San Francisco To-Do's?

[OrangeBirdGirl]

DH & I are heading out to San Francisco for the Thanksgiving weekend. DH has been before but it was for a music festival so he didn't do much touring and I have not been.

I'm looking for input on our plans. To give you a little background, we are from WI so locals may say that San Francisco will be cold but for us we will be fine in either a fleece or maybe our winter jacket as our temp will probably be about 20 at home when we head out to CA. We also are go-go-go type travelers. We are fine leaving the hotel by 7am and sightseeing all day without a break. But, we like to be in for the night by about 8. I know a winery tour is a big draw but that doesn't interest us. And, neither does museums (art or sculpture). We are open to any other ideas. We are staying in Fisherman's Wharf area and we will not have a car (but we'll take public transportation). This is what we are thinking....

Thursday - arrive San Francisco around 5pm, don't want any plans incase flight is delayed.

Friday - Disney Family Museum (be there for 10am opening), see Yoda fountain beforehand. See Golden Gate bridge after museum. Go to Alcatraz for the night tour.

Saturday - Tour of Muir Woods. I think the tour is 3 hours. In the afternoon probably wander around Pier 39 and Fisherman's Wharf area.

Sunday - ??? This is really up in the air and not sure what to do. California Academy of Sciences looks neat so maybe that. We initially wanted to go to Yosemite but it looks like it might not be good conditions as it could have snow and ice.

Monday - Leave in the morning, so just get up and go to the hotel.

Looking for other recommendations. We'd like to see a cable car turn around and also see Lombard St but I'm sure we will be able to fit that in Fri or Sat. I also want to make sure i have great pics of the Golden Gate Bridge, that's why I want to do it on Friday incase weather is bad we could go back on Sat and/or Sun if needed.

Thanks in advance!

 

[ncc1701]

The Muirs Wood tour we took stoped in Sausalito. We ate lunch there and walk around then took the ferry back to Fisherman's Wharf.We also did a hop on hop off bus that did stop at the CA. Science Museum.
The same bus trip went over the Golden Gate with a stop on each side. We have stopped at the Ferry Marketplace for lunch at Gott's and have enjoyed meals at the Buenna Vista Pub and Boudin's in FW area . There are 2 cable car turnarounds in the FW area . One right across from the Buenna Vista, the other a block from the Hyatt Hotel.Both lines start at the same location near Union Square. The line ending at the BV Pub has the better views coming down the hill.(So of course it is the more crowded one)
There are also bus tours to Pebble Beach /Carmel that you may want to look into for Sunday.

 

[xlxo]

Some thoughts...

• how are you getting to Alcatraz? I hear it's a popular destination and may best to go on a tour to secure your trip to avoid "sold out" dissappointments.
  http://www.alcatrazcruises.com/website/faqs-purchasing-tickets.aspx#purchase03
• Are you going to check out Chinatown? If so, check out the Golden Gate fortune cookie factory. I stuff one carry-on's with their fresh cookies made on the spot. FYI.... they are the only place you can get ADULT rated cookies!
• Have you considered Carmel and Monterray? They might be worth checking out.
• I was there for a weekend and just walked into the GrayLine office like a buffet and booked morning, afternoon and evenings marathon tours to keep myself busy for 2.5 days.

When I went there....

• Day 1: Chinatown Night tour
• Day 2: Monterray & Carmel tour
  https://www.graylineofsanfrancisco.com/tours/monterey-carmel/
• Day 3: Muir Woods w/ Helicopter, Alcatraz, and City Tour
  https://www.graylineofsanfrancisco.com/tours/san-francisco-tour/

Gray Line Tours have changed since I was there decades ago, but have a look at their site for ideas.

Napa Valley and Yosemite might be other ideas.

 

[OrangeBirdGirl]

Great. Thank you both for the feedback. I wrote down the turn around stops. The Muir Woods tour we are thinking of does have the stop in Sausalito.

Good point on the tours and getting them booked, I think this weekend we'll sit down and do it. We looked early October but felt it was too soon yet. But now I'd better get them booked incase others are going there for the long weekend.

I'll check into Monterray, Pebble and Carmel.

 

[xlxo]

Alcatraz is the only tour to book early.

