San Francisco thread - to discuss all things San Francisco

[franandaj]

Thanks guys, I'll have a bit of a google when it gets closer for any tours including the drive, it's more of a back up plan because we're only in San Fran for 3 days.

If that's the case, I would just plan on staying in the "The City". There is more to do there than you could imagine in three days. There is plenty of exciting stuff to do there and besides, sometimes you can find belly flops at the 99 cents store! Between Golden Gate Park, the Wharf, Haight/Ashbury, the Presidio and about a million other places PIO can clue you in on, you'll have your hands full in SF!

 

[PrincessInOz]

Thanks guys, I'll have a bit of a google when it gets closer for any tours including the drive, it's more of a back up plan because we're only in San Fran for 3 days.

Yes. Lots to do in San Fran....especially if this is your first visit there.

 

[dyljon]

We're heading over in November this year, at this stage looks like 8th to 12th, and we have been having trouble finding a place to stay, the few places we've tried so far are already booked out! Is this normal for hotels to be booked out so far in advance?

 

[PrincessInOz]

Where are you looking? If on the website, try calling them direct.

If you're calling them direct, it may be that the hotels are popular. And yes, some of the hotels do get booked out...just depends where.

 

[cruiseship048]

We're heading over in November this year, at this stage looks like 8th to 12th, and we have been having trouble finding a place to stay, the few places we've tried so far are already booked out! Is this normal for hotels to be booked out so far in advance?

Hey dyljon let me know what your budget is and what area you want to stay in. I am super connected in the hotel scene in San Francisco and would love to try and help!

 

[dyljon]

Thanks. We've booked in to the Stratford for 5 nights. Got a double double room for $109 a night. Does that sound ok? I know it's probably not the best hotel around, but seemed to offer the best rate in a half decent location. If you've got any other suggestions though I'm happy to reconsider

 

[kacaju]

Subbing to this thread!!I am from NJ. DH has a business trip to San Francisco and I am coming along for the ride!! WOOHOO!
Is it a safe city for me (45 year old) to walk around by myself during the day? He will be in meetings so I am on my own during the day.

 

[PrincessInOz]

Subbing to this thread!!I am from NJ. DH has a business trip to San Francisco and I am coming along for the ride!! WOOHOO!
Is it a safe city for me (45 year old) to walk around by myself during the day? He will be in meetings so I am on my own during the day.

Welcome to the thread!

Sounds like you're going to have a great time exploring the city. What time of year are you heading to San Fran and where are you staying?

I find San Francisco generally safe to walk and explore. When by myself or with DS, I stay on the north side of Market...that's the side towards the downtown/retail shops. I also avoid Market/Mission around the Civic Centre area at any time of the day. I've also gone to the Castro and to Haight/Ashbury by myself during the day without any issue.

Have fun planning!

 

[PrincessInOz]

Just adding to this thread....those of you who followed the January 2011 TR will find these next posts very deja vu.



Heading into Downtown


There’s a song that the great Tony Bennett sings …..

I left my heart in San Francisco

High on a hill…it calls to me

To be where little cable cars

Run half way past the stars

The morning fog may chill the air

I don’t care

My heart waits there in San Franciso

Above the blue and windy sea

When I come home to you San Francisco

Your golden sun will shine for me

My love affair with San Francisco is a very long-standing affair. As you can see from the above collection of photos that were previously taken on different trips, it is somewhere that I visit a fair bit.

The following represents a trip made in Jan 2011, when DH had another work trip and we stayed in Silicon Valley.

DS and I decided to catch the Caltrain into town.
We got on our train….

…I looked out the landscape with interest. Seems like there is a bit of construction happening around San Mateo county.

Hopefully, I’ll get to find out what has been built in a future trip.

We eventually got into the Downtown area. The Caltrain station is located at 4th and King Street in San Francisco. This used to be quite a rundown side of the downtown, but it has been significantly cleaned up in the last 5 years.

From here, we can either catch the Muni light rail or bus into the various tourist spots of San Francisco. And after a quick conference with one of the station masters at the Caltrain station, we decided to hop on the No 47, the quickest way to get to our destination.


