First Time - San Francisco and Tahoe

[Figment1983]

My family will be going to California for the first time. We fly out February 14, 2015....we will arrive in SFO around lunch time...we will be spending the 14th/15th in San Francisco before driving up to Lake Tahoe(Heavenly) for 5 nights. It will be my wife and I (early 30s) Daughter (5) Son (14 months)

What are some must dos or places we must eat?

 

[xlxo]

I would say...

• a drive across the golden gate bridge
• bay cruise
• alcatraz
• Golden Gate fortune cookie factory. They offer "adult cookies" too!
• cable car (seriously consider a day pass, if you need to ride back to your origin... the day pass will offer better value)
• transit buffs may like to try out a trolley bus or the BART
• ghirardelli chocolates
• monterray if you have time

With regards to food... Where are travelling from (I assume you want to try something different than what you can have at home [ie McDee])? Is there are certain cuisine you would like to try out?

 

[Figment1983]

That is exactly the stuff I am looking for.

I currently live in Atlanta, originally from NY. I would love to visit Chinatown and would love suggestions for restaurants there. Other than that, not particular cuisine, being we are traveling with the kids, we are not looking for anything super upscale...casual atmosphere would be great.

Love visiting restaurants that have been around a long time and continue to draw crowds. Not looking for new/trendy.

 

[usnuzuloose]

There is also the Walt Disney Museum in the presidio. And if you do Alcatraz, order your tickets online as they are usually sold out. Enjoy Tahoe, I love it there. Plenty of places to eat, there is a thing called off the grid which is all catering trucks. You can look it up online and check it out.

 

[Figment1983]

I think I will plan on doing the night tour at Alcatraz, that looks awesome.

 

[sasywtch]

If you are renting a car, I would drive down Lombard Street. We always have to get clam chowder in a bread bowl on the wharf.

Sacramento is half way to Tahoe. If you need a stop, you could just take I5 north for a mile and see Old Sacramento, get some lunch and then back on your drive.

 

[Figment1983]

We will be renting a car, I will have to check that out.

 

[bcla]

We will be renting a car, I will have to check that out.

Check your rental agency's policy on tire chains. Many don't allow them or have severe restrictions. You're going to need to carry chains that time of year even if you're not forced to put them on for R1 conditions.

 

[xlxo]

That is exactly the stuff I am looking for.

I currently live in Atlanta, originally from NY. I would love to visit Chinatown and would love suggestions for restaurants there. Other than that, not particular cuisine, being we are traveling with the kids, we are not looking for anything super upscale...casual atmosphere would be great.

Love visiting restaurants that have been around a long time and continue to draw crowds. Not looking for new/trendy.

If you do get a chance to try some REAL Chinese food, do go looking for Dim Sum Restaurants. The chefs are incredible.

As a non-local.... I've leave others to give SF recommentations.

 

[bcla]

If you do get a chance to try some REAL Chinese food, do go looking for Dim Sum Restaurants. The chefs are incredible.

As a non-local.... I've leave others to give SF recommentations.

Actually - the dim sum restaurants in Chinatown aren't really that great any more. There's only one large one left, after most of the big ones went out of business. There are also a couple of places in SF that supposedly have stellar reputations in the press (Yank Sing is one), but that you frankly don't see many Chinese customers because they consider them to be overpriced tourist traps that serve mostly Caucasian customers.

The best ones in the area are where the middle class Chinese live, but you'll have to travel to get them. They'll be in places like Millibrae (near the airport) or the more suburban parts of San Francisco like Sunset or Richmond.

 

[PrincessInOz]

This thread has a collection of San Francisco experiences over the last 10 or so years. Have fun planning and have a great time!

http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=2451585

 

[xlxo]

The best ones in the area are where the middle class Chinese live, but you'll have to travel to get them. They'll be in places like Millibrae (near the airport) or the more suburban parts of San Francisco like Sunset or Richmond.

