Help - San Fransisco One Dayer

Help! We are arriving in a couple of weeks %26amp; I thought I had planned everything...but!

We are arriving Saturday afternoon %26amp; I had planned for us to spend the rest of the day exploring Fisherman%26#39;s wharf %26amp; surrounding areas. Sunday we were to meet up with relatives who would show us around the city %26amp; they have a car - nothing like local knowledge. Monday we were going to hire a car and do the drive down the coast, and Tuesday I had planned Alcatraz in the moring, and then it would be off to the airport.

Now another commitment has come up for the rels %26amp; they are unable to meet us on Sunday - this means I have to plan a days activity that I had not put much research into because I had assumed it was taken care of (and don%26#39;t have a lot of time to start now).

Could anyone suggest a one day schedule (2 adults + 7 year old) starting at FW that would allow us to comfortably (time wise) see a few other contrasting parts of the city with an intersting lunch stop? Much appeciated.

Help - San Fransisco One Dayer

«Could anyone suggest a one day schedule»

Only YOU can decide what to see and/or do. Here%26#39;s help:

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 and the comprehensive Yelp. It also has a WEATHER CHART with a link to current conditions.

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 bus, cable car, street car, and bus routes. There is also a map of our CABLE CAR ROUTES, our 49-mile SCENIC DRIVE, and a superb map of GOLDEN GATE PARK.

The frequently-updated SPECIAL EVENTS page has irregularly-scheduled music and dances as well as links to seven calendars of regularly-scheduled dances, a composite of five of them, and one of dance cruises and events around the world: http://geocities.com/dancefest/Specials.html The MUSIC section at the bottom of the page focuses on the best of jazz.

Help - San Fransisco One Dayer

Thanks swingcha - I%26#39;ve read this advice that you%26#39;ve posted previously %26amp; is obviously relevant. My point is that at this late stage I dont have the time to go through all of this information and chart out an itinerary (as much as I%26#39;d like to as its interesting). As this is a short visit, I%26#39;ve covered the FW area, Alcatraz %26amp; the trip down the coast as our main priortities. As for only I know what I want to do - that%26#39;%26#39;s the point. I don%26#39;t know what I want to do! I was hoping that someone might be able to say - get the A cable car to B, stay there for C hours and see DDD, then get mode of transport E to F for GGG, grab some lunch at H.......a one day schedule that would give a taste of the city%26#39;s flavour.

I see your frustration. With only a day, I strongly suggest that you take a half day city tour. This will give you a real flavor of the city. Then spend the rest of the day returning to the sites which really interest you so that you can enjoy them in more depth.

Whenever we travel we take a 2 or 3 hour city tour before we do anything...even if we have done a lot of research ahead of time. Getting the ';Big Picture'; is invaluable for further exploration.

Shellbell123,

There are so many different ways you can travel San Francisco. There are various tour services that line up along Fisherman%26#39;s Wharf and Pier 39, so if you want a quick and fully-guided tour of the City, this may be the way to go.

However, if you really want to explore-- and if you%26#39;re child is up to it-- it%26#39;s definitely possible to go without a tour package. It%26#39;s not clear to me if you have a car, as you had stated that your relatives were the ones with a car.

Assuming you do not have a car, you can ride Muni, the City%26#39;s public transit system, and mix in taxi rides in-between if you feel time is short. The fare for Muni is $1.50 per adults, and 50 cents for children. Drivers also issue free transfers, which you can use for free rides on any Muni vehicle (except cable cars) within a two-hour window. As an option, you can buy a one-day pass, good for unlimited rides on any Muni vehicle (including cable cars). Go to Muni%26#39;s website for information on where to buy a pass, at http://www.sfmta.com

Here%26#39;s one possible thing to try-- skip any portion if time becomes an issue.

Start your day early. Depending on where you are in Fisherman%26#39;s Wharf, make your way to North Point Street and wait for the 30 bus headed for the Marina Green or Broderick. Get off at Laguna and Chestnut, and transfer to the 28 headed for Daly City BART-- this will get you to the Golden Gate Bridge.

