I’m at the San Francisco Hilton a few blocks from the fisherman’s wharf and an almost free day tomorrow. I’ve made no plans and need to do so. My traveling companion would like to tour Alcatraz. At some point I have to go and scout out the Fort Mason convention center for logistic purposes.
I’ve never been here and am looking for recommendations. I’m very open to walking as it’s one of my preferred activities in new cities. I have no idea how far things are from one another however. I’d like to check out the Castro area, it looks a bit too far to walk so cab or trolly?
How does the trolly system work?
Restaurants worth hitting? Tomorrow I can go anywhere, the rest of my time I’m limited to places near my hotel.
Alcatraz will kill a good 2-3 hours, so you should account for that. And also dress warmly…and then add a coat. That place is FREEZING and the ferry ride can be a bit miserable if you want to get a good view of the bay from the top. BUT It’s an amazing tour and I highly recommend it if you’re interested in those things.There’s lots of things to see in Fisherman’s Wharf though and you could easily kill a whole day there, especially if you’re into little touristy shops. If you want more conventional shopping, hop on the F Line (the old style streetcars) to the Embarcadero shopping center. And I BELIEVE the F Line also goes to the Castro, in that same direction, but I’m not 100% positive about that. If you want to get the ‘traditional’ tourist experience of the trolley, I’d recommend the Embarcadero turnaround over the Polk street one because it’s closer to you and it’s often less crowded. Just remember, they charge you both ways XD When I first moved there I found out the hard way. Luckily I had already gone UP the hill and just needed to walk down and not vice versa.
San Francisco is a fantastic walking city, you could spend days just walking around downtown. A good scenic route from there is to walk down Columbus Ave. It’ll take you within viewing distance of the really crooked part of Lombard Street. Right around where it hits Broadway go directly south and you’ll run right through Chinatown, then down through the financial district to Market St. An alternative is to walk along the coast, past fisherman’s wharf and end up at the Ferry Building. There’s a huge farmer’s market there a few times a week, not sure about Tuesdays, but at any rate there are some good shops and restaurants there.
Castro’s a nice neighborhood to live in but I’m not sure if it’s really worth the trip out there, as there isn’t a lot of touristy stuff to do, especially if you’ve only got one day.
Really got to agree with Yumblie about the Castro XD I figured you had your reasons for wanting to visit but it’s really nothing amazing. At best, it’s got some good leather shops. And I’m not talking wallets and purses lol But yes, it looks like the Farmer’s Market is on Tuesdays as well by the Ferry Building but that’s a bit of a walk. It really depends on how adventurous you’re feeling and how keen you are on using the public transit as to what you can do.
The trolley is a good way to get to the Castro. There are other ways (buses and the underground light rail) but if you want to ride one of the old trolley cars anyway… it’s perfect. I’m pretty sure the trolley cars only run on Market Street (between the Castro and the Ferry Building-Embarcadero) and up along Embarcadero, skirting the bay to Fisherman’s Wharf.
If you’d like to ride the cable cars (which are different from the trolley cars) there are several different lines to choose from; all in the downtown/North Beach/California Street area. The California Street line is probably less crowded than the others (but the others are more scenic–gee, wonder why they’re more crowded? ;))
If you’re starting out in The Fisherman’s Wharf area–one idea off the top of my head for a nice trek that covers some sights and activities you’ve mentioned (and some you haven’t) would be:
Start around the Wharf/Pier 39 and take the cable car down into North Beach (old Italian area) and Chinatown. Fiddle around there a bit, then either get back on the cable car, talk a bus, or walk (not that far) south towards Market St. checking out Union Square on the way.
Once on Market (at about Powell Street) you could either venture up (northeast) to the Ferry Building and its shops, or hop on the old trolly car (F line) and head down Market (southwest) to the Castro. Or, you could do both.
From the Castro you could take a cab* to Fort Mason for your business-type stuff, and from there, it’s only a 15 minute walk back to your hotel (downhill, I think).
Note #1: This doesn’t take any Alcatraz tour into account.
Note #2: You could do basically the same trip but put your Fort Mason business on the front end instead of the back.
*You could also take the underground light-rail (not BART) from Castro Station to Van Ness Station and then take one of the Van Ness buses up to Fort Mason–that’ll run you $2.00… the cab would be about $12-15 at a guess (before tip).
I’ll have to beg to differ with Yumblie and AngelSoft about the Castro. It’s a great place for tourists to visit! It’s one of the nicest neighborhoods in the city; certainly one of the most colorful (even aside from the huge rainbow flag). The shops and restaurants are wonderful, and it’s an interesting place just to walk around even if you’re not spending money.
Plus, it often has the sunniest, nicest weather in the city. Sometimes, when seemingly all the rest of the city is fogged-in or overcast, the Castro is like an oasis in a sea of grey. And for any curious person who isn’t a downright homophobe, it’s fascinating in its own right as the gay Mecca of the USA–with all the people and history that goes along with that.
I agree. It’s a nice alternative to the tacky tourist-focused Fisherman’s Wharf, also; plus it’s next to the Mission, which is another interesting district to walk around.
Ehh…not really this time of year. During the summer, definitely. But the winter? No. I took family down there in February and walked up and got tickets with no problem. No one wants to go because it’s ass cold XD
I got tickets for Alcatraz in the morning. The first few boats were booked already but had no issues with the later times. Walked over to Fort Mason for the work aspect then spent the morning in the wharf area, then shipped out to Alcatraz. Definitely worth the time.
The Weather has been amazing, it’s a comfortable very clear day, the views from the boat and island were wonderful.
There is a tower visible from the wharf area, looks like an observation tower maybe? Is it worth going too?
Any area’s worth checking out at night? I could do my usual go out and plan to get drunk, have a drink then decide it’s not worth having a second.
Thanks for the advice so far it’s done wonders to make up for my lack of planning.