San Francisco

**NeilMcD** · 24/04/2008, 4:37 PM

Heading there in June, just booked today. Anybody got any tips or recommendations.

**pete** · 24/04/2008, 5:10 PM

I was there in February. Did not find it the easiest of cities to get around even though I stayed in City centre. Of the top of my head...

* Biking across the Golden Gate bridge & ferry back is recommended but I did not do it myself.
* Alcatraz is worth doing but make sure you book well in advance on the web. I would think June could be very busy.
* The Pier 39 is rubbish tourist trap.
* If you getting cable car better off not starting at Union Square as big queues. Just go up the hill a few stops as they always keep space.
* SOMA (modern art museum) surprisingly good if looking to kill a couple of hours.

My impression was that run out of things to do after a few days.

**NeilMcD** · 24/04/2008, 6:47 PM

Cheers for that. Will be also staying in Santa Cruz with friends of mine who live there so should get outside to wine country and to a few other places on the outskirts.

**paul_oshea** · 25/04/2008, 9:31 AM

good city, closes far too early though ( 2 oclock stop serving drink a lot of places close before this), getting going and then it shuts, how they make out california is a party state i dont know, then again the same can be said about London.
Anyhow a few things to do, the coast road is pretty cool, all along the back way into san fran, i would go out to the winerys if ye can, i dont pertain to be a wine connoisseur or buff, but the robert mondavi tour is very good. Funny some of the people you meet on it too. Here is a picture of a mate of mine at the mondavi spot:

actually i cant find them but ill put them up later.

We went to this spot out on the coast road, climbed down a cliff edge and onto a little beach that formed at the bottom of the cliff, where if you looked to your right you could see the golden gate bridge and your left the pacific ocean and cliffs, a guy later told us illegals used to get dropped off here at this spot, the only problem is this spot is down a very steep verge with gravel as rock. So being the clowns we are we said lets go down and see what its like, it was not meant to be climbed down ( we didnt see the signs from the angle we were at ), once we got down ( about 250 ft ) the view really was amazing, even looking back up the cliff top and the golden gate was class as it was slightly covered by mist/fog at the time so it looked class. getting back up was very scary though....we also climbed out onto these rocks in another place that was really cool, the waves crashing right up on top of the rocks and the mist then coming over ye, was really really nice.

i think pete has mentioned most of the other stuff, its a very nice relaxed city but a week is more than enough there if not too long. Its rather small too. If you see sessoin Bob let him know I was asking for him.

**Pike B** · 25/04/2008, 1:26 PM

Originally Posted by NeilMcD

Heading there in June, just booked today. Anybody got any tips or recommendations.

Didn't much like it to be honest. New York far better. Also when you go to resteraunts prepare for the most annoying over helpful, fake, money grabbing service ever...
HI THERE I'M TERRI YOUR WAITRESS AND WHAT CAN I GET YOU GUYS..... Over and over until you end up eating your meal in the bathroom....

**paul_oshea** · 25/04/2008, 1:37 PM

Originally Posted by Pike B

Didn't much like it to be honest. New York far better. Also when you go to resteraunts prepare for the most annoying over helpful, fake, money grabbing service ever...
HI THERE I'M TERRI YOUR WAITRESS AND WHAT CAN I GET YOU GUYS..... Over and over until you end up eating your meal in the bathroom....

isn't that america in general?!

**Pike B** · 25/04/2008, 1:39 PM

Originally Posted by paul_oshea

isn't that america in general?!

Not New York. It's more like 'What the f.ck you want motherf...er.Order already'.
Much more like home...

**pete** · 25/04/2008, 2:23 PM

Originally Posted by NeilMcD

Cheers for that. Will be also staying in Santa Cruz with friends of mine who live there so should get outside to wine country and to a few other places on the outskirts.

I thought win country was poor but was a very brief visit.

If you get a chance take a drive south down to Big Sur which I thought was great.

Laguna Seca raceway is near Santa Cruz too & worth a visit if nearby.

**Billsthoughts** · 25/04/2008, 2:39 PM

If you can "drag"(boom boom) yourself away from Castro for a few hours I would deffo recommend renting a bike and just fannying round the city on that. Good way of discovering it at a leisurley pace. I wouldnt be mad about crossing the bridge tho but each to their own. Alcatraz wasnt that great to be honest. Haight Asbury is worth a trip up to. baseball is in a pretty cool ground. football afair is up in candlestick park which is the last place the beatles played so maybe worth a visit....Your probably lucky that you are staying outside the city as metro to santa cruz is pretty good and regular and also san fran itself can be fuppin freezin!!!!!! something to do with micro climate. agree with poster above tho not as good as new york or sydney(which it is probably closer in spirit to). Is yesemete national park near enough to san fran??

**pete** · 25/04/2008, 2:54 PM

Originally Posted by Billsthoughts

Is yesemete national park near enough to san fran??

I think its a day drive north.

You can see the Giant Redwoods at Muir Woods which couple of hours north.

**Magicme** · 09/05/2008, 9:24 PM

Myself and a mate or 2 are considering going on a bit of a tour of the west coast starting in San Fran and ending in Vegas. Has anyone else done this and is it cheaper to rent a camper van or a car and stay in motels? Was thinkin of headin to San Diego and Tiajuana and maybe if had time over to Phoenix on way back up to Vegas. Anyone suggestions?