When you are done viewing the Golden Gate Bridge, return to the same bus stop and wait for the 28, this time looking for the destination sign to read GGNRA or Fort Mason. Get off at the first stop after the bus takes the Lombard Street off-ramp, then make your way to the historic Palace of Fine Arts, built for the 1915 Pan Pacific Expo.

When done, look for the 30 bus at Broderick %26amp; Beach, and ride it into Chinatown, getting off at Stockton and Vallejo. You have an option of walking along Columbus Avenue to explore the North Beach, or to walk into Chinatown along Stockton Street. If you wish to avoid the sea of humanity on Stockton, walk one block east to Grant Avenue, where it%26#39;s not as crowded. As with North Beach, there are many restaurants in Chinatown.

Lunch: before exploring Columbus or Stockton, try the original Cafe Trieste at Vallejo and Grant, where you might find the owner, a nice man well into his 80s known as Papa Gianni, break into song for you. And, look at the pictures of celebrities who%26#39;ve stopped by for his world famous espresso.

Tip: if you have time, look for City Light books, sandwiched right between North Beach and Chinatown, at Columbus off Broadway, one block south of Cafe Trieste. It%26#39;s home to the beat movement-- you might even see owner (and former beatnik AND first City poet laureate) Lawrence Ferlinghetti in the store.

When done exploring either North Beach or Chinatown, look for the 30 on Stockton to take you to 4th and Mission, to the Yerba Buena Gardens complex. The Metreon anchors the garden, which includes a nice waterfall. Walking across the sky bridge over Howard Street, you will see Zeum, a children%26#39;s museum. There is an original carousel from the long-gone Playland at the Beach which your child may find alluring. You do not have to enter the museum to ride the carousel, if memory serves me correctly. I think the ride is right around $3, but it%26#39;s history, and is more than 100 years old.

End the daytime portion of your trip by riding back to Fisherman%26#39;s Wharf in style. Go back to Market Street, 2 blocks north of Howard, and either ride the historic F trolley cars, which will pass the Ferry Building and make its way up the Embarcadero and terminating at Fisherman%26#39;s Wharf; OR, from Market, walk west toward Powell, and ride the cable car back to your hotel. Cable cars are $5 one-way. Depending on where your hotel is, you most likely will want to ride the Powell-Mason line, though you could also ride the Powell-Hyde line.

Tip #2: if time permits, and you choose the cable car over the trolley, you can opt to go into the San Francisco Shopping Centre, the City%26#39;s largest mall, across the street from the cable car turntable. The new expanded foodcourt under Bloomingdale%26#39;s might be interesting to explore if hunger creeps up on you. Bristol Farms is there as well.

I hope this helps.

rjg

To see a lot of sites easily I would second Puter%26#39;s suggestion. We have a tour scheduled with San Francisco Shuttle Tours (www.sanfranshuttletours.com) for our first day. It goes from 9-2 and includes a trip across the Golden Gate Bridge to Sausalito with a ferry trip back. You would have the rest of the day to further explore an area of interest.

Another option is a day at Golden Gate park. On Sunday%26#39;s I believe the park offers more public transportation and is closed off to cars. There seems to be lots of great things there to see and do. There are also boat rentals which I think your 7 year old would enjoy. This site has some great info- sfgate.com/traveler/…ggpark.shtml

This was something we unfortunately can%26#39;t fit into our itinerary.

Have a great trip!

Shellbell123 lamented «I dont have the time to go through all of this information and chart out an itinerary . . . As for only I know what I want to do - that%26#39;%26#39;s the point. I don%26#39;t know what I want to do! I was hoping that someone might be able to say»

I understand whence come you. Whence come I is telling others what to do is distasteful %26#39;though I sometimes overcome that reluctance when specific interests have been expressed. Others in this forum, however, do it well. SFInfoMan seems to%26#39;ve done it for you as Mini and BetterthanBings have for others.