Can’t decide…Seattle or San Francisco

[Anonymous]

We did San Fran and loved it. Now I'd like to visit Seattle. Just flip a coin. Both are great cities.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I would choose Seattle if just sticking to the city proper, but if you're just sticking to the city proper, you're doing it wrong.
If I were just sticking to a city, I'd go to Southern Europe. Lodging more affordable, even now.

I’m the opposite. As a city, I think SF has way more going for it. Seattle is fine, but I could see getting bored there pretty quickly. If you are combining other activities/destinations, I think both cities are great and are close to a lot of other great sites to visit.

I have only been to Seattle once, so I’m not an expert on the city, but we combined our visit with Olympic National Park, which is fantastic. Olympic is a couple parks in one- lakes, mountain peaks, rocky coastline, rain forest and more.

As for SF. I love it…probably my favorite U.S. city, whose demise has been greatly exaggerated by Fox News. It’s a big city, but other than a few areas, it’s fine. SF also has lots of great nearby places to see. The hard part is choosing.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I’ve been to both cities a handful of times each for business trips (usually a week at a time) and I’ve never considered taking my family there on vacation. No clue how I would entertain them for a week (or even a few days) when I struggle to entertain myself while I’m those cities.

This forum is home to some of the most boring people on the planet.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Both are awful.

Geez, tough crowd.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I’ve been to both cities a handful of times each for business trips (usually a week at a time) and I’ve never considered taking my family there on vacation. No clue how I would entertain them for a week (or even a few days) when I struggle to entertain myself while I’m those cities.

What? There’s a ton of things to do in each city and the surrounding areas. One of our favorite vacations was Pacific Northwest and we’ve frequently traveled to the Bay Area. Let me guess, you like just going to the beach for vacation?

I prefer visiting cities abroad because most American cities are really only interesting/fun for a few days.

And yes, we enjoy going to the beach as well. I’ve visited the Pacific Northwest coast and it’s not my vibe. I’ve also visited coastal towns up and down California. Meh. I prefer east coast beach towns and the Caribbean when we stay local-ish. LOVE beaches in the Mediterranean.

Full disclosure: I’d sooner cut off my arm than drag my kids hiking for a week in the woods. That’s more of a one-day thing than an entire vacation. They do the whole hiking/fishing/boating/waterskiing thing each summer at a relative’s lake house in the mountains, but that’s an annual trip not a vacation.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I’ve been to both cities a handful of times each for business trips (usually a week at a time) and I’ve never considered taking my family there on vacation. No clue how I would entertain them for a week (or even a few days) when I struggle to entertain myself while I’m those cities.

What? There’s a ton of things to do in each city and the surrounding areas. One of our favorite vacations was Pacific Northwest and we’ve frequently traveled to the Bay Area. Let me guess, you like just going to the beach for vacation?

I prefer visiting cities abroad because most American cities are really only interesting/fun for a few days.

And yes, we enjoy going to the beach as well. I’ve visited the Pacific Northwest coast and it’s not my vibe. I’ve also visited coastal towns up and down California. Meh. I prefer east coast beach towns and the Caribbean when we stay local-ish. LOVE beaches in the Mediterranean.

Full disclosure: I’d sooner cut off my arm than drag my kids hiking for a week in the woods. That’s more of a one-day thing than an entire vacation. They do the whole hiking/fishing/boating/waterskiing thing each summer at a relative’s lake house in the mountains, but that’s an annual trip not a vacation.

Dear god rolling.my.eyes all the way around at this post. Here's a list of American cities I have been to, where you could easily spend a week in the city and surrounding areas within say 90 minutes for day trips, etc (with the caveat of right time of year of course):

DC
New York
Boston
Chicago
San Diego
Los Angeles
Bay Area
Portland
Seattle

I am sure you could add a few to that list, but I haven't been there, or I don't know the area enough to say I would like it for sure. Minneapolis is a city I liked a lot for an early fall weekend, for example. Not sure you could fill a whole week though, even in summer.

Don't get me wrong, I love Paris and Rome with an unhealthy obsession. Also love Mediterranean beaches,.but mostly because of how they are setup, with everything right next to the beach. Tough to find in the US except sort of trashy beach towns. But this "American cities are really.only interesting/fun for a few days" statement is ridiculous. GTFOver yourself.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I’ve been to both cities a handful of times each for business trips (usually a week at a time) and I’ve never considered taking my family there on vacation. No clue how I would entertain them for a week (or even a few days) when I struggle to entertain myself while I’m those cities.

This forum is home to some of the most boring people on the planet.

Agree. Bored in SF? Tons of parks, lots of great views, tons of great restaurants, cool neighborhoods, take a boat ride and/or sail in the bay, west SF is on the Pacific…far from boring!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I’ve been to both cities a handful of times each for business trips (usually a week at a time) and I’ve never considered taking my family there on vacation. No clue how I would entertain them for a week (or even a few days) when I struggle to entertain myself while I’m those cities.

This forum is home to some of the most boring people on the planet.

Agree. Bored in SF? Tons of parks, lots of great views, tons of great restaurants, cool neighborhoods, take a boat ride and/or sail in the bay, west SF is on the Pacific…far from boring!

Kids will be bored after 48 hours.

[Anonymous]

Seattle

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I’ve been to both cities a handful of times each for business trips (usually a week at a time) and I’ve never considered taking my family there on vacation. No clue how I would entertain them for a week (or even a few days) when I struggle to entertain myself while I’m those cities.

What? There’s a ton of things to do in each city and the surrounding areas. One of our favorite vacations was Pacific Northwest and we’ve frequently traveled to the Bay Area. Let me guess, you like just going to the beach for vacation?

