San Fran Q's!! Help!!

[weslovesauntmeg]

Hey guys..just a couple of questions. Me and my friend both young college students and are thinking about going to SF the 2nd week of August..is that a good time and what is the weather like??

I was looking at the Holiday Inn Golden Gateway..any comments or concerns about this place?? Seems like it's at a good location..within walking distant..leads me to my next question..

Also we are thinking about flying in..i'm guessing that there is a shuttle to take us to the hotel. good idea?? What is the cable car situation..i was just thinking we would get the 3 day pass for $18 and just use that, does it connect to pretty much everything..any other ideas??

Anything else young people like us would like to do..we aren't into the clubs and all that..but still want to have a good time.

Thanks again..i know i have alot of questions..anything else you want to add or suggest would be great!! We are open for all ideas..Thanks again!!!

 

[slruud]

Check out biddingfortravel.com and betterbidding.com for recent wins in the San Francisco area. Depending on your travel dates, you can get some pretty good deals on 3* and 4* hotels probably for the price you will pay for the Holiday Inn. The 3 day muni pass is the way to go. Unlimited rides on cable cars, trolleys, and muni busses. We usually stay in the downtown area, Embarcadero, Union Square East areas, and always take BART from OAK, though BART is also available at SFO. Good luck.

 

[gatorfreud]

August is good... it will not be hot here (it never is) but you may get a couple warm ish days after the fog of the summer. Our "hottest" months are Sept/Oct.

Haven't stayed at or seen really, the Holiday Inn, but I'm sure it's fine. It's in the Wharf which is a really touristy area, so it should be fine.

If you want to go to Alcatraz, order tix in advance.

Make sure to venture out of the wharf area...there's so much more to SF. Go to OpenTable.com and make some dinner reservations. Union Square has great shopping and theaters.

Get an SF book and check out the different neighborhoods. There is lots to do in each, and it is amazing how each area has such a different feel. Lots of stuff in GG Park too... the new deYoung museum is there.

Let me know if you have any more specific questions and I'll try to answer, although most of my jaunts in the city are to the playgrounds!

 

[mamacatnv]

You might want to check out CityPass.Com - you can buy an attraction pass that will include a lot of the "must do's" as well as when we bought them they included unlimited Muni and Cable Car rides. They more than paid for themselves and we were only in the city 3 days.

The cable car routes are specific and limited. If you really want to wander around you will need to supplement with Muni which is easy to use B.A.R.T. and/or taxi's. We usually use a little of each when we visit.

I don't know much about the hotel, check out Trip Advisor. Not sure about a hotel shuttle, but B.A.R.T. goes to the SFO airport.

There are some great "Walking Tours" in SFO - we like Columbus Ave. We start in Union Sq., head to China Town and from there pick up Columbus to the wharf area. It is a full day but not too strenuous. It takes you thru several neighborhoods, lots of historical Bldgs and Lombard St.

Happy planning

 

[weslovesauntmeg]

Thanks guys for all the info..i'm still a little confused on the whole BART and MUNI system?? I think I'm going to post another thread on that..but the waking tours def sounds like something we want to do. And we will def use opentable.com for dinner reservations..Thanks again guys!!

 

[mamacatnv]

Bay Area Rapid Transit - google it - their website is really helpful and used to also have Muni links. Muni is the bus & trolley system - separate from the cable cars. Bart runs underground thru most of the city and is above ground in the East Bay. I have not ridden it further down the line towards the airport so I don't know if it is under or above ground.

Good luck - if you have access to AAA they have a great N. California book that outlines the walking tours

 

[slruud]

Looking at what you are going to pay for the Holiday Inn, you can do a lot better on Priceline or Hotwire for a 3* or 4* hotel more in the downtown...Union Square East, Union Square West, Embarcadero...area. You can usually get one of the Hiltons for under $100 and sometimes as low as $75, and you are in a more central location. Good luck.

 

[weish]

Go to Fisherman's Wharf for sure. The clam chowder there is soooo good. Chinatown is also an interesting place to visit, it's got stores and authentic Chinese food everywhere. The cable cars can be pretty fun, especially if you haven't been on one before.

Also the Exploratorium is fun if you're into the science-type museums.. except I haven't been there since I was pretty young. I remember it was really fun though, check out their website to see if it's in your age range.

 

[michelle1]

Try Hotwire for a hotel...we got the Holiday Inn at the Fishermans Wharf for $69/night in July. It seems most hotels charge $25-30/night for parking so we figured even with the parking it's still a reasonable price.

 

[NicoleDisneyFan]

Weather in SF is never hot and the weather is usually 55 or so. We always get the hot weather in September when kids go to school. If you could get a rental car I would always suggest that because there are a lot of cities out side of SF that have things to do and hotels that you could get a great deal and just catch the bart train and go from the city you stay in and go to SF to take tours. I live in Daly City right next to SF so if you have any questions then feel free to ask. Hope that you have a great trip