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[PrincessInOz]

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Pier 39

The number 47 MUNI bus takes us all the way from the Caltrain station, down Van Ness to here.

Yes, our chosen destination for today was non-other than….

We got there at about 10.30 in the morning and it was obviously a weekday. Look how quiet it was.

Even the sea lions were MIA.

We watched the couple of sea lions for a bit…

…and despite these two jostling for position on the same platform (Why?? Look at the amount of real estate out there!...They kept pushing the other off the platform)....

....there really wasn’t a lot of action on this side of the Pier.


DS was eager to move on to the other side of the Pier.

Time to keep moving…

…when DS saw something that caught his eye.

Snack time!

We opted for the frozen yoghurt and extras. Yummy! They just don't make yoghurt like that in Oz.

We kept heading down the Pier….

….. trying hard to bump into someone….anyone!

But really, it was a slow morning at the Pier. If you're looking for more activity, then mid-week January is probably not the time for you to visit.


The Pier Market restaurant is usually a favourite lunch spot for us. We normally snag a window seat, get the soup and salad lunch whilst watching the sea lions playing with the bridge in the background.

But not today!

We kept on walking to the back of the pier.

..where DS remarkably chose NOT to go on this long time favourite.

We headed on right to the back and admired the rock.

I get seasick just looking at waves…but I was rather amused by this vessel..

I figure if there was another couple of pounds on that vessel, they would probably be swimming!

We headed into a couple more shops at the Pier, finding lots of interesting things to look at; but nothing that we wanted to buy.





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[PrincessInOz]

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Fisherman’s Wharf and another DisBoard winner

Our normal lunch spots at Pier 39 are either the Pier Market or Neptune’s Palace. We pick one or the other, not because the food is particularly outstanding, but because the views are sensational. At the Pier Market we get to see the sea lions and the bridge. At Neptune’s, we see the Rock and the bridge.

Today….well…..today was a little different.

DS and I kept walking down Fisherman’s Wharf proper.

We stopped to look at the seafood sellers.

One of them saw me looking and gave me a close up of the chowder.

DS was growling about being hungry by this stage and was wondering why we hadn’t stopped off to eat at Pier 39 like we normally do.

I had a different destination in mind. You see - Skier_Pete had given me a tip on my PTR….Eat.At.Scoma’s.

I had googled Scoma’s at home and it seemed like it was somewhere in the midst of Fisherman’s Wharf. But where was it?

D’Oh! Take a look at that Orange sign!

It was down a pier…

…and off-off the tourist drag.

Well, maybe not so off-off; but it seemed a world away from the tourist traps and cheap souveniers along the Wharf.
We walked down the pier and I was instantly enchanted by the mosaic. I love looking at street art!

Scoma seemed a bit more upmarket than the other restaurants at the wharf; and with prices to match.

But I had noticed that there was a lunch special….

So, we left our name and waited for it to be called. We were told it would be about 10 minutes…despite the restaurant being completely empty!

But for once, I didn’t mind the wait…..

..because…..look what was hanging around here!

Here were the sea lions; just enjoying the sunny winter’s day. I figured that the temperatures were low to mid 60's; practically boiling by San Francisco standards!

And somewhere here, I found my heart and left another chunk of it behind. Yes, I know that I was in the midst of touristville – but that’s what San Francisco does to me. It just sneaks up when I least expect it to and just reminds me why I love it so much.

The 10 minutes just whizzed on by and we heard our names called in a relatively short time.

We had been allocated a great table…..

…with a view.

Our waiter brought us some bread and breadsticks.

Someone sure was hungry!


I decided on the soup and salad lunch special and DS was ordered off the Kids menu.

The food?


My clam chowder was great! It was creamy, full of clams and had a delightful depth of flavour.

The serving size was probably a tad on the small side; but that was the only complaint I had. Given how dreamy it was, I reckon they could have brought me the entire pot and I would still have complained about the serving size.

My waitress recommended the Dungeness crab salad.