I prefer visiting cities abroad because most American cities are really only interesting/fun for a few days.

And yes, we enjoy going to the beach as well. I’ve visited the Pacific Northwest coast and it’s not my vibe. I’ve also visited coastal towns up and down California. Meh. I prefer east coast beach towns and the Caribbean when we stay local-ish. LOVE beaches in the Mediterranean.

Full disclosure: I’d sooner cut off my arm than drag my kids hiking for a week in the woods. That’s more of a one-day thing than an entire vacation. They do the whole hiking/fishing/boating/waterskiing thing each summer at a relative’s lake house in the mountains, but that’s an annual trip not a vacation.

Dear god rolling.my.eyes all the way around at this post. Here's a list of American cities I have been to, where you could easily spend a week in the city and surrounding areas within say 90 minutes for day trips, etc (with the caveat of right time of year of course):

DC
New York
Boston
Chicago
San Diego
Los Angeles
Bay Area
Portland
Seattle

I am sure you could add a few to that list, but I haven't been there, or I don't know the area enough to say I would like it for sure. Minneapolis is a city I liked a lot for an early fall weekend, for example. Not sure you could fill a whole week though, even in summer.

Don't get me wrong, I love Paris and Rome with an unhealthy obsession. Also love Mediterranean beaches,.but mostly because of how they are setup, with everything right next to the beach. Tough to find in the US except sort of trashy beach towns. But this "American cities are really.only interesting/fun for a few days" statement is ridiculous. GTFOver yourself.

As someone who has traveled for business for decades, I’ve visited all the cities on your list multiple times. I enjoy most places I’ve visited, but I still think it would be challenging to entertain kids for a week in any city—even DC (where we live) and NY (where we have relatives and routinely visit). After a few days it gets challenging to keep most kids entertained in a city imho.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I’ve been to both cities a handful of times each for business trips (usually a week at a time) and I’ve never considered taking my family there on vacation. No clue how I would entertain them for a week (or even a few days) when I struggle to entertain myself while I’m those cities.

If you struggle to entertain yourself in San Francisco and/or Seattle, you are a lost cause. They are a couple of the most fun cities that I've ever been to.

Tell us a place/city that you really like and would take your family to.

[Anonymous]

We visited Seattle with teens a few summers ago and San Francisco a few more summers ago, both on the way to other places. I had been to both cities myself several times before.

Kids loved the Alcatraz behind the scenes tour in San Francisco, in addition to Muir Woods, Chinatown Food tour, and general city stuff - the Wharf, Ghirardelli, etc. A year later, they enjoyed the Space Needle in Seattle, plus the Chihuly Museum, Pike Place Market, Ballard Locks, etc.

We find fun wherever we go.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:We visited Seattle with teens a few summers ago and San Francisco a few more summers ago, both on the way to other places. I had been to both cities myself several times before.

Kids loved the Alcatraz behind the scenes tour in San Francisco, in addition to Muir Woods, Chinatown Food tour, and general city stuff - the Wharf, Ghirardelli, etc. A year later, they enjoyed the Space Needle in Seattle, plus the Chihuly Museum, Pike Place Market, Ballard Locks, etc.

We find fun wherever we go.

Sure, so do I.

But as you said, you were only there for a quick stop en route elsewhere—and the few items you mentioned as highlights would barely fill one day.

I’m curious what a typical day looks like. Are you sleeping in? Going to bed early? Taking afternoon breaks?

I can understand running around DC for several days given the museums, landmarks, etc. And NYC has plenty to do. Rome, London, Paris, etc. have so much to see and do.

But Seattle? Yeah, Pike Place is fun for like 30 mins. SF Wharf is a place you pass by while heading out to eat. Even the YouTube videos or articles on what to do in those cities are pretty short.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:We visited Seattle with teens a few summers ago and San Francisco a few more summers ago, both on the way to other places. I had been to both cities myself several times before.

Kids loved the Alcatraz behind the scenes tour in San Francisco, in addition to Muir Woods, Chinatown Food tour, and general city stuff - the Wharf, Ghirardelli, etc. A year later, they enjoyed the Space Needle in Seattle, plus the Chihuly Museum, Pike Place Market, Ballard Locks, etc.

We find fun wherever we go.

Sure, so do I.

But as you said, you were only there for a quick stop en route elsewhere—and the few items you mentioned as highlights would barely fill one day.

I’m curious what a typical day looks like. Are you sleeping in? Going to bed early? Taking afternoon breaks?

I can understand running around DC for several days given the museums, landmarks, etc. And NYC has plenty to do. Rome, London, Paris, etc. have so much to see and do.

But Seattle? Yeah, Pike Place is fun for like 30 mins. SF Wharf is a place you pass by while heading out to eat. Even the YouTube videos or articles on what to do in those cities are pretty short.

Seattle is as much about what is outside the city as what's in it. Whale watching, hiking, etc. Boeing tour, Space Needle, Chihuly, etc, all within the city.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I’ve been to both cities a handful of times each for business trips (usually a week at a time) and I’ve never considered taking my family there on vacation. No clue how I would entertain them for a week (or even a few days) when I struggle to entertain myself while I’m those cities.

This forum is home to some of the most boring people on the planet.

Agree. Bored in SF? Tons of parks, lots of great views, tons of great restaurants, cool neighborhoods, take a boat ride and/or sail in the bay, west SF is on the Pacific…far from boring!

Kids will be bored after 48 hours.

In SF? And the overall Bay Area? You are doing it wrong. Go north to see the Redwoods and head to Napa Valley. Go south and do some hiking around Big Sur and visit Carmel, with a stop at the Monterrey Bay Aquarium. Want to go farther afield? Yosemite.