If You're Going to San Francisco, Wear Flowers in Your Hair

[BriarRose0708]

Hey folks! I am looking for some advice on planning a trip to San Francisco. Like my trip to Vegas last year, I get to tag along with DBF as he is working at a library conference at the end of June. I've never been before and want to plan some afternoon trips out and about on my own, plus figure out a couple things to do at night time after DBF is done working. Especially excited about all the food options as well, we eat just about anything!

I want to make sure I at least get to see the Golden Gate bridge, schedule a tour of Alcatraz, take a trolley or cable car ride, and visit Chinatown. What else should I do???

[NewDVCowner]

Pier 39 is a big tourist destination and you can easily add it to your Alcatraz day. Make sure to book the Alcatraz ticket before you go. Generally they're not available on the day of.

A lot of people enjoy going to Golden Gate Park. The SF Academy of Sciences in Golden Gate Park was recently re done (reopened about two years ago) and is pretty well done with a planetarium, aquarium and an indoor rain forest. The living roof is neat to see as well. While I've never been myself, the Japanese Tea Gardens are close to this museum as well.

This is a free service called 'City Walks' that are given throughout the week. A volunteer takes groups on a walking tour of different parts of the city. I'd recommend looking into that.

The Ferry Building has a great farmers market. I've only been on weekends and don't know if they do them other days of the week.

The Marin Headlands is a great beach just north of the Golden Gate Bridge. It has fantastic views of the city.

Muir Woods is also north of the city and has some wonderful redwoods to explore.

If you have a car (or I'm sure there's tours you can get onto) I highly recommend a trip up to wine country, which is about an hour north of the city. There's no easy way to get to it via public transportation. Most wineries do change a tasting fee that is different at each winery, but is usually around $10. Cline Cellars, in Sonoma, is my favorite, and as a bonus doesn't have a tasting fee. They also have a fairly well down display on the California Missions.

Another nice day trip would be to either Santa Cruz or Monterey. Both nice coastal cities south of San Francisco.

If you have even more time I'd recommend a trip to Yosemite. It's about a four or five hour drive from the city, though, so it would really be an add on rather than something you could do as a day trip.

One thing to note. Mark Twain said 'The coldest winter I ever spent was a summer in San Francisco.' Be prepared. While inland (where I live) we get HOT in the summer, the city itself is kept pretty cool by the ocean. When the fog rolls in it's gets down right chilly! Make sure to pack appropriately and be able to dress in layers. It's a running joke in my family that we all have a ton of 'San Francisco' sweaters because we go into the city from the East Bay under dressed and need to pick up a new sweater to deal with the temperature. :-)

[MNNHFLTX]

I would recommend touring the Presidio, something that should be easy to do, since the Golden Gate Bridge starts at Fort Point, which is part of the park. You can either park at the Golden Gate visitors center and then take the path down to the Civil War era fort, or park at the fort and walk up to the bridge. The bridge itself is breathtaking, as are the views. Unfortunately for my family, the fog was in full force when we were in San Francisco and although we saw the bridge several times we never actually saw the top of the bridge.

Also in the Presidio is the Walt Disney Family Museum, something that wasn't there when I last visited but I wish it had been!

If you have time, you should also visit Golden Gate Park, not very far away from the Presidio. We rented bikes and had a wonderful afternoon riding around to the Conservatory, the Japanese Garden (and teahouse), Dutch Windmill and buffalo herd.

Our favorite tour in San Francisco was the boat trip out to Alcatraz. If you can, get tickets for an evening or night tour; the island definitely takes on a spookier feel at dusk, plus you might get to see a beautiful sunset over the city.

You mentioned visiting Chinatown; try one of the dim sum restaurants there. I can't remember the name of the one we had lunch at, but it was fun to pick out our food from the carts they pushed around the dining room.

I'm not a huge fan of Ghirardelli Square or Fisherman's Wharf--too touristy. And you will get a taste of it when you take your tour out to Alcatraz.

[SBETigg]

Something that might surprise you about San Francisco (and others might not agree): I felt fairly unsafe walking around at night. I go to NYC all the time and stay out late and don't feel unsafe. Maybe it's just my east coast sensibilities, but it was a different world for me. I was traveling with women, and we were accosted by men on the street more than a few times on the way back to our hotel-- and we were staying at The Palace. We were kept awake by the noise of people arguing on the street till all hours. It did cut down on our nighttime activities. I was really surprised by it.

