San Francisco
 

Anyone really familiar with it? I'm planning a vacation and I haven't been there since I was 11 or 12 (my husband hasn't been there at all). Where would be a convenient location to stay? I would fly into SFO...do I need to rent a car or can I get by on cabs/public transportation?

Any can't-miss attractions? We're into athletic/outdoorsy stuff, shopping, dining, bars and lounges, etc. On my last trip we biked across the bridge, which I remember being fun. The only other thing I remember is Alcatraz. I would likely do both of those again.

You could fly into SFO or Oakland. Both are convenient and sometimes there are better prices and flight times at one or the other. There is public transportation from either airport (BART). Definitely no need to rent a car when coming to SF. There are buses, trains (BART or MUNI), and taxis everywhere. If you stay near Union Square you will be near everything.

Definitely do the biking and Alcatraz. You might want to look into doing the night Alcatraz tour, pretty cool. Book Alcatraz ahead of time because the tours are often sold out in the summer time. Giradelli square, the trolley car (although the line can be a huge bummer), Coit Tower, Lombard Street, Peer 39 for the seals.

I have a large list of resteraunts that I love in the city. Do you have a price range specifically? Or a type of food you are looking for? Slanted Door, Town Hall, 1300 on Fillmore, BeetleNut, Mamacitas, Fresca, Limon, Home, Firefly . . . I could go on and on, so you might want to narrow it down for me!

Did I overwhelm you?

^^^ I agree with the above and will add that you must bring a couple of light sweaters or jacket, because it does get a bit chilly during the day and evening.

If you are renting a car, I suggest you take a drive up the highway 101, such a wonderful site to behold.

Thanks, this is awesome. Food-wise, we would be looking for a mix of the high-end and cheap eats (probably no more than like $125/person). We like all varieties of food, too...we are pretty adventurous eaters. That doesn't really narrow it down, but it would be nice to get suggestions across the spectrum.

So Union Square would be the best place to look for a hotel?

You can always get a hotel in the Fisherman's Wharf area, they are a little more pricey than other places in the city, but its a good location.

If you do stay at Fisherman's Wharf, you are by (of course) the wharf, Alcatraz, Ghirardelli Square, Ripley's, the Wax Museum, the cable cars (!!), etc.

I've only been around the city in a car (except for the time my friends and I took the BART to Embarcadero and walked around Fishermans Wharf), so i'm not sure how easy it is to get around w/o a car. If you do decide to not rent a car, the BART is a good alternative b/c cabs can get really expensive.

San Francisco
 

Take lots of money on your trip. I've never been there but looked into a job offer. The salary increase would have paid more than twice what I was making at the time. However, when I started looking into cost of living and the economy it wouldn't have made sense for me. Additionally, I had just met my current girlfriend. I liked her so that was just icing on the cake to stay in town.

Fraternally,

Boodleboy322

The Fairmont Hotel is one of my favorites in the US, but the Intercontinental Mark Hopkins next door is also a very fine place to stay and a good bit less money. Both are on Nob Hill so you will just be a short cable car ride from Chinatown, Fisherman's Wharf and other fun stuff in the city. And of course those destinations make for a good brisk walk or run if you want.

San Francisco seems to have finally resolved the issue with all their homeless people running around harassing tourists- on my last trip there we had no troubles at all. So it is much easier to wander about and not be hassled.

In terms of restaurants, in a city like San Francisco that changes a lot for the really top cutting-edge places- and I have not been recently enough to comment on where the really top of the line is. But if you are in Chinatown and want a well-priced really solid meal- Oriental Pearl is great. The duck is especially good.

Visit Gump's if you have a chance. The US is awash in fake, adulterated and dyed jade- but Gump's is about the only place left in this country where you can see and buy the real thing in its natural color forms. Last time I was in Chinatown I saw ZERO authentic and unadulterated jade. I have some stone cutting experience which is why this means a lot to me- and maybe most don't care- but it is really neat to go to Gump's and see real jade.

I love San Francisco! I agree that Union Square is the best place for you to stay because not only is it within walking distance of many places, but you'll have no problem getting the cable car or many taxis there to go down to the wharf and elsewhere.

The Alcatraz night tour is fun (definitely order tickets ASAP), and there are so many excellent restaurants. One of my favorite things to do is go to tea or cocktails at the elegant St. Francis hotel in Union Square. I also love the great shopping in Chinatown - jewelry and fine linens galore. Oh, be sure to get a sundae at Ghiradelli's :D

I love the SF zoo! We always went there as kids with my parents and grandparents. There is a really neat Asian garden and the Palace of Fine Arts is pretty too. If you get a car (even for just part of the trip), go to the redwood forrest! There are tons of trails and it's just beautiful! We used to go to Muir Woods and I think it's near Half Moon Bay or Santa Cruz (maybe an hour or so from SF-not sure b/c my family lived south of SF, so were closer to those places). HMB and SC are neat cities to visit too. HMB is a small coastal town with lots of art stores and really good places to eat. I love the boardwalk at SC.

Enjoy your trip! SF is my favorite city to visit and I miss it soooo much! Texas is just no where near the same!

Oooohhhh, I forgot about Giant's stadium. If the Giants are in town this can be really fun to. The stadium is right on the water and pretty cool. I can say that even though I'm a Dodger fan and really dislike the Giants!