Traveling to San Francisco

lisak · 06-26-2007, 10:04 AM

My husband and I are going to San Francisco this Friday and I am so excited! I've never been to California and want to make sure I get in as much as possible. We are staying at the Grand Hyatt on Union Square and so far all I have planned is a tour of Alcatraz.

Any suggestions on things we must do & places to go? And does anyone know of any knitting shops there? My hubby has some business meetings so I have some me time to fill! Thanks in advance!

Lisa

robynbird · 06-26-2007, 03:27 PM

I LOVE San Francisco! I lived there for 2 years and really enjoyed it. There are soo many things to do and see. Fisherman's WHarf; Pier 39; Chinatown; Golden Gate Park on and on. Alcatraz is a very interesting tour. Union Square has lots of shopping, you can take a cable car ride.

I'm sure there are others who actually live there now and can guide you more. I hope you love it there!!

feministmama · 06-26-2007, 03:42 PM

I love this place

http://www.knittersreview.com/articl...e/040401_a.asp

Friendly people, oodles of yarn, in a funky cool neighbrhood and they have mmmmmmmmmm

http://www.knittersreview.com/articl...e/040401_b.asp

This place is downtown. They have thier own lines of yarns that are soooooooo yummy. They even have what they call "yarn tasting." It's all of thier yarns in bins and you can take some out and knit a little swatch and keep it! THey are a little pricier than most but well worth it. DOn't miss it.

Eloewien · 06-26-2007, 03:46 PM

Ditto on Chinatown- I love just strolling through! Ghiradelli is also fun, tho dangerous-- LOTS of CHOCOLATE! If you want a gorgeous view- Coit Tower is nice, as is a hike up Angel Island. The old military fort under the Golden Gate I remember liking to. It's hard to know where to start since thats "home"-- where I grew up. I love San Francisco- all of it. I've still got lots of family out there! I don't know how much you'll be able to get around, but a drive down the coast for the afternoon is beautiful as well. It's a little bit of a drive but a day trip to Monterey Aquarium and all that is in Monterey is also fun, with a gorgeous drive on the way. Feel free to email me if you want more ideas!

mwedzi · 06-26-2007, 03:58 PM

Well, of course you have to go drink wine in Sonoma or Napa Valley. I was there in February. I went to Art Fibers, Imagiknit, and The Knitterly in Petaluma. Of those three, I think Imagiknit I would recommend most, but Art Fibers has their own line so it's something different. I also went to the Sebastiani winery. I also bought delicious Green and Black chocolate. Hey, I wanna go to San Francisco!

lisak · 06-26-2007, 04:31 PM

Thank you SO much guys for all the suggestions. All of those places sound fantastic!! I will be busy doing my planning. I can hardly wait!!

Yarn, chocolate, wine...my weaknesses!!!!

We won't have a car, but I'm going to do my best to use the public trans and I'm off for a new pair of walking shoes now!! Thanks again!!!

Carrie218 · 06-26-2007, 04:55 PM

This is MY town!

That said, skip Fisherman's Wharf - it is a serious tourist trap. You won't see much other than silly tschotsckies and chain stores. The food sucks as well.

Are you a foodie person? I was a Food & Wine writer so I can make LOTS of suggestions where to eat and where to stay away from. A big thing to do in the city is on Saturday mornings: The Ferry Plaza. It is our Farmer's Market but so much more -- it is the place to be and be seen in the city and if you start there in the morning, you will be fine for breakfast and lunch. There are tea shops, oyster bars, bakeries, chocolatiers (Rechiuti - way better than Ghirardeli), olive oil stands, etc.

Yarn-wise, I'm a big fan of Atelier on Divisidero. It is not necessarily near anything specific, but if you are thinking of visiting Japantown (which is in the center of town), it is about a 10-minute walk from there.

Besides your standard tourist locales (Alcatraz, the Wharf, Golden Gate Bridge) San Francisco has some great jazz clubs. I'm a fan of Biscuit & Blues which is very near Union Square -- they serve gumbo and other great southern dishes along with the music.

If you are a movie fan, there is a 3-hour bus tour that is really cool (although slightly expensive at $50 a person). The San Francisco Movie Tour drives you around the city, showing clips of famous movies and where they are located within the city. I took my BF's mother last Thanksgiving and we both loved it. You actually watch scenes from flicks like 'Vertigo' or 'Dirty Harry' and then they show you where it was filmed.

Union Square is shopping central - Neiman Marcus, a 5-story Macy's, Saks, Tiffany, Borders, etc. But it is also central to several streets worth of art galleries, my current obsession. You can see (and purchase) Miro, Picasso, Renoir, Donati, Rembrandt, and more without paying museum-entrance fees.

Golden Gate Park is huge and rivals New York's Central Park for mass. Within it are arboretums, museums, golf courses, concerts, a butterfly exhibit, and just plain gorgeous botanicals. I would see if your concierge could arrange rent-a-bikes for you if you are nature lover.

Chinatown is very interesting and can get very crowded. My favorite store there is The Wok Shop where they sell the best cooking supplies.

Tell me what you like to eat and I'll suggest places to dine. San Francisco is the culinary mecca of the U.S. with arguably the best dining in the country. Whatever you do, stay away from chain restaurants (no Dennys or TGIFridays!) as you can do so much better during your stay.

VictoiseC · 06-26-2007, 05:35 PM

I used to live in SF MANY MANY years ago. What a beautiful place, you'll have such a good time. Just riding the ferry down that hill um, forgot the street but it's the major one.... Carrie? from Polk I think past the big hotels then down to California is that it?

That's such a cool ride. I like Fisherman's wharf even though it is touristy, just to walk along there. And the seafood's not bad. My favorite place in all of SF is this really old fish house, it's famous. With the long counter and absolutely fabulous fish and chowders WOW that is the place to go. I could do a search but I'll bet Carrie knows it. It's downtown.

My other favorite is Little Joe's restaurant, wonder if that's still there. And the opera cafe in North Beach for a coffee..... and Biordi for Italian dishes, or just to look coz it's so expensive. !

Have a great time!

robynbird · 06-26-2007, 06:02 PM

How could i forget Coit Tower???? That's where my husband proposed!!! LOL

Jeremy · 06-26-2007, 06:13 PM

We vacationed there last summer. I really enjoyed it. The highlights for me were Muir Woods (my avatar) and seeing a ballgame at PacBell Park. (The tickets were very inexpensive compared to Fenway and the seats were excellent) The Ferry terminal is lots of fun. There are good bus tours which pick you up at your hotel. Have a great time.

PS. I should have been a good mod and moved this to Off Topic but you did mention yarn. I did see a lot of people wearing sweaters, some of them I'm sure were hand knit. There, I have us covered.