5 Days in San Fran - Calgarypuck Forums - The Unofficial Calgary Flames Fan Community

flamersfan · 07-30-2008, 07:25 AM

I will be spending 5 days in San Fransisco on my honeymoon in early September. Suggestions of things to see and things not to see would be really appreciated.

I think one of the days, we will be renting a car to drive up to the Napa valley wineries area.

jam26 · 07-30-2008, 07:40 AM

I'm heading down there next week. Alcatraz really is worth the time. If you're going to do a winery tour, you may have more fun if you take a bus tour so you don't have to worry about driving. Also, AT&T Park is a beautiful stadium if your wife would tolerate a baseball game.

SportsJunky · 07-30-2008, 08:16 AM

One of my favourite cities in the world. Napa is a great idea. Sausalito is a great place to spend a day. Their chinatown is one of the oldest in the country. Go check out crooked Lombard street, a Giants game at one of the best stadiums in the league imo, and of course the Wharf.

ricosuave · 07-30-2008, 08:17 AM

^ also a 49ers game, maybe. Alcatraz, eat somewhere at Fisherman's Wharf.

Bring_Back_Shantz · 07-30-2008, 08:25 AM

Everyone wants to do the cable cars, and it is fun, but don't bother trying to get on at the main tourist station (can't remember the name of the street, but it's right off Market).

Wait till the evening and hop on one at one of the stops, or just go up the hill and hop on at the 2nd or 3rd stop.

Whatever you do, DO NOT bother waiting in line at the little station on Market, it's a waste of time.

troutman · 07-30-2008, 08:31 AM

Drive down the coast - Big Sur, Monterrey.

Definitely spend a day in Napa.

Golden Gate Park

Giants game at Pac Bell Park

Bring_Back_Shantz · 07-30-2008, 08:35 AM

Also, if you're planning to do some driving and want to do a wine tour, head down the coast to Monterey and hit the Carmel Valley. It's a little out of the way, but not nearly as touristy as Napa Valley.

transplant99 · 07-30-2008, 08:41 AM

If you are into decadence and opulence with a huge splash of extravagance, you will be in complete awe at Hearst castle. It's so large and overwhelming I believe there are 4 seperate tours of the place depending on what you want to see.

It is a bit of a drive from San Fran IIRC, but it is a beautiful trip and so is the area of San Simeon.

mykalberta · 07-30-2008, 08:59 AM

Best city for short vacation value with gf you can get. What are you both into? Are you active, bookworm, grungy?

There are alot of good bike trails out of the city, clubs with live bands, rock climbing walls etc.

ricosuave · 07-30-2008, 09:01 AM

Oh, I think the Winchester house is in the area too...

And if you do make it down to Monterrey, check out their aquarium - stunning - watched a documentary on it on discovery HD the other night...

looooob · 07-30-2008, 09:58 AM

agree with Trout, BBS and others. with 5 days, spend one driving up to Napa and one driving down to Monterey and Carmel

3 days in San Fran, unlimited possibilities

octothorp · 07-30-2008, 10:20 AM

Alcatraz is worth the visit, and the 'after dark' tour is especially good: it's extra moody and you get to go into parts of the prison that are normally off limits.

Rent some bikes down at fisherman's wharf and bike along the waterfront and over the GG bridge to Sausalito. Spend an afternoon there, then take the ferry back.

For food, you can't really go wrong, but some of my favorites are the Magnolia Brewpub on Haight and breakfast at the Boudin bakery on the wharf.

Bring_Back_Shantz · 07-30-2008, 10:28 AM

Agreed with octothorp about the night tour of Alcatraz, it's totally worth it.

Also, if you've got a chance, there's a place on Fisherman's Warf that sells Garlic Pizza. Yup, it's pizza with just whole cloves of garlic on it for the toppings. Delicious, but maybe not the best bet for a honeymoon (you know, makin' out wise).

Also, if you're at all into history/WWII they've got a WWII sub and Liberty ship at Fisherman's Warf that you can tour. It's pretty cool, but the wife may not be too into it.

