San Francisco info

[Mtdewbuzz]

Well, I'm planning to spend 3 whole days in San Francisco in early April. I've never been, and I've always wanted to go. SO, now that I am going, the question is: Where to stay & what to do??

So, for any of you who may have travelled to San Fran, or happen to live in San Fran, please help me out. Suggest best areas to stay at, things to definitely do, places to eat, good places for info, etc etc etc. If I get half the info about San Fran that I did about my Disney cruise last year from the people on these boards, I know I'll be in good hands!


p.s. Bonus points for anyone who knows some good hotel discount codes!!

 

[year2late]

Go Priceline 4star.....

 

[ByTheSea]

Check out priceline. We went over thanksgiving, spent part of the trip at Fisherman's wharf, which was a great area. We did a 3* and got the Sheraton, parking is really expensive ($30+ a day) so if I had to do it over again, I would have not rented a car.

The second half of the trip was in the Financial District, did a 4* and got upgraded... it was great, just a short walk to Chinatown, lot's of shopping, etc.

Depends what you enjoy. We had a car and used it to drive to Muir Woods, beautiful. Also did the cruise to Alcatraz, but our 8 year old thought that was boring.

EXCELLENT FOOD. If you go to Haight Ashbury area, there was this Ka-bob place that was incredible, and pretty inexpensive. In Chinatown, we ate at this dive, highly recommended by our hotel, the Nanking - the owner pretty much will order for you and you can't go wrong.

have fun!

 

[minniecarousel]

Don't forget to do the "touristy" stuff: Fisherman's Wharf, Pier 39, Golden Gate Park....get a tour book before you go & hi-lite what you'd like to see. If you can fit in a Giants game - do it! PacBell Park is great. It's on the Embarcadero - which is beautiful too. For great Italian food - go to North Beach. I think my friends like Fiore Italia (something like that). The Cliff House (above the beach - duh!) is a San Francisco jewel - I hear their Sunday Brunch is excellent. You don't need to rent a car. Public transportation is an adventure in itself! (& there are tour busses to take you to places like Muir Woods.) There are plenty of taxis in the City as well.
Have fun! (I'm starting to get the urge to take a trip over there now!)

 

[The Mystery Machine]

When we went we stayed by the Wharf. We saw all the sights. Make sure you bring your winter coat!

 

[Mtdewbuzz]

Hmmm.... never tried Priceline before, but I have heard there are some good deals. So, what kind of price per night would I be looking at generally on a 3 star & on a 4 star hotel?

Keep the ideas coming too! This is great!

 

[ByTheSea]

there is a website where people post bidding strategies, winning bids, etc. I use it all the time. Hope it's OK to post it here (if not you can send me a PM)

www.biddingfortravel.com

If I had to do our SanFran trip over again, I would have only rented a car for a day or two, and stuck with public transportation or walking.

 

[Mtdewbuzz]

Hey, thanks for that site! I got reservations at the Grand Hyatt San Francisco, which is a 4 star, for only $65 a night, whch was the best deal I've found yet!!

I did find out that parking was high though ($30-39 a night!). My wife already reserved a rental car, but I'm going to see if we can't cancel it & just do the public transportation thing to get around...

Keep the tidbits coming...!

 

[lil mermaid]

I just moved to the San Francisco area from New England about three months ago. I work in San Francisco, so I am in the city every day. Between BART, Muni and taxis, you won't need a car to get around.

I highly recommend that you get a couple of tour books. One that I really really liked was "San Francisco for Dummies," believe it or not!

You have been given some great recommendations, and I would like to add a few. If you are into wine at all, you MUST take a ride up to wine country. IT is absolutely amazing! DH and I have taken several day trips to the Napa, Sonoma and Livermore Valleys. If you want any more information on that, let me know, I will post or send you a pm. I know that your trip is short so you may not have time.

You have to ride the cable car (you know, the Rice a Roni thing.) It is really fun. I would also recommend visiting the Point Reyes National seashore.

By the way, the San Francisco natives that I work with tell me that April and October are the best months of the year, weather wise.