SanFran Extended Weekend Vacation

[ISUFan22]

Never been to the bay area, other than flying thru SFO.

Wife and I will be spending an extended weekend in the SanFran area, Feb 12-15. I am now traveling to that area and my cousin plays for ASU WBB, so we'll be catching the ASU-Stanford game Sunday night.

Need ideas on what areas of SanFran to stay in. Want to be in SanFran, unless there is a compelling reason to be elsewhere. I am a Hilton guy so would likely select a Hilton hotel. Yes, I know we could run into issues with booking since it's Valentine's weekend and we are doing it last minute.

For work I'll be in Palo Alto and Pleasanton - but don't need/want to be in those areas for our weekend vacation.

Thx!

 

[BCClone]

Downtown San Fran on valentines day? Imagine that could be an experience.

 

[Ficklone02]

There are Hilton's by Union Square & Portsmouth's Square. Can't speak to the condition of the hotels, but those are nice areas. Union Square has alot of upscale shopping, Portsmouth is closer to the embarcadero and Fisherman's Wharf.

Stop by the Boardroom if you get a chance for the Texas game. We normally have the game and the sound on at the bar.

 

[tleonwdm]

Hilton inUnion Square is very nice. Lots of good bars, eating spots nearby in addition to shopping that was mentioned. If seafood fan, hit Scoma's (one on the pier and one in Sausalito). Great Ciopinno.

 

[ISUFan22]

Here are the 3 I was considering. Union Square was one of them. Wife liked the Financial District Hilton the most.

http://www3.hilton.com/en/hotels/ca...ancisco-financial-district-SFOFDHF/index.html


http://www3.hilton.com/en/hotels/california/parc-55-san-francisco-a-hilton-hotel-SFOSFHH/index.html


http://www3.hilton.com/en/hotels/california/hilton-san-francisco-union-square-SFOFHHH/index.html

 

[ISUFan22]

Stop by the Boardroom if you get a chance for the Texas game. We normally have the game and the sound on at the bar.

We might do that!

 

[Jambalaya]

We were there for a week last year and in the 80's. Fantastic city
In a cab or driving, you can get across town in 20 minutes in rush hour. Lol

Coit Tower is highest point. Great views. On one day, we were dropped off at the "gate" (entrance) of Chinatown, walked thru for a few blocks (had a shout out by a bicyclist for my ISU shirt), them walked to Coit Tower--then walked down to the piers and took the boat to Alcatraz.

A great neighborhood to walk around? Pacific Heights. Our boutique hotel was there. P.H. home to Nancy Pelosi, Danielle Steele-- one of the wealthiest areas in the country.

Marina District down the hill from there nice also. We rented bikes near the piers and rode with a group across Golden Gate to Sausalito and beyond.

If you have a chance, head a few miles north of SF to MUIR WOODS and spend a couple hours. Redwood forest with walking paths. A spiritual experience

Make sure if you go to Muir Woods, drive south down the canyon toward the Golden Gate...in the clearing--a magnificent view of the city if it's a clear day (do this in the afternoon when the sun is hitting the bridge)

S.F. seems chaotic, but easy to get around. Great place

 

[Colorado]

My two recommendations are Muir Woods and The Stinking Rose. Those are the two things I remember most about SF. Secondary would be that the people in Chinatown don't believe in lines and the sourdough was awesome.

 

[Buster28]

Hopefully, it's not raining while you're visiting! I canceled a long weekend trip there a week and a half ago because the weather there was so rotten. Let's hope you have better luck.

The Union Square Hilton is supposed to be quite nice. I have not stayed there, but have always heard positive things about it. The Hilton next to Transamerica would place you a little closer to the wharf area and Chinatown, but I don't know much about that particular hotel.

Mt. Davidson is actually the highest point in SF at nearly 1000 feet above sea level. It's in the center of the City, where you would find Sutro Tower and Twin Peaks lookout (beautiful day OR night). Coit Tower is a great lookout spot that is much closer to downtown and the water and worth a visit, regardless.

Baker Beach, Land's End, Crissy Field, and the waterfront (Piers) in general, are all great places to get out and walk. There are, of course, many neighborhoods that are fun to explore on foot. Again, this all depends on the weather.

