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Holidays

Use our Travel forum for recommendations on everything from day trips to the best family-friendly holiday destinations.

3 days in San Francisco - what to do?

26 replies

BecauseImWorthIt · 28/02/2008 22:31

We'll be there at the end of our trip to Australia. It will be mid-August (although temperatures look as if they will be quite low according to the brochure), and we're staying at the Hilton, in the Union Square district.

It will be DH, and both dss - 16 and 13. Does anyone have any recommendations for things to do/places to go? I want to make the most of our time there!

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Califrau · 28/02/2008 22:41

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candyy · 28/02/2008 22:43

Definately go on a tour of Alcatraz. It's one of the best days i've ever had in my life! Fascinating - especially if you've seen the Clint Eastwood movie Escape From Alcatraz. You'll need to book in advance and it's best to get on a trip in a morning so you have long enough there.

Enjoy!

KerryMum · 28/02/2008 22:46

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Califrau · 28/02/2008 22:48

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ButterflyBessie · 28/02/2008 22:48

Hire a bike and cycle over the golden gate bridge and down into Sausalito, I think you can factor in a visit to Alcatraz, we didn't but we did get a boat back from there to the pier.

I found out I was pg with number 3 there probably not something you want to do

BecauseImWorthIt · 28/02/2008 22:49

Not especially outdoorsy, KM - more in the touristy vein.

We all love good food and doubt that the boys would appreciate being dragged round museums, etc.

So boat trips, cable cars, etc all good.

How warm will it really be? I was surprised that the brochure said 18 degrees - it's probably warmer in the UK then!

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hifi · 28/02/2008 22:50

go down highway one to carmel, beautiful. we saw whales last time.

southeastastra · 28/02/2008 22:50

take them on a 'streets of san francisco' tour i bet there's one

BreeVanDerCampLGJ · 28/02/2008 22:50

Cali

We had a hire car, it was BC and we did the Lombard Street loop, five times.

wineplease · 28/02/2008 22:50

I can only recommend that you 'wander' through the different districts. Mission was my favorite, although castro & height/asbury were fab too. Golden gate park is def worth a visit. It's such a beautiful city, so much to see and experience.

BecauseImWorthIt · 28/02/2008 22:51

BB - if I found out I was pregnant I would be in big trouble, as DH had the snip 4 years ago!

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KerryMum · 28/02/2008 22:54

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elkiedee · 28/02/2008 23:39

I've been about 6 or 7 times (I'm good at finding excuses to go back), most recently 10 weeks pregnant in early October 2006, and exactly one year later with a 5 month old baby in tow. It might be a while now though.

San Francisco's climate is generally quite mild - less hot than other places in summer and early autumn, warmer than here in November and late February/early March. Actually, my visits there in Feb/March the weather's been a bit like it has on the nicer days here lately.

I love the city but have never got round to Alcatraz in 5 or 6 visits - we have various friends (mostly dp's originally) that we want to catch up with and my dream holiday is mostly secondhand bookshops, mooching in cafes, meeting up with friends and sucking in the atmosphere rather than tourist stuff.

I like the Mission district, Valencia's nicer to walk along than Mission Street.

Do you have any preference for cuisine? San Francisco is reputed to have the best Chinese food outside China, and we found a couple of favourites which we've returned to several times. You can eat out at very reasonable prices.

Mission, Noe Valley (more gentrified area near the Mission) and Haight Ashbury have some lovely new and secondhand bookshops, and record shops if that would appeal more to your teenage boys.

A ferry ride sounds like a good plan, Lombard Street and the cable cars, but re cable cars the queues can be enormous.

What do your sons most like doing when they're at home? That might help those of us who love SF to offer you advice. I don't suppose they have a particular interest in politics, 60s music and history, beat poetry or crime fiction or science fiction, just some of the things which influence what I like to do there.

Califrau · 28/02/2008 23:40

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RosaIsRed · 28/02/2008 23:44

I have to disagree about Alcatraz - I found it fascinating and I reckon teenagers would love it. If you go down to Pier 39, a couple of piers before it there is an old sailing ship that has been turned into a museum that is really worth a look around. Cable car obviously. Exploratorium worth a look if they are into science at all. Really the best bit about San Francisco is just walking around all the districts and how diverse and fascinating they all are.

KerryMum · 28/02/2008 23:46

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KerryMum · 28/02/2008 23:47

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Califrau · 28/02/2008 23:49

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KerryMum · 28/02/2008 23:50

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Califrau · 28/02/2008 23:54

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BecauseImWorthIt · 28/02/2008 23:55

brilliant - sounds fab and I can't wait!!!

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NoBiggy · 29/02/2008 00:03

We had a couple of days stopover too. The concierge at our hotel booked us on to a coach tour, which included Alcatraz, the bridge (but not long enough to even walk halfway across and back) and a drive through the various areas, we were at a lookout high up at one point I remember.

If we hadn't done this we would have missed Alcatraz, because the boat trips were booked up.

Do the cable cars, and there's a museum too.

We went to a very good little Chinese veggie restaurant, but I was at the toilet arrangements. It was in the corner of the kitchen!

KerryMum · 29/02/2008 00:07

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Califrau · 29/02/2008 00:10

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Califrau · 29/02/2008 00:10

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