SF Oppos: Need advice on hotels/locations/sights for November

"Ash78, voting early and often" (ash78)
09/19/2016 at 14:55 • Filed to: None

Hey Left Coasters (if you're awake yet!)...my work is sending me out to the city for a few days of business in November and I'll be bringing the wife along. I'll be working in the Financial District and my job will pay up to $300/night for hotels, but I also want to be in an area that's semi-safe and walkable so my wife can stay busy during the day. I can take a cab or BART to the office every day, if needed. In an ideal situation, I'd love to rent a car, see the Redwoods, drive the Golden Gate, Alcatraz, Yosemite, etc, but with out time constraints, we'll be limited to walking and mass transit within the city, and mostly after 5pm. It's been about 15 years since I've been there, so I can't go from memory — any advice is hugely appreciated! We're not super touristy people, so I doubt overcrowded places like the Wharf would be high on our list. How about Presidio? Coit Tower area? Painted Ladies? Golden Gate Park?

DISCUSSION (16)

SidewaysOnDirt still misses Bowie > Ash78, voting early and often
09/19/2016 at 15:01

Recreate the Bullitt scene with a Mustang II and a 4th Gen Charger.

DutchieDC2R > Ash78, voting early and often
09/19/2016 at 15:06

I was in/around Union Square in some shithole hotel, cant remember the name anymore, but 300 dollars a night sounds like you could do some pretty good hotels in SF. As far as location went, as a tourist anyways, I found Union Square to be perfect. Pretty much everything was quite closeby and I, myself, walked to most of the touristy things when I was there.

DutchieDC2R > Ash78, voting early and often
09/19/2016 at 15:12

It was called Sweden House and I still have nightmares of it. Also, regarding your car rental thingy, parking in SF is total crap. There are, however, parking garages in SF that will allow you to book in advance through their websites. I did this, without having to pay anything in advance (pay as you arrive/stay) and it not only guaranteed me a spot but also made it a bit cheaper.

415s30 W123TSXWaggoIIIIIIo ( •_•))°) > Ash78, voting early and often
09/19/2016 at 15:14

I live in SF, you can ask me anything. I never take BART so I can’t answer that though. You should drive up Conzelmen rd. along the cliffs that overlook the golden gate. Once you reach the old gun battery at the top there is a circular area, veer to the left and it becomes a cool roller coaster like single lane road that ends up in Fort Cronkhite (rodeo beach military designation). That whole area is where I walk my dog and the beach is awesome. You could stay in Union Square or the Embarcadero Hyatt Regency is right by the waterfront/ferry building and near the financial dist. Not sure what the cost is but I have done some shows in there and I see business travellers. I like to take my drives out to Point Reyes and then up the coast, cut back in to the highway to get back south again on something like the Tomales-Petaluma rd. etc... I can also recommend West Ridgecrest Blvd on Mt. Tamalpais that runs into the Fairfax-Bolinas road, best views over the Stinson Beach/Bolinas area, ocean etc.. Take that to get to Stinson Beach from Mill Valley. Well ask me anything you want!

pauljones > Ash78, voting early and often
09/19/2016 at 15:14

As per usual, the very first thing that comes to mind for me when traveling is, quite simply, “where are the breweries?”

And because I like you Ash, I’ve spent 37 whole seconds to find this list of all the local breweries in SF, as well as some great bars and restaurants where excellent beer may be found:

https://www.beeradvocate.com/place/city/17/

Click link, enjoy. I expect a report later.

Wrong Wheel Drive (41%) > Ash78, voting early and often
09/19/2016 at 15:20

Disclaimer: I dont live on the West coast but I have visited San Fran twice in the last two years and spent about a week there each time. First time was a solid 5 days plus 2 in traveling all spent in the city, no car. Second time was driving up from LA and going to places further from the city for a few days.

I’d say definitely dont try to go out to Yosemite for a day (or even a short weekend) trip, it really deserves at least a solid 2-3 days not including the travel there. Alcatraz is nearly impossible to get tickets for, so don’t bother unless you are REALLY into it and have plenty of time to book ahead. And if you want to see Redwoods, I highly recommend Big Basin (south of the city) rather than the closer Muir Woods; it was just a much better and more authentic experience (either way you need to drive).