**pete** · 11/05/2008, 10:28 AM

Originally Posted by Magicme

Myself and a mate or 2 are considering going on a bit of a tour of the west coast starting in San Fran and ending in Vegas. Has anyone else done this and is it cheaper to rent a camper van or a car and stay in motels? Was thinkin of headin to San Diego and Tiajuana and maybe if had time over to Phoenix on way back up to Vegas. Anyone suggestions?

I did San Francisco -south on coast to LA - Grand Canyon - Vegas.
Don't know how much camper van would be but for reasonable enough quality motel chains range from about $35-100. Might want to watch put for fuel costs in camper van plus you would probably want to ensure you have somewhere to stay mapped out in advance.
PM me if you want specifics so I don't bore others.

**OneRedArmy** · 11/05/2008, 11:15 AM

Originally Posted by Magicme

Myself and a mate or 2 are considering going on a bit of a tour of the west coast starting in San Fran and ending in Vegas. Has anyone else done this and is it cheaper to rent a camper van or a car and stay in motels? Was thinkin of headin to San Diego and Tiajuana and maybe if had time over to Phoenix on way back up to Vegas. Anyone suggestions?

I believe camper vans book up well in advance and you also have to consider the price of petrol, its now up to $4 a gallon which will add up quickly in a camper van that probably does 5mpg! I've always done the drive/hotel option. The main problem with that itinerary having done the drive a few years ago is that the only thing between San Fran and Vegas is Yosemite and Death Valley Park and a lot of desert driving. In the summer its unbelievably hot and in from Oct-late April you can't actually drive through Yosemite so you have to detour through central California which is fairly boring. BUT Yosemite is well worth visiting, we did some white water rafting on that trip and it was a real highlight.

Contrary to most of the posts above, I'm a huge San Francisco fan (just returned from there on Friday). There is a lot of contemporary history (Mission, Castro etc.) in the city and Chinatown is fantastic to wander through, you really do feel like you are in another country. Fisherman's Wharf is tacky but its nice to stroll along the shore. The Irish weather whilst not some people's cup of tea is also quintessential San Francisco, it wouldn't be the same place if the fog didn't roll in and it got a little chilly. The city has a great relaxed vibe and its probably that that I like the most.

I also went out to Napa for the first time which was enjoyable. Reeks of money, but the vineyards are nice and there are great restaurants and lovely places to stay. Sausalito and Half Moon Bay are also beautiful as is the coast drive down to Monterey and Carmel in the other direction.

**Magicme** · 11/05/2008, 7:55 PM

Thanks lads. As I say its in the early plan stage but will consider the above advice while I do my research!

**sligoman** · 11/05/2008, 9:41 PM

Monaghan United wouldn't survive without you, don't do it!

**Magicme** · 11/05/2008, 9:58 PM

And that would make lots of people on here very happy!!!

**paul_oshea** · 16/05/2008, 8:49 AM

Originally Posted by Magicme

Myself and a mate or 2 are considering going on a bit of a tour of the west coast starting in San Fran and ending in Vegas. Has anyone else done this and is it cheaper to rent a camper van or a car and stay in motels? Was thinkin of headin to San Diego and Tiajuana and maybe if had time over to Phoenix on way back up to Vegas. Anyone suggestions?

I haven't been there so prolly not the best person to answer, but I know a few who have, and SI will tell you the same, don't go to tijuana. Just back from Morocco and someone told me of an experience similar to StrangeIrishs one down there.

Sounds like a great trip. I would go north of San Fran ( Napa Valley ) too if I were you for a day or so before you head south. Some great vineyards there, even if you dont have any interest in wine its still worth a visit......Go to sacramento too if you get a chance and obviouslly silicon valley ( well maybe not the place itself but there is a town there where most houses are worth millions.....cant remember the name but it really is worth visiting just for nosiness! )

**OneRedArmy** · 16/05/2008, 9:01 AM

Good call on Tijuana Paul.

Its currently in the grasp of a huge drug war between the big cartels. 2 weeks ago, 15 odd people were shot dead in one incident where the gangs drove through the city at high speed in jeeps shooting at each other.

**Magicme** · 16/05/2008, 11:19 AM

Originally Posted by paul_oshea

Sounds like a great trip. I would go north of San Fran ( Napa Valley ) too if I were you for a day or so before you head south. Some great vineyards there, even if you dont have any interest in wine its still worth a visit......Go to sacramento too if you get a chance and obviouslly silicon valley ( well maybe not the place itself but there is a town there where most houses are worth millions.....cant remember the name but it really is worth visiting just for nosiness! )

Me, not interested in wine? Go away and get your head examined. Its alcohol isnt it??

As for Silicon Valley, yeah might head there, have a cousin who lives there, works for IBM I think so would be good to call in.

Originally Posted by OneRedArmy

Good call on Tijuana Paul.

Its currently in the grasp of a huge drug war between the big cartels. 2 weeks ago, 15 odd people were shot dead in one incident where the gangs drove through the city at high speed in jeeps shooting at each other.

I have survived Limerick on many occasions so that should be a breeze!