This entrée was breathtaking in its simplicity and crisp flavours. The crab was beautifully cooked and the dressing had the right amount of acidity and sweetness to it.

DS got the Fish and Chips

He finished the chips and left a bit of fish behind. For a kid’s meal, the serving size was enormous!

I decided on a coffee to finish; before getting the bill. The soup and salad was $17, the kid’s meal was about $8, coffee and tips for a total of $32. Given the quality of the food, I had no complaints.


And the DisBoard wins again! I have yet to be given a bad recommendation from a fellow Dis-er.
Skier_Pete – thanks for the tip. I reckon we found ourselves a new lunch favourite for the next time!

After lunch, we meandered back to the main drag….

 

[PrincessInOz]

San Francisco Maritime National Park


We re-joined the tourist trap of Fisherman’s Wharf and headed in the direction of Ghirardelli’s. But neither of us felt like looking at more mugs or chocolates so we walked down to Hyde Street….

….and DS saw something that just had him spinning wheels!

We walked though the Riverboat..

…and took ourselves back in time to marvel at the ship-making craft.

I haven’t been in the Hyde Street Pier in years! So I was delighted to step in again.

The Hyde Street Pier used to be part of Highway 101. Before the bridge was built, there used to be a ferry that took vehicles across the harbour to the Marin county side. You can still see the 101 sign.

We headed down the end of the pier, admiring the golden day ships that reside here as tourist attractions. The ships are part of the Maritime National Historic Park and include this beautiful square rigged sailing ship.

And it was a good opportunity for DS to learn the ropes a little…

They had stations down the pier that showed how to tie different knots. Both DS and I had fun getting ourselves tangled in knots.

Yes, we had a great time down the pier.

And the views were fabulous!

I asked DS to take a picture of me with the Rock in the background…..

….guess we’ll have to go back for that shot sometime!

We headed back out and I guess DS must have thought he’d really pulled his weight today….

…but he still had one very important decision to make…..


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[PrincessInOz]

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Clang, clang, clang went the trolley…Ding, ding, ding went the bell….


DS was faced with the perplexing conundrum of……

What form of transport to catch back?


My DS just loves transport of any sort so this was a very hard decision for him to make. His options were:

A) The bus. We’d already caught that to get to the wharf
B) The street car. The San Francisco F-line street car runs from Fisherman’s Wharf past the Ferry Building and up along Market to the Castro. This vehicle is similar to the trams we have in Melbourne and DS was severely tempted to catch this one back to Market.
C) The trolley. In the end, I convinced DS that we should catch the trolley back as this was probably the only mode of transport that was distinctively “only in San Francisco”.


As it goes in the song “The day was bright, the air was sweet. The smell of honeysuckle charmed you off your feet”….

Well…no honeysuckle in bloom but the trolleys are charming!

I do wonder if DS had been happy to catch the trolley because we were ‘right there’ rather than having to walk all the way down towards Pier 39 again to catch the street car. But I was glad to have the opportunity to take the shots in this post!

We waited for the gripman and conductor to put some effort into making sure that the trolley was okay for the passengers.

They had to make sure that it had its best “face” forward....showing the Powell/Hyde line!

We had deliberately waited for the next trolley to be top of the line so that we could choose our seat for this ride.

Naturally, DS and I both wanted to sit on the outside of the trolley. What was surprising was that both of us wanted to be on the inside of the outside….

….I think you know what I mean.

I got the window seat!



We waited for the gripman to pull on the handle.....which released the brake ...

And we were off! "Clang, clang, clang went the trolley!"

Up the top of the first or second hill is Lombard Street, the crooked-est street in the world. DS wanted to get off here….

…but I reminded him that we’d paid $5 for the ride and if we got off, we were walking all the way back to the Caltrain station (Yes, sometimes I can be a cruel mum).


I just love the bay windows of San Francisco.

We kept heading up those Russian Hills…towards Nob Hill...

…and what goes up…..

….must come down!

"Ding, ding, ding went the bell!" Numerous times!!

We eventually reached our destination.

…And DS and I walked down Market to 4th Street …..

