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we may get the chance to spend a few days in sf next month and i am wondering if any one has any reccomendations.
which area should we stay in? any specific hotel reccomendations?
any areas to avoid?
places to go / things to do with a 3 yr old?
which stroller should i bring? single or double (for our 3 yr old and 8 mo old)?
we will have a car so traveling outside the city is an option if any one can reccomend areas of interest nearby.
tia
There's a lot to do here. The Union Sq and Fisherman's Wharf neighborhoods seem to be where all the hotels are - but personally, I find both those areas really touristy and would recommend seeing if you can find something at a B&B in a residential neighborhood instead.
Things to do - the list is endless, it depends on what you are into and how much time you have. Muir Woods about 45 minutes north of the city is a must see - old-growth redwoods forest in a family accessible setting. The drive there is spectacular. There's a wonderful kids' museum called the Bay Area Discovery Museum on the other side of the Golden Gate bridge in Sausalito, which your 3 yr old will love. Lots to do in the city - the beach at Crissy Field, the Exploratorium, Randall Museum, and of course, Golden Gate Park with the country's oldest kids playground, Japanese tea garden, etc. SF has great playgrounds, and they are everywhere!
Here's a good link for kid-friendly resources and places in SF: http://gocitykids.parentsconnect.com/?area=199
Your library should have some travel books you can borrow as well.
Hope this helps!
thanks for the tips. i always prefer the advice of locals rather than tour books. that kids museum looks great -- i am sure dd will love it.
www.journeywoman.com is a great resource and full of great ideas & tips!
I love the Exploratorium & if you're there, look into tickets for the Tactile Dome- more for YOU (&dh) than the 3yr old, lol!
If you have a car, staying in the city is VERY expensive. We were at the Marriott (4th and Market St) and it is $53 a day to park the car! We drove there from wine country and when we saw the daily price we returned the car immediately to the Hertz on-site at the hotel and took public transportation, then booked Super Shuttle to the airport.
Our DD was only 10 months, so we didn't do a lot of kids things. My favorite was the Alcatraz tour at night, but this probably wouldn't work well with a 3 y.o.!
Unless you plan on going to Marine World, I'd just hang around in SF. Enough in the city to keep you entertained. Without kids, then go explore the Bay Area. But with two little ones, I'd just stay in the City.
For safety, stick to the touristy areas. With two tiny ones, I doubt you'll go to the theater district. That area is weird. On one block, you'll have people in tuxes and fancy dresses going to the theater. Turn the corner (literally) and it's a ton of porno stores and strip clubs.
SBC Ballpark is new and fancy (the area), but there isn't much for kids.
So, I'd just stick to Union Sq and Fishermen's Wharf. Or Golden Gate Park and the Marina area to look at the GG Bridge, Chrissy Field and the Exploratorium.
I agree that any visitor to SF should visit GG Park and GG Bridge, and time permitting, Crissy Field, Coit Tower and Exploratorium are great as well. But I disagree that any visitor to SF should stick to touristy areas like Union Sq and Fisherman's Wharf and steer clear of actual city neighborhoods. The neighborhoods are utterly charming and the touristy areas in SF are not so different from touristy areas in other big cities - same chain stores and restaurants, same tourists even. A cable car ride through Pac Heights and Chinatown, walk through North Beach, visit down to Mission Dolores or drive by the "Painted Ladies" - old Victorian homes in Alamo Sq. are unique tourist opportunities in SF.Quote:
Originally Posted by codex57
With a young child, my original recommendations still stand - I would suggest 2 days in SF, and one over the Bridge to Marin to the Bay Area Discovery Museum and Muir Woods. Every kid should get to see two-thousand year old redwood trees - and this is one of the only places you can do so!
Hmm, I actually consider a cable car ride through Pac Heights and walking through Chinatown "touristy" as well. Possibly even walking around North Beach or cruising by the Painted Ladies. It's not the same, but lots of tourists walk around the Haight Ashbury.
I dunno how to classify mission delores tho. It's one of the ones on the list of CA Missions that lots of kids go on field trips too. I don't know that area that well, but from what I remember, it might be a place to possibly skip due to the surrounding area (altho things are never that bad anywhere in SF as long as it's day light).
Dolores Park is awesome, Mission burritos rock, the church is beautiful and it's about as safe as any bustling neighborhood in a big city. For a tourist, yes, I would mark the Tenderloin, Bayview and Western Addition off your map and steer clear of them, but not Mission Dolores!Quote:
Originally Posted by codex57
As for the cable car - on any given day, about half the riders are commuters going home to Chinatown or Pac Hts. Many of us actually live and work in North Beach too! I guess it's like NYC - there are as many tourists in the city as residents, and some things are popular with both. It's safe to say that Fisherman's Wharf is popular only with tourists and those of us who live here stay far away!
I think all of this is somewhat irrelevant from the OP's perspective given that she is only in the city a few days and wants to see the major sights. Have a great trip!
Really? That's fascinating. I always thought the cable car people were all tourists.Quote:
Originally Posted by citymama
I dunno if it's that irrelevant. She did ask for places to avoid. And I'd put Hunter's Point on the list, altho I dunno why she'd be out in that direction anyways.
I still consider Chinatown, Pac Hts, and Lombard Street (crookedest street in the world; I think the kids might like it) major tourist attractions. I'm originally from LA, and whenever we visited SF (whether just for my family, or with relatives who came from outside of California), we'd visit those places.