A friend suggested Richmond's "Asian Pearl". Going there on a weekend lunch peak was a very long wait trying to find parking and getting a table. But it was worth it!

In Oakland, I lunched at "Peony Seafood Restaurant"

For those not familar with Dim Sum, it an Chinese form of high tea lunch. Food is served in convenient bite sized pieces. I think it's a great idea to sample various menu items.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dim_sum

 

[bcla]

A friend suggested Richmond's "Asian Pearl". Going there on a weekend lunch peak was a very long wait trying to find parking and getting a table. But it was worth it!

In Oakland, I lunched at "Peony Seafood Restaurant"

For those not familar with Dim Sum, it an Chinese form of high tea lunch. Food is served in convenient bite sized pieces. I think it's a great idea to sample various menu items.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dim_sum

I live in the East Bay and have been to both. Other spots that are good include Koi Palace (three locations now in Daly City, Dublin, and Milpitas), Hong Kong Flower Lounge in Millbrae, and Hong Kong East Ocean in Emeryville. However, these aren't touristy areas. Oakland Chinatown is still primarily a working Chinatown, which some consider more authentic than San Fracisco's. The only large dim sum place left in SF Chinatown is New Asia. It may not be that great, but it's good enough if you happen to be in Chinatown. I was there recently and someone asked me how it was and I said it wasn't that great, but it's the only restaurant like it still in Chinatown - the big room noisy Cantonese tea house with mostly Chinese customers. They also still use carts where you pick, while some of the other places require mostly ordering off a menu. No place I know of still uses the old way of counting plates of different types. It kind of got gross since most would only count them at the end of the meal. There was also a legendary place in Hong Kong on a boat. Apparently some customers would chuck a few plates out the window to avoid paying for a few items.

I know you didn't specfically mention Chinatown, but often that's the first thought when Chinese food is mentioned. A lot of the smaller places can be good, but can appear to be complete messes. The takeout joints are cheap and can be very good.

 

[southlakejr]

Seems like everyone else has SF covered, so I'll take Tahoe. (We lived up at South Shore for several years)

Try Fire and Ice for dinner one night. It's in heavenly village, and a pretty cool place. It's kind of like upscale Mongolian grill, where you pick which meats, veggies, etc that you would like, all cooked up on a big grill in the middle. There are a wide variety of sauces to pick from, so you can get a lot of different flavors.

For waterfront dining, your biggest choices are Riva Grill, Fresh Ketch, and the Beacon. Riva is the fanciest of the three, followed by the Beacon and then Fresh Ketch. Fresh Ketch is on the water in the keys, so the view is not as impressive. The Beacon has fantastic fish and chips and calamari, as well as Rum Runners if you enjoy a nice alcoholic beverage from time to time. I would eat there for lunch, rather than dinner, as I feel dinner is a bit overpriced.

For casual food, my top two choices are Burger Lounge or The Brewery. Burger Lounge has fantastic burgers, fries, and shakes (try the Nutella shake!) and was featured on Rachel Ray's show some years back. It's a tiny little shack almost on highway 89 pats the Y. The Brewery is on the main drag, and has pretty good food, a nice little atmosphere (almost feels like a house with a fireplace and all) as well as good beer.

What are your plans for Tahoe? Skiing/snowboarding? On your way into town, while you are coming over the mountain, you will pass Sierra At Tahoe. They have a fantastic snow and tubing park for kids.

If there's anything else you'd like to know about the area- let me know!

Oh, and as to the rental car part of it- rent an SUV. Seriously. It's just easier. They say we're in for a heavy winter (lord knows we need it) and going over the summit is just easier with 4WD. Not to mention the icy roads in town.

 

[ncc1701]

My family will be going to California for the first time. We fly out February 14, 2015....we will arrive in SFO around lunch time...we will be spending the 14th/15th in San Francisco before driving up to Lake Tahoe(Heavenly) for 5 nights. It will be my wife and I (early 30s) Daughter (5) Son (14 months)

What are some must dos or places we must eat?