…..and caught a bus back to the Caltrain station and back on down towards Silicon Valley.

Another great day in the City!

 

[PrincessInOz]

Chinatown morning


If you look up the San Francisco Chinatown, all directions lead to Grant Avenue. It is written up as the largest Chinatown outside of Asia and the oldest one in North America. Grant Avenue is where most of the tourists go to see Chinatown.

If you get on a Chinatown bus, these buses go down Stockton Street. Stockton Street is the other major street for Chinatown. It is where the Chinese community goes to shop and buy their Chinese groceries. Once you head under the Stockton tunnel at Union Square, you’re in a different world.

Chinatown buses are ALWAYS packed at any time of the morning. So, getting off the bus is a tricky business. I waited for the majority of the crowd to jump off at Clay and we got off at Jackson/Pacific.

Every time I go down Stockton, it is no different. There are seemingly boxes and boxes of produce that are stacked on the sidewalk, taking up precious walking real estate, and making it seem like a maze to walk through. Add a couple of hundred thousand people to the mix; and it becomes a recipe for hanging on to your bags and children!

Today ….well….today just seemed like there was an absolute sea of people. They, and the boxes, were just everywhere! I grabbed hold of DS and my camera bag for dear life.

We tried to walk forwards and it was like trying to walk against the tide.
We tried to walk backwards and it was like trying to walk against the tide.
I hated to think what it was like towards Clay Street!

The reason for the extra activity was simple. We were in Chinatown in the lead-up to Chinese New Year. Everyone was frantic to stock up and to make sure that they had appropriate items to give as gifts. Either that or Thursday was the day that social security payments were made, like it is in Oz.

With all the bustle and activity, I didn’t get any pictures of Stockton. I was too scared that if I let go of DS, we would not be able to find each other again. It’s a pity – it would have made for a great streetscape picture.

Out of desperation, I headed out into the street and we managed to make some progress. It seemed a lot easier to dodge the cars and buses; than people and boxes. And we took the only option available to us – head down a cross street towards Grant.

For me, Grant is for tourist shopping and Stockton is for local shopping. I always like to experience the real Chinatown, which in my opinion, lies between Grant Avenue and Stockton Street.

We saw shops with red firecrackers hanging in preparation for Chinese New Year.

I ducked in one of these shops to get some red packets, or ang pows, for my own Chinese New Year celebrations in Melbourne. The cost of the red packets was on par with what we pay in Melbourne; but the variety was so much better.


I also managed to get a couple of shots of the fruit on sale down on the cross street.

And nobody ask me for a translation....it all seems like Greek to me!


DS was fascinated by this shop….I had to explain the concept of Alternative Medicine to him.

And the thought of eating or swallowing Traditional Chinese medicine brought on some rumblings…..


Cheap Eats #1

One of the things that tourists like to experience in any Chinatown is to go eat Dim Sum or Yum Cha. Chinatown San Francisco is no different….and particularly around Grant Avenue, there are a very few Dim Sum restaurants that cater to the tourist and come with a seemingly moderate to high bill. Most tourists would be happy to pay about $10 - $15 per head (or more) for Dim Sum.

Many years ago (before DS was born and on another one of those trips with DH), I had gotten myself lost in the Chinatown between Grant and Stockton. I was walking from Union Square to Columbus; so as long as I headed in that direction, it didn’t matter where I was. I never really figured out where I had gotten to, as I knew that if I took a left or a right that I would hit either of the two landmark streets. But I remembered that I stopped somewhere to get some very tasty and cheap Dim Sum. And on subsequent trips back, I never quite found the street again.

Well….I worked it out today. It was Pacific Street. As you are heading from Stockton towards Grant, there is a little hole in the wall on the left hand side. If you are ever there, go here. This was the place that I found all those years ago.

This time, I decided to try a larger hole in the wall, on the right side.

We ordered 2 Custard buns…

…one of the Shrimp Rice Noodles (Har Fun), 2 shrimp dumplings (Har Gows)….