 

[PlutoPony]

Cable Cars - you can board at the turn around on the Powell-Hyde line in the Fisherman's Wharf area, near Aquatic Park. If you take this you pass the top of Lombard Street and get a decent look at that. Sit on the left side of the car (with your back to the water/Fisherman's Wharf) for the best view of Lombard. Get off at the stop near the Cable Car Museum - it's fascinating and free as I recall. Then take the Cable Car back or walk over to Chinatown from there (it's a bit of a hike). Google will get you good info on specifics, prices. Don't know how busy the area will be Thanksgiving weekend but in normal "tourist" times early is the day has shorter waits.

Also near the above turnaround is THE place for Irish Coffee - the Buena Vista Cafe. You are also near Ghiradelli (which imo is overrated in SF).

Alcatraz at night will be CHILLY. Seriously so, especially on the water going over. The lights of the city will be beautiful though!

We enjoyed California Academy of Sciences, been a couple years so don't know how much it's changed. Took Muni busses from Fisherman's Wharf area with no problem (we stayed there as well).

If you get back from Muir Woods in time, check out the Farmer's Market at the Ferry Building Saturday - it goes until 2. The market is amazing, so much to eat and see. And the Ferry Building itself is neat - old restored Art Deco building. Fog City Diner is near by, had very good food there. In general weren't impressed with restaurants in Fisherman's Wharf area, it's just too touristy for the really good restaurants.

In general, I wouldn't recommend taking the time to do Yosemite or Monterrey/Carmel. Both are definitely worth visiting but the amount of travel time is fairly significant especially since you're only there for a short time.

Lastly, we took a Segway tour and had an absolute blast riding them on the hills of SF! Ours originated near the Cable Car turnaround I mentioned earlier (and close to Buena Vista Cafe too). Wish we'd had time to do an advanced tour - they go down Lombard Street!!

Have fun!

 

[samserena]

For Muir Woods, is the only way/best way to do it in a tour?

 

[bcla]

For Muir Woods, is the only way/best way to do it in a tour?

I have an annual pass. In fact an annual pass ($20) costs less than the price of three single-day admissions ($7 each), and allows up to four people or the occupants of one noncommercial vehicle.

I have never been on a tour of Muir Woods, although I've always arrived via private vehicle. There may be scheduled park ranger led activities. These are included with admission. You can check for the special events, although these aren't the daily talks/walks. The schedule of the daily walks/talks varies and won't be posted except at the site.

http://www.nps.gov/muwo/planyourvisit/events.htm

 

[xlxo]

Cable Cars - you can board at the turn around on the Powell-Hyde line in the Fisherman's Wharf area, near Aquatic Park. If you take this you pass the top of Lombard Street and get a decent look at that. Sit on the left side of the car (with your back to the water/Fisherman's Wharf) for the best view of Lombard. Get off at the stop near the Cable Car Museum - it's fascinating and free as I recall. Then take the Cable Car back or walk over to Chinatown from there (it's a bit of a hike). Google will get you good info on specifics, prices. Don't know how busy the area will be Thanksgiving weekend but in normal "tourist" times early is the day has shorter waits.

Some thoughts about the cable car... How long do you want to ride the cable car? One ride is $5. Return is another $10. Do you plan to ride a second route or get off and ride again? That will be another $5. After 3 rides... it may be cheaper to just pay for a $13 passport.
http://www.sfcablecar.com/riders.html
http://www.citypass.com/san-francisco/muni-cable-car

 

[xlxo]

For Muir Woods, is the only way/best way to do it in a tour?

You might want to do some research on tours... when I did a tour decades ago, I think it was limited to 30 minutes.

The website mentions there are trails for various durations.
http://www.nps.gov/muwo/planyourvisit/trails-in-muir-woods-and-vicinity.htm

 

[samserena]

I'm having a look at some tours, i'd love to do one that goes to Sausolito as well.

I've found one on Viator, Gray line and Tom's Walking Tour.

Has anybody done one of them recently?

 

[ncc1701]

I'm having a look at some tours, i'd love to do one that goes to Sausolito as well.

I've found one on Viator, Gray line and Tom's Walking Tour.

Has anybody done one of them recently?

You can also take a ferry from the Fisherman's Wharf area to go to Sausalito.We did this on our last trip.
Didn't want to do a tour to Muirs Wood but did want to lunch in Sausalito.

