Things to do in San Francisco?

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#2040290 19-Jun-2018 10:14

We leased a car in France last month, and the leasing company here told me I needed an IDP (so I got one, only $10). I never got asked for it, and they weren't interested in seeing it when I picked up the car. I suspect, however, if I had been stopped by the Police, it may have been handy.

Wheelbarrow01

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#2040299 19-Jun-2018 10:24

frankv:

sonyxperiageek: Thanks again everyone. On the topic of cars, apart from obviously driving on the other side of the road, any interesting road rules to be aware of, apply over there vs here?

Driving on the other side of the road is easy. Things get tricky at intersections, especially wide roads with medians.

When making turns in the USA, I just think of it as RIGHTY TIGHTY, LEFTY LOOSIE...

trig42

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#2040335 19-Jun-2018 11:29

Wheelbarrow01:

frankv:

sonyxperiageek: Thanks again everyone. On the topic of cars, apart from obviously driving on the other side of the road, any interesting road rules to be aware of, apply over there vs here?

Driving on the other side of the road is easy. Things get tricky at intersections, especially wide roads with medians.

When making turns in the USA, I just think of it as RIGHTY TIGHTY, LEFTY LOOSIE...

Haha, us too. Wife would recite that at every empty intersection.

People told me before we went that roundabouts would be hard - they were the easiest. Hardest, as mentioned earlier, are empty intersections, or pulling our of carparks etc where muscle memory takes you to the left side of the road. Got used to it pretty fast.

sonyxperiageek

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#2040604 19-Jun-2018 16:11

Is there a multi day public transport pass offered in San Fran? One where I could potentially hop on anything using one card or pass?

Sony

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#2040622 19-Jun-2018 16:26

I used a Citypass when I was there (8 years ago), but it seems to have got more expensive and only gives you 3 days worth of travel ... typical. Sure it used to be better than that.

sonyxperiageek

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#2043853 25-Jun-2018 23:48

Hey guys, I found a couple of accommodation places near the airport which weren't 6+k for 7 nights, however they are not close to the CBD! How is driving into the CBD like? Are there parking options in the city? Cheap? Expensive? Easy to locate? I see public transport will take about an hour each way to get into the city.

Sony

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#2043881 26-Jun-2018 07:26

The BART has a train from the airport ,around 40 mins into Market St, it has stops along the way, San Bruno and South SF, if you are near there

sbiddle

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#2043891 26-Jun-2018 08:27

Why would you want to drive into the city? Bart or Caltrain are so much easier and are only around 30 - 40 mins depending on the time of day and your origin and destination.

sonyxperiageek

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#2044001 26-Jun-2018 11:24

Yeah public transport sounds easier then. It was just that it sounded like it was gonna take an hour each way just to get to the city so might shave off time if driving, but then there's traffic plus extra cost of parking.

I was gonna get the 43USD 7 day visitor MUNI pass, but that doesn't include BART I hear.

Sony

Krishant007

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#2044023 26-Jun-2018 12:02

sonyxperiageek:

Hey guys, I found a couple of accommodation places near the airport which weren't 6+k for 7 nights, however they are not close to the CBD! How is driving into the CBD like? Are there parking options in the city? Cheap? Expensive? Easy to locate? I see public transport will take about an hour each way to get into the city.

Driving around in city is not fun, or easy. Lots of one ways, lots of quirks. You can find parking, some times. They have lots of free 2 hour spots outside the main town area; but they all have some form of condition. Usually they have street cleaning happening for 2 hours a day (different streets, different days), from 9-11 or 8-10 etc. So you have to keep an eye on that.

If you want to get to any tourist spots inside the city, (depending where you are staying), you can uber easy enough. Lots and lots of uber and Lyft options are available. An alternative is to walk.

I would use public transport to get into the city if you are staying outside, and then use uber or other modes (bicycles or electric scooters) to get around the city. You dont want to be on the roads between 6-10am or after 3- 7pm.. The traffic in SF is worse than Auckland.

In terms of things to do, i think most of it is covered by everyone here. If you are an Apple fan, you can check out the Apple store by the new Cupertino headquarters. Its quite nice, and if you go in the evening, you can catch a nice sunset from the balcony upstairs, overlooking the campus.

If you prefer Google, you can check out the Google store on their campus for some swag. Or go by the Facebook thumbs up sign, get a selfie.

