Driving advice needed

Hi,

Myself and a friend are travelling to San Francisco on Sunday 11th Nov and staying 4 nights after which we are hiring a car and driving down the PCH staying in Cambria for the night before heading onto Las Vegas.

My friend is looking forward to the driving part of the holiday as much as the sightseeing but due to a lack of time and funds on this trip we know it will be a whistlestop tour down the coast.

We need some advice on our rental car. We have booked online with Hertz to pick up our car at 550 O Farrell Street (we are staying at the Handlery Union Square). Having read a few pieces of advice suggesting not to drive in the city and as we have never driven in the States before (and we are heading south) would we be better picking up a car from the airport?

Thanks in advance for any advice. I cant believe the trip is almost here, San Francisco is one of the places Ive always dreamed of visiting and now I cant wait.

Chris

Driving advice needed

djscully said «we are hiring a car and driving down the PCH»

If you go to %26#39;Vegas from Cambria, you%26#39;ll never be as far South as the PCH.

«pick up our car at 550 O Farrell Street »

Don%26#39;t rent at the airport! Avoid doing so wherever you can!

Go down O%26#39;Farrell Street to Stockton Street (after Powell), turn right and after the ';S'; curve crossing Market Streett to Fourth Street, keep next to the right lane and it%26#39;ll take you right onto the freeway. Thereafter follow the Driving Directions with links to relevant maps and URLs of places passed through: San Francisco to Pacifica-Half Moon Bay-Santa Cruz-Monterey/Carmel, Big Sur, San Luís Obispo, Yosemite, Death Valley, Las Vegas geocities.com/touringsfo/…DriveDir.html

Near Cambria is a road that goes through Paso Robles to the San Joaquin Valley Highway (5) to Highway 58 to Bakersfield to the Mojave Highway (15) to %26#39;Vegas.

Here%26#39;s ';A bit of non-gambling Las Vegas'; with about a dozen useful links: geocities.com/iconoc/Articles/LasVegas.html

My favorite hap%26#39;nin%26#39;s there: The Huck Daniel Revue and Blues Jam in the Stratosphere%26#39;s Images Lounge, Mondays at 22:00. It%26#39;s a blast that%26#39;s been happening since 1988, at the Stratosphere since 2001.

Huck Daniel%26#39;s Celebrity Jam in the Armadillo Club at Texas Station, Saturdays at 21:00. Good floor, few dancers.

A terrific 17-piece band plays at the Italian-American Social Club, on Sahara just past Eastern, Thursdays at 20:30. Nice floor; take a partner!

The Classic Jazz Band (née the Royal Dixie Jazz Band), an excellent sextette, plays Monday-Friday at the Gold Coast from 13:00-18:40. On Wednesdays and Fridays, additional dance space is provided.

You may read a color-coded-to-interests report on our 2007 trip to Las Vegas via Yosemite and Death Valley at geocities.com/iconoc/Articles/RoadJJ07.html If your interest is limited to point-to-point distances, times, and speeds: geocities.com/iconoc/…Stats

Driving advice needed

Thanks SwingCha, all great advice, we got a little concerned with people saying dont drive in the city!

I may have got my terminology wrong as a newbie to california so apologies I meant highway 1 and big sur for the roadtrip.

We are then heading Cambria to Vegas on the Friday (I know traffic will be a nightmare!!)

Thanks

';Don%26#39;t drive in the City'; is very general advice. Usually it means not driving downtown, or in congested areas like Fisherman%26#39;s Wharf or Chinatown, or on freeways in commute periods when you may just sit and pull your hair out.

It may mean that for people not used to heavy urban congestion, lots of one-way streets, or right-hand traffic, driving could add stress to what should be a fun vacation.

It also means that a car can be expensive in the City because of the parking fees at many hotels, the cost of parking lots or garages, and the ubiquitous parking meters that earn revenue for the City (lots more revenue if they expire, resulting in a parking citation).

Some visitors do drive here, and do fine. I think we%26#39;re just suggesting that for most people, most of the time, it%26#39;s unncessary and can be an annoyance.

For some of the more outlying attractions, you need to drive--and you%26#39;ve seen that we generally suggest hiring the car just for specific travel days and not keeping it throughout your stay in S.F. And do get the car in the City, rather that waste valuable sightseeing time going to the airport to pick it up.

On your way down the Coast Highway, you will be driving on the right side, with the stupendous views of the ocean just outside the passenger window and the mountains on the left. This is a sspectacular trip and I hope you get fabulous weather to enjoy.

Sometimes the price to rent is cheaper at the airport, but sometimes not due to surcharges. I would compare both locations and then determine if it is worth your time to take bart back to the airport (45 min). As for driving in the city, it is a piece of cake to get from your hotel to the freeway.

Simply take Stockton across Market, turns into 4th Street, %26lt;101%26gt;freeway entrance is 4 blocks away. Or take Jones to Golden Gate, cross Market, turns into 6th Street, %26lt;280%26gt;freeway is 6 blocks away.

Thanks again everyone I appreciate it. My last day in work today before my vacation - roll on 5pm!!

