If you’re going to San Francisco
Uh huh?
Be sure to wear some flowers in your hair
Really, that sounds a bit retro doesn’t it?
If you’re going to San Francisco
Yes?
You’re gonna meet some gentle people there
Oh well, that reassuring. What else am I going to do there?
That’s right I am going to San Francisco for two weeks in February. Woot!
Why there? Well, my excellent husband just started working for Google in Sydney. They like to send the Nooglers over to Mountain View to get a bit of a global perspective and to get into the whole Google vibe. Mountain View is about an hour south on the 101, so I’ll either travel up to the city or hubby will travel down to work.
Apart from seeing the bridge, scoping out some So I married an axe murderer sights — including Alcatraz, I’m not sure what I’ll be doing by myself for ten days, or what my hubby and I will visit on the weekends.
What do you think?! Suggest something I should do in or around San Francisco in February.
I’d love to visit Yosemite as well, but I read that it can get pretty windy and rainy in winter, and the road may be seasonally closed. Some inside info on that would be good. I’m also willing to travel a fair way out of the city – as long as I can get to the destination and back within a day.
I was hoping to visit some friends in Portland (the only people I know from Australia that are in the US at the moment), but it’s more than a day away!
Inside info on the best ways to get around would be good too: metro, bus, buying weekly or daily tickets… whatever.
Hehe! So excited! :party:
Lucky you going to san francisco in february! why not go on one of the tours they do Alcatraz Tours is supposed to be one of the best ones.
I found this it maybe of use for you http://www.bayareatravelguide.net/places.htm
Have a good time!
Thanks re-route. That’s a good site, I will definitely consider going on their tours.
DRIVE ABOUT 6 MORE HOURS SOUTH AND VISIT ME!!!! How cool would that be to meet in person 😀 But there’s so much to do in SF alone that you’ll have a good time even if you can’t make it down south.
Public transportation is easy in SF, you won’t have any problems. It’s memorable too, because the buses are electric and the power hooks fall off the cables every so often. The driver has to get out and reattach them so the bus will go again. That’s a funny memory, eh?
Alcatraz is fun. Try to take the behind the scenes tour of the hospital. They’ll show you some stage blood spattered on the ceiling from The Rock movie. Go to Ghirardelli Square and fisherman’s wharf, too.
Also, if you have time, hop over to San Jose and visit the Winchester Mystery House. Most of the stuff they tell you about Sarah is hokey and most likely untrue (lots of superstitious nonsense) but it’s sure a fun place to visit.
You also won’t be too far from Monterey and they have a neat aquarium there. And Hearst Castle! Oh, if you can see that, it will be the highlight of your trip! It’s a bit of a drive, but that place is awesome.
I’m not familiar with much north of SF, but Napa Valley is up there if you like wine tasting. Squidoo is also a great resource for insider info. And Trip Advisor, too.
Lauren! You’re a wealth of knowledge. 😀
I thought of visiting you too! I knew you were in Southern California, so I figured it might be a bit more than a day’s trip. 🙁
Ooh, maybe I should watch some Alcatraz movies before I go!
I’ve had two songs in my head since we decided to go – the one above and “Do you know the way to San Jose? I’ve been away so long, I might go wrong and lose my way.”
I do love wine, that might be a good weekend trip for hubby and I…
Hehe – you might convince me to sign up for Squidoo yet!
You should fully visit Alcatraz…and watch Escape from Alacatraz (Clint Eastwood…)…
if you can, see if you can make it to Berkeley and Oakland…
Try and spot Green Day for me…=]
Haha..mainly joking…
but umm…
I have absolutely no idea where to go!
Except check out Silicon Valley…
and on topic of technology…the almighty…
1 Infinite Loop
Have Fun =]
I also had an idea last night that you should see if they have a student weekly bus pass if you think you’ll be in SF a lot. And there were a couple of other things I thought of last night, but I can’t rem–oh yeah!
I was thinking, if you wanted to meet, you could come down on a Saturday and stay the night down here and go to Disneyland the next day, since it would be a little far to drive down and back in one day. It’s very very close to me (no more than 20 minutes away) and I could show the best places to stay and eat. Knott’s Berry Farm and Magic Mountain are close, too, if you would rather go to one of them instead. Disneyland is all about theme, Magic Mountain is the best for roller coasters and Knott’s is somewhere in the middle of the two and a little cheaper than both of them. If that sounds like a fun (and feasible) plan, let me know and we can talk some details. You’d probably want to find a Bed and Breakfast to stay at, they’re always the best.
You should figure out how to use Muni (the municipal railway) so you can avoid driving. The F-Line (there are several lines, all denoted by letters) consists of several fine old restored trolley cars that travel up and down Market St. and along the Embarcadero.
