Hotels San Fran-Union Sq, Mission St or FW?

[stmom2]

Looking at Marriott brands in San Fran in June. In your opinion, what is the best location in regards to being centrally located and in a safe area...

I can choose the JW Marriott or the Marriott in Union Square or a location on Mission St or also a location near Fisherman's Wharf....very confused. Are all of these locations near each other...?

Any thoughts?

 

[bcla]

The Marriott on Mission is commonly referred to as the "Jukebox building" because of its shape. The area is fine at night because of all the foot traffic.

The Marriott Union Square and JW Marriott are OK. The issue with this neighborhood is that it's the Tenderloin just a few blocks away. San Francisco is sort of odd that way. It's four-star hotels on one block and two blocks away it's single-occupancy only hotels, pimps/prostitutes, and drug dealing. So it's really nice when you're right at the luxury hotels, but it's easy to get lost if you're not careful. I wouldn't try to talk anyone out of staying at Union Square, because I think it's safe and the hotels are really nice. But you need to be aware of where you're going because the neighborhood changes rather quickly. I wouldn't necessarily say it's unsafe. The gang violence in SF is more in the Mission District (not all of Mission St) and the areas near Bayview/Hunters Point. The Tenderloin is just sleazy. I've dined there at some of the best ethnic spots in SF, but there's a certain adventure in dodging the drug-addict panhandlers looking to get their next fix.

http://foundsf.org/index.php?title=San_Francisco's_Sleaziest_Street_-_Yesterday_and_Today

If you get tired of the posh respectability of Union Square, and find yourself with a hankering for sin, sleaze, and assorted sordid stuff, where can you go? In the words of the immortal Horace Greeley, "Go west, young man." West along O'Farrell Street, that is. You'll traverse the Tenderloin District, San Francisco's scummiest neighborhood, a filth-encrusted hotbed of immorality, indecency, lewdness, corruption, and all manner of vice.

Fisherman's Wharf is pretty safe. I wouldn't worry about wandering into the wrong neighborhood.

 

[gatorfreud]

Either Union Square or the one on Mission are fine. Just know the areas not to go to and you'll be fine. You will be able to tell if it's looking sleazy - you wouldn't have reason to go there anyway. Even in those areas, just walk like you know where you are going and don't look around. No big deal.

I would prefer one of those two instead of at the wharf personally. More to do around Union Square.

Kim

 

[wiigirl]

Either Union Square or the one on Mission are fine. Just know the areas not to go to and you'll be fine. You will be able to tell if it's looking sleazy - you wouldn't have reason to go there anyway. Even in those areas, just walk like you know where you are going and don't look around. No big deal.

I would prefer one of those two instead of at the wharf personally. More to do around Union Square.

Kim

x2

 

[bcla]

I mentioned the Tenderloin without going in depth. It's really not that bad, but it's the kind of place that someone staying in a four-star hotel is generally trying to avoid. But if you're feeling adventurous it's almost like you've entered the world of a 50s dime store pulp novel.

Here's another description:

http://www.sfgate.com/neighborhoods/sf/tenderloin/

What's It Like?

Repeatedly described in most tourist guides as "the worst neighborhood in San Francisco," the Tenderloin thrives despite its bad rap. Sure, there are Tenderloinloads of drug dealers, addicts, prostitutes and mentally unstable street people, but if you can get past that, you'll find it is also one of the city's most exciting and diverse locales.

Getting its funky, florid nickname from the days when policemen were paid more to work its mean streets, thereby affording the cops better cuts of meat, the Tenderloin is moving up these days. A heavy influx of Vietnamese families in the last two decades has been instrumental in achieving -- if not entirely responsible for -- its face-lift. And then there are those incredibly delicious sandwiches you can get at the corner markets.

This area is perhaps the last frontier in SF's ever-expanding gentrification trend, and you can still stumble on unpolished gems in the form of incredible cooking, unpredictable bar scenes, independently owned stores and great live music.

The streets aren't the cleanest, and you will be approached frequently by strangers, so just stay alert and don't let it get to you. You have to hunt a little harder for your treasures in the 'Loin, but in a city increasingly headed toward high-end everything, it's a small price to pay.

 

[SammiL]

Looking at Marriott brands in San Fran in June. In your opinion, what is the best location in regards to being centrally located and in a safe area... I can choose the JW Marriott or the Marriott in Union Square or a location on Mission St or also a location near Fisherman's Wharf....very confused. Are all of these locations near each other...? Any thoughts?

The first 3 you mentioned are fairly close to one another. JWs are normally nicer hotels so if you wanted to be smack in the heart of union square and had to choose between a regular Marriott and the JW choose the JW. The few blocks do not make a huge difference in my opinion. Marriott on mission street is close to museums, Yerba Buena and all the shopping in union square. I think it's a great location.

You may come across some streets around these hotels that you'd rather avoid but In a busy city with diverse neighborhoods, we should always be aware of our surroundings anyway. If I had to choose which location is safest, id say fishermans wharf area. There are a lot of tourist traps though can't say it's centrally located either.

 

[bcla]

The first 3 you mentioned are fairly close to one another. JWs are normally nicer hotels so if you wanted to be smack in the heart of union square and had to choose between a regular Marriott and the JW choose the JW. The few blocks do not make a huge difference in my opinion. Marriott on mission street is close to museums, Yerba Buena and all the shopping in union square. I think it's a great location.