The last items on your list: Coit Tower, Presidio, Painted Ladies, and Golden Gate Park are all super worth it. My girlfriend and I really enjoyed Golden Gate Park, just walking around and enjoying the beautiful weather. During our first trip, we did a bike ride from the park, over the bridge, and to Sausalito. Then you just take the ferry back and return the bike at the terminal, that was excellent!

One last thing, driving around the city is actually quite efficient. We took the bus everywhere the first time and while that worked, it was certainly not really that convenient. The busses often got stuck in traffic and waiting sometimes took a while. When we went back with a car, parking really wasnt bad in most places and it was just a cool city to cruise around. Plus we wanted to see redwoods and Napa valley, so it just made sense. I am comparing the parking to NYC though, so really anything will be “easy” lol.

Wrong Wheel Drive (41%) > DutchieDC2R
09/19/2016 at 15:24

Airbnb is a really good option at that price range too. Way more fun than boring hotels.

Matt Brown > Ash78, voting early and often
09/19/2016 at 15:28

I’d Uber around instead of getting a car; parking is a fucking nightmare. Golden gate park is great. Watch the sunset from Corona Heights park; it’s a tiny park but the view from the top is amazing. Dolores park is full of that real San Fran vibe: homeless hippies and yuppie Googlers all talking about how San Fran used to be cool and now is ruined by all the new people who moved in even they themselves only moved in 9 months ago. Also, everyone gets all pissy when you say “San Fran,” so I like to throw that around a lot while i’m there for fun.

DKerstan > Ash78, voting early and often
09/19/2016 at 15:34

I would recommend the Intercontinental Mark Hopkins, which after a quick look around online is around $280 a night. If you’re interested in renting a car I would recommend SilverCar they will pick you up at the terminal with an silver Audi A4. As others have said, parking in the city can be terrible. I would recommend hitting up Coit Tower, Union Square, China Town, The California Academy of Science, and The San Fran Cable Car Museum.

Ash78, voting early and often > pauljones
09/19/2016 at 15:35

When I first found out about the trip, I checked to see how far away Lagunitas was. Unfortunately, it's over an hour north :D Thanks for the link, that's always a solid choice, especially if they serve dinner AND we're not planning to drive.

Biggus Dickus (RevsBro) > Ash78, voting early and often
09/19/2016 at 15:37

When I travel there:

Hotel: JW Marriott (all about those Marriott points)

Restaurant: Anchor & Hope

area man > Ash78, voting early and often
09/19/2016 at 15:41

I am not a left coaster but I did spend a weekend in SF this summer. My only advice is don’t rent a car unless you a) have parking at the hotel and/or b) really plan on leaving the city for something. It’s gotta be the worst place for parking in the country.

Ash78, voting early and often > Wrong Wheel Drive (41%)
09/19/2016 at 15:43

Thanks for the tips - yeah, I've done Yosemite, Redwoods, etc before and there's no way to even attempt that with just a few free hours each night, or even with a full day. Thanks for the tips on all the city stuff, though — that's exactly what we needed! I just hope the weather in November cooperates...

CompactLuxuryFan > Ash78, voting early and often
09/19/2016 at 15:57

Anchor Brewery is right in the city and they make some of my faves. I always plug ‘em.

Wrong Wheel Drive (41%) > Ash78, voting early and often
09/19/2016 at 16:42

It’s California, the weather always cooperates! Haha somehow I have had nothing but sunny days both times in SF. It was exactly like LA but less hot, so I loved it. But it was also like 20 degrees at home in NJ, so it’s all relative.

There is a place in Little Italy, The Italian Homemade Company, that is really great to eat at. Little hole in the wall type establishment with affordable pricing and the best pasta for sure. Only place that we went to a second time!

Transit > Ash78, voting early and often
09/20/2016 at 16:28

Restaurants: Foreign Cinema in the Mission District (old car headlight chandeliers + chairs made of seat belts), The Spinnaker in Sausalito when you go see the golden gate.

Also 826 Valencia, because pirate supply store.

And go to Chantal Guillon to buy the wife some Macarons because they’re AMAZING.