 

[OrangeBirdGirl]

Regarding the tour of Muir Woods, we aren't too concerned with an actual "tour' of it. We are find exploring on our own. When I say we are taking a tour it is more for the transportation.

We did look into getting out there on our own, we were going to rent bikes and ride them. But we figured it might be too cool for that. That's why I'm deciding to do a tour with transportation.

 

[OrangeBirdGirl]

Alcatraz at night will be CHILLY. Seriously so, especially on the water going over. The lights of the city will be beautiful though!


Have fun!

Thanks! I have a North Face winter jacket that I will probably bring with on the trip. Between that a scarf and gloves I am hoping I'll be fine on the boat ride.

 

[bcla]

Regarding the tour of Muir Woods, we aren't too concerned with an actual "tour' of it. We are find exploring on our own. When I say we are taking a tour it is more for the transportation.

If it's transportation you need, you can take the ferry and then a bus (on weekends during the season). However, the season ends Oct 26. The ferry operates year round, and it's a nice way to get to Sausalito.

http://goldengateferry.org/schedules/Sausalito.php
http://goldengateferry.org/fareprograms/

If you take the ferry, I'd suggest getting a "Clipper Card" - an interagency cash card for public transportation. The cost is $3 just for the card without any cash value, but the one-way discount for the San Francisco-Sausalito ferry is more than that. It also would allow you to bypass the ticket machines if you're in a hurry. I remember I barely got on the ferry once, while there was a line of people waiting to buy tickets and who didn't make the last call for boarding.

https://www.clippercard.com/ClipperWeb/index.do

Someone mentioned bicycling there. It can be done, but I wouldn't recommend it. It's really hilly. The road there itself can be somewhat scary with a huge dropoff. There are serious bicyclists riding these roads, but it's not a leisurely ride by any stretch.

As far as Muir Woods goes - it's nice and everything, but I personally think it's overrated. The big deal with Muir Woods is that it's in the San Francisco Bay Area and the last remaining stand of old-growth redwoods left in the area. Nearly all old-growth redwoods were cut down for construction materials after the 1906 earthquake. What saved what's Muir Woods from being cut down was its location in a deep valley that was difficult to get to. There are more impressive stands of old-growth redwoods from the Santa Cruz area up to the Oregon border in Mendocino/Humboldt/Del Norte Counties. I haven't been to Redwood National/State Parks yet, but that's on my bucket list. I have been to redwood groves around Santa Cruz, including Henry Cowell Redwoods State Park. It's bigger, has more redwoods, and is far less crowded than Muir Woods.

 

[OrangeBirdGirl]

If it's transportation you need, you can take the ferry and then a bus (on weekends during the season). However, the season ends Oct 26. The ferry operates year round, and it's a nice way to get to Sausalito.

http://goldengateferry.org/schedules/Sausalito.php
http://goldengateferry.org/fareprograms/

If you take the ferry, I'd suggest getting a "Clipper Card" - an interagency cash card for public transportation. The cost is $3 just for the card without any cash value, but the one-way discount for the San Francisco-Sausalito ferry is more than that. It also would allow you to bypass the ticket machines if you're in a hurry. I remember I barely got on the ferry once, while there was a line of people waiting to buy tickets and who didn't make the last call for boarding.

https://www.clippercard.com/ClipperWeb/index.do

Someone mentioned bicycling there. It can be done, but I wouldn't recommend it. It's really hilly. The road there itself can be somewhat scary with a huge dropoff. There are serious bicyclists riding these roads, but it's not a leisurely ride by any stretch.

As far as Muir Woods goes - it's nice and everything, but I personally think it's overrated. The big deal with Muir Woods is that it's in the San Francisco Bay Area and the last remaining stand of old-growth redwoods left in the area. Nearly all old-growth redwoods were cut down for construction materials after the 1906 earthquake. What saved what's Muir Woods from being cut down was its location in a deep valley that was difficult to get to. There are more impressive stands of old-growth redwoods from the Santa Cruz area up to the Oregon border in Mendocino/Humboldt/Del Norte Counties. I haven't been to Redwood National/State Parks yet, but that's on my bucket list. I have been to redwood groves around Santa Cruz, including Henry Cowell Redwoods State Park. It's bigger, has more redwoods, and is far less crowded than Muir Woods.

