Hello, moms! My family is taking a vacation in SF over the weekend and I need some advice on getting around. I'll be travelling with my 2-year-old and my 2-month-old boys, my hubby and my mom. We're taking a train from LA to San Francisco (the Amtrak) so we won't have a car. This is not our first time in SF, so my hubby insists we take public transport the entire time we're there. He thinks we'll end up spending much more with parking fees when we can get around with a hop-on, hop-off bus tour, the BART, Muni and cable cars. What do you moms think, is it better to just rent a car (despite horrendous parking fees - our hotel charges $56/day for parking), or should I just go with my husband's insistence?
Also, the more pressing problem is how we are getting to our hotel from the SF Ferry Bldg station. Our hotel is on California and Powell, a mile away from the station, but we're arriving at 12 midnight, and we're not sure if the buses still run at that time. We can't take a cab either because we don't have our car seats (not to mention we won't fit in one), and one private car service I asked a quote from quoted me $216 for that 1-mile ride. Ridiculous. Any suggestions on how we can solve this problem?
Thanks in advance for all your help!
My suggestion would be take the car seats with you, because you never know when you will need to call for a cab. You can call the cab company and request for a van that can hold the 5 of you. good luck and have a safe trip.
I would rent a car. Parking will suck and cost some money but I believe the convenience w/ two small children in car seats will FAR OUTWEIGH the burden of finding a parking space and cost of a rental. Sorry hubby but I side w/your wife on this one. :) I doubt buses will run that late and that's not necessarily safe w/kids in tow. Please rent, rent, rent a car. Sorry but that was my 2 cent. :) Hope it helps.
I agree with ML B. I'd rent a car just for the fact you'd be able to take all that you need with your for your kiddies. Speaking from experience, packing everything along with you is exhausting. Especially trying to hall two little ones. Make it easier on yourselves and rent a car. Good luck and have fun.
Have you checked with your hotel to see if they provide shuttle service? Many offer transportation to and from bus stations, train stations and airports.
Having lived in SF and having visited recently, all I can say is you'd be out of your mind to rent a car. Parking is $50-60 a night and you will never find a place on the street. My suggestion would be to find a more central hotel, I love staying up at Nob Hill but it absolutely isn't convenient to any place you would probably be going. There's a Hyatt across the street from the Ferry Bldg. Or a gazillion hotels near Union Square. If that's not an option, have you checked to see what time the cable cars stop running? I think it's 1:00 am, but I could be wrong. The California St. Line starts at the foot of California and Market although I think it would be easier to take a cab. Driving in the city is not for rookies and you'll probably spend most of your trip just being pissed off.
Leave your babies at home with your Mother in Law!!
Since it's this weekend, I think there's a huge storm coming and I don't think you'd want to travel on the bus when it's raining so much. Even in good weather, I think that would be really hard with a baby and toddler.
I used to live in the area and my advice would be to rent a car. You can get some great last minute deals. I just looked on www.alamo.com and found San Francisco Intl Airport Fullsize car $34.95 $24.95 - weekend daily rate
When it was just my husband and I, we could use public transport, and even got away with it when it was just us and ONE child, but not more.
When we were there last time, there were 5 of us and we took BART as far as we could go and then walked....but on the way back, we took the street car based on my husband's cheap idea. He agreed after all was said and done that we should have taken cabs. After buying tickets for everyone, in EVERY direction, it wasn't all that cheaper.
It also depends on what you want to do, but it's suppose to be raining ALL weekend....so honestly, for the QUALITY of the visit, rent a car.
Don't rent a car; parking is expensive and driving downtown is stressful. I take public transportation often with my toddler. Plus, this is a great city for walking.
Getting in at midnight poses a problem. Most of the buses stop running at midnight. The streetcar lines run until 1 am, and you will be waiting underground, however, it will be a hike from Powell station to the hotel. Check out transit info at http://www.sfmta.com/cms/home/sfmta.php
You should plan your trip so you do things that don't require a car (Wharf, Ghirardelli) the first few days and things that require a car (Golden Gate Park, GG Bridge) the last few days. This way you only need to rent a car for part of the time. You can lug car seats or pay for them through the rental agency. Having lived in SF most of my life, the city is very doable by public transportation, but there are some things that just take FOREVER to get to by bus. If you do rent a car, go to the Bay Area Discovery Museum in Marin. Your 2 year old will LOVE it. The Randall Museum in SF is also a relatively little-known place that he will like too.
As far as your arrival, I think you have to get a minivan taxi to your hotel. Obviously not ideal, but you need to hold your babies on your lap. Even if you do rent a car, I don't think you can rent one from the train station at midnight. You would have to go to the airport to get a car at that hour.
Good luck.
Hmmm. Your hotel is right on one of the cable car lines (Powell), so seems wasteful to pay for a rental car and hotel parking for the car (that will most likely be parked for most of your visit). As someone suggested below, check your hotel for a shuttle from the Ferry building. You should definitely bring a stroller (preferably a double stroller if you have one) with a plastic rain cover. But, also one that easily folds up if you plan to take public transportation. That way, if you have to wait for any amount of time anywhere, the kids can just lie back in the stroller. By the way, your older child will probably love the buses and cable car -- but since the cable car is open-sided, you will need to hang onto your kids tightly...
I agree with the others...rent a car for this weekend because of the rain storm. If it wasn't raining, I would say to have fun using the public transportation...my kids loved it at that same age as yours.
Definitely take a stroller. We used our Bob Revolution single stroller for my then 2 year old and then I put my infant in my Maya wrap. We were up there for a week when my hubby was in a conference so I spent all day with the two kids roaming the streets, riding the trolley, etc. by myself. Other riders helped me get my stroller folded up and onto the trolley and off the trolley. We had a blast! BUT, it was nice and sunny in May when we went. Not the downpour that is supposed to happen this weekend.
And definitely bring the carseats...you never know..an emergency could happen where you might need them.
If the weather is not great, then you will not want to be waiting for a bus. I would also not want to wait for a bus with two young children at midnight. I would insist on a cab to the hotel, even without car seats. Seriously, how will you deal with getting luggage and babies and everything on a bus when everyone is cranky and tired and cold.
As far as the car during your visit...it depends on where you are going in the city. It is very easy to get to Fisherman's Wharf and Ghiradelli square via the cable car. It is easy to get to the museums down town by walking. But again, if the weather is not good, you are not going to enjoy waiting for a bus or cable car. Bart is an option, but does not take you to many of the tourist locations, like Golden Gate Park where the de Young and the Academy of Sciences are located. If I were you I would try to plan out the trip in detail and then have a back up plan is place. I do hope you get great weather....it is a wonderful city.
