San Francisco trip help needed

[NCRedding]

I have a convention in SF the week after Easter. I would like to combine that convention with a family trip for me, DH and DD (age 14). Dh and I went to SF in 1990, and then drove north to Gualala (sp) and over to Santa Rosa. We would like some suggestions of things to see/do in SF, recommendations of hotels/restaurants. We're also thinking of driving south this time, maybe Monterey?

Would love to hear any recommendations for a great family trip.

 

[hmwnick]

Some of our favorite memories are of our family trip to S.F & Monterey. The 2 places are SO different from eachother. S.F. is full of excitement, we were on the go constantly(but somehow never were exhausted) & in Monterey we took it easy. We took in all the local flavor. The scenery was absolutely beautiful! Monterey Bay aquarium is a must. There are places to rent kayaks, we will surely do that next time. I would go back in a heartbeat. At the time our kids were 11, 7, & 5. DH & I returned to S.F. the following year (w/out kids). It is a very romantic city! We stayed in the Union Square area & prefer the wharf or Nob Hill. Our hotel was fine but not in a great area of town. I use tripadvisors.com when I want to check out a specific hotel. We bought a "City Pass" which is an all in one pass for the Exploratorium, Muni & Cable car pass, entrance into the Museum of Modern Art, Aquarium of the Bay, and the Blue & Gold Bay Cruise. The pass costs $49. Take the bus out to the Golden Gate bridge & walk across (or 1/2 way) for awesome views of S.F. You can also take the ferry over to Sausalito. We to an authentic Italian gondola ride in Oakland (really nice). Hope this helps!!!
Rebecca

I'm envious...Hope you have a great time!

Rebecca

 

[luvflorida]

DH, DD16, her best friend,17, and I will be vacationing in San Francisco next April. We plan on doing the usual touristy things. I'm especially looking forward to the tour of Alcatraz Island. We're taking a day tour that includes the ferry to Alcatraz Island, the audio tour, and a half day guided tour of the major sites in SF. Another day we'll cross the Golden Gate Bridge and visit Muir Woods. We also plan on spending time at Fisherman's Wharf and Ghirardelli Square, and of course, riding on a cable car.

After three days in SF, we're driving down to LA, then on to San Diego. On the way to LA, we're stopping in San Simeon to tour the Hearst Castle. It's halfway between SF and LA, I believe south of Monterey. Sounds like an interesting place to see.

This will be our first trip to SF, so I'm probably not much help!

 

[Tink&SquirtsMom]

Hehe, I lived in SF (was even married there and ds was born there) and still haven't ridden a cable car or been to Alcatraz. No great hotel recommendations (we usually go for one night spur of the moment and use Priceline). Avoid Financial district which dies after work hours. Union Square is usually what I pick because its convienent for getting around but stay on the square, unless you know right where your hotel is, its somewhat surrounded by a sketchy neighborhood. Lots of tourist stay at Fisherman's wharf and thats fine too.

We have a membership at Monterey Bay Aquarium. Very cool! We're were just there 2 weekends ago to see their Great White (only one in captivity). the kayaking place offers great tours and would probably be great for a 14 yo. Hearst Castle is awesome. Its about 2 hours away from Monterey near San Luis Obispo. Not sure how long you were thinking but SF, to Monterey, to San Luis Obsipo, to Santa Barbara is a very fun road trip, gorgeous scenery and each stop is only about 2 hours away from the other and can be seen in a day or two (although you could definitely spend longer at SF, Monterey or Santa Barbara, but you don't need to). But I think Sf, then a night in Montrey for kayaking and the aquarium, next morning drive to Hearst Castle for a tour and stay in San Luis Obisbpo (dd would probably get a big kick out of the cheesy fun Madonna Inn), then head to Santa Barbara which is really pretty on the beach, and has tons of fun shops (is a college town and place where Oprah and Paul Mcartney, etc have homes, so it has a neat mix to window shop and fun restaurants. Total driving time between Monterey and Santa Barbara is around 5 hours (broken up over a few days) and that is along Highway 1 which is so beautiful, all ocean! And of course by the time you are all the way to Santa Barbara, DL is ONLY a few hours away!!!

 

[minniecarousel]

I think that you'll want to hit all the touristy things already mentioned. TripAdvisor has very candid hotel reviews. We go to Carmel a lot - it's along Monterrey Bay - it was founded as an artist's colony. We try to make it into Monterrey whenever we get down that way (we saw the great white last month too!) If you do go to Hearst Castle, I recommend staying in Cambria at one of the Moonstone Beach motels. All of these motels are right across the road from the ocean - very pretty!

Remember to bring sweatshirts. They sell lots of those to the tourists in both Monterrey and San Francisco!

 

[ImarriedGrumpy]

I'm mostly here just to second many of the comments here:

• Walk across the Golden Gate bridge if you can - even just half way. DH and I have seen dolphins at the base of the bridge one day when we were walking across it - wonderful!!
• Monterey Bay Aquarium is definitely worth the trip. We went there on our honeymoon and had a great time exploring the city and then we drove south along the Pacific Coast Highway. (Highway 1)
• I highly recommend the drive south along Highway 1 from Monterey at least to San Luis Obispo, if not all the way to Santa Barbara. It is breathtakingly beautiful!

Also, don't forget that it can be very chilly in San Francisco all year. I believe it was Mark Twain who said that the coldest winter he ever experienced was a summer in San Francisco. It can be very foggy and chilly in the morning, and then when the fog burns off it can become beautiful, sunny, and warm.

If you make it down to San Jose, we have a great children's museum here, and there's also the Tech Museum - a museum devoted to the history of technology.

One of my favorite things to explore in California is the missions. They are a good introduction to California history and often have some interesting art and artifacts.

 

[NCRedding]

Thanks so much for the suggestions. DH and I were in SF in July of 1990, and rode a bus out to the Golden Gate Park, while waiting for the bus back, I thought I would freeze--I've never been so cold.

Realistically, how bad is traffic on Highway 1, and areas south of SF. I think we'll get a rental car at the airport, to drive south with, then return it to the airport, and shuttle into the city for the rest of our trip. We live in a very small town, so I am not the best in really bad traffic.

 

[toto2]

If you plan to go to Alcatraz ( and you should !) do buy your tickets way , way ahead of time. I was there in february , and there was a two day wait to go !

If you can manage to go up Coït Tower ( It is a familly place , dont worry !), the view is quite amazing. One of the best travel guide on line is "the rough guide". Google it ! It is almost the same as there print guides and they are usually very good.

Firhermans warf is a circus , but if you go , do eat chowder in a sourdough bread bowl. It is pretty filling and good.

You could also run the historic tram lines. These tramway line have old tram cars from all over the world.
Hope it helps !!!

 

[ImarriedGrumpy]

Realistically, how bad is traffic on Highway 1, and areas south of SF. I think we'll get a rental car at the airport, to drive south with, then return it to the airport, and shuttle into the city for the rest of our trip. We live in a very small town, so I am not the best in really bad traffic.

Frankly, I think driving in SF is wretched. Parking is really hard to find, and it is a maze of one way streets, roads that change names, and a lot of congestion. Sounds like you'll be skipping over that part, though, so I think you'll miss the worst of the traffic. If you stay on the peninsula side of the bay, especially the coastal routes, the traffic usually doesn't hit stop-and-go unless there's an accident during rush hour. It can be heavy, and if you aren't used to driving in a big city it might feel crazy. Highway 1 south of Monterey is rarely very busy. Whenever we've driven that stretch of road we usually only have one or two cars within sight of us at a time. North of that it can be busier.