If you're going to San Francisco... we are!

Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share
1

Including Tahoe, Napa, and Reno.

You’ve been so helpful on other trips, I have to ask resident locals and experts for their opinions. Let me first preface it by saying I’m unabashedly a tourist: I’ll have a camera around my neck escorting a 7 and 3-year old. I’m not fooling anyone, so I’ll eat my crab at Fisherman’s Wharf over a more “authentic” place off the beaten path.

Actually, my first questions involve Lake Tahoe. We’ll be in California for the first couple weeks of October. Will we see snow? If I’m taking I-80 through Donner Pass, will there be snow along the freeway, where I pull off and say “Go kids!”

Do you have a recommended site for a cabin rentals for a couple nights. I’d rather ask if anyone has experiences than simply Google “Lake Tahoe Cabin Rentals”. Not sure yet if we want North or South shores.

Napa/Sonoma: which one? We really only want to visit one winery in either Napa or Sonoma, to do the tour and sample the wine.

When we went to the Amana Colonies in Iowa, we visited a winery where we could sample several wines and (most importantly) several cheeses. Is there a place in Napa/Sonoma like this?

We noticed one of the wineries had homemade grape juice for the kids while the parents partook in their sampling. It was a castle clear out in Calistoga. Is this common among other wineries?

I see you can use a $14 all-day pass for the Cable Cars and other transit. Would this include the BART as well?

2

Who knows? Most likely not, but the weather is finicky around here. If it looks like it might, rent chains just in case.

They’re close enough that you can do both. North (Incline, Tahoe City, etc.) is ritzier and has more nature stuff, but maybe less to do city-wise. South Lake (South Lake Tahoe City, CA and Stateline, NV) has more… stuff. More congested, more casinos. Check out the Brewery (that’s it’s name). Cave Rock, all the tourist stuff.

SONOMA SONOMA SONOMA. They don’t charge as much for tastings (or at all), and is less tourist-trappy.

I am pretty sure NO, but you get into museums. Where are you planning on going when you use it?

3

Don’t miss the Cable Car Museum, especially if you’re bringing kids. It’s totally free and you can actually see the powerhouse and watch the giant wheels that drive the cables. It’s a very short walk from Chinatown, and it’s actually on the cable car lines (naturally). Don’t miss it.

4

Do not miss Sunday Brunch at the Cliff House restaurant which is all the way out at the beach and to which you can, I believe, take the bus. You usually need reservations for the “brunch” which includes unlimited champagne and an absolutely unbelievable assortment of the best food on earth. But I actually prefer the Bistro, no reservations, first come first serve, where a window table is more than worth the wait. The best part is while waiting you can sample their Bloody Marys or the Ramos Gin Fizzes (the best cocktail in the world from the finest preparer.) You can walk them off after eating by strolling down to the beach.

5

Presently, the passes are open free and clear. We have had skiing in October in the past, so snow is possible. If that is the case while you are here, you can arrange for tire chains at car rental. In CA they do stop traffic on snowy days to check.

Check Vacation Rentals By Owner (VRBO.com).

I would recommend Sonoma as was done upthread for the same reasons. If you go to Napa, Sterling Vinyards has an aerial tram to the top of a hill for a nice Kodak moment. That should be touristy enuf for ya!

Here is a good place to look. Many of the wineries will offer some appetizers that compliment the wines, that may include cheese. I cannot tell you which ones, tho.

It may be common, but not something they will advertise. I imagine the larger ones will do this. Someone here will have to identify ones that do

No, BART is not included in any passes I know of that cover SF transit.

BTW, at Tahoe, about 15 min from the casinos, on the CA side, is the Taylor Creek stream profile. It is a cool thing for the kids.

Enjoy your trip, and please post back here afterwards to let us know how it goes!

6

Thanks all for the advice.

We have decided on Sonoma over Napa, heading to the Benziger Winery. They have a playground on premises and a child rate for their tractor tour. From that, I’ll make the bold assertion they don’t mind kids. The first thing they asked “Do we get to taste the grapes?”. Good question, Anya?

We got our cabin in Tahoe, and are going to hit up Taylor Creek, Emerald Bay & Eagle Falls. Maybe Donner Park, but it will be more relaxing in our log cabin over ticking off tourist sites.

I was asking about snow because we want some snow. We live in Hawaii (now seeing that SDMB doesn’t show location now), so my kids don’t see much of it. Even if I could pull off the freeway for a few moments to watch them frolic for a little while. Would it be likely in early October to see it in the Sierras, along I-80 as we head toward Truckee?

Back to San Francisco:

We are doing the cable car museum, thanks for the recommendation. We were also looking at a science-type museum, and looked at the Lawrence museum in Berkeley, the Exploratorium, and the Cal Academy of Sciences. Fully vetting the three, we’re going with the Exploratorium.

I notice the Bay Bridge has an HOV lane. The four of us should qualify, but do I need a sticker, or if a cop sees 4 in the car (despite 2 being kids), is that fine?

