What to Do in San Fransisco Besides Alcatraz?

The Bay is worth hanging out on.. My husband and I were just ther elast week and loved it. We went on a catamaran crusie through the bay ($30 each for adults and I believe it was $15 each for kids) that took us around Alcatraz and under Golden Gate Bridge (see it w/o paying the toll!). Since we went mid-May it was very cold on the cruise and chilly on the bay so bring jackets- I don't know if it's like that year-round or not.

There is also an aquarium on the Bay and forgive me but the name eludes me. They have a tunnel that actually goes underneath the Bay so you can see the sea life in action (in addition to the traditional aquarium stuff like seeing the wildlife in their tanks). They also have a petting zoo there where you can pet certain animals- too cool! The kids will LOVE it!

If you're looking for food there's always the Hard Rock Cafe among other restaraunts on the Bay.

We only spent one day there (road-trip) so I'm not a huge expert on the area but it is definitely a worthwhile trip! HTH!

Muir Woods is beautiful!!! We enjoyed the trails and we are not the camping type. Rent a car if you can and drive to Napa Valley (90 min drive), it will be so worth is. If you go to Napa go to the Vsatui winery and his Italian castle about 2 iles away from the winery. We went this time last year and it was very cool at the Bay, take a light to heavy(for night) jacket. Have a great time, I can't wait to get back to Napa, ( and I am not a wine drinker, but it is so beautiful.

Hi R.,

San Fran is very nice, we went about six years ago. We will be going back in August.

Anyhoo we did the Alcatraz tour, we also do the tour of San Fran. A tour bus took us all over the city, that was really neat. We saw the house that the t.v. show Full House was filmed. We went way up to over look the entire city, of course Golden Gate bridge. It was lots of fun, I like that tour the best.

We went to Chinatown, it was o.k.

Oh we ate at this very very nice white table cloth restaruant called Mcorminick & Collette's. I think that is how you spell it, it was down where Fisherman's Wharf is located. They have fresh fish daily which is not on the meun, they tell you what they have.

The City, as locals refer to it, can be tough with a heavy stroller, so keep that in mind. You may consider using two lightweight strollers as opposed to a heavy double. I used to live in Brentwood, CA a little over an hour East, so we went a few times when my kids were babies. When they were 3 and 1, we went with a huge Peg Perego double stroller & were miserable because we couldn't go some places due to the bulk and the hills.

Pier 39 is great for young families, there's a carousel, sea lions, and an aquarium. Boudin Bakery is a great place for sourdough and chowder.

Also, it sounds crazy, but the cable car museum is cool too. The last time I was there, this was free.

If you want to ride the cable cars, you need to catch it at the beginning or end of the line where they turn it around. One station is by Ghiradelli Sq. It is almost impossible to catch it along one of the stops as mostly tourists ride it & they ride it from beginning to end. Be prepared for long lines for this. The historic street cars are neat to ride too. I recommend buying a buying a Muni pass for the time you are there. It allows the most flexibility. If you don't you'll end up over paying for individual tickets. You can check the website sfmta.com for locations. The easiest one I've found is at Union Square.

Bocce Cafe in Little Italy North Beach is really good and reasonable. The ambiance is great, price is very reasonable and they have garden seating. Not as touristy as other places. My cousin introduced this to me when he was going to college in the city, I've been back at least 3 times since then and never disappointed. It's where the locals go.

If going to Alcatraz, be sure to buy your Alcatraz tickets in advance as they tend to sell out quickly. It can be really hard to get tickets the day of. Be on time for your boat or they might not be able to fit you in on a later boat.

A great hamburger place is In & Out Burger, a California institution. There's one at 333 Jefferson St. San Francisco, CA 94133. If you are not vegetarian, order the Double Double. You can also order a grilled cheese. It's not on the menu, but they'll make it for you.

Golden Gate is beautiful. When I left CA it cost $5 to cross, but it might be more now so be prepared if you plan to cross the bridge to Marin County.

Bay Quackers is fun. I've taken it in Seattle, but it's basically the same thing. You take the duck boat over land and in water. They pass out quacking devices and you quack all over the city. The kids will probably get a kick out of this. bayquackers.com

And to answer your question, YES it can get cold this time of year. Check weather.com and bring layers so you can take off and put on as the weather changes. Typical for this time is mild 70 ish during the day and chilly 50's at night.

PM me if you have any other questions.

K.
Mom to 3 ages 6, 5 & 3

I haven't had a chance to read all the posts so I apologize if I duplicate any "to do's."

I recommend Westfield San Francisco Centre (http://westfield.com/sanfrancisco/) - it's got the coolest food court - you will have trouble deciding where to eat. It also has a Beard Papas - the best cream puffs you'll ever have. There is also a really nice grocer store that has every kind of prepared food you could possibly want - you can get foods to take back to your hotel room. A very nice mealtime solution when you're traveling with kids.

If you like dim sum - I recommed City View: http://search.reachlocal.com/coupon/d162/162589/index.htm...

It has the (hands down) best dim sum EVER. It's small and can get very crowded very quickly so go as early as you can.

Ghirradelli square is pretty touristy, but fun. The North Beach area is good to walk around in. All the Beats hung out there. Also there's the Haight which is also fun. There are a ton of great museums, galleries and parks in SF too. YOu can't go wrong with food either. It's a great place because you can pretty much walk everywhere or take a bus. Very easy to navigate imo. Get yourself a good guide book and a map before you leave. Also, check out the boards on the Fodors and Frommers websites for more information too.

