Leaving your heart in San Francisco - part 4 - just doing it · Saturday September 10, 2011 by colin newell
Quick summary – Thinking of visiting a great American city? San Francisco is a great choice for couples and families – and even individuals. In the previous 3 installments we covered aspects of planning and organizing your visit.
photo above – the city that loves its water. No visit to San Francisco is complete without spending some time on the water or over the water… Click on any photo to zoom in for a better view!
We got a City Pass to get all access to the MUNI, the street cars and the cable cars. Best dollars spent.
We reserved a spot on a 3 hour Grayline tour. They pick you up at your hotel.
We did not need to make a dinner reservation ahead of time because there are so many options. Now if you are doing a Wine country tour and want to dine at the French Laundry – you may need to reserve a few months ahead of time.
Photo above – Sourdough is part of San Francisco culture – check it out at Boudin Bakery
Andrea and I had some real goals and some special food and coffee targets and virtually all of those were achieved.
All of the coffee shops are either within walking distance of downtown or walking distance from the Market Street F Train. That is the street car line you will get familiar with if you visit San Francisco.
Getting to know the overall food scene of San Francisco when visiting for a week? It’s utterly impossible. Talk to friends who have been there or read some literate San Francisco food blogs and take your chances. We were staying on Nob hill in San Francisco and found some gems in the neighborhood – most or all of those based on tips we had received prior to arrival.
Photo above – Food and Wine culture in Yountville, Napa Valley. A quick moving lineup into the Bouchon Bakery
We found San Francisco to be a great family (and pet) friendly city with a bewildering menu of activities to please everyone – and it’s all very well organized. The only line ups you will encounter will be at the popular cable car stops – and since everyone must ride the cable cars, ride before 9:30AM or after 5:30PM.
Let me repeat: San Francisco is a child friendly place and so are ALL the attractions including the cable cars. The San Francisco cable cars are also stroller friendly so do not be shy. San Francisco cable car pilots (or driver engineers) are very well trained and appear to be excellent tour guides. In an average ride, there were upwards of 40 riders and the drivers always seemed to know who wanted to get off where and when.
For Andrea and I there were no hiccups – at any stage of the process. I do talk on this subject a lot and I do get the sense from lots of Canadians that would like to travel BUT… the overarching issue for them is, surprise surprise, airport security. I have not done a lot of air travel over the last ten years but it is usually a twice or thrice annual event for me. I just roll with it and never have any complaints about overly zealous TSA or border folks – they are just doing their jobs.
Wine touring? Plan ahead – reserve tastings if necessary – avoid parking lots full of limos and tour buses!
San Francisco is the kind of place you can spend a little or a lot – is up to you. And this axiom applies in all facets of the visit. The sky is the limit for hotels but you can find many boutique hotels for around $120/night (or less) on special via one of the many online booking agencies. San Francisco is getting hit by the recession like any other American (or global for that matter) city and deals abound.
The weather in San Francisco was unflinchingly cooperative but also pretty typical. Layering is the golden rule – and you won’t be shivering.
Will probably add some more to this last chapter on our first (in hopefully a series) of San Francisco visits. By all means, if you need any additional info or some clarification on any aspect of what I have written about San Francisco, please send me an email – I respond enthusiastically to all e-mail generally within 24 hours or less.
I hope this little series of articles have helped out those folks that are heading off to San Francisco. Andrea and I loved our week there – we were utterly amazed at how wonderful this city is and cannot wait to return. If you go, let us know how it works out for you!
Colin Newell is a Victoria area resident, food writer, pop culture and cafe culture maven – in the business of writing about trends in food and drink world since 1995 – His work has appeared on The Women’s Network, CBC, CTV and on CBS Television, CSI Las Vegas.
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Leaving your heart in San Francisco - part 3 - arrival orientation · Saturday September 3, 2011 by colin newell
When you land at San Francisco International airport (assuming you land there and not at Oakland [which is a viable alternative]) – you have a handful of transportation options for getting downtown to your hotel:
Taxi – There are a row of legit cabs waiting to take you downtown to your hotel. Cost is around $30. For $20 more or so you can get a limo… but why? Travel time: 20 – 30 minutes – generally closer to the lower number. Cabs travel at the speed limit on the Freeway so do not be alarmed when you are zooming along at 70mph in a Prius!
Shuttle van – Vans can make their way downtown to your hotel – they are around $17-19 per person – and take a bit longer doing the hotel milk run. Do the math. Want to save a few bucks, this is one way to go.
