[_M2]

Hey all,
Well my family just booked a spontaneous 5 day vacation to San Francisco. The only problem is we dont know where to go besides visiting the Golden Gate Bridge, the Union Square, and Chinatown. Any Suggestions? We arent looking for something like a $200 private helicopter ride over the city or something like that so we're just looking for something affordable and something the whole family can do. We are staying at the Parc Fifty Five Hotel so we're also not sure if thats close to anything at all. We chose it because of the expedia ratings and such.

Any suggestions to good headphone locations are also welcome providing you give some location feedback also! Thanks.

By the way I live in Vancouver and that city's pretty amazing itself. I want to see if SF amazes me like how Las Vegas did last summer...

 

[kugino]

- de young museum in golden gate park
- eat at taqueria cancun (mission and 19th)
- eat dessert crepes at sophie's crepes in the mall in japantown
- walk around haight/ashbury
- see the city atop twin peaks

just a beginning...

 

[manhattanproj]

to be truthfully honest, there isn't much to do/see in sf. nothing that you probably havent seen in vancouver.

come to think of it, i actually think vancouver is kinda similar to sf.

but you may want to check out napa, monterey, san jose, or half moon bay. monterey has that "scenic" 17-mile but i didn't find anything scenic at all. i think that's where the pebble beach golf course is. it's nice but it's not mind blowingly so. in general, the monterey area is very nice tho.

 

[noisyscott]

When you go to union square, take a ride in the Westin St Francis outdoor elevator up to one of the top floors and head left. Go through the door marked "Stand Pipe" and check out the view. On the way back down, lean against the glass with your forehead touching and stare down at the bottom of the building. As you enter the lower section, the elevator passes through a narrow tube lined with spikes and you get one hell of a thrill.

Now go eat at Shalimar, either the smokey original on Jones or the one on Polk. You need chicken Boti and Kofta. (Ok, I need it, so I think everyone else does as well.)

Others:
Exploratiorium
Hayes Valley
Anchor Steam brewery tour
walk along the marina
Marin headlands
Ft. Point

 

[rb67]

I really enjoyed going to Muir woods. Beautiful scenery and not much of a drive away. It's quite something to stand amongst those huge trees!

I'd also take a ferry ride under the Golden Gate. It's a neat experience and not too expensive.

My suggestion for you guys is to simply get a visitor's pass for transportation. It's much better than trying to drive around the city! My girlfriend and I flew in and we were there for about 3 days without a car. Didn't have a single problem and I'm pretty glad I didn't have to try to drive/park in the city!

Another suggestion for food:
Lhasa Moon. It's a Tibetan restaurant. Very interesting food indeed.

 

[nibiyabi]

Pier 39 is a little touristy but it's still pretty cool. Also check out Ghirardelli Square.

 

[_M2]

Great ideas. Do you guys think its worth it to visit Alcatraz? Kind of expensive to go to prison if you ask me... $70per person... http://www.buyalcatraztours.com/tour...FRs_ggod5A45bg

Is Oakland worth visiting by the way? Keep the suggestions coming people! Hope SF will be a blast..

 

[PiccoloNamek]

Watch out for Frank Chu.

 

[fureshi]

my friends that are visiting from taiwan recently went to alcatraz and had a blast. kinda funny that i've lived here for about 30yrs and i still haven't gone to alcatraz. twin peaks is nice to get a good view of the city on a clear night. coit tower isn't too bad either for views of the city and the two bridges.

napa/sonoma is really nice this time of the year. monterey bay aquarium is amazing if you've never been there. i guess it all depends on if you guys are planning on driving or not. unfortunately everything here is spread out so you kinda have to drive unless you want to limit your trip to just the city.

 

[kugino]

Quote:

Originally Posted by _M2 /img/forum/go_quote.gif Great ideas. Do you guys think its worth it to visit Alcatraz? Kind of expensive to go to prison if you ask me... $70per person... http://www.buyalcatraztours.com/tour...FRs_ggod5A45bg Is Oakland worth visiting by the way? Keep the suggestions coming people! Hope SF will be a blast..

it depends...some like it, others think it's boring. me? i'm in the boring camp.

monterey is a good suggestion and 17 mile drive really is nice, especially if you're a golfer. walking around carmel is nice, too, but that depends on what your children like to do.

if you're a baseball fan, go to a giants or an a's game...pac bell park is beautiful, has pretty good ballpark food, and who knows - you may see barry hit a HR.

oakland has some good korean restaurants...if you're into coffee, you might want to stop by sweet maria's and pick up some (green) beans.

 

[_M2]

Is there anything else special to go to or do in Oakland?