Hi Chris

I have driven up and down the PCH including in and around SF. It is no big deal driving in the city - San Francisco is no worse than any British town and better than most although it can be bad at rush hour. And you can zoom up and down the hills like Steve McQueen!

If you are dropping the car back at SF and flying home from there I would definitely recommend arranging to leave it back at the airport to save hassle. As to whether to pick it up when you arrive or when you are about to leave SF, the problem is downtown parking charges, although with the weak $ these won%26#39;t now be too bad. Public transport in SF is fine, and taxis are pretty cheap, so you won%26#39;t really *need* a car there.

But if it were me, I%26#39;d probably take the hit and pick up the car from the airport and have it the whole time. That means it%26#39;d be there if I needed it (for a trip north over the bridge say one evening, which is really worth doing for the view), OK you will be paying a fair bit to park (plus an extra 4 days%26#39; rental) but on the other hand you will save on a taxi into town. And the dollar is at rock bottom. Check your hotel%26#39;s parking charges - I seem to remember it%26#39;s about $20-$30 a day round there but I may be wrong.

Hope this helps

Mike

djscully, the ';don%26#39;t drive in SF'; advice applies most especially to someone considering using a car as a way to get ffrom Point A to Point B in the city. Typically, that%26#39;s just not worth it.

I%26#39;ve been to SF several times (going again next month) and up and down the coast a few times. My driving in the city has been confined to those times I was headed out of town. If one of you drives while the other navigates, you should have no problems. A rental with a GPS would be nice. And, try to leave some time in your schedule to recover from the inevitable missed turn.

Picking up a rental at the airport (SFO, right?) puts you about 20 miles south of town, so that would avoid some congestion. The downside is the expected higher prices at the airport and the hassle of getting in and out of the place. If it was me, I%26#39;d pick up the car in the city, around 10:00 a.m. to avoid the worst of the morning traffic. The truth is that most of the driving hassle will be inside the city on the way to the highway going south.

The flipside is that I wouldn%26#39;t recommend SF as the ideal location for your first U.S. driving experience. So, heed the same advice given to Americans driving in the UK for the first time: Don%26#39;t panic and think ahead. Check out the rental%26#39;s controls before you leave the lot because some things might be different than the typical UK car. Be sure you can open the gas tank cap. (Seriously. Every once in a while I%26#39;ve run into a rental with some weird and nonobvious electronic gizmo that opens the cap.) You might even drive around the lot a couple of times to get the feel of the car. Remember that turning right at a red light is OK once you stop and check that there%26#39;s no traffic coming from the left. (If it isn%26#39;t OK there will be a sign posted or some kind of warning indicated on the stop light.)

On the freeways, remember that the fast lanes are to the left. When I%26#39;ve driven on UK motorways, I noticed that the fast lanes were used only for passing (or at least should have been). Not the case here. We get in the fast lanes, go fast, and stay there. Be sure to work your way to the right lane a few miles before your exit comes up.

And, don%26#39;t go out of your way to test your driving skills on the city%26#39;s hills. Leave that for your next visit.

The trip down the coast is pretty special. Check the weather forecast before you leave; the weather on the coast will be different than the weather in the city. Like they say about London, wear layers, and something to stop the wind.

You will have a great time. And the trip across the mountains and into Vegas won%26#39;t be too shabby, either.

justcorbly said «The truth is that most of the driving hassle will be inside the city on the way to the highway going south.»

Not necessarily.

«Check out the rental%26#39;s controls before you leave the lot»

Cuppla French guys and I rented a right-hand-drive car on a Caribbean island. After a few blocks, I returned to the rental place and, window open, silently pounded different parts of the steer wheel. The agent silently reached in and pulled a lever on the shaft that sounded the horn. We all laughed and continued toward our destination.

In London, I couldn%26#39;t find Reverse. It was a totally new, to me, trick.

«the fast lanes are to the left. When I%26#39;ve driven on UK motorways, I noticed that the fast lanes were used only for passing»

As is the intent here.

«Not the case here.»

Wrong, unless it%26#39;s an otherwise-controlled lane.

SwingCha, you%26#39;re right that you can run into congestion on the 101 or any other route going south. But, at least you%26#39;re on the road you need to be on and don%26#39;t have to watch for your next turn. If I was a first-time driver taking the plunge in San Francisco, I%26#39;d trade being stuck on the 101 for being lost in SOMA looking for the 101... any day. :-)

I%26#39;m not sure that using the left lanes only for pasing is a law here. Maybe it varies by state. But, I%26#39;ve never seen any such law enforced, anywhere, in the States.

Actually, one of the things that newbies to American highways might want to watch out for is our propensity to pass on the right when the guy in front of us in the left lane isn%26#39;t going fast enough. If memory serves, that%26#39;s unusual in the UK.

justcorbly «Actually, one of the things that newbies to American highways might want to watch out for is our propensity to pass on the right when the guy in front of us in the left lane isn%26#39;t going fast enough. If memory serves, that%26#39;s unusual in the UK.»

That%26#39;s because outside this country, they have greater respect for the left lane.

Scrimshaw said «I have driven up and down the PCH including in and around SF.»

No, you haven%26#39;t! The PCH is farther than three hundred miles from City Hall!