San Fran for 3 nights with Tweens--Where to Stay (neighborhood and corresponding hotel)
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Anonymous
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I live part time in SF and part time in DC. You don't need a car in the city - walk, take the cable car (so fun) and uber/lyft. I agree with PP who said stay on Nob Hill. Don't listen to the naysayers - there are so many great neighborhoods to explore. We walk all over the city and have never had any problems with crime. Explore North Beach, Pacific Heights, Cow Hollow, Japantown, Chinatown, Marina, Russian Hill. So many great little restaurants, boutiques, gourmet and wine shops (buy stuff for a picnic and go to the Presidio for spectacular views and hikes). It's still a vibrant city with residents out and about enjoying the neighborhoods, and tourists are back in droves.
Some of the best food in the country is in SF - particularly Japanese, Italian, Chinese. Mexican is good but it's better in LA. Re crime: yes there are a lot of homeless people who are mostly harmless but there are some who are agressive. My adivce it to not engage with them. Totally avoid the Tenderloin, which is a really horrible place right now. Yes there's crime but it's way up in DC as well. Just the other day two couples were held up at gunpoint in Shaw and had their dogs kidnapped!! We drive out of the city a lot in all directions - Berkeley and Oakland, Silicon Valley and up north to the wine country or Muir Woods area for hikes. We've never had our car broken into nor have any of our friends or family who live in the area. In the city - yes it's a chronic problem and there even street signs all over warning folks to not leave anything in their cars. Enjoy PP - SF is still a beautiful city with lots to enjoy. Book way ahead for Alcatraz - it's always booked up! |
Anonymous
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NP - this week, we just booked a room at the Argonaut in the Wharf for a summer trip. Seemed fun. No deposit or anything. Any feedback on that hotel?
Do Ubers and Lyfts come quickly? We grabbed the last spots for the Alcatraz behind the scenes tour for the day we wanted! |
Anonymous
Last time we stayed here a man was openly masturbating on the sidewalk. |
Anonymous
Was just coming to recommend this place. It’s very cute and in a great location to activities. |
Anonymous
Good to know, thanks! |
Anonymous
I work in Tenleytown and there was a man openly masturbating outside our store window looking right at us. Bad stuff happens everywhere. |
Anonymous
I live in SF full time. I only use Uber, and they generally come in less than ten minutes. Pack sweatshirts - don't stand out as a tourist by showing up in SF in shorts and a t-shirt and then having to buy sweatshirts in Fisherman's Wharf that are plastered with San Francisco across the chest. Since you'll be close, go to Pier 39, and walk ALL the way to the back. Nobody ever walks back that far, but there are a bunch of cool stores there. Also, North Beach is adjacent to Fisherman's Wharf, and there's a Trader Joe's right at the border where you can go in to grab healthy snacks. Better quality than 7-11. |
Anonymous
No you can’t leave your luggage in the car. You absolutely can not leave anything electronic like laptops or iPads in the car even in bags. |
Anonymous
Yeah, honestly I don’t think I’d leave luggage in the car in any major city in the US. Possibly even anywhere in the US. |
Anonymous
^It’s not worth it anymore. I’ve stayed at that Fairmont twice—once in 2017 and again this past September. It was amazing in 2017, but now the quality is well below what it used to be. Stay somewhere else, OP. |
Anonymous
| OP - Make sure to take your kids to the Disney Family Museum and get a food tour in Chinatown. Your kids are a fun age for SF. |
Anonymous
| Also, avoid using San Fran while you’re there. No one says that. |
Anonymous
| SF resident here and it's true that there is a lot of crime right now, it's not true that the whole city is unsafe or inhospitable. I second the idea of staying near Union Square. Depending on budget the Hilton Union Square works well or for higher budget, the Fairmont is beautiful. There's also a decent Marriott Marquis near Union Square. Neighborhoods near Fisherman's wharf are more touristy and annoying. Some of these posts are unbelievable- people with families still live here and it is not a hotbed of crime. |
Anonymous
Yes! San Francisco area resident here. People cringe at "San Fran" and even worse, "Frisco." We say "San Francisco." It's a thing here not to abbreviate it. |
Anonymous
| To piggyback onto the others, you cannot leave anything of value in the car, ever, in the Bay Area even in Palo Alto or further area towns. |