'd stop at the Golden Gate Bridge on my way to Sausalito, Muir or Stinson Beach and Muir Woods (although as someone mentioned now, they have a reservation system and parking restrictions, so be sure to check in advance). Usually stop for a nice lunch in Sausalito.



Alcatraz can be fun, but it takes more time, so I'd add that only if there is an extra day.


If they've been there before, then I'd venture out more to Wine Country, or south of the city, or visit Berkley if they're interested in that.

 

[Scuba]

+1

It can be downright cool to cold and damp in SF while the Central Valley is 100+ degrees. California is a big state with a very diverse geography.

Yes we live in So CA and are well aware of SF being quite chilly, but even so we forgot our jackets one trip. Had to buy cheap hoodies from a street vendor to survive the long weekend in August.

 

[bmcgonig]

Yes we live in So CA and are well aware of SF being quite chilly, but even so we forgot our jackets one trip. Had to buy cheap hoodies from a street vendor to survive the long weekend in August.

Here's the best advice for if it's a little chilly in SF. Take the ferry to Tiburon (from the ferry building) and hang out at Sam's Cafe. The food is good, the drinks are good and the view is terrific. This is the view from there of SF

http://gobefore.me/cams/sams_cafe/m/

Go there even if it's not foggy in SF.

 

[Bestwifeever]

We ate at this Italian SF restaurant: È Tutto Qua Great meal and Italian waiters creating great ambience. È Tutto Qua is across the street from the iconic City Lights bookstore and a three minute walk from Coppola’s Cafe Zoetrope restaurant and bar that had generous happy hour gin and tonics.

We just stumbled into the restaurant as a couple of friendly and cute waiters invited us in as we walked past; DH today read this FaceBook post about it (there are photos with the post there, hence the references)

I have known the owner, Enzo, for many years and have actually met him in Rome for dinner a few times. He has an Italian cook and native Italian waiters. He has many delicious things and a wonderful thin crust pizza but we really love his Pasta Fagioli (Cannellini Beans) and it makes me nostalgic because my Mother too would serve it with Ditali pasta(little fingers). We split a salad and then my favorite dish ,"Tagliata di Manzo" - Grilled New York steak topped with cherry tomatoes, arugula & shaved parmesan cheese in between the slices. The plates are ready for La Scarpetta…sop up the sauce with the bread which is extremely delicious. Had some generous glasses of Italian red wine and then an Espresso Corretto (with Sambuca)…and on the house a delicious ricotta/pears tart. They open at 5pm and it is 5:15 so you can see the popularity. Enzo on the Rachel Ray show. How about that group of handsome young Italian waiters and they all love Enzo like a father & he treats them like sons. Enzo walks the floor to make sure everybody is happy and he is not afraid to clean some plates from the tables either.
....Hearing Italian, the physical environment and the food will make you feel like you are in Italia and saved the plane fare. One TV on with an, you guessed it, an Italian movie ! He is located in a previous Bank Of America building and I’m sure its founder, Amadeo Pietro Giannini, would be very happy with its occupants.

 

[Scuba]

Thank you for all of the suggestions. I shared this post and responses with my niece and she was delighted!