Also, make sure you get up to Battery Park. That's sort of the definative point to get your picture taken with the GG bridge in the background.

Ice_Weasel · 07-30-2008, 10:35 AM

Love San Fran - most suggestions here are good ones. I will offer a couple more - for a nice romantic walk go to Muir Woods, suggest doing it during the week for lower crowds. Have lunch in the Italian district, try to find the Fortune Cookie Factory in China Town (its in a small alley), and book a dinner at the Zuni Cafe.

jam26 · 07-30-2008, 10:39 AM

Just watch out for The Bushman!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9cbBd...eature=related

This famous homeless guy hides behind a bush and scares the hell out of unsuspecting passersby!

Log · 07-30-2008, 10:58 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by jam26

Just watch out for The Bushman!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9cbBd...eature=related

This famous homeless guy hides behind a bush and scares the hell out of unsuspecting passersby!

I wonder how much $ the guy brings in... He may look homeless but I wouldn't be surprised if he makes enough $ to own a place.

The people I have a problem with are the ones who are laying on the street asking for $, holding out the coffee cup. Atleast this guy (and lots of others) atleast do something to make money.

jam26 · 07-30-2008, 11:11 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Log

I wonder how much $ the guy brings in... He may look homeless but I wouldn't be surprised if he makes enough $ to own a place.

The people I have a problem with are the ones who are laying on the street asking for $, holding out the coffee cup. Atleast this guy (and lots of others) atleast do something to make money.

I guess 'homeless' isn't an appropriate description. According to Wikipedia, he makes $60K in a good year.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/World_Famous_Bushman

Log · 07-30-2008, 11:11 AM

I was just in SF in May.

One thing that hasn't been mentioned was a victorian house tour. It is a 2 hour walk through SF's older area and the tour guide points out the different styles of victorian houses. It starts in Union Square at 11am. I inititally throught it would suck, but was pleased with it. Here is the website. http://www.victorianwalk.com/

We took a tour out to Muir woods. On the way back we stopped in Sausalito, we had the option to stay there and take the ferry back or jump on the tour bus back to SF. We took the bus back, but if we had more time I'm sure we would have stayed.

One thing I wish we would have done was go to Monterey and check out the acquarium.

Alcaltraz night tour was great. Book our alcatraz tour early.

If you want to ride a cable car, jump on at Market & California. There are seldom lineups there, whereas you will probably wait 45 minutes at the other ones.

The subway (BART) runs all the way down to the airport. DEFINATELY take it. The fare is $5 to downtown SF.

JD · 07-30-2008, 11:42 AM

I recommend not taking the BART to the city. Cabs are dirt cheap in SF and the ride takes about one third the time. But the BART is excellent for getting around to other parts in the Bay Area such as Oakland.

There is no shortage of things to do in that city. You'll probably experience a Vegas-like sensory-overload as you arrive, imagining all the things you want to do once you're unpacked. I've only been there for 3 or 4 day trips and each time I've wanted another couple days to do things. And I've never even left the city!

For good restaurants go to a district they call "north beach" (not really near the water) near Columbus and Broadway. Lots of places to check out in that area, some romantic, some not so much. You can tell which is which as you walk past! But really the city is full of good places to eat. The aforementioned wharf included.. though it can be hit and miss.

MoneyGuy · 07-30-2008, 12:23 PM

Five days in San Fran. Lucky dog. It's my favourite city anywhere.

Quote:

Originally Posted by ricosuave

Oh, I think the Winchester house is in the area too...

The Winchester mansion is very cool. The widow of the man who started the Winchester rifle company was told that she would be haunted by the ghosts of all of those who were killed by Winchester guns if construction of the mansion ever stopped during her lifetime. So, she had contractors working during her entire life, only stopping when she died. They built doors into walls, stairways that went nowhere, floors on top of floors, etc., just to keep the work going. Anything just to keep the work going on. YOu can see the mansion from the highway as you pass by. It looks like a town with many buildings but it's one building.

Great marketing idea if you're a contractor!