Also, by the driving. I thought we were maniac drivers in Massachusetts, but... wow, nothing compared to San Francisco. You'll be with your boyfriend, so I'm sure that together you'll be fine. Daytime was fine, too. Oh, and if you're touring Alcatraz, get your tickets online well in advance. It was sold out for our entire stay. Enjoy!

[BrerGnat]

Something that might surprise you about San Francisco (and others might not agree): I felt fairly unsafe walking around at night. I go to NYC all the time and stay out late and don't feel unsafe. Maybe it's just my east coast sensibilities, but it was a different world for me. I was traveling with women, and we were accosted by men on the street more than a few times on the way back to our hotel-- and we were staying at The Palace. We were kept awake by the noise of people arguing on the street till all hours. It did cut down on our nighttime activities. I was really surprised by it.

Also, by the driving. I thought we were maniac drivers in Massachusetts, but... wow, nothing compared to San Francisco. You'll be with your boyfriend, so I'm sure that together you'll be fine. Daytime was fine, too. Oh, and if you're touring Alcatraz, get your tickets online well in advance. It was sold out for our entire stay. Enjoy!

The Palace hotel is in a not great neighborhood. Basically, South Market and the Tenderloin districts are the kinds of neighborhoods where one should not walk alone and definitely NOT at night. We often stay at the Marines Memorial hotel near Union Square and that is at the edge of where the "bad" neighborhood starts (basically south and east of Union Square). There are nice hotels there but that doesn't mean much.

San Francisco is a huge city and you will definitely notice homeless people and shady, run down areas. Like any other city, vigilance and personal responsibility needs to be exercised but as a whole it is a very safe city. I will say if you have a rental car and park that car ANYWHERE that is accessible to the public, leave NOTHING in that car. People will literally smash the windows for the change in the cup holders.

That said, definitely plan a visit to the Walt Disney Family Museum. It is amazing! The Presidio is a beautiful place and you can spend a day there just walking around enjoying the scenery.

You can actually walk across the Golden Gate bridge and it's pretty fun. If the weather is nice, it's a fun thing to do.

Pier 39 and Fisherman's Wharf should be experienced even though it is touristy and tacky. Just to say you did it. You can skip Ghirardelli Square though. It is literally just a shopping center with the same Ghirardelli type shops that you find at Disney.

Chinatown is a must see, and you might enjoy the cable car museum that is near there.

[AZ Disney]

I'm so jealous! I lived in the East Bay for many years, so I'll just give you my favorites and wish you a fabulous trip and there has already been such great advice given. Lots of my stuff assumes you like to walk...if not it can be adjusted with a car or public transportation. San Francisco is very safe IMO....but like anywhere you need to watch your surroundings.

*Cable Cars (start at the beginning of the line and take to Lombard Street) There will be a long line but it is worth it. It's hard to pick it up in the middle of the line anymore.
*Walk down Lombard Street and once you reach the bottom look back up and take pics"
*From here walk to the Buena Vista Cafe - historic bar/restaurant next to Ghiradelli Square.
*After you've enjoyed your irish coffee you can walk all over the place or ride bikes. Fort Mason, Fisherman's Wharf (eat at The Franciscan if you want a nice sit down meal, Marina District, Presidio all the way across the Golden Gate.
*Coit Tower (car)
*Alcatraz - take the tour on the island ( make advanced ressies...reccomend 2-3 weeks ahead if you can.
*Union Square - shopping
*Pier 39 - eh...been there done that but dont miss the sea lions that have become a staple to the pier.
*Don't forget the Bay Bridge - fabulous views near Pier 39 with nice walk along the water.
*Golden Gate Park - fabulous open area to ride bikes, walk, Academy of Sciences, Japanese Tea Garden
*Muir Woods (North side of Golden Gate) - need car
*Someone earlier mentioned Santa Cruz or Monterey. I agree....Santa Cruz is a little run down to me now that I"m an adult but Monterey, Capitola, Carmel are so wonderful if you have the time. About 90-120 minutes from the Bay Area in general.
Wine Country - Napa of course, but there is also Livermore which is in the East Bay and you will have a fabulous time there for less.
Depening on what you decide on check out City Pass and smart destinations it could really save you some dollars.
Hope that helps. Have Fun!