San Francisco is a fairly small city, as they go–only 7 miles across and 10 miles from the Bay to the southern border of the city.
If you like art, definitely check out the SF MOMA, which is pretty cool. Across the street is the Yerba Buena gallery, as well as Metreon, which boasts a bunch of theaters and shops. Also, if you get a chance, catch the bus out to the Palace of the Legion of Honor, which is out near the Presidio. Great art museum, and you can get some stunning views of the Golden Gate Bridge on some of the walks around that area. Just watch out for golf balls, as there is a public golf course there.
There are lots of other museums in town, including the Asian Museum, the new de Young museum (in Golden Gate Park–another daylong adventure if you like–take the N Judah Muni out there and find your way to Park Chow for a tasty but inexpensive lunch or dinner). There’s also the Jewish Museum, the Cartoon Museum, and some galleries up around Union Square and the Theater District.
Unless you’re a glutton for punishment, avoid the tourist trap at Pier 39, but do head over to one of the nearby piers to check out the Musee Mechanique, which hosts dozens of old coin-operated amusements from the late 19th, early 20th century. If you keep walking back toward Market St., you should take a quick tour around the refurbished Ferry Building, with its hipster shops and restaurants. If you’re willing to drop some cash, have dinner at the Slanted Door for some outstanding Vietnamese fusion cuisine.
There are a number of interesting churches in town, including Grace Cathedral, which is located up on California St., a stone’s throw from the Fairmont Hotel (where the opening shots of the TV show Hotel were filmed) and the Mark Hopkins Hotel. Also, Mission Dolores, in the Mission District on Dolores Ave. is worth a look. If you’re a movie buff, the graveyard scene in Vertigo was filmed in the tiny cemetery just back of the Mission. Also, there’s St. Peter and Paul’s just off Columbus Ave. in North Beach. There’s no beach there, but it is in the North part of the city.
If you’re into weird and fun science things, check out the Exploratorium, and then take a walk along Crissy Field and out to Ft. Point at the GG Bridge. If you are into books, don’t miss the veritable birthplace of Beat at City Lights Books, on Columbus Ave. in North Beach. If you’re really adventurous, pop next door to Vesuvio’s for a shot of aquavit to celebrate as did Kerouac and pals, regularly.
You can also take in some plays, either at the theaters in the Theater District like the ACT (American Conservatory Theater) or head over to Ft. Mason (near Crissy Field) and see what’s playing at the Magic Theater. After or before the play, you can have a snack or a full-blown meal at Greens, the vegetarian restaurant co-founded by Edward Espe Brown of the Tassajara Bread Book fame.
There are over 6000 restaurants in the City, so take your pick. Chinatown is always a good bet for Chinese food, of course, though there are some stinkers. For Thai food, I don’t think you can beat Thep Phenom in the Duboce Triangle, just below the Haight (J Church Muni Line).
Since you’re going to be in Mountain View, don’t miss Palo Alto and Mountain View for restaurants. There are many good ones. I like Bucca, an Italian place. And also Amarin in Mountain View is a good Thai restaurant.
Take a drive along Highway 35 (Skyline Drive) for some spectacular views of the peninsula (both sides) or pop through Santa Cruz on your way to Monterey.
There’s so much to do. You won’t get bored.
Wow, Mark! I think I’ll bookmark this page for when I go back to SF someday! I remember the Cartoon Museum now that you mention it. Didn’t care for it much, but perhaps I at the wrong time–there was a lot of nudity in the featured show. I did like Pier 39, but sometimes it’s fun to go off the beaten track and you’ve listed some great places!
Yes, the Cartoon Museum is a bit sketchy, but once in awhile they have a big retrospective, which can be interesting. As for Pier 39, it’s certainly a kick to visit at least once, but after living there for a few years we tended to avoid the place, unless looking for curios. Still, there are some fun things there.
Thanks so much Mark!
I think I need to sit down with my notebook and a map to make sure I get to some of those places.
I’m looking forward to taking photos – views of the bridge, churches, Musee Mechanique all sound good for that.
We will definitely check out some restaurants. It’ll be our 3rd wedding anniversary so we’ll have to find something nice… although an overseas trip is pretty nice in itself!
Apparently Jonathan Coulton will be playing in SF just after I leave! My husband might get to see him, but I won’t. Theatre might be nice, I’ll see what’s on.
So much to do! I might have to save some of it for another trip, whenever that may be.
LaurenMarie – a student pass is a good idea. I’ll check them out. I wonder if they have multi-passes that include bus and metro like I use here…
I’m sure you’ll have a blast! Here’s the site where you can find out more about Muni passes, BTW:
http://www.sfmta.com/cms/mfares/passports.htm