Rapid Transit – If you are traveling light and want a bit more adventure and keep a few more dollars in your pocket, take the BART. It is fast, clean and safe and will get you to a location near your hotel downtown within 30 minutes.
Photo left – have your Gold card handy if you are staying anywhere near Union Square shopping!
If you are arriving mid-day (always the best way to arrive), it gives you time to check in and start exploring your surroundings. We stayed on the very top of Nob Hill – which is a combination of nice hotels, luxury small homes, and by appearances, some international embassies – oh yea, and some great restaurants.
There are some primary centers of action in San Francisco; Union Square, Powell Station, Ferry Building, Embarcadero and Fisherman’s Wharf. Chances are you are going to be staying near one of these. One of those travel books I suggested talks about these neighborhoods.
We stayed in tony Nob Hill so it was “all downhill” from where we were staying. Literally. First thing we did was make our way to the Visitors Information Center (900 Market Street) to validate our City Pass – they are open til 5 PM sharp on weekdays so make sure you arrive a few minutes earlier like we did! And we got in. Last customers of the day!
First meal in San Francisco that afternoon: Sears Fine Food – nothing to do with the Sears chain of stores – that is their name – and they have been serving up gravity reliable grub since 1938. Old school and Blue Plate specials. And it’s the perfect comfortable place to have that first meal when you are feeling somewhat discombobulated from air travel. We became acquainted with The Nob Hill Cafe which had a very comfortable eating space and great menu. The pasta is great and we visited twice.
If you have come to San Francisco for some of the great coffee culture (Photo above left) you will not be let down. Most people who love coffee know that San Francisco is coming into its own – names that come to mind; Blue Bottle at the Ferry Building (a great attraction all by itself), Sight Glass – Four Barrel and Ritual, etc etc. More on these in the next installment.
Leaving your heart in San Francisco - part 2 - Planning · Friday September 2, 2011 by colin newell
There are a lot of places you can visit in Canada and America if you have 1 week to play with – or, heck, even 3 days.
And I think that San Francisco comes up as a primary choice a lot because of the multitude of things that are there to do.
As destinations go, San Francisco has sports, arts, culture, food, a multitude of cultural happenings. It has an incredible history – part of how the West was won, the Gold rush, the Earthquake, a rebuilding and architectural renaissance and an approach to city planning that should be the envy of any great city on planet Earth.
We picked it for a week for a variety of reasons. One of them is proximity. From Victoria, it is as little as a 2 hour flight away via American Airlines. We also had the option for some great accommodations at the Fairmont on Nob Hill.
The Fairmont survived the great Earthquake, has hosted every U.S. President since President Taft – how cool is that? The U.N. was chartered in 1945 at the Fairmont in San Francisco. Damaged by fire after the great earthquake, the Fairmont became one of many symbols of the city’s resilience. Opera singer Enrico Caruso, who was hold up at the Fairmont, calmed crowds of panicked folks by singing to them.
So. There is a ton of history in San Francisco – yes, lots of ghosts, but plenty of great energy and a myriad of diverse neighborhoods, all entirely trek worthy on foot or in combination with the transit system.
Music and art: We discovered that there was a wide variety of art and music things happening while we were there. Plan ahead for any number of shows or concerts – It was a coincidence that there were some important gallery events happening – so we lucked out.
OK – so here are the parts of the planning process that we felt were important.
Flights – Thankfully, Victoria and Vancouver have some great direct options for flights to San Francisco. We picked West Jet because we have had good experiences with them. They are reliable as heck and fun. And by flying West Jet we get around having to deal with Vancouver International Airport – for us, it gets a tad too hectic. When we go to Hawaii every year, we always fly out of Seattle because it is the superior airport (in our opinion).
Hotels – There are more sleeping options in San Francisco than you can possibly imagine. Narrowing options include Fodor’s, Frommer’s, Lonely Planet, Trip Adviser online and the like. Pick your location and price point and go. One of many San Francisco guide books will clue you in on possible centers of activity; Union Square, Nob Hill, Russian Hill, Fisherman’s Wharf, etc. They are all close to cable cars or transit – as are a dozen other neighborhoods. You need to get an advance sense of how the city is laid out and what you want to do with your time. Read and plan.
Clothing – Do not be fooled by the California part of the equation. San Francisco is parked next to an ocean. As a result, it is often foggy and often cool (not not really cold) – a tour bus driver pointed out: “For every mile you drive inland from San Francisco Bay, the temperature goes up X degrees (I do not know the exact number…)
So it can be a pleasant 18 degrees in San Francisco and 27 to 29 degrees in Sonoma or Napa wine country. San Francisco is actually slightly warmer, on average, in September and October. The bottom line here is: layer!