[Note – the Prawn Rice Noodles serving was more than that shown on this plate. DS and I both hoed into it a little before I remembered to pull the camera out.]

…and bought a bottle of water. I also got some Chinese tea.

I would have bought some Pork dumplings (Shui Mai) as well; but they weren’t ready.

The bill? It came to a little over $6. Yes….$6 for the two of us! It was cheaper than a Golden Arches Meal Deal!!

The Custard buns were adequate; but the ones we had the other night were far superior. But the Har Fun and the Har Gows were wonderful. The shrimp in both were lovely and fresh….and they were perfectly cooked to that crystal crunch consistency. Delicious!

I remember that the first hole in the wall had better custard buns, hence the recommendation.

And for anyone who prefers something a little bit more up market than a hole in the wall, take a look at the All You Can Eat across the street.

I haven’t eaten here; so I cannot vouch for the food. Somewhere else to try…next time.



Chinatown Alley

After we had stretched our bellies, I decided it was time to show what I consider to be the real Chinatown to my DS.

I took him down a couple of alleyways.

In the (g)olden days, the Chinatown alleys were known for gambling and brothel houses. Today, they offered a fascinating insight for my DS.

We were heading for a particular place I had in mind….

Yes, well spotted!

The Fortune Cookie Factory is located in Ross Alley, the oldest of all San Francisco alleys. Have a look at the handwritten sign…

I don’t know if I was supposed to pay 50 cents per picture! But after I paid up, I took one and a few.

There were 3 machines and 3 ladies working when we visited.

The lady in the front sure moved a LOT quicker than the others at the back. I did get a chance to speak to her….turns out she was filling in for the day. The regular worker was off sick and I think she is an auntie of the owner.


The batter is dropped into each of those round moulds and the whole thing moves around. The moulds eventually hit some blue gas flames and get cooked. They keep going round and the workers pull the cooked fortune cookie off the moulds…

They then either put a fortune inside each cookie, and fold it over with the help of the metal prong here to make a fortune cookie, or; they keep the cookie as is and place it in the container.

The round flat cookies are bagged up and sold to the school children that visit here on their excursions. Apparently it is much easier to eat and the school kids don’t care much for the pieces of fortune paper inside.

DS was completely taken with the Fortune Cooking manufacturing process.

See the guy on the left of and behindDS? Well, he was the manager for the day.


He was completely taken with DS…

DS got to try pulling the cookies off the moulds. It sure isn’t as easy as the workers make it out to be!

We left with a couple of free samples; not just of the round cookies but also with fortune cookies.



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[PrincessInOz]

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Still in Chinatown

Cheap Eats #2 and catching up with my cousin


It was now lunchtime. And I had been anticipating this lunch because we were catching up with my cousin. She had been ill all week – turns out that she pretty much had her head in a barf bag and was surfacing just to see us.

We arranged to meet at the corner of Stockton and Broadway. My cuz knew a place on Broadway that served rice porridge.

For those that have not have the pleasure of experiencing rice porridge or congee, when you’re not feeling well, this dish is to the Chinese what chicken soup is to the Caucasians. Cuz figured that congee was about the only thing she would be able to keep down.

I wish I had taken note of the name of the restaurant…but I was too busy yapping with my cousin to notice.

Whilst she ordered the congee, I had a long look at the menu. It was your typical Chinese menu – loads of options and far too many choices. Still, I persevered to almost page 10 before I finally saw what I did not know I was looking for…..another one-pot meal of rice in claypot.

There were about 10 claypot rice options to choose from, all with a variety of proteins. I ordered the chicken and Chinese sausage option and decided that it was probably going to be plenty big enough for DS and me to share. Plus, we were still a little stuffed from the Dim Sum.

She figured that she had a bug or a parasite and was heading to the doctor after lunch. And because she hadn’t eaten solids for a while, when her lunch appeared, she pretty much inhaled it in and I didn’t have the heart to stop her for a picture.

But here’s my lunch.

This dish was more than plenty for DS and me. In fact, we even had some rice left over. The price? A whopping $5.50 for the claypot rice! Even cheaper than the hole-in-the-wall Dim Sum place.
My cousin’s dish was $4.50 and our bill came to about $11.

