San Francisco: Best area to stay in??

[kdemas]

For a first time tourist I'd definitely stay near Union Square. The St. Francis or the Hyatt on Union Square would be my recommendations.

Again, for the first time tourist, this location puts the cable cars right outside your front door (literally). You also are in the middle of the shopping district, a short walk from the water and Ferry Building and just blocks from Chinatown.

If you return again and have already seen "the sights" then there are some great other places to stay, as outlined above.

Regardless of what you choose, enjoy!!

Kent

 

[retro]

Union Square is a good central location. Fisherman's Wharf
is a good place for photo ops if you like people pics and
boats, etc.

 

[tim_n]

Understood, but it sounded a little like a New Yorker suggesting to stay in Brooklyn because it's cheaper than touristy Manhattan and has good subway connections

Nope, I'm a SF native, and love almost all the neighborhoods of the city. I like different things from travel perhaps than some of the other posters. To me, it's contact with local life on the streets and buses and coffeeshops that's most interesting. Chinatown, Union Square, the Embarcadero, the GG Bridge, are pretty standard tourist fare, if that's what you want, but you asked what a local would recommend. Since you are European and in your 20's, I think that neighborhoods like the Mission, Hayes Valley, Russian Hill, and the like will be more lively and edgy and different for you, and more memorable than the cable car tourist zone. For a real experience, ride the N-Judah Muni streetcar out to Trouble Coffee near the ocean (Judah near 46 Ave), and chat for a while with the local guys who come and go.

 

[ferider]

Since I assume you have a car, I would not stay in San Francisco, but in the neighborhood. For example Half Moon Bay or similar. Good food and hotels, and easy to get into the city, which - I find - gets tiring after a while. In particular if you are used to European cities.

Roland.

 

[Bingley]

I've heard good things about the Hotel Boheme, although I've never stayed there. If you're looking for a place near Union Square, another possibility is the Hotel Monaco if you're a fan of the Kimpton Hotel chain. It's also near the Powell St. BART station. Very convenient.

The NY Times Sunday travel section had an article several years ago on smaller SF hotels, which you may be able to find online.

Having said all that, I'd still stay down by the Embarcadero and near the Ferry Building.

 

[RayPA]

If you want to do the touristy stuff (Alcatraz, GG bridge, the Wharf) then North Beach or Fisherman's Wharf area are probably your best bets. Union Square is more of a shopping area. but it's centrally located and close to Market St, where you can catch rail cars and easily get out of downtown and into the other neighborhoods (Mission, Castro, Haight, beach, etc.).

Personally, I'd stay in one of the hotels along Market St. (north or south of Market). I'm not sure why folks are saying stay away from the south of Market area. It's safe, easy to get around and it's FLAT. SF's dirty little secret are the hills, so if you decide to spend all your time in the northeast part of the city (e.g. encompassed within Van Ness-Market St-Embarcadero-Bay St), staying in a hotel that sits atop one of the city's many hills is grand, but if you're on foot (probably the best way to see the city) then that trek back to the hotel at the end of the day could be painful or costly (in cab fare). I live on the peninsula, but when I come into the city, I park near Yerba Buena Center (4th and Mission). From there I can get to SF MoMA, Union Square, Chinatown, and North Beach on foot with no problem at all.

I agree though, I would avoid anything in the Tenderloin. It's relatively safe, but it's probably the least desirable area in the city, just kind of a bummer to have to deal with.


/

 

[Austerby]

For our first visit to SF last year we stayed in Hotel Frank on Geary St near Union Square - it was a great location as easy to get everywhere in the city from there using the fantastic public transport, or cheap cabs, and plenty going on nearby. Rooms funky, staff friendly, good rates.

 

[coelacanth]

SF is definitely more tourist friendly compared to other major metro tourist destinations like NYC or Paris or Tokyo. Bus drivers, locals, shops will help you find things. But of course don't be too relaxed when you are in busy area. It's still a city full of thieves, muggers and crazy drivers including bus operators.

It's also good idea to have map on your phone so you don't have to have your guide book map wide open on streets promoting you are a tourist with full of cash and camera gears.

Oh and if you want to go Alcatraz, book as soon as possible. Tours that actually dock to the island will be sold out often a month or more in advance. Most of short notice/drop in tours are just cruse around the bay and you can't actually land on the island.

Oh one more thing. Don't be fooled by the sound of "California weather" SF can be quite chilly even summer time. Bring a thin jacket that cuts winds and you can tack into your bag when you don't need it.

 

[ornate_wrasse]

Oh one more thing. Don't be fooled by the sound of "California weather" SF can be quite chilly even summer time. Bring a thin jacket that cuts winds and you can tack into your bag when you don't need it.

I could not agree more with the above statement. I was in San Francisco for 3 weeks many years ago in August. Since it was August, I was expecting the typical hot weather that is normal for most parts of the US that time of the year. However, the weather I experienced was far different than what I expected. It was quite chilly and never seemed to get warmer than about the mid 60's F.

If you want to be comfortable, bring a jacket or sweater.

