Two days in San Francisco???
Replies: 12 - Last Post: Aug 16, 2012 8:30 PM Last Post By: kenko
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Two days in San Francisco???
Hey there, i've recieved great help on here for my upcoming 2 weeks in california and vegas, one last thing we are deciding on is the SF portion of our trip.....we have two days here, the one thing we are set on is an alcatraz trip, other than that we have no other plans, we would like some good nightlife the evening we are there, maybe some live music if poss (rock perhaps) and just to experience SF and all it has to offer as best we can during the days we are there really??
where is a good central area to stay so we can walk around and see lots of sights??
thanks in advance for any help. Ben UK
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In regards to music, The SF Weekly and Guardian will keep you posted. These are free newspapers that come out every Wednesday. San Francisco is geographically small. It's easy to walk, cab, or take the bus/BART to wherever you need to go.http://www.sfweekly.com/
http://www.sfbg.com/index.php
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First--when?San Francisco is one place where having a car is a liability. Parking can be hard to find & expensive. There is good transit, the city is surprisingly walkable, and taxis abound.
The city is also small and compact, so except for some primarily residential areas, most lodging is "central." What is your lodging budget, in dollars or pounds, not adjectives. My "moderate" might be your "too expensive." Are you dorm bed in a hostel or 5-star hotel types?
Live music venues are endless, which is one reason why "when" is important.
Are you interested in museums? History? Art? Architecture? Fine dining? Foods you can't get at home? Topless joints? What else?
Alcatraz cruises book up--get your ticket as soon as possible, especially if you want the very popular night visit.. Go to the Official Site. Any other place is just reselling tickets or will take you on a boat that goes around Alcatraz, but never lands there.
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North Beach makes a great place to base yourself- Fisherman's Wharf, Chinatown, the historic buildingsfrom the 1800's which survived the great 1906 earthquake around Jackson Square, the Ferry Building and
Telegraph Hill are all within walking distance of North Beach. BTW- North Beach has tons of nightlife. On
An inexpensive, basic motel which includes free parking is the Royal Pacific Motor Inn.
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I like the area around Union square.As riding the old SF-trams (and see them be turned around) is one of the mayor attractions, it really doesn't matter that Fisherman´s Warf is not really in walking distance from Union square.
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With just two days (only one night?) - I would not do the Alcatraz Tour (even if you are able to secure tickets). There is a great deal to do and see, and it chews too much of your time, in my opinion.We have stayed in the HI Hostel Downtown (private room) - it's perfectly okay, and well situated on Mason St near Powell St. Certainly visit the Golden Gate Bridge, Golden Gate Park, the Castro, the Mission District, and in the evening, North Beach and Chinatown, prior to finding live music. Fisherman's Wharf need only take an hour or so of your time.
The public transport is great - all manner of buses, trams, streetcars, light rail. And the cable car too - but it gets really crowded.
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In my two days (while my wife was attending a conference), I took a free walking tour (there are several each day, but I did one on Nob Hill), and also took a bus to the Golden Gate Bridge, walked to Fort Point and back to the Legion of Honor museum, and also walked around Chinatown. There are, of course, many other options. Alcatraz tours were already booked up, but on one free evening my wife and I took a ferry to Tiburon and back and quite enjoyed it (on a previous trip we went to Sausalito). The ferry passed close to Alcatraz. I wouldn't discard the idea of Alcatraz (doesn't takt all that much of a day and the views of SF are good), but it''s very subjective. On another evening we took light rail to Fisherman's Wharf for dinner, though our best meals were at the Pied Piper Bar and Grill at the historic Palace Hotel and, surprisingly, at our hotel (Hilton Financial District).You can easily find tons of things to do, even if you don't spring for a guide book (such as the LP city guide), so the choice is deciding what YOU most want to do.
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Thanks so much for all replies, we drive into SF on the afternoon of 22nd September until morning of 24th but could extend an extra day if theres plenty to do and we are enjoying it (which im sure we will be) planning on just leaving the car in hotel car park for 2 days then continuing on our journey to Vegas.can you get a ticket that just lets you on all kinds public transport (train,tram,bus) for a given day???
our budget for hotels is about $100-125 a night.
we are very open, history, archetecture, nightlife, fine dining, mueseums all appeal to us, even topless joints if i can twist the wenches arm! :)
we havent booked alcatraz tickets yet, i hadnt really researched to much into it, i guess i thought you could just turn up and go!
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For your budget, the Motel Capri is $135 on 9/22 and 9/23. Royal Pacific is a bit more.Hotels.com is showing the Hilton Financial District (It's actually right next to Chinatown and North Beach)
at $175. Parking will be additional. Whatever you reserve, you need to do it quickly as prices are already
high for your travel period. Cheers!