Hi R. - I used to live in San Fran & will be travelling there also next month. You should shop at Union Square & visit Fisherman's Wharf, which are both downtown San Fran. Eat at 'The Stinking Rose'... very popular & an amazing treat if you are a garlic lover. If you have a car you should drive to Napa Valley & visit the wineries... it will make your vacation so worth it & is only approx 40 minutes from the city. The kids will love it also. Also drive down the crookedest street in the world. It is downtown & lined with the most amazing flowers. The best part of your trip, if you have the time ask someone to direct you to Highway 1. It is an amazing drive with the ocean on one side of the road and the mountains on the other. You do not have to pick one area to drive down highway 1 because it is all beautiful & you will not get lost! Enjoy!

I'm sorry if this is a really late reply. I am just now getting to my emails. But I am originally from San Francisco. The weather there can be cold all year round. Definitely bring a sweatshirt or light jacket with you. There are lots of things to do! If its your first time and have time, do the following:
1) Walk the Golden Gate Bridge - driving across costs $5 and not worth it
2) Check out Pier 39 and Fisherman's Warf
3) Go to Union Square
4) From Fisherman's Warf, go to the famous trolley (west) of the Warf
5) Ride that same trolley up to Lombard Street and try walking down the very steep hill
6) Try to check out a Giant's game at AT&T Park (formerly Pac Bell Park) - awesome views!!
7) Drive up to Twin Peaks and check out the view of San Francisco from on top a hill
8) Drive through the Presidio
9) Go see a movie at the Sony Metreon
10) Walk around Chinatown
11) Head over to the Castro District to check out all the gay people
12) Go to Golden Gate Park - its really big to walk around so consider biking or driving just to see it
13) Also walk along the beach at Ocean Beach
14) Definitely try to make it up to Coit Tower
15) As for restaurants, try: Bubba Gump Shrimp at the Warf, top floor of the Marriott hotel, Cheesecake Factory at Union Square (top of Nordstroms), the Equinox is a rotating restaurant but very popular, there are authentic Chinese restaurants everywhere! Also try authentic Japanese food in Japantown (yes, just like Chinatown there is a Japantown)

If you have already gone but did not get a chance to see all of these, you must try to next time! Hope this helps! Wish I could go back with you!

We went to San Fransisco last summer with our kids. It can get very chilly there, bring layers. We weren't real impressed with Ghiradelli square, but Alcatraz is amazing. If you haven't gotten your tickets yet I suggest you do that today. They sell out weeks in advance. The whole warf is definitly worth walking around. There are several people selling neat items, you can stop and watch the sea lions, there is a whole area for shopping with a carousel. We didn't go to the aquarium, but there is one on the warf. We made sure to drive over both bridges and we drove the "49" mile scenic drive. I am not sure it is 49 it may be 52, I can't remember, but there are signs up all around town and it will take you past all the tourist places. You can stop as you go. Just in case you don't know the cost for parking downtown is outraguous. It is 2.25 for 20 minutes at the meters. It was lots of fun. Enjoy.

visit tripadvisor.com. It's never disappointed us!

I used to live in SF and there is tons to do. check out the differet neighborhoods, Haight/Ashbury, etc. You can hang out at Pier 39 (lots of shops, aquarium, etc. fisherman's wharf) If you like art the SF Art Museum is really nice. You can look at a local paper and see if any event are going on in Golden Gate Park. I am not real, real familiar with what restaurants are in China town, but can recommend others around the city if you would like. (My favorite Sushi Restaurant is a place called Marina Sushi Bar, on Lombard and Webster street in the Marina.) Don't forget to check out Lombard street; the curvy/steep street. There is also a good restaurant chain in the SF Area called Plutos, its primarily a salad place, but its really healthy and yummy. Have fun, and let me know if you need anymore info.

You can bike across the bridge and take the Ferry back. Lots of fun! and your kids would love it. Lots of bike rental places along the Pier. There is also a great aquarium on the Pier--I can't think of the name of it but you can't miss it. You also should eat at Scoma's--seafood down off the Pier and also eat at the Boudin Bakery--the best sourdough bread there is. They make an awesome bread bowl and serve chowder or chili I know. Have a great time

Check out the San Francisco newspaper on line. www.sfgate.com I read it daily. No I have not been to SF but plan on visiting one day.

If you have time I would rent a car and drive into wine county it is only about 45 mins or so and it is beautiful. Kids enjoy a picnic in the vinyards. The Mier woods were also a lot of fun. The weather this time of year is really nice but I would dress in layers. It can be very warm during the day but very cool in the evening. Have fun!

I did a Woking tour of Chinatown a few years ago. It was great. I can't remember the exact name though.

Coit tower - go right before sunset so you can see the town in the daylight then stay til the sunsets so you can see the lights of San ran. BEAUTIFUL. Pier 19 to see the sea lions. Look in the hotel for a WHERE magazine. Lots of ideas there too!

I lived in the area for 14 years. House of Nanking was a great little Chinese restaurant. Peter Fang is the owner. I assume it is still there. Ask around everyone knows where it is and there may be a line. The Condor club is a good place to have a drink, sit by the window, and people watch during the day and there are lots of good restaurants nearby. Tiburon and Sausalito are nice you can take the ferry there. You can also take a brunch cruise which is nice. At the base of the Golden Gate bridge you can park and even walk over it. You got some other good advice as well. If you stay in the tourist areas it's pretty safe but you may see panhandlers.