 

[SantaRosaCy]

I would agree with what others have suggested, I would also say that Alcatraz is a great option as well. If you like wine you are only an hour from wine country.

 

[carvers4math]

Husband had to go to Alcatraz. Pretty interesting, not sure how your wife would feel about it on V Day.

 

[BCClone]

Husband had to go to Alcatraz. Pretty interesting, not sure how your wife would feel about it on V Day.

What did he do

 

[Ficklone02]

Some local things to do that some may not have heard of:

Buena Vista Cafe on Hyde St.--the best Irish Coffee $ can buy. Supposedly the guy who started this came from Ireland and this was the first Irish Coffee sold in America. Right next to the Hyde St Cable Car stop.

After Buena Vista go see Hyde Street Pier, and Chrissy Field.

Golden Gate Bridge--after crossing this drive up to the high point they call the Marin Headlands. Its on the pacific side and has an old abandoned US Naval compound. Most of the famous pics of the GG bridge are from up there.

Mama's in North Beach--the best breakfast. Have to get there really early though, lines usually form by 7 at the latest.

The Tonga Room & Sam's--Anthony Bourdain endorses them both!

The Cliff House--good place to eat and unbelievable views of the pacific.

SoMa Street Food Park--many different beer and food selections.

Take a Ferry across the bay from Embarcadero.

Dolores Park in Mission--5 tiered famous park, good sights and people watching.

Haight--my favorite neighborhood. Haight Ashbury and an eclectic collection of bars.

Marina--go here only if you hate yourself. People here is like being in Paris.

 

[NorthCyd]

Husband had to go to Alcatraz. Pretty interesting, not sure how your wife would feel about it on V Day.

 

[intrepid27]

Get on a cable car if you get a chance. Talk to the driver and have him show you how they work. The brake/clutch systems consists of pieces of 2X4 wood that get squeezed together on one of two cables that run in different directions. Pretty high tech !!!

 

[lionnusmb]

Definitely schedule an Anchor Brewery Tour


Also, my wife and I did a walking tour that we really liked.

Here is the website:

http://www.urbantrekusa.com/

 

[Wesley]

Cable Cars and Alcatraz tour and Golden Gate Bridge are great.Next tier is Fish Market, couple museums and Napa Valley visit. Mountain View down south has a cool computer museum that starts from ancient times computing up through modern day computers. A lot in one place. The ISU computer is shown there also.

 

[JRE1975]

If you want to be real popular just start handing out money to the homeless and you will have all kinds of attention!

Hope you and your wife have fun, it is an interesting place to visit!

 

[shagcarpetjesus]

I will piggyback off of this thread since I'm thinking about making a trip up to the area in early June for Copa America. I'll most likely try to fly in and out of San Jose since the matches will be in Santa Clara. Ideally, I'd like to hit the US match on Friday, June 3 and then the Argentina match on Monday, June 6. Are there public transportation options into San Francisco from the Santa Clara/San Jose area? It looks like BART lines stop at SFO which is still a good distance from the stadium. Is Uber an option at that distance or am I looking at just biting the bullet and using a car service?

 

[1Nation]

I will piggyback off of this thread since I'm thinking about making a trip up to the area in early June for Copa America. I'll most likely try to fly in and out of San Jose since the matches will be in Santa Clara. Ideally, I'd like to hit the US match on Friday, June 3 and then the Argentina match on Monday, June 6. Are there public transportation options into San Francisco from the Santa Clara/San Jose area? It looks like BART lines stop at SFO which is still a good distance from the stadium. Is Uber an option at that distance or am I looking at just biting the bullet and using a car service?

Your post is a little difficult to follow as in, where exactly are you trying to get to and from?

You are correct that the furthest south the BART runs is SFO, but the Cal-Train goes all the way past San Jose and stops in Santa Clara and the San Jose airport.

Uber would be extremely expensive from SF to Santa Clara. If you aren't staying in The South Bay I'm not sure why you would fly into and out of San Jose though. If you plan on staying in SF and attending games in Santa Clara, fly into SFO, stay in SF and take the train to Santa Clara. I'm not sure how it will operate for Copa but during 49er games the train is a booze cruise and you're allowed to drink on the way down. (like they would ever stop it anyway)