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#1
14th May 2017, 11:06 AM
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San Francisco in July. Suggestions? Recommendations?
We (me, wifey, kids) are going to San Francisco in July to vacation. We've picked the week, and have a couple ideas for activities, but don't know where to stay. We're doing a 7-night (Saturday to Saturday) trip.
So far, we're thinking about going to see the Giants play at AT&T Park, and doing a day trip to Sonoma & Napa. My wife wants to do a tour of Silicon Valley and see the Computer Museum. I really, really want to see China Town. Of course, Fisherman's Wharf is also on our radar. I read that it's possible to do a vacation in San Francisco without a rental car - I find this immensely appealing. Thoughts? Must-sees? Also, where to stay? 
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#2
14th May 2017, 12:15 PM
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There is a place just next to fisherman's wharf that has the best clam chowder I've ever had. I will try to find the name for you. It is unprepossessing (basically a counter) but the chowder is the nectar of the gods.
Go to Gherardelli Square and get the ice cream in the afternoon. Go to Hang Ah to get the best Dim Sum. I've been going there for more than 40 years. It rules. (It's in a basement down an alley, so a little hard to find.)
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#3
14th May 2017, 12:27 PM
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The kids (well, and you too) might very well enjoy a trip to Fort Point if the weather's favorable. It's right under the Golden Gate Bridge, which is cool, and it's open at the top but the walls cut down the wind that's pretty much a constant by the Bay. There are cannons and cannonballs and cheesy dioramas and kids can rampage around without people giving them the stinkeye. Then there's the Exploratorium, also great for kids since the exhibits are very interactive and hands on. In between those two places is the marina, the Embarcadero, Ghirardelli Square and Pier 39, so no end of ways to get really tired out in about a four mile distance. Coit Tower is not far from the Exploratorium end, and the Presidio is at the Fort Point end, both pretty cool places to visit and definite SF landmarks.
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#5
14th May 2017, 01:17 PM
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Figured it out from Google Maps Street View. It's Guardino's. (Although the place next door isn't bad either.) Can also recommend the seafood newburg at Alioto's.
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#6
14th May 2017, 02:04 PM
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Alcatraz tours are touristy, but the way that the place is deteriorating, they won't be available for much longer. I recommend a night tour.
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#7
14th May 2017, 05:15 PM
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Ghirardelli Square, Pier 39, and Fisherman's Wharf are total cute-shop tourist places and I hate them. Waste of time.
Driving in SF is insane. One way streets, no left turn, baffling bike lanes, jaywalkers, bicyclists randomly making running lights, cars doing Dog knows what. Parking is hard to find and expensive. Cabs are nice. Yellow and Flywheel cabs are responsive. Lyft is also good I hear. Please avoid Uber. You can also join Zipcar and pick up a car for a few hours if you want to go somewhere special - like up to Twin Peaks for a great view over the city. The new stadium is the best. Definitely yes. The nearby waterfront is fun too. Do not drive, take the T Golden Gate Park is a must. Great place for kids. There are play areas, open fields, bison, a rather strange windmill, an arboretum with a prehistory area that seems appealing to kids, and a Japanese tea garden. There is also a science museum, planetarium, and aquarium, and two art museums. Drive up to the Marin headlands. Absolutely stunning and a tiny road along the ocean side that has to be done. Hiking paths, a beach that will only be fun on a very warm day, a lighthouse, and the Marine Mammal Center. Do not get on the MMC mailing list. Crossing the Golden Gate Bridge is a must. So beautiful day or night. Fort Point is great for kids and adults. Cold though, bring jackets and snacks. Try to find the place from the old movies there. Free walking tours might be fun. Last edited by stormie; 14th May 2017 at 05:27 PM.
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#8
14th May 2017, 05:34 PM
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More from me!
Keep an eye on SFGate "Things to Do" in case something fun comes up while you are here. Take a ferry or a ferry or a bay cruise. Bring snacks and jackets - even on a warm day it will be cool-to-cold. Last edited by stormie; 14th May 2017 at 05:47 PM.
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#9
14th May 2017, 06:01 PM
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Have dinner at the Tonga Room at the Fairmont hotel.
Take a cable car! You don't have to get on where the huge line is, and it really is fun. It's likely that the beach will be freezing, both the bay and ocean sides. Disappointing, don't go unless it is sunny and 80 degrees. Don't bother with the art museums. If you take a bus or cable car or any such thing, do not sit in the sideways seats in front. They are for old and disabled people. If you throw a rock, you will hit a decent restaurant. If you don't want to eat in a restaurant, most do pick-up and delivery, either directly or through Yelp, Caviar, or GrubHub. Sidewalk tables give you a great view of trash cans and buses - just don't. Best Mexican is on Mission between 16th and 25th, best Chinese is in Chinatown. Chinatown is indeed fun. There is a Segue tour of GGPark, you can rent bicycles (be bloody careful!), or silly little cars. OK, that's my personal main points. Remember it will be colder than you expect. Try not to stand on corners looking at maps or your phone, because you may be robbed. Be careful outside at night. Always assume the bicyclists and drivers want to kill you. Ignore any scary crazy people, say hello to the unscary street people while you keep walking, buy the Street Sheet if anyone is selling it ($2). Tip well. Last edited by stormie; 14th May 2017 at 06:15 PM.
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#10
15th May 2017, 04:19 AM
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Awesome recommendations & feedback - thank you!
Where to stay? My wife is worried about the bad neighborhoods and wants to talk to a travel agent. I think travel agents do the same thing I do - get on the internet and get to work researching. It looks like Union Square is central and relatively safe. My wife argues it's right next to the tenderloin, but my position is that cities are like that - nice neighborhoods abut the not-so-nice ones. She suggested we look at nicer (more expensive) hotels than we normally would, the idea being more $ = safer. Probably not 100% correct, but I get where she's coming from. Anyways. I was looking at Marriotts, Hyatts, etc, and they were all coming up in the range of $1250 per person (for the week, including round-trip airfare), and I looked at the Ritz-Carlton - $1550 per person. Of course, X4 means that would be an extra $1200 for the week, right off the bat, but seems like it's within the realm of possibility... 
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#13
19th May 2017, 06:46 PM
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Oakland is not a bad neighborhood! Oakland is fun!
Actually you could stay in Oakland near a BART station, but that would not be as fun. Union Square is perfectly safe. The Ritz is magic but in all honesty most hotels/motels/bnbs are pretty fine. So where did you end up? There are still two bad neighborhoods. I won't say which ones, but neither are the Tenderloin, much.
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#16
20th May 2017, 12:13 PM
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Fisherman's Wharf is touristy, but really fun. Only douchie hipsters avoid it.
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#17
20th May 2017, 12:16 PM
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The Wharf is the kind of place that the locals avoid but it's indisputably a part of the local experience for a visitor. I'm constantly amazed at the number of Portland natives who've never been to Multnomah Falls, for instance. I mean, it's RIGHT THERE!
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#18
22nd May 2017, 04:48 AM
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Quote:
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#19
22nd May 2017, 05:00 AM
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Quote:
We pick and choose the touristy stuff we'll do. We finally went on Boston's famous Duck Boat Tour last summer, for instance, and had a GREAT time. Salem, Massachusetts on Halloween, though? No thank you.
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