Ellen

 

[marcr1230]

I'm in SF now, staying in union square at the hotel nikko.
Very centrally located, I've walked all over from here.my favorite for street photos has to be Chinatown. Lots of character and dynamism.
Fisrgermans wharf and the Ferry building are very touristy. The GG bridge is a must see, but hard to beat the postcard photos.

 

[majid]

i'll second the triton, it's a safe neighborhood and right around the corner from north beach, chinatown, union square and the embarcadero.
if money isn't an issue check out the marc hopkins, sir francis drake, or the fairmont.
i wouldn't stay anywhere south of market or west of powell, neighborhoods are pretty hit and miss. also, staying in the suburbs will be really dull unless you have a car.

+1 for the Triton - that's where my wife stayed when she first came to meet me in SF before we got married, and she still has very fond memories of it. A bit eclectic, like all the Kimpton hotels, but very nice. You could also try the "Joie de Vivre" local chain.

The Omni Hotel on California St is very good as well, as it was entirely renovated a couple of years ago. I would recommend against the Hilton on O'Farrell - tiny and dirty rooms, or the Marriott on 4th & Mission (also tiny rooms).

 

[ampguy]

Great Hotel and a list of some places to see

Great Hotel and a list of some places to see

SOMA is fine if there's something there that interests you. By all means, go check it out. But don't expect to find many 4 star tourist hotels here, or in the FIDI, though that is close to the Ferry bldg.

There are a few hotels, but mainly catering towards the convention center folks - Four Seasons, The Palace, and W. Lots of tech growth, with some companies owning entire blocks, and serving in-house cafeteria foods, but still some OK restaurants and bars around here.

Here is my official tourist list for 15 places I think most folks visiting the city for the first time will enjoy seeing in 3-4 days, all easily accessible by walking, bart, or muni from most of the city:

1. GG Park (and associated lakes, museums)
2. Chinatown
3. GG Bridge
4. Crissy Field
5. North Beach
6. Haight Street
7. Union Square
8. Mission District
9. Pier 39 (and adjacent piers)
10. Ferry bldg., (esp. if Farmers Market is going on)
11. AT&T or Candlestick Park (if baseball fans)
12. Metreon (shopping, movies)
13. Steinhart Aquarium
14. Fleishacker Zoo (kind of a min. 1/2 day thing, near beach)
15. Sunset and Richmond neighborhoods

I'm in SF now, staying in union square at the hotel nikko.
Very centrally located, I've walked all over from here.my favorite for street photos has to be Chinatown. Lots of character and dynamism.
Fisrgermans wharf and the Ferry building are very touristy. The GG bridge is a must see, but hard to beat the postcard photos.

 

[maggieo]

You really can't go wrong with a Kimpton hotel, IMO. I personally like the Triton and the S.F. Drake, depending on what vibe you want.

When I first came to SF, I lived in the Cornell Hotel de France, which has one of the best restaurants in The City in its basement.

If you're driving, you might want to look at some of the motels on Lombard, as they have parking lots and are right between Cow Hollow and the Marina.

Man, I miss living in The City.

 

[RayPA]

My revision of Ted's list :
- GG Park (and associated lakes, museums)
- Chinatown
- GG Bridge/Fort Point
- Crissy Field/Marina area
- North Beach/Coit Tower
- Haight Street
- Union Square
- Mission District (it's a pretty big with some undesirable areas, but parts of Mission street, 24th street, 16th street, and Valencia street will give you the flavor)
- The Embarcadero from AT&T Park to the Ferry Bldg. to the F. Wharf
- Castro District and Mission Delores
- Fleishacker Zoo (kind of a min. 1/2 day thing, near beach)
- Sutro Bath ruins/Cliff House/Ocean beach (not sure if the Giant Camera at the Cliff House is open, but it's still there)
- Any of the District Street Fairs that occur throughout the summer
- Anchor Steam Brewery Tour
- Yerba Buena Park/SF MoMA/Jewish Museum
- Twin Peaks/Sutro Tower (great view of the east side of the city)
- Any of the main streets in each district will give a flavor of the 'hood and are good for short casual walking, shopping, eating, drinking (e.g. in Mission st in the Mission, in 24th st in Noe Valley, Fillmore st. in the Filmore and Pac. Heights, Castro st and 18th street in the Castro, Clement st in the Richmond (more Chinatown than Chinatown?), Irving st in the Inner Sunset, Union st in Cow Hollow, etc).
- If you can time it, Hardly, Strictly Bluegrass Festival is a free weekend music festival with several stages and LOTs of top acts. Lots of fun! This year is the 10th anniversary.

next to revise?

/

 

[pagpow]

Nope, I'm a SF native, and love almost all the neighborhoods of the city. I like different things from travel perhaps than some of the other posters. To me, it's contact with local life on the streets and buses and coffeeshops that's most interesting. Chinatown, Union Square, the Embarcadero, the GG Bridge, are pretty standard tourist fare, if that's what you want, but you asked what a local would recommend. Since you are European and in your 20's, I think that neighborhoods like the Mission, Hayes Valley, Russian Hill, and the like will be more lively and edgy and different for you, and more memorable than the cable car tourist zone. For a real experience, ride the N-Judah Muni streetcar out to Trouble Coffee near the ocean (Judah near 46 Ave), and chat for a while with the local guys who come and go.