Where are you staying ? We have visited San Francisco several times staying in the Fishermans' Wharf area. We have taken several hop on hop off bus trips that allowed us to see what we wanted. Since you really only have 1 full day that maybe your best way to see the highlights.

 

[bcla]

Oh, and as to the rental car part of it- rent an SUV. Seriously. It's just easier. They say we're in for a heavy winter (lord knows we need it) and going over the summit is just easier with 4WD. Not to mention the icy roads in town.

Those tend to come at a steep premium. Additionally there's no guarantee that the tires will have adequate tread depth (6/32") to bypass chain controls. Also - that may reduce the chances of getting stuck, but a lot of 4WD/AWD drivers don't quite get that it doesn't really help with steering or braking. Only real winter tires improve those, and it's not a miracle. I remember driving in the snow in my Subaru, and the basics were always to brake gently/early and avoid hard braking and steering at the same time (unless you want to slide out).

 

[southlakejr]

Those tend to come at a steep premium. Additionally there's no guarantee that the tires will have adequate tread depth (6/32") to bypass chain controls. Also - that may reduce the chances of getting stuck, but a lot of 4WD/AWD drivers don't quite get that it doesn't really help with steering or braking. Only real winter tires improve those, and it's not a miracle. I remember driving in the snow in my Subaru, and the basics were always to brake gently/early and avoid hard braking and steering at the same time (unless you want to slide out).

Absolutely- 4WD is certainly not a cure all for winter driving. But- it helps to avoid the rental car/chain problem. Also, that bit of extra clearance is nice during a heavy snow period because of the berms. Oddly enough, the highway is not usually as much of a problem as in town is.

 

[bcla]

Absolutely- 4WD is certainly not a cure all for winter driving. But- it helps to avoid the rental car/chain problem. Also, that bit of extra clearance is nice during a heavy snow period because of the berms. Oddly enough, the highway is not usually as much of a problem as in town is.

I've priced these before, and getting that really puts on a heavy price premium. For example, I checked Hertz at Reno Airport (kind of random, but it's near Tahoe and has decent rates) for one day this Jan 10.

The midsize base rate was $23. Move up to a midsize SUV (which may not be AWD) and it's $74. They only guarantee 4WD/AWD with a large SUV (Chevy Tahoe) and then it goes to $118. An extra large AWD/4WD like a Suburban or GMC Yukon XL goes up to $143. Then throw in a week picked up at SFO and I'm not sure how much it's going to cost.

OK - I looked with Hertz at SFO. A week is $2125.10 and that's only the base rate for a Feb 14 pickup date.

Now one time I did rent a Subaru, but it was simply one of the midsize options that I could pick from the lot. It was also in Oahu, so winter driving conditions weren't exactly a factor.

I'd say just call around and find out which rental car agencies allow chains (none that I know rent them - especially not at SFO) and then buy a set along the way. The CVS in Pollock Pines should have chains at reasonable prices. If they have to go on, pay a chain monkey to install them and pay one to remove them.

 

[gatorfreud]

As for food, go to Nopalito on 9th ave, between Lincoln and Irving. A yummy Mexican restaurant, but not regular Mexican.... Get the totopos appetizer and I like the panucho! Everything there is so good! And not expensive, and casual for kids. Pair it with your golden gate park things... Academy of Sciences, the children's playground is great.

Lots of good places to eat there around 9th and Irving. Arizmendi has delicious chocolate cake and everything there is good! nan king road bistro has great Chinese food- especially sesame chicken, also on 9th.

ton Kiang out on Geary in the Richmond is great for Chinese and dim sum.

If the weather is nice, head out to park chalet by the beach... The beach chalet restaurant at top, but park chalet is on the back, you can sit outside and order food and drinks and the kids can run around outside.