You can start the day with fog and a cool breeze and by mid-morning, you are peeling down to a T-shirt and shorts only to put it all back on by 4 in the afternoon.
Coupons and passes – doing things in San Francisco can be a bit pricey when you start tackling the tourist things – that everyone does; street cars, cable cars, harbor tours, galleries and entertainment. I suggested the City Pass in the previous chapter – it is terrific value. Buy it. If you want to see Alcatraz (we didn’t, lots do…) you have to book that trip in advance. Failure to book in advance will result in disappointment. Get the 3-hour Grayline tour in advance as well. They pick you up at your hotel and drop you off pretty much anywhere.
Next chapter – Arriving!
Leaving your heart in San Francisco - part 1 - 2011 · Tuesday August 30, 2011 by colin newell
San Francisco, California – established as a Spanish fort in 1776, experienced a gold rush in 1849, a devastating earthquake in 1906 – has become one of the most popular tourist destinations in North America and, arguably, the world.
Picture at left – Street Cars – they are historic and you should learn the basics of the San Francisco transit system if you are going to maximize your experience – click on photo for bigger view.
We had the great pleasure of visiting San Francisco for 7 days in August 2011. And as it turns out, many people that we know are either heading to San Francisco or planning on going there in the near future. Fact is, it is a readily accessible city – and it’s close… a mere 740 miles or 1200km – we flew via West Jet but there are other options like United and Air Canada.
What was important, leading up to the trip, was a bit of planning – based on our personal preferences.
Whether you are going for 1 day, 3 days, a week or a month… it is very important to get some books in your pocket, some online resources bookmarked and a few key things purchased (apart from air fare of course!)
The Ferry Building (photo left) – great food, water access, farmers market and Blue Bottle Coffee!
Here is the thing: Unless someone is driving you and yours around in a limo all day long you might want to get acquainted with the transportation infrastructure – and it’s a great and efficient one.
As cities go, San Francisco is eminently walkable – but mind bogglingly hilly. Nob Hill, where we stayed, is 402 feet above sea level – and only 1.3 km away from the water! If that sounds like “straight up”, it seems like it. Thank heavens for cable cars! More on those later.
Photo left – The Golden Gate. If you are going to San Francisco, get over it or go under it. Andrea and I did both! All photos on my Panasonic Lumix.
Hot Tip! Before we went we bought a couple of things online. And I will classify these as very important – must have items if you are staying more than 3 days.
Number 1 item! San Francisco City Pass – Do not leave home without it!
For starters, you are going to want to ride the cable cars. And you are going to want to ride the historic electric street cars along the “F” line that start at Fisherman’s Wharf and zip through the Embarcadero to the Ferry Building and onto the terminus in the Castro district.
Photo left – Ritual Coffee! We went to this place, Sight Glass, Blue Bottle, 4-Barrel and the Tartine Bakery… All amazing!
And if, like us, you are staying at any hotel on Nob or Russian Hill, you are going to need a cable car pass – because individual rides are $5 (according to the website – I think they may be $6 a ride now – which is amazing even to the cable-car grips.) With the city pass, you have “all access” – so you do not need to carry change or dollar bills. You can buy the MUNI-Cable Car pass separately, but this represents great value (more on that subject later too!)
The City Pass, in addition to giving you hop on / hop off access to the cable cars, and the MUNI and the classic electric rail in the city, you get a 1 hour water tour into San Francisco Bay (under the Bay bridge and around Alcatraz Island) – called the Blue & Gold Fleet Bay Cruise It is a fun filled and informative guided tour of some of San Francisco’s colorful history. The boats are big, safe, fast and equipped with a bar and food items… Yes, a booze cruise. It’s San Francisco after all!
With the City Pass, we also took in the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art (SFMOMA) – yea, not everyone is an art fan – but while we were there, there was a comprehensive Picasso exhibit and some great photo galleries + plus a lot of contemporary American art. Check the gallery schedule of course.
Consider the city pass – for $69 for adults and $39 for children (San Francisco is a very child friendly and pet friendly place)
Hot Tip #2 – Buy a couple of travel books on this city a minimum of 30 days in advance to absorb some of the things you might want to do.
Farmers Bakers Market at the Ferry Building three days a week!
We got Frommers San Francisco A very good read with good sections and apparently some fairly honest and bias free reporting. The Frommers San Francisco Day by day was also a very useful resource – especially for carrying around.
Jump to chapter two – The planning phase!
