San Fransisco

Murphy_The_Cat

Hannah2 wrote: »

If you get a chance on your travels to call into Monterey (my geography is bad but if you are driving up from LA you might go past (?)) the aquarium is well worth a visit. I went in Sept and they had an amazing otter enclosure and feeding time was great to watch.

HTH

Thats a really good suggestion. The Sea otters (called Slotters at Chez Cat) are great fun to watch.

monkeyspanner

Can recommend Alcatraz trip more interesting than I expected.

You could also try a trip to Yosemite National Park but I'm not sure if that would be open in March. We went there in April and there was a lot of snow.

If you like snow/skiing there will still be skiing in Lake Tahoe area which is about 3 hour drive I think. Snow falls have been particularly good this year. Also in South Lake Tahoe you can go to the casinos just over the state border in Nevada.

Haight Ashbury-disappointing IMHO.

Chinatown-best I've been to but the usual tat and mess unless you really like chinese food.

Pier 39/Fishermans Wharf fine for a couple of hours but a bit of a tourist trap.

Trolley system is fun and quite good to get around the city.

Murphy_The_Cat

Just a quick word of warning/advice. If you are considering getting a car for touring outside of SF (you don't need a car in SF), the car parking in the city is fairly sparse and VERY expensive.

My_Fathers_Daughter

I loved San Francisco - and the highlight of our trip was hiring a bike (from somewhere near Pier 39) and cycling over the golden gate bridge - take a right at the far end of the bridge and you cycle up a hill and then down into the small (but beautiful) town of Sausilito (sp?). From there you can jump on a ferry with your bike and enjoy a leisurely trip back to SF.

This really was a wonderful experience and I would thoroughly recommend it - if you are not up for a cycle (although we managed it and we are not particularly fit) it would still be worth catching a ferry over to Sausilito (or sausage-town as it is known in our house) for a wander around.

We also did the bus-tour to get our bearings (we were only there for 3 nights) which is good for seeing the sights and you can get on and off as you please.

Next time DH has promised me we can hire one of those little electric cars that have sat nav and an electronic 'tour-guide' that tells you about the area that you are parked/driving in!! Not very MSE if I remember correctly but did look like loads of fun!!

Finally, there's a bar somewhere on the front in the fishermans wharf area that sells something like 100 different beers - it has a lovely atmosphere and provided some much needed refreshment for us after our cycle across the bridge!

Have fun!!:beer:

kitchnv

I am interested in going in September. When would the best time to book flights be?

Just thinking along the lines of the 3 month rule that applies to NY. Does it apply to SF as well.

Thanks.

jeannieblue

Hi,

I was fortunate enough to live in SF for five years but been back here now for six - things change but its a fantastic city.

I lived in North Beach area which very good for Italian food - tons and tons of restaurants, 5 - 10 minutes walk of Fishermans Wharf. Ok I agree with what previous people have said about Pier 39 being touristy - but even tho I lived there, I enjoyed going down there - walking along the bay to Ghiradelli's, its all part of Fishermans Wharf.

If for instance, you got a deal at Holiday Inn or somewhere at Fishermans Wharf, you are in a great position for ferries to Alcatraz, Sausalito and over to ...... damn, can't think of the place but its where Tom Hanks was born - getting old. You will also get good views of Golden Gate to the left and Bay Bridge to the right.

From there you can get a cable car from bottom of Taylor which will take you up to Union Square - good shopping, but can be pricey.


Also being based at the botton of Columbus - you can walk inland so to speak, up Columbus where you can find all those wonderful italian restaurants, also the church of St Francis of Assisi - recommend that. You must also track down the Irish bar O'Reillys, excellent food - breakfast to die for....

Whilst walking up Columbus (the only diagonal street) you will come at a cross section of Lombard and to your right will be the famous crooked street and to your left you will see Coit Tower.

The list goes onwards - could bore you for hours. Oh and don't kill yourself over the hills - there's often a route round them! Or get a cab!

I agree with previous poster, you really can't have a car in SF as there is absolutely no parking, I only hired a car when I wanted to get out of the city for some reason.

I'll not bore you anymore! I always used to fly Virgin Atlantic and got great deals and good service.

I'd never recommend SF in the summer because of the fog that comes in - it makes it very cold. Its a multi layer city! They sell lots of fleeces to the tourists! Not all of California is hot or warm!:D

onebigwin

I visited SF in December and can also recommend the Stinking Rose, I would also suggest you try the Helmand which is an Afghani restaurant.

http://www.helmandrestaurantsanfrancisco.com/home5SF.htm

they are no longer on Broadway and I still remain confused as to why they don't change their address on the website, but they are now at the following site

Helmand Palace

2424 Van Ness Ave
San Francisco, CA 94109
(415) 362-0641



The Muni pass will save your legs, the night Alcatraz tour is a must and was one of the highlights of our whole trip.

jeannieblue

That brings back memories - great place, great food:j

fififoofoo

go to Magnolias in the Height and Ashbury district to eat - fabulous micro bar and restaurant. Also take your passport and go into Macy's customer service dept on the top floor - you will get an extra 15% off everything for a month! I got Diesel trainers for $25!!! People are friendly and watch out for the man who hides behind a bush and jumps out on you - we were warned and thought it was rubbish - my God did he make me jump!

vanilla8

kitchnv wrote: »

I am interested in going in September. When would the best time to book flights be?

Just thinking along the lines of the 3 month rule that applies to NY. Does it apply to SF as well.

Thanks.

Just booked yest with Virgin - 535 each.
Couldnt wait much longer!

On a side note, can someone recommend how long to stay in San Francisco? We are doing a west coast tour.