San Francisco here I come!

It’s official I booked my flight to San Francisco yesterday! I don’t know whether to jump up and down like my 7 year old or hide under the covers.

photo by brunkfordbraun

If you didn’t know (or are new here-Welcome!), the hubby gets to go to training near San Fran in June, and we decided since that was on our list of things to do together that I should tag along. In fact he said he “won’t take any excuses, you’re going!” The kids will NOT be coming, they will stay home in the very capable hands of their grandparents.

We had every intention of planning this trip after our debt was paid off (sometime next year) and spending a few months saving up for it. Ideally we would have gone for our 10th wedding anniversary. But, sometimes when the stars align you just have to take advantage of the situation.

I did a lot of digging, but the prices of my tickets were comparable on most sites. Knowing that I was willing to spend an extra $100 to fly at the time of day (and nonstop) the prices were pretty much the same everywhere. (no red eye for me) I opted to fly on US Air since the hubby is too, and we’ll get to ride home together.

I mentioned in a previous post that we paid off our 2nd credit card, and we would be using it for his business expenses while he travels. I also used it for my plane tickets, and we will use it to cover expenses while we are on our trip. The reason I’m doing it this way is because of the protection my credit card offers, and the ability to pay for those expenses slightly before we have the money to cover the cost. In the case of my tickets it’s a mere week, and in the case of the expenses while we travel it will likely be a matter of days.

Now though I need your help! I have plane tickets and a place to stay Thursday night, but from then on out we have no plans, no hotel, and no idea what we are going to do! So,

Thanks!

Kelly

Tagged as: reader help, vacation

Marc Hedlund

Oops, left one out. If you have a sweet tooth, there's an area of the Mission that contains both Tartine Bakery and Bi-Rite Creamery (an ice cream store). Either or both are well worth the trip, and they're next to Delfina/Delfina Pizzeria, either of which make for a fantastic meal. They're right near Dolores Park, which is a lovely place for a picnic or a book.
Marc Hedlund

Hey, Kelly,

I hope you'll let Wesabe send you and your husband out to dinner while you're in our hometown. You've been such a great supporter for us. If you don't have a particular preference, I'll set up a meal at Zuni Café for the two of you, but if you have your eye on something else, let me know. Drop me a line and we'll set it up.

Locals definitely look down on Fisherman's Wharf - it's an extremely touristy area and I've probably been there twice in 14 years of living here. That may just be us being jaded, but it has never seemed like that much fun to me. Alcatraz, on the other hand, is the trip about which everyone local says, "I went with friends from out of town and loved it!"

The Ferry Plaza Farmer's Market on Saturday mornings is great fun -- packed and chaotic but also full of wonderful food to sample and buy. The Ferry Plaza itself is fun all week long, too, with lots of good food vendors. Slanted Door, a Vietnamese restaurant in the Ferry Plaza, is fantastic (probably even for a less-adventurous eater) and has a great view of the bay.

The Marin Headlands, just over the Golden Gate bridge, are beautiful for hiking, and you'll get a wonderful view of the bay, the bridge, and the city. You'll need a car to get there but hiking there is one of my favorite things to do in the area.

Golden Gate Park, especially the museum complex in its center, is well worth visiting. The Asian Art Museum and SF-MOMA are also both great if you're into museums. Union Square is also fun for shopping.

Let me know if you still need hotel recommendations.

I would say that Napa and Monterey are both fun and enjoyable, but not as a day trip -- they both take a lot more time to appreciate. Maybe save them for another trip.

Hope this helps! SF definitely has a lot to offer. My main advice for the city is steer clear of the standard tourist traps and try to come hungry since the food is so good. :)
Kelly

Wow, thanks Marc! That is really so generous of you. Zuni sounds amazing.
And a huge thanks for all the information about the area. I have a lot of the places you mentioned on my list of things to do, and had already highlighted and circled the Bi-Rite Creamery, and the Tartine Bakery as well as the Ferry Building.

My husband had planned an outing to Marin, I'm looking forward to it. It sounds amazing.

I would love a recommendation for a hotel, I'm struggling with it as we speak.

We would love to see Napa and Monterey, but since we're short on time we will mainly be sticking to the city itself. Maybe someday we'll get back again. :)
Tadizi

Things to check out:
1. Fisherman's Wharf/Ghirardelli Square/Pier 39 area
2. Golden Gate Bridge/Marin Headlands
3. Coit Tower
4. Golden Gate Park

Whether or not you have a car will affect how you do any of these but they are all easy to do by car.

If you want to drive out of the city, Monterey and Napa Valley make good day trips.

There is an infinite amount of things you could do (Union Square, Chinatown, etc.) but the ones I listed are in order of my own personal preference.
Cathy

SF has very good public transit! I would actually not recommend getting a rental car if you are going to be in the city. Driving is scary, and parking extremely expensive.

I'll send you some of my favs later - lots of meetings today - oy!
Kelly

That's still a debate.
I'm wondering if we NEED it, doesn't SF have good public transit?
Cathy

One more question - are you going to have a rental car?
Kelly

Thanks Cathy!
1)I'll be there Th-Mon AM. Th and Fr we'll be in Foster City (where his training is) but I can travel into SF for
the day.

2) We're really open to anything-I'm a seriously novice traveler. I think we're going to do a guided tour of the Redwoods, but other than that I have no other ideas.

3) We want one good restaurant meal, so one highly rec. waited restaurant, and the rest of the time we'll be going rustic or maybe visiting the Farmer's Market, local cafés, etc. Since I'll be on my own for 2 days I may try something different-ethnic food is ok with me, not for him.

Thanks!
Cathy

Very cool! :)

Couple of questions:
1) How many days are you staying?
2) What kind of activities do you and your husband enjoy? Do you like to do the guided tour route, or are you more an off the track, at your own pace explorer?
3) For dining out, do you prefer a waited restaurant or something more rustic?