You may come across some streets around these hotels that you'd rather avoid but In a busy city with diverse neighborhoods, we should always be aware of our surroundings anyway. If I had to choose which location is safest, id say fishermans wharf area. There are a lot of tourist traps though can't say it's centrally located either.

Which museums were you thinking of? I know Yerba Buena Center got the Arts and Contemporay Jewish Museum. SFMOMA is currently closed for a remodel. SF museums tend to be really spread around, like California Academy of Sciences and the De Young in Golden Gate Park, Palace of the Legion of Honor at Lincoln Park, and the Exploratorium on the waterfront.

 

[SammiL]

Which museums were you thinking of? I know Yerba Buena Center got the Arts and Contemporay Jewish Museum. SFMOMA is currently closed for a remodel. SF museums tend to be really spread around, like California Academy of Sciences and the De Young in Golden Gate Park, Palace of the Legion of Honor at Lincoln Park, and the Exploratorium on the waterfront.

Oh no didn't realize the moma is closed! Asian art museum and the cartoon one are nearby at least. I really enjoy the food and shopping options surrounding Yerba Buena as well.

For anyone staying downtown, I'd hope they would be able to hop on the 38 or make the 20-25 min drive to GGP depending on traffic. Its so beautiful in that area on a clear day. Or better yet, visit the Walt Disney museum in the presidio after sightseeing at the Golden Gate Bridge. Legion of Honor wouldn't be terribly far from there. if they choose fishermans wharf I'd definitely recommend visiting the ferry building and new exploratorium. Plus, it's right next to one of my new favorite restaurants Coqueta! So many fun places. Not suggesting they'd be interested in any of this although I think all the museums are very accessible in this small city.

 

[bcla]

Oh no didn't realize the moma is closed! Asian art museum and the cartoon one are nearby at least. I really enjoy the food and shopping options surrounding Yerba Buena as well.

For anyone staying downtown, I'd hope they would be able to hop on the 38 or make the 20-25 min drive to GGP depending on traffic. Its so beautiful in that area on a clear day. Or better yet, visit the Walt Disney museum in the presidio after sightseeing at the Golden Gate Bridge. Legion of Honor wouldn't be terribly far from there. if they choose fishermans wharf I'd definitely recommend visiting the ferry building and new exploratorium. Plus, it's right next to one of my new favorite restaurants Coqueta! So many fun places. Not suggesting they'd be interested in any of this although I think all the museums are very accessible in this small city.

I think San Francisco is actually not that bad to get around in a car. I took my kid yesterday on BART, and MUNI was kind of clunky. We've got memberships at the Academy of Sciences and Exploratorium, and getting around by MUNI's bus and light rail ate a lot of time. However, downtown is a pain to find parking, and the area around the Exploratorium might require parking blocks away unless it's a $3/hr meter or those expensive private parking lots.

SFMOMA is expanding and they say it should be done by 2016. The museum store is still open, and they've got some small exhibits set up offsite (Fort Mason, Yerba Buena Center for the Arts, Palace of the Legion of Honor, Stanford's Cantor Arts Center, etc. They're working with a lot of different museums to display pieces from their collection while their building is closed.

http://www.sfmoma.org/our_expansion/expansion_project/expansion_project_faq
http://www.sfmoma.org/visit
http://www.sfmoma.org/exhib_events

I heard that the expansion happened when the Presidio Trust wouldn't approve Donald Fisher's plans for a modern art museum, and he decided to donate to SFMOMA instead. It was a big collection, so they needed to expand to the buildings next door.

 

[SammiL]

I think San Francisco is actually not that bad to get around in a car. I took my kid yesterday on BART, and MUNI was kind of clunky. We've got memberships at the Academy of Sciences and Exploratorium, and getting around by MUNI's bus and light rail ate a lot of time. However, downtown is a pain to find parking, and the area around the Exploratorium might require parking blocks away unless it's a $3/hr meter or those expensive private parking lots. SFMOMA is expanding and they say it should be done by 2016. The museum store is still open, and they've got some small exhibits set up offsite (Fort Mason, Yerba Buena Center for the Arts, Palace of the Legion of Honor, Stanford's Cantor Arts Center, etc. They're working with a lot of different museums to display pieces from their collection while their building is closed. http://www.sfmoma.org/our_expansion/expansion_project/expansion_project_faq http://www.sfmoma.org/visit http://www.sfmoma.org/exhib_events I heard that the expansion happened when the Presidio Trust wouldn't approve Donald Fisher's plans for a modern art museum, and he decided to donate to SFMOMA instead. It was a big collection, so they needed to expand to the buildings next door.

I completely agree and actually prefer driving over public transportation. It's costly for me to feed the meters but worth it sometimes! I always park at the Powell or Stockton garage downtown but will probably never be able to pay $$$$ for 15 min of parking at a garage by the embarcadero. I'm guilty of parking at those $3 meters and thankfully there's the app to pay by phone now so there's no need to run back and forth to make sure the meter is fed. It's always good to know I have the option to take the bus though. I spent many years taking the bus back home from school growing up and for the most part it was easy and always safe.

Good moma info. It sounds like quite the expansion so I'll have to check the new stuff out when it reopens!