Haight-Ashbury is good for a couple hours. Recommend you buy your Alcatraz tour tics in advance. Sausalito is awesome if you feel like an afternoon trip.
Oh ya, the cable car stop at Bay st. is good for seeing guys get shot... Or maybe it was a one time performance.
Do the Alcatraz by Night tour, if you can. Somewhere in the Fisherman's Wharf area, there's a very cool museum of old penny arcade and pinball machines. Sausalito is nice, especially if you can bike over (if you can rent something to put your kid in), then take the ferry back. Take one of the trolley-cars that goes between Fisherman's Wharf and the downtown area. Mostly though, just pick a neighbourhood and explore. Height Ashbury, Mission, Castro, Chinatown, Japan-town, etc, are all neighbourhoods where you can do pretty nice walking tours. They have a very good botanical garden near Height. If you're into the beatniks at all, City Lights bookstore is a must, just for the history.
If you've got access to a car, definitely head out to the redwood forests, and possibly take a drive through wine country.
Do the Alcatraz by Night tour, if you can. Somewhere in the Fisherman's Wharf area, there's a very cool museum of old penny arcade and pinball machines. Sausalito is nice, especially if you can bike over (if you can rent something to put your kid in), then take the ferry back. Take one of the trolley-cars that goes between Fisherman's Wharf and the downtown area. Mostly though, just pick a neighbourhood and explore. Height Ashbury, Mission, Castro, Chinatown, Japan-town, etc, are all neighbourhoods where you can do pretty nice walking tours. They have a very good botanical garden near Height. If you're into the beatniks at all, City Lights bookstore is a must, just for the history.
If you've got access to a car, definitely head out to the redwood forests, and possibly take a drive through wine country.
Oh, and don't bother going to Oakland.
Quoted for truth.
I suggest, if you have a car, going to Sausalito as well. Going down teh PCH towards Pacfica and Half Moon Bay is nice as well
If you have a car, make sure you watch Bullitt before you go and do exactly what those guys did. You'll know what I mean. Even if you go a little slower it's still fun.
Cross the Golden Gate and somewhere around the Sausalito turnoff is a road that takes you through a ridiculously long one lane tunnel, out the other side of a mountain and then you can drive up to a spectacular lookout overlooking the bridge. Breezy but nice.
Golden Gate Park.
Go down into that WWII submarine along fisherman's wharf for me. Never done that. Tell me what it's like inside.
Small towns out in the Napa area but you can skip Napa itself.
Chinatown, Chinatown, Chinatown. Let the kid touch everything, even the creepy stuff.
Yeah, Alcatraz is an amazing place.
Cowperson
__________________
Dear Lord, help me to be the kind of person my dog thinks I am. - Anonymous
If you have a car, make sure you watch Bullitt before you go and do exactly what those guys did. You'll know what I mean. Even if you go a little slower it's still fun.
Cross the Golden Gate and somewhere around the Sausalito turnoff is a road that takes you through a ridiculously long one lane tunnel, out the other side of a mountain and then you can drive up to a spectacular lookout overlooking the bridge. Breezy but nice.
Golden Gate Park.
Go down into that WWII submarine along fisherman's wharf for me. Never done that. Tell me what it's like inside.
Small towns out in the Napa area but you can skip Napa itself.
Chinatown, Chinatown, Chinatown. Let the kid touch everything, even the creepy stuff.
Yeah, Alcatraz is an amazing place.
Cowperson
I've been in it! It's pretty cool, very cramped though. You can't imagine living in it for 200+ days like some of the submariners did.
Heck, if you've got a rental car and enough time, 17mile drive in Monterey is quite possibly the greatest place on earth. About 2 hours south of San Fran. Did a 2 week trip to that general area last summer and 17-mile drive/pebble beach was the highlight by far- I would recommend over Napa, but some people might disagree.
Heck, if you've got a rental car and enough time, 17mile drive in Monterey is quite possibly the greatest place on earth. About 2 hours south of San Fran. Did a 2 week trip to that general area last summer and 17-mile drive/pebble beach was the highlight by far- I would recommend over Napa, but some people might disagree.
I knew I missed something . . . . . yep, take that car through Golden Gate park and then right down the coast through Half Moon Bay (bakery run!!!), Santa Cruz and then hit Monterrey out to Carmel. Have some lunch or supper in Carmel. You can always take the quicker freeway back.
Cowperson
__________________
Dear Lord, help me to be the kind of person my dog thinks I am. - Anonymous
Watch out for the homeless guy who hides behing his bush and jumps out and scares you for change. Hilarious watching him do it to others but is quite shocking when he gets you
edit he is on the warf he changes locations but is always there
I disagree. If you venture into the Rockridge area where Oakland and Berkeley come together and at the base of the hills of Piedmont and Montclair (still Oakland - where the richy-types live) you can find some awesome farmer's markets, great streets with shops and coffee and a more trendy area.
All of the suggestions are really good. I would say try to hit Mama's near Washington Square Park in North Beach for breakfast (line up though) and/or sit out on the street on Columbus St. for breakfast/dinner. Calzones has nice two-three person tables facing the street to people watch.
Berkeley is good if you want to see a beautiful campus and a trendy/hippy area of the Bay.
Walnut Creek is up Highway 24 and has a really nice assortment of restaurants and highend shopping in a smaller center (as opposed to battling around Union Square).
Just saw in your OP that you're there for 1 week- plenty of time to do a couple day trips to both Napa and Monterey/Pebble Beach. Your 3 year old would love the aquarium in Monterey.
We rented a hybrid car out of Fisherman's wharf (Hertz) for dirt cheap. 3-4 days is enough to see most of San Fran, leaving more than enough for surrounding areas.
Edit- I mentioned the hybrid because it was considerably cheaper than the other options.
Last edited by Flabbibulin; 03-11-2010 at 01:54 PM.
I will second the recommendation for Walnut Creek. What a nice place, and a good deal warmer than SF.
Take a ride on the cable car from downtown to the Wharf district, and hang on the outside if you can. What a cool way to travel!
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We may curse our bad luck that it's sounds like its; who's sounds like whose; they're sounds like their (and there); and you're sounds like your. But if we are grown-ups who have been through full-time education, we have no excuse for muddling them up.
These are all great suggestions/places to go. I really have nothing 'great' to add, but I will try.
-take a ride on a cable car
-if going across to the bay (Berkeley, Oakland) check out the new bridge they are building...or take BART.
-rent a car and drive down Lombard Street
-walk across Golden Gate Bridge (or at least half way)
-check out the Exploritorium (might be fun for your three year old)
It is amazing that you guys know so much about SF and all of its attractions.
It is sad that I know so little...and I was born/grew up there.
San Francisco
