San Francisco People, I have a transportation question!

[mamacatnv]

We will be attending the Kraft Fight Hunger Bowl at AT&T Park this coming Sunday (1/9/11), Go PACK

The game is scheduled for 6 p.m and is being televised so we count 3.5-4 hours. What is going to be the best way back to our motel that time of night on a Sunday? We will be a party of 8

Also, we will be in China Town for a late lunch, the walk is less than 2 miles to the park. My walking directions are Kearny to 3rd St. to the park. Is the area safe to be walking around in (late afternoon 4:30ish) or should we take a bus/cab or divert down to Embarcadero and walk down Embarcadero?

Also, looking to head to Mitchells Ice Cream on San Jose Ave on Saturday night.
We have done Ghirardelli numerous times and honestly its OK, spendy and not all that great. On our last visit our cab driver mentioned Mitchells and we thought we would check it out. We are not interested in Swensons as we have one here in Reno. Thinking of taking muni from our motel in Cow Hollow at 8 ish or so Saturday night, is the neighborhood good?

TIA!
Go Pack

 

[GrandBob]

Your best bet is to go to http://www.sfmuni.com and use their trip planner. Also, take a look at Google maps for SF and click on More->Transit. It will overlay all the transit stops, and if you click on the stop nearest your origin and destination, it will tell you what lines go there.

There's lots of transit near AT&T, both streetcars and busses. The K, N, and T streetcars get off right by the park. But there are no streetcars in Cow Hollow, so you'll need to transfer somewhere. Or get there by bus, but I suspect that's also a transfer. The Muni trip planner is your best bet here.

For Mitchell's, apparently the 49 bus goes all the way down Van Ness from the Cow Hollow district to 29th & Mission, near Mitchell's. Depending on how close to Van Ness your motel is, you may be able to get there in a straight shot.

Sorry, I don't know much about the neighborhood. It looks to be between Upper Noe and Bernal Heights, and near St. Luke's Hospital.

HTH,
Bob

 

[mamacatnv]

Thanks GrandBob
I did go to Muni and got lots of printouts for different destinations.

So now my questions really range on the neighborhoods - the overall safety of getting to them etc.

Last summer we took Muni from the Academy of Sciences to China Town via #5 (If memory serves) to Market St. and then a cable car up the hill. The bus we were on to get to Market St. went through some very sketchy neighborhoods, had sketchier riders and made us a tad bit nervous.
We really don't want to repeat that experience. We have taken Muni a lot to ChinaTown, to the piers, the ferry building, out to the GG Bridge and to Golden Gate park & the Zoo along with BART to Fremont etc. so we are not "afraid" of the city in general but with walking around we want to be smart.

 

[GrandBob]

Thanks GrandBob
I did go to Muni and got lots of printouts for different destinations.

So now my questions really range on the neighborhoods - the overall safety of getting to them etc.

You're welcome, Cat. Wish I could be more help, but it's been about 30 years since I lived in SF.

I can tell you that for your first neighborhood question, to AT&T, you should be just fine. You'll be going through the financial district, then SoMa, past Moscone Center, to AT&T. Those areas should be just fine. They will be busy nearly any time of day, and should be great for walking early afternoon to the game. Long walk, though. You could always take the 30 Stockton. Stops about 2 blks from AT&T.

As far as getting to Mitchell's, I'm much less sure. You'll be fine down Van Ness and past the Civic Center. It's the part transiting through the Mission District that would have me a little worried. It may be just fine now - it was a little sketchy 30 years ago when I lived there. Perhaps an inquiry at your motel desk would be helpful.

-Bob

 

[shellspb]

I'm a native Oaklander and I would cab it all over S.F. Very safe, friendly cab drivers. I would not take Muni, you never know who's going to get on. You can safely walk all over downtown S.F. even in the evening but steer clear of the Tenderloin. Stick to Union Square, North Beach, Embarcadaro and take the cable car from Union Square down to Hyde and grab a world famous Irish Coffee at The Buena Vista Cafe. Wear a coat, it's in the 40's here at night now.