Here’s the crux. I don’t think I will be heading back to this place in the future. The food was tasty – but the service was lousy! Our server was rude and unhelpful and – I know I may get flamed for this – I only left a tip of $0.25 to show my displeasure.

You see, when I was ordering my claypot meal, I had originally picked a pork and salt fish option. Turns out that from the 10 claypot options on the menu, only 3 were available for lunch. And there was no where on the menu that stated it. She was pretty rude and surly about the whole thing and made it seem like it was my fault for not knowing.

I changed my order. But I asked if it was possible to add salt fish to the dish. I figured they would have some in the kitchen and it would just be a matter of sprinkling a little bit over the rice during the cooking process.

“No!”

No explanation, no checking with the chef….nothing. AND she rolled her eyes at me!

She also plonked down our food when it was ready and we never saw her again for the rest of the time. We had to get another server to get some Chinese tea and water for us.

That’s two strikes…and if she was providing a service for tips, there was nothing worth tipping her for.

Still, aside from the service, I had a great time catching up with my cousin and finding out about family matters. We also experienced another great cheap eat.

But she had to head to the doctors and DS and I had to keep moving. So, we said our goodbyes and parted company.


Walking, walking, walking

It was still fairly early in the afternoon and I’d decided that there was plenty of time for DS and I to walk down towards Market. I wasn’t sure how far we would get as DS has an aversion to physical activity….but it was worth a try.

Given our experience down Stockton that morning, I figured we were safer keeping to the alleys….

….and towards the Heart of Chinatown.

Portsmouth Square is considered the heart of Chinatown because Chinatown originally started down one side of the square.

And the Square also has an appropriately designed restroom for Chinatown!

It has one further attraction for DS….

We spent some time just enjoying the sunshine and the playground.

I managed to push DS out of the playground and we headed down Grant Avenue.

The lanterns were out and it made for a pretty shot.


Going down Grant was probably more touristy than I had wanted, but DS was happy. There were plenty of shops selling Pokemon cards! And I strategically made sure we picked up a pack at the midway point. For any Aussies out there wondering…..no, the Pokemon cards weren’t anything special and they were definitely more expensive than the ones we get in Australia at the Asian $2 shops.


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[PrincessInOz]

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Yerba Buena Gardens


By the time I got down to Market, I had one very whiney little boy. It had been a long’ish walk. He was tired and wanted a rest. So, I headed to another one of my favourite parts of town for a brief stop.

Yerba Buena Gardens lies between 3rd and 4th Street, and Mission and Folson. It is a wonderful open space with a front yard…

….the Martin Luther King Jr Memorial Waterfall.

The setting has been used in various movies and I can’t remember anyone of them right now! But I just love walking behind the falls.

There is also fantastic artwork throughout the garden…

…and views of the wonderful architecture that make up San Francisco.

We headed to the upper terrace and the playground.

There is also a carousel and the Zeum Children’s Museum in the upper terrace.
DS was content to stay and play on the slide.

There are a heap of things to do at Yerba Buena!


You might have noticed the building behind the slide...I certainly did...because it houses the Ice Skating Rink.

We also found a spot on Mission for our afternoon snack…

…before heading down to 4th Street and getting a No 30 Muni back to the 4th and King Caltrain Station.


We had two great days in the city on this trip.



Right now, I'm missing being in San Francisco!

 

[kacaju]

Welcome to the thread!

Sounds like you're going to have a great time exploring the city. What time of year are you heading to San Fran and where are you staying?

I find San Francisco generally safe to walk and explore. When by myself or with DS, I stay on the north side of Market...that's the side towards the downtown/retail shops. I also avoid Market/Mission around the Civic Centre area at any time of the day. I've also gone to the Castro and to Haight/Ashbury by myself during the day without any issue.

Have fun planning!