I used to be a tourist, and now live here. I think Tim-n hits it right on the head when he points out your interests will help define the best area.

My first trips were all in the Union Square area and Financial District, but the neighborhoods are much more diverse in a number of ways.

San Francisco is really two cities in one -- a cosmopolitan city overlaid on a set of small villages, really.

I would avoid Fisherman's Wharf, Pier 39, etc if you want a sense of the living, breathing San Francisco.

On the other hand, I also agree that transport in the city gives you quick access to a lot of areas.

If, like Tim N and me, you like to mingle with real folk, or have special activities that define your tourist perspective, let us know and people can be helpful in pointing out what gets you best access.

What sets San Francisco apart from a lot of cities is our diversity -- in terms of population, food, and neighborhoods.

We are at the center of a food revolution that lets you eat fresh and interesting food at prices my European visitors find incredibly low, we have an explosion of food trucks and street food, we have a cults around differences in coffee, and baristas have rock star followings, we are experiencing a flowering of interesting, unusual, and downright peculiar artinasal ice cream. But you can reach those from anywhere in the city -- the question is taking a bit of time to decide what you care about and then checking up where they are and how to get there.

Also unusual is the diversity of Asian cuisines -- not just Chinese, but regional Chinese, and Vietnamese, Cambodian, Thai, etc.

You can spend all your meals seeing how these different cuisines treat fish.

But maybe food isn't your main travel attraction. What is?

 

[ampguy]

Thanks Ray, those are all great additions. I forgot about the Strictly Bluegrass Festival, but that's on my list now, missed the last two or so, but where else can you see Gillian Welch for free!!

There's some other free concert series, Radiohead was at one a couple of years back, can't remember the name.

I also have lists of just Bay Area places to go, in general, but many are secrets

 

[bob338]

you didn't mention if you have kids or not. if you do, go buy this book and take them to some of the locations in it. i've been doing this with my son for a few months now and he really likes seeing the real stuff in the drawings.

bob

http://www.amazon.com/Night-Francis...=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1279150016&sr=8-1

 

[Jamie123]

Nope, I'm a SF native, and love almost all the neighborhoods of the city. I like different things from travel perhaps than some of the other posters. To me, it's contact with local life on the streets and buses and coffeeshops that's most interesting. Chinatown, Union Square, the Embarcadero, the GG Bridge, are pretty standard tourist fare, if that's what you want, but you asked what a local would recommend. Since you are European and in your 20's, I think that neighborhoods like the Mission, Hayes Valley, Russian Hill, and the like will be more lively and edgy and different for you, and more memorable than the cable car tourist zone. For a real experience, ride the N-Judah Muni streetcar out to Trouble Coffee near the ocean (Judah near 46 Ave), and chat for a while with the local guys who come and go.

Don't get me wrong, I do like contact with local life but since I'll only be there for a couple of days I'd rather concentrate on the city instead of the people. I'm sure the citizens of SF are wonderful people but I'm afraid on this particular occasion sitting in a coffeeshop and chatting to a local for a couple of hours isn't exactly high on my list of activities.
I'll defninitely have a look into what those different neighborhoods hold in store. Not sure what edgy means in this regard, though. Higher crime rate? Lots of Emos running around? Homeless people?

 

[Jamie123]

SOMA is fine if there's something there that interests you. By all means, go check it out. But don't expect to find many 4 star tourist hotels here, or in the FIDI, though that is close to the Ferry bldg.

There are a few hotels, but mainly catering towards the convention center folks - Four Seasons, The Palace, and W. Lots of tech growth, with some companies owning entire blocks, and serving in-house cafeteria foods, but still some OK restaurants and bars around here.

Here is my official tourist list for 15 places I think most folks visiting the city for the first time will enjoy seeing in 3-4 days, all easily accessible by walking, bart, or muni from most of the city:

1. GG Park (and associated lakes, museums)
2. Chinatown
3. GG Bridge
4. Crissy Field
5. North Beach
6. Haight Street
7. Union Square
8. Mission District
9. Pier 39 (and adjacent piers)
10. Ferry bldg., (esp. if Farmers Market is going on)
11. AT&T or Candlestick Park (if baseball fans)
12. Metreon (shopping, movies)
13. Steinhart Aquarium
14. Fleishacker Zoo (kind of a min. 1/2 day thing, near beach)
15. Sunset and Richmond neighborhoods

Thanks for the list. That's great! I'll defniitely keep those in mind!

 

[Jamie123]

you didn't mention if you have kids or not. if you do, go buy this book and take them to some of the locations in it. i've been doing this with my son for a few months now and he really likes seeing the real stuff in the drawings.

bob

http://www.amazon.com/Night-Francis...=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1279150016&sr=8-1

I don't have kinds...at least that I know of

Thanks for the suggestion, though. Much appreciated!