Travel to San Francisco

[RonDawg]

As far as the 'burbs thing, it's not for everyone, but I've stayed in the City before and unless for some reason I HAD to be right in the City, I didn't think the added costs were worth it. The rooms at the lower-priced in-City lodgings were older and smaller, parking was tight or non-existent (and often expensive), and it tended to be noisier.

I was there just last weekend and got a king bed suite at Hyatt Place Dublin/Pleasanton (about 3/4 mile from Dublin/Pleasanton BART) for $75/day with AAA discount. An equivalent size room with an equivalent level of amenities within the City is easily 4x that, and I got lots of free parking and a free hot breakfast to boot. I'd rather have a nice room an hour's commute away by train than pay the same for a shoebox-sized dump in town.

Now I will admit that Dublin/Pleasanton is pretty far away, but you can find BART-convenient lodging closer to the City along Hwy 880, or along 101. As I mentioned earlier, some hotels near SFO (and possibly OAK) might shuttle you to the nearest BART; several years ago I stayed at a then-brand new Holiday Inn Express near SFO who offered this service.

Since the OP said he was a bit of a transit fan I figured it would be an excuse for him to ride BART.

 

[Becky50]

I live in San Jose and have, therefore, never stayed in San Francisco overnight. I advise staying in the City as opposed to one of the suburbs. BART is not convenient after about 9:00 at night. If you want to see the City at night, you need to be there at night not spending your time commuting. I do recommend all of the sightseeing opportunities that have already been mentioned as well as Golden Gate Park. My husband's favorite restaurant is The House of Prime Rib on VanNess. Hopefully you will come when the weather is crystal clear so you may enjoy the beautiful views.

 

[EVDRIVER]

Fly to OAK to avoid possible SFO delays and take the BART to SF, it;s easy and there is a 8 min shuttle from OAK to the bart for a couple bucks. You can find some hotel deals in the city so check around. The city is small so there is no need for a car and you can grab one of the 24 hour buses that go everywhere or walk, etc. If you narrow down some places and need advice on where to eat send me a PM, I live in the city and can direct you to some good areas not for tourists

 

[jsongster]

My family likes the holiday inn express hotels... modern n clean... the hyatt places are ok too. The Marriott across from the Moscone center looks like a giant jukebox... very nice but pricey... new target store literally on top of Moscone north hall. Tons to see in downtown sf... The cable car museum is interesting... Mel's diner is near Moscone. Stay in the city, ride all the transit there. See all you can. It is a truly unique place in the world.

 

[Nubo]

Oh, I almost forgot to mention this SF institution

http://www.beachblanketbabylon.com/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

It really is pretty fun.

 

[jsongster]

I didn't mention Beach Blanket because others had... but I will now give it a hearty endorsement. It is a light, occasionally bawdy, irreverent revue.

My daughter is learning to be a singing diva from the current Snow White. The show constantly changes to have fun with current events. It is a great night out... or afternoon out if you go to the less bawdy show on Sunday afternoons. It is located in North Beach and is of course available via Muni in the city.

Have a great trip. Skip Alcatraz unless you love prisons and gangsters. Spend time wandering downtown, See the Civic Center plaza. Go inside city hall wander through the other side to meander up Van Ness Ave... See the Opera House... See and have a lunch in the Castro... See a film at the beautiful, original Castro Theatre ( some shows still start with the mighty Wurlitzer). Go down to the Embarcadero and take a Ferry across the bay to any of a number of cool communities. Take a bus ride to Treasure Island and have a hot dog from the vendor at one of the best views of the city you can get at the old military base.

Have fun, we locals do. Everyday.

 

[jsongster]

Oh... and If you do choose to rent a car there is a Nissan Dealer on Van Ness that has LEAFs... and a bunch of level 2s and a quick charger. They might do a daily rental? Anyone know?

 

[theds]

You can also try to bid hotel rooms on priceline.com. If you know the trick, you might be able to get a nice room in one of the 4 or 5 star hotels at very reasonable price. But this might not work if there's a huge conference going on at the Moscone Center.

 

[JeffN]

Since you plan to ride multiple forms of transit, make sure to get a Clipper card and put cash on it. It can be used on the busses, subway, and streetcars in SF and also on BART and Caltrain. You will still need cash for the cable cars. It also works on the busses in San Mateo and Alameda counties and the Golden Gate bus service over to Marin. You easily add more cash to an existing card at BART and some other transit stations or you can link it to a credit card at the website. Just remember that trips that have variable distance-based travel pricing require you to use the card again at your destination.

http://clippercard.com" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;