Lots to cover...Any suggestions....this is long

Greetings,

WE are on our way...My mom is ill with cancer and we are taking the trip of a lifetime. I have made a very sketchy iteniarary and would like anyone that is interested to look at my list of activities and questions and provide suggestions. Our travel days are Wedn arriving at 1115 airport until Sunday...departing flight at 1230.

We are staying at the Hotel Carlton and would like to cover the following attractions and dining places. Someone, please hep us synchronize these events in the best order

Fisherman%26#39;s Wharf

Golden Gate Bridge

Alcatraz...willl it be tragic if we can%26#39;t go to the evening tour?

Japanese Tea Garden...

Wok Wiz Tour...should we really do dim sum?

House of Nanking

One nice museum

Gary Danko%26#39;s

The Cliff House

Dottie%26#39;%26#39;s True Blue Cafe

Mom loves thrift stores soo....to Mission Street for a few good finds.

By the way, we will not have a car...Will this be possible without driving. Mom can walk a good ways and we may bring a wheelchair. Thank you to all responders.

Lots to cover...Any suggestions....this is long

The first thing you must do is make a reservation to get to Alcatraz. That will determine when you%26#39;ll do all else.

Fisherman%26#39;s Wharf and the Golden Gate Bridge are an easy bus ride apart but you could also get to The Bridge from the Japanese Tea Garden that%26#39;s next to the deYoung Museum in Golden Gate Park from which you should go to the Cliff House.

Don%26#39;t go to the House of Nanking. Do go to Chef Jia%26#39;s, the door to the right.

«Mom loves thrift stores soo....to Mission Street for a few good finds.»

There are several on Haight Street around Cole Street as well as on Fillmore Street %26#39;tween Bush and Sacramento Streets.

No car? No problem!

The FLAG/MAPS page geocities.com/touringsfo/…FlagMaps.html has links to the best on-line MAP of San Francisco, the outstanding WALKER/BICYCLIST map that shows the steepness of our streets. The new version of the formerly superb map created for the San Francisco Municipal Railway has removed many streets%26#39; names making it less useful. It%26#39;s cluttered with our many electric bus, cable car, street car, and Diesel bus routes. The map will enlarge and be centered on where you click. There%26#39;s also a link that will tell you how to get There from Where. There is also a map of our CABLE CAR ROUTES, our 49-mile SCENIC DRIVE, and a superb map of GOLDEN GATE PARK.

There%26#39;s much more to see and do:

The ';Don%26#39;t-miss SIGHTS in San Francisco'; page geocities.com/touringsfo/Articles/Sights.html has enough to keep you busy for nine 12.7-hour days. It includes links to your best sources of advice on WHERE TO EAT and, according to the Department of Health, WHERE TO NOT EAT here, the UseNet Group ba.food, and the quite-good sfSurvey/Tastyr and the comprehensive Yelp. It also has a WEATHER CHART with a link to current conditions.

Lots to cover...Any suggestions....this is long

Howdy. What a wonderful trip you have planned for your mother. I am glad you are doing this.

Here are a couple of immediate thoughts:

1. Don%26#39;t go to House of Nanking. It is on the tourist trail, but frankly, it isn%26#39;t anything special and there are plenty of restaurants in Chinatown that you can go to that will not require a wait. If you go on the Wok Wiz Tour, I don%26#39;t really see any point, either.

2. Wok Wiz. It gets excellent reviews and Shirley knows her food, so why not dim sum? Can you get it in Research Triangle better? Going with her ordering is better than going to any Chinatown restaurant on your own and ordering (unless you%26#39;re a pro at this).

3. Perhaps the one nice museum you might choose is the deYoung Museum, next door to the Japanese Tea Garden in Golden Gate Park. It was recently redone, and the architecture is really something.

4. While at the Cliff House, check out the Camera Obscura.

5. Hotel Carlton has an in-house restaurant called Saha. I have a $15 gift card for Saha if you would like it. Since it expires Dec. 27, I will not be using it before then. Reply off line with your registered name, and I can simply send it to the hotel for them to hold for you.

6. Have you made reservations at Gary Danko? Better start now, for whatever day you can get them. If not Gary Danko, there are some lovely places to eat in this foodie town. Fleur de Lys, for one. Boulevard, for another. And others can suggest more. This city is one where you will need dinner reservations unless you eat early -- 5 p.m. ish, or late 9:30 p.m.-ish

7. You may want to buy a 3-day SF Muni PassPort for unlimited use of buses, cable cars, streetcars and Muni Metro lightrail (almost everything except BART trains). Thurs, Fri, Saturday; or Wed-Thurs. Fri., depending on your needs.

Some ideas for your itinerary. It kind of starts low-key, builds to busy, then goes back down to less busy:

Wednesday afternoon: Union Square / Ferry Building / Pier 39 to check out the sea lions

Walk out of your hotel and check out Union Square. Head down to Powell Street, purchase and take the F-Line historic streetcar towards the Ferry Building. Stroll around there, perhaps catch a nibble and walk or catch the same F-line car to

Thursday:

Breakfast at Dottie%26#39;s True Blue Cafe / Fisherman%26#39;s Wharf / and Alcatraz.

At Acatraz The day tour is fine. The night tour is good, but don%26#39;t go if it not suit your needs. Plenty of people rave about the day tour. The park service has added some enhancements recently to the great cellhouse audio tour.

Friday: Japanese Tea Garden / De Young Museum / Golden Gate Park / Cliff House. Do this on a weekday in case you need a car or cab; Much of GG Park gets closed off to car traffic on Saturdays and Sundays, though you can park in the museum%26#39;s garage.

Since mobility might be an issue and these are long bus rides, this is a good day to either rent a car or figure that you will be cabbing. It can be done in one day or broken up into two, depending on your tastes.

The Cliff House is the farthest west and you can start there as early as you want (it serves breakfast, lunch and dinner) and enjoy the sights in the light of day, including the Camera Obscura and perhaps catch sight of the sea lions at Point Lobos (if not a trip to Pier 39 will do).

www.giantcamera.com

You can go to the Golden Gate Bridge from here then double back to GG Park. Or you can start here, go to the Cliff House, then GG Park for Japanese Tea Garden and De Young Museum.

De Young Museum You can see the De Young Museum site here (part of the Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco), and also click on the Friday Nights at the De Young to see if you want to stay for that.

http://www.famsf.org/deyoung/index.asp

Saturday: Chinatown tour, lunch and afternoon of shopping your thrift stores. The flagship Goodwill at 1580 Mission Street is huge and seriously good bargain-hunting. Note: It is not in the Mission District. Transit: A few blocks from your hotel, the #49 Van-Ness Mission and #47 Van Ness buses go close by there. (From Chinatown you can get on the seriously crowded #30 Stockton street headed downtown, then transfer to the #14 Mission towards the Mission district).

Sunday morning: Do whatever small things you wanted to do but didn%26#39;t get to -- buy last minute gifts, etc.

If you really don%26#39;t have any of that to do, the Yerba Buena Gardens at 4th and Mission streets is a nice place to kick around for an hour or two. You can catch a bite to eat inside the Metreon.