Thank you!! we leave on April 29th to May 4th. I can't wait.
we are staying here
Hyatt Regency San Francisco
5 Embarcadero Center,
San Francisco, California, USA 94111

Wed. we have a tour to Alcatraz...tour. drinks and dinner on the California Hornblower
So far that is all I know I have to do...I am sure a few other things will pop up.

 

[PrincessInOz]

Thank you!! we leave on April 29th to May 4th. I can't wait.
we are staying here
Hyatt Regency San Francisco
5 Embarcadero Center,
San Francisco, California, USA 94111

Wed. we have a tour to Alcatraz...tour. drinks and dinner on the California Hornblower
So far that is all I know I have to do...I am sure a few other things will pop up.

I've got pictures of the Hyatt Regency...somewhere (I'll try and find them and load into PB for sharing). Stayed there in 2009. I thought it was a nice location and a nice hotel.

You're near the Ferry Building...farmer's market on Saturday and another morning mid-week. There's a little food court just next to the hotel on the Embarcadero side...if you're after food outside of the hotel. On the other side of the building, there was a Noah's Bagel. It was definitely cheaper at the Noah's. We pretty much ate at the Noah's and in the food court. I can guarantee that the Noah's will be opened before 9 am. Not sure about the food court places.

 

[PrincessInOz]

These were taken in the days before I knew how to spell dSLR! These are from the 2009 trip, where only DH and I went. We left DS behind; so I had a great time just walking everywhere!


Hyatt Regency....

Foyer area. This is where the Mel Brooks movie, High Anxiety, was shot.

I thought I had picture of the bedroom; but all I have is the view from the room. Its looking down Market towards the Ferry Building.

You may be offered to upgrade your room for one with a balcony ($). We chose not to...but I had heard that the rooms with balconies are not worth it. Lots of pigeon poo on the balcony.



If you walk out of the 'back' entrance of the hotel, you'll come out towards a similar view like this.

It is pretty quiet this end of town before 9 or 10 am and as I mentioned before, DH and I hit the Noah's Bagel place a couple of times for breakfast. It seemed to be the best option around 8 am in the morning. DH would start walking around 8.40 am to get to the office and I would just keep walking down towards the Union Square. The alternative is to catch a Muni bus from here towards Fisherman's Wharf. There are a couple of options.




The Farmer's Market, mid week. I seem to think this is a Tuesday. I bought some strawberries and cherries and took them back to the room.

There are a couple of nice coffee places inside the Ferry Building and a few shops that were interesting to look at. I didn't take pictures inside the Ferry Building.



This was taken at the back/harbour side of the Ferry Building. It was a nice view to the Bay Bridge.

Haight Ashbury

I caught the Muni bus and got there mid-afternoon...

...pretty quiet.

Also went to The Castro. Caught the f-line down there early morning.

Not sure I would get there sooo early next time. It was after the peak morning travel but before the SAHM come out to play. It would have been the only time I felt a little unsafe by myself in SF during this trip. Easy fix - I found a coffee/bagel shop to sit in and watch the men outside until I saw the pram brigade walking down. And then I did some exploring...again no pictures. If you're game, walk down some of the side streets and look up at the houses. That's where I saw lots of "leather and chains" for sale. Definitely none that were built for women in the windows that I looked at.
I would head down to the Castro around 11'ish.


I spent an afternoon in City Lights Bookshop....Jack Kerouac's store. There were just so many books to browse through!

 

[PrincessInOz]

I think I walked from the Hyatt Regency towards the French quarter one morning. I did look hard but I didn't think it was distinctively French-like. I'm pretty sure I caught a bus towards the Filbert Steps from around the French Quarter. I'm also pretty sure that one of the posts in this thread details the bus number.


Head up this way to Coit Tower...

At the very least, go inside the tower to check out the frescos.

You can go up the tower for $5.

View from the top:

View from outside:

It's not really that different; but it was something that I had the time to do and it didn't seem too much to spend for the experience.



Walk down towards Columbus..

...and head into the Church.

I spent a lot of time in the downtown area and also headed towards Hayes Valley and Union Street. I loved my time down Union Street....this was a shopping trip for me so I was in the shopping/browsing frame of mind.