[NewDVCowner]

*Don't forget the Bay Bridge - fabulous views near Pier 39 with nice walk along the water.

I just wanted to add that the Bay Bridge has a light display on it that you can see at night. An artist has installed LED lights on the San Francisco side of it and they come on at night to enjoy.

[Katzateer]

Sounds amazing - I want to go

[snowflakegirl]

I went to SF a few years ago for a work conference. My boyfriend and I tacked on a few days at the beginning and end of the trip because we figured it'd be the only time we were there we might as well pack as much in as possible. By the end of the second day we were already talking about the things we would do "next time". A year and a half later we were back in the Bay Area to celebrate our honeymoon!

You've gotten a bunch of really great recommendations already! I'm just seconding some of them and adding a couple more, but here are some of my thoughts.

As someone else mentioned, temperatures can feel cooler in San Francisco in the summer than you might expect. On our honeymoon (in July) I actually bought a jacket and wore it for the majority of our trip...even with the light sweatshirts I had known to bring. Temperatures and weather can also vary drastically within small distances. On our honeymoon we left Pacifica (town just south of SF) and drove the hour and a half to Napa...it was 55 degrees when we got in the car and over 90 (in the shade) when we got out.

We really enjoyed getting an afternoon tea and snack in the Japanese Tea Gardens and following it up with a stroll around the Botanical Gardens in Golden Gate Park.

Muir Woods was *amazing*.

Pier 39 is undeniably touristy, but fun to do at least once, particularly to see the sea lions.

We really enjoyed Point Reyes National Seashore. The last trip we hiked out a Tulle Elk reserve and were treated to some amazing (if foggy) vistas and wildlife viewings. We followed it up with a hike down to McClure's Beach for a picnic lunch.

We went to several vineyards in Napa Valley and really enjoyed our trip, both for the wines, and the views. Our favorite was Silverado Vineyards where we spent a few hours on the patio sipping wines and tasting olive oils after our tour rather than the half hour we had planned.

We really love Sutro Baths and Lands End...*beautiful* views and a great spot to pick up some of the Coastal Trail heading back in towards the Golden Gate Bridge.

A fun evening activity, depending on your interests, is "Nightlife" at the California Academy of Sciences in Golden Gate Park. It's a 21+ event that they hold each Thursday from 6-10. Each week has a different theme, but there is always a dj, temporary cash bars set up around the venue serving drinks, and some stations serving food. You have access to the planetarium, the museum, the aquarium, the living room, and the three story indoor rainforest during the event.

There's a lot of really great outdoors spaces and hiking that can be done in the area, too.

Two trips and we still are planning on going back at some point in the near future!

[BriarRose0708]

Thank you all SO much for all the information and tips, you've given me so much to think about and plan!

[Hammer]

I love San Francisco! It is definitely my favorite city in California.

We rented a car for the day and went out to wine country :wine:. Our favorite winery tour/tasting was Domaine Chandon in Yountville.

Do you know where you will be staying? We stayed in Union Square at a Kimpton hotel (The Prescott). I recommend going to the Fairmont Hotel and having a drink at the bar. The views are great there!

[BriarRose0708]

Unfortunately we found out today our San Francisco trip will not happen :( My boyfriend's company took him off that project because of his schedule with other work projects. We are really bummed, and I was so looking forward to going.

However, when God closes a window, Mickey lowers a drawbridge to a castle. One of DBF's other projects is happening on location in Long Beach, CA over the week of my birthday, and since San Fran isn't happening I can use those vacation days to go! So I will be turning 32 in (drum roll)........................ DISNEYLAND!

Thanks again to everyone for all your suggestions, I am sure we will make it up to San Fran eventually.:mickey:

[MNNHFLTX]

Sorry about San Francisco, Nikki, but your alternative trip sounds pretty good too! :mickey: :birthday: :cake: :party:

[BrerGnat]

Awesome Nikki! Disneyland will be waiting for you!