I would recommend going through Bay Bridge, to Treasure Island and getting a nice evening look of the sun setting behind the city. It is going to be cold and windy, so do pack a jacket.

Other places of note:

Lombard street
Have ice cream at Mitchells Ice Cream (google best ice cream in San Francisco)
Check out Dolores park for a nice view of the city. Buy some takeout and eat in the park (btw, takeout is called to-go)
Coit tower - i have heard the lines here can get long, so maybe arrive early
Cable car - definitely arrive before 10am for this one. I would recommend arriving at Powell Street BART station, take the cable car to Fishermans wharf. its probably their most popular route. There is a bar there, Buena Vista Cafe, they serve nice Irish coffee to wake you up in the morning.
Ghirardelli Chocolate square - buy some dessert. DONT BUY THE CHOCOLATES FROM HERE. If you do get a chance for shopping, make a trip out to Livermore outlets. You will find the chocolates (and lots of clothing) cheaper out here.
If you do go to the outlets, you can download an app, and sign up for free to get some coupons that you can use in the stores (on top of their sale prices eg 25% off your full purchase etc)
If you like wines, go up to Sonoma Valley vineyards. There is one vineyard there called Fred Francisc Coppola vineyard - yes, the director of Godfather. Its probably one of the better ones I have been too. Reds are more prominent in this region, so you will find lots of them here.

Btw, download and use Yelp. You will find everything you need (restaurants, and everything) on it.

Feel free to ask anything in particular, I am a local in SF.

Krishant007

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#2044024 26-Jun-2018 12:03

Oh I am not sure if you found this already, but T-Mobile have a tourist plan for $30. It includes data, calling and text - for 21 days. Probably your best bet.

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frankv

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#2044027 26-Jun-2018 12:18

sonyxperiageek:

Yeah public transport sounds easier then. It was just that it sounded like it was gonna take an hour each way just to get to the city so might shave off time if driving, but then there's traffic plus extra cost of parking.

I was gonna get the 43USD 7 day visitor MUNI pass, but that doesn't include BART I hear.

It's a tricky one... we stayed outside New York to save money on hotels, but spent hours to-and-froing. Next time, I'd pay the extra for a hotel downtown.

What's 2 hours in SF worth to you? That's how much more you should pay for a city hotel instead of an airport one, I guess.

sonyxperiageek

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#2044193 26-Jun-2018 16:32

Thanks @Krishant007 ! Will add what I don't already have to my list of things to do! I may just pay the $5 a day roaming with Vodafone for phone plan.

I booked at La Quinta Inns And Suites... Not sure if they're good or not. Pictures say okay but reviews are mixed as they were apparently just finishing renovations.

Sony

sonyxperiageek

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#2044194 26-Jun-2018 16:33

frankv:

sonyxperiageek:

Yeah public transport sounds easier then. It was just that it sounded like it was gonna take an hour each way just to get to the city so might shave off time if driving, but then there's traffic plus extra cost of parking.

I was gonna get the 43USD 7 day visitor MUNI pass, but that doesn't include BART I hear.

It's a tricky one... we stayed outside New York to save money on hotels, but spent hours to-and-froing. Next time, I'd pay the extra for a hotel downtown.

What's 2 hours in SF worth to you? That's how much more you should pay for a city hotel instead of an airport one, I guess.

Yeah it's a tough one because "extra" is like 60% more. Whereas if I book a hotel close to a bus stop, I can just hop on and go, almost without transfer of buses!

Sony

kryptonjohn

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#2044212 26-Jun-2018 17:05

trig42:

Wheelbarrow01:

frankv:

sonyxperiageek: Thanks again everyone. On the topic of cars, apart from obviously driving on the other side of the road, any interesting road rules to be aware of, apply over there vs here?

Driving on the other side of the road is easy. Things get tricky at intersections, especially wide roads with medians.

When making turns in the USA, I just think of it as RIGHTY TIGHTY, LEFTY LOOSIE...

Haha, us too. Wife would recite that at every empty intersection.

People told me before we went that roundabouts would be hard - they were the easiest. Hardest, as mentioned earlier, are empty intersections, or pulling our of carparks etc where muscle memory takes you to the left side of the road. Got used to it pretty fast.

Roundabouts seem almost non existent in the USA? But they do have four-way stop signs which rely on considerable cooperation and good faith by the four drivers if they arrive at the same time.

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