Thanks for all the info. Yes we will be there after the schedule stops at end of October. I think my only option other then renting a car then to get to Muir is a tour. I checked Google Maps and did public transportation but it shows only 4x a day service so probably too spotty.

LOL, I'm the one that said biking. Thanks for the heads up, probably won't do it then. We like to bike a lot at home, but that is on our bikes and in conditions we like. Probably wouldn't like biking around carrying a cross body bag and wearing jeans (like I thought I would).

I don't have high expectations for Muir Woods. We have one of those National Parks Passport Books (where you stamp the book at each park) so usually if there is ever something near where we are we get the book stamped, so that and probably seeing a big tree will be the extent of our trip there.

Thanks again!

 

[Lain]

You mentioned you had Muir Woods planned for that day, and I would recommend visiting that as early as you can, as it is a popular weekend destination for Bay Area folks, and the offramp to the Muir Woods parking lot gets really backed up even as early as 10 a.m. on the weekends.

One thing you might want to consider for your Saturday plans is whether you want to check out the Ferry Plaza Farmer's Market, which runs from 8 a.m. - 2 p.m. It's the largest of the city's farmer's markets, with farmers, bakers, cheesemakers, and food booths all set up at the picturesque Ferry Building. Inside the Ferry Building are also culinary shops and very nice restaurants.

If you can fit in the Ferry Building and/or its farmer's market after Muir Woods, you might want to do the following:

From your hotel in Fisherman's Wharf, catch the "F" line Muni streetcar at Jones and Beach Streets (first stop). Fare is $2.25 per adult, which comes with a transfer slip good for any Muni bus or streetcar for about 2 hours from the time you first hop on that you just show to a bus driver to avoid paying the fare again. The F-car will take you down the Embarcadero along all the Piers fronting the Bay. In about 10 minutes, you'll reach the Ferry Building, which should be on your left. You can get off and explore the farmer's market if it's still running, the shops and eateries in the Ferry Building.

Then you can hop back onto the F-car at the same stop you got off, and take the streetcar onto Market Street through the Financial District. At this point, the F-car is likely to be crowded with other tourists doing the same. About 10 minutes ride from the Ferry Building, you'll reach Market and Powell Streets -- you've arrived at the Union Square neighborhood, which is full of shopping. Explore Union Square, then go back down to Market and Powell Streets for the Cable Car turnaround right next to the Gap.

There's going to be a long line of tourists waiting to board a Cable Car. As someone mentioned above, it's a $5 per adult fare. The Powell/Hyde line will take you over Nob Hill and Russian Hill, back down to the Fisherman's Wharf area. You'll end up at the other end of the cable car turnaround on Hyde and Beach Streets, at the corner of a park. Across from that park is Ghirardelli Square, which for the most part is really a shopping center with some shops -- but a fantastic Ghirardelli ice cream and chocolate shop (perfect for desserts!)

Down the hill and to your right is Fisherman's Wharf, where you might want to try some crab from one of the stands, the big Boudin bakery at Fisherman’s Wharf for clam chowder and sourdough – it’s the original sourdough bakery, or the In-n-Out Burger (the only one in the city). From Fisherman's Wharf, Pier 39 is just a short walk down the Embarcadero.

 

[Lain]

It occurs to me that you said you're visiting over Thanksgiving weekend. The farmer's market at the Ferry Building *might* not be running on account of the holiday -- you'll have to check the calendar.

But, I should mention that the Christmas tree lighting at Union Square happens that weekend, on Friday, 11/28. So, whether you go for the lighting or just happen to walk by Union Square (just a few blocks up the hill from the cable car turnaround), the tree and the Macy's across from the park will be decked out in all their holiday glory.

 

[xlxo]

Good point on the holiday weekend.... how can we not forget about Black Friday madness? Major bargain California electronics "souvenior" shopping opportunity!

 

[OrangeBirdGirl]

We booked two tours last weekend.

For Alcatraz we wanted the night tour, the only option left for that weekend was Sunday night. We did the 4:50 tour and now that one is already sold out. We also booked a Muir Woods "hiking" tour with a stop in Sausalito. The tour talks about how it drops you off at the top and you hike down into Muir Woods. We're really excited to do that as it will be able to experience MW a little more then just stopping at the main tourist stops in the park. The only option for that tour was a 12:45pm departure.