We’re looking for a dim sum place in Chinatown, where they roll around the selection on carts. Any recommendations? Being a tourist, I’d like it in Chinatown itself. I tried searching for “dim sum with carts” and it seemed rare.

And, oh yes, I certainly will report back on my trip. Here’s a previous thread:

7

Well, you can you show your location if you pay up, deadbeat! puts hands over my status to hide it

They can probably pilfer/beg for grapes, although you should probably mention that these grapes are much more tart than food grapes. Or don’t mention it…

Snow, hard to say. You may see some, but it may also be a 1ft[sup]2[/sup] patch that is grayish from a hard few days. Heavier snow is less likely but you never know.

If you can do all, great, but Exploratorium fo’ sho’. Especially for smart kids, and adults who want to pretend they’re kids.

Bay Bridge? Carpools are 5 a.m. and 10 a.m. and between 3 p.m. and 7 p.m Monday through Friday. It costs you $2.50, but I think you need a FastTrak transponder to do this and I’m sure you probably don’t. So I don’t think it matters what you have? Otherwise it’s $6 during rush hour or $4 otherwise. $5 weekends. All tolls are only charged one way, towards SF direction.

If you rent a allowable electric type car (not a Prius) with a sticker, you could, but I don’t know if they rent those.

8

Clipper Cards are good for all major transit systems, including BART.

9

Side trip out of Reno, Virgina City, touristy but fun.

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The consensus in my office, located on the edge of Chinatown, is that you should go to City View on Commercial St. for the dim sum with carts experience.

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Snow is possible in October, but unlikely. If there is enuf snow for your kids to frolick, I will be VERY happy indeed.

Finer point - the Bay Bridge TOLL Plaza has HOV lane, the Bay Bridge proper does not.

12

If there happens to be an early snow in October, it will not likely remain on the ground at pass level on I-80. If there’s been a storm, check this site for the snow depth at Carson Pass. If there’s some there, the drive over highway 88 is maybe an hour longer, and is very scenic. There’s a parking lot right at the pass, and a meadow to play in.

13

Incidentally, Scott McKenzie died Saturday at the age of 73.

14

Listen to this. It’s not far. I can’t remember October exactly. A bit off-season so I don’t know what running, but less crowded then. Maybe not much, just outhouse races (yup). Lots of frontier history if you’re into that.

15

Be sure to wear some flowers in your hair.

16

I haven’t been there in forever, but they have an exhibit at the Exploratorium called the Tactile Museum that you really shouldn’t miss. Call ahead because they require reservations and the kids will love it. There’s almost nothing worse than the sad looks on the faces of kids who discover it and then find out they can’t play in it because you need to book in advance. Don’t let that be your family :slight_smile:

From the outside it just looks like a small geodesic dome, but inside there’s no light, sound etc-it’s a carpeted maze that you climb though-a completely tactile only experience for the whole family and as I recall you get about 30 minutes to go through it as many times as you want. It’s magical and will make a great vacation memory.

17

Some Cable Car questions:

  1. Can you transfer between cable car routes? If we’re taking the cable car from Powell & Market, and then want to ride down California St to the Ferry Building… do we have to pay another fare when we get off and reboard on California St?

  2. And, if we want to take the Cable Car from Powell & Market to Fisherman’s Wharf, can we stop and reboard on the same fare. Say if we stopped at the Cable Car Museum, and then wanted to continue onward on the same line to Fisherman’s Wharf. Two seperate fares?

1a and 2a: Why do I get the feeling my answer is “Buy the darned day pass”?

  1. I heard it was better to board a stop or two after Powell & Market to avoid a long wait. Is this feasible with two small kids (7 & 3)? Less likely to find a seat? We’re planning on a Saturday.
18

I just saw this on Cracked and thought I would be nice enough to share :):

5 reasons San Francisco is the worst-awesome city in America

19

Pretty accurate:
5) True.
4) True, but not unique to SF. Happens in Oakland, too.
3) I haven’t witnessed much, so I don’t know. I disagree though - it is easy to find cops, willing to ticket you.
2) Yeah, but these are easier to avoid if you stay out of say, Castro. And the dongs have to be willing to bear the cold some days.
Related to #2 and #4, SF is the only city in the world where a councilman can introduce dong-related legislation and piss off a lot of people. Did he ask them to cover it? Nope, he just said they should sit on a towel if on public seating, so their sweaty asses don’t press against it. The audacity! :rolleyes:

  1. Don’t know/haven’t experienced this.
20

If you want to see Alcatraz, you should buy your tickets now. Also the double decker boat cruise to the bridge and back is definitely worth doing. The kiddies will love it! Be sure to buy a baguette so they can be thrilled by the seagulls racing the boat to try and steal it from them.

It’s been a decade or so, but the “aquarium” at the pier was a muddy mess, with absolutely nothing to see. and the wax museum was beyond pathetic when I saw it.

If you’d like to see Great Sequoias, I understand that you really don’t have to drive all that far to do it.