Reply With QuoteI discovered that they have these manciple parking structures in the middle of the city which have reasonable (not cheap) rates.
If you just look at the BART map, you will discover that there are numerous options to stay remote and ride in.
San Francisco in September
I think there have been a few threads about visiting the Bay Area. My wife and I are planning a trip with her retired parents for September, if it all works out. I know little or nothing about San Francisco. Since we will be traveling with my in-laws, I think I'm looking for either A) someplace close in but not overpriced, so I can use public transportation and escape the traffic and parking debacle, or B) someplace within striking distance, so I can bring/rent a car and circle the general area but avoid the bad traffic. I really have no idea, except that I expect it to be expensive, hilly and disorienting.
Suggestions are welcome. My wife and her family are notoriously frugal, like to eat a particular diet at frequent intervals, and have been known to be somewhat impatient with lines, traffic, wait staff, etc. Their idea of a good time in Vegas was playing slots, finding the cheapest buffet on the strip, looking at the shopping in the casinos but buying very little, and taking the bus trip to the Grand Canyon. Mine would probably have involved booze, cards, shows, dice, five-star meals, cigars, strippers, the sports book, more booze and yet more strippers, but I was traveling with the family and I didn't have the 5K to blow. I'd rather be dipping paddles on a glassy lake in upper anywhere anyway.
So, yeah. Family vacation in SF that doesn't involve massive crowds, sketchy neighborhoods, pricey parking, excessive walking, triple-transfer public transportation, boring plaque-reading, hotel prices much above a hundred a night and is in close proximity to a fine selection of good Korean markets and restaurants.
If it were me, I'd do the Haight, a Zap! Comix walking tour, a Bierce/Twain walking tour, maybe see if any of the North Slope looks anything like it did in 1850, and then do the Northern Cali thing, like hiking, sea kayaking, wine country tour, maybe a B&B, biking some country roads, maybe a long drive up the coast to go get lost among the redwoods and mushrooms, commune with the spirits of Clark Ashton Smith and Rick Griffin among the sacred groves. Alas, it's not to be.
As it is, I imagine something like Fisherman's Wharf, sushi, a little walking, Korean BBQ, something unexpected, shopping, Korean-style Chinese for dinner, bulgogi, jajun myun, gak doo gi and yet more sushi, maybe a museum for about five minutes, lather, rinse, repeat.
Open for ideas...
I discovered that they have these manciple parking structures in the middle of the city which have reasonable (not cheap) rates.
If you just look at the BART map, you will discover that there are numerous options to stay remote and ride in.
The thing about San Francisco is that the decent areas and the sketchy areas often overlap by a good bit.
Originally Posted by CPA
Corner of Haight and Ashbury. Great spot. Clean, beautiful, lots of family friendly shopping. Bring plenty of spare change... For the vending machines.
Only when you start walking through!!!
Theof the KTT Illuminati.
Spoiler:
Spoiler:
I'm hoping that they have some express public transportation, because my in-laws are in their 70s and my wife and I are in our 50s, so we tend to get tired and cranky, even when sitting down. They live in the car-burbs near Seattle, and their tolerance for public transportation is about twenty minutes. Mine is somewhere around forty. We have about the same tolerance for car trips, which is about half an hour. I just don't have it in me anymore to spend an hour-and-a-half of my time twice a day to travel. Even when I'm on vacation.
Thanks for the ideas. We've been looking at the BART maps but we don't know the neighborhoods or towns at all. Somebody told my wife San Mateo was nice, and close. To me it's just another name on a map.
We lived in NYC for twelve years, and they're originally from Seoul, so we shouldn't have much trouble getting around. We had a great time in Toronto. We brought a car with us, but only used it one day out of three. Parking in the hotel wasn't terrible, Toronto has a nice public transportation system, and they also have a Korea Town, so we scored big time. Not sure I can pull off the same dumb-luck hat-trick in SF.
Cheers.
Yeah...the vending machines...they are all over.
Only because driving is almost impossibleOnly when you start walking through!!!
Yeah the map of downtown had me thoroughly confused. It all looked really metropolitan. And not in a friendly, tree-lined streets kind of a way. More in a hold-on-to-your-wallet, oops-Mac-one-block-over-there-is-where-you-should-be kinda way.
If I was going by myself...
if you're staying on the outskirts of the city and just commuting in when it's time to sight see, it shouldn't be much of a problem. I'm not so sure on hotel costs, but finding anything under around the 100 mark is going to be a bit difficult. Public transportation is decent enough, but everywhere I can think to go requires either a transfer or two or excessive walking.
Things that come to mind right now are the Cartoon art museum on mission there are a few places to eat around there and it's not far from MoMa. And to round out the museum trio, the Asian Art Museum is also pretty good.
Fisherman's wharf is alright, but it does get a bit crowded and touristy from time to time. Hitting up the farmer's market is ok if you're into that. There are a lot of food places that I like, but most of them are not really the types of places I'd suggest to visitors for a variety of reasons. I will, however, suggest Foreign Cinema, they are a little pricey perhaps, but pretty good if you're willing to blow some dough. And if you're a fan of the sauce, Bourbon and Branch is probably the best speakeasy you will ever see. They do not allow cameras, they do not allow cell phones and loud conversation is frowned up and they would be highly disappointed if you ordered a cosmo or a martini.
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