San Francisco
From WikiSki
Contents |
Overview
San Francisco is a harbour city. It is built on a peninsula and it is surrounded by water. Like New York there are other cities such as Berkeley and Oakland, in the one conurbation called the Bay Area. The defining characteristic of San Francisco is hills.
San Francisco Map, from Mapquest
Sightseeing
- Muir Woods and Sausolito are across the Golden Gate Bridge. Muir Woods consists of redwoods. They are not as big as some around Yosemite, but they are still amazing trees. Sausolito is a bohemian village tucked under the bridge. It is possible to get tours that cover the Woods, Sausolito and a ferry ride back across the Bay.
- Fishermans Wharf is a working wharf turned into a tourist trap. It has lots of restaurants, clothes, souvenir and othe touristy shops.
- The Exploratorium is a science museum in the Presidio, a big park near the Golden Gate Bridge. It is dedicated to hands on science education.
- Cable Cars run from Fishermans Wharf up to Union Square, and probably other places. The quintessential San Francisco experience. They run until midnight.
- Golden Gate Bridge is big and pink.
Golden Gate Bridge
- Harbour Cruise There are several cruise companies operating from the Fisherman's Wharf area. Most will take you out to the Golden Gate Bridge and around Alcatraz.
- Alcatraz Birds. Escapes. Tours.
- Fog is the essence of San Francisco.
- Yosemite National Park is a bit more than a day trip from San Francisco, but is well worth a couple of nights. I have seen tour companies that advertise a one day bus tour from San Francisco to Yosemite and back, but it would be a looooong day. The view as you come through the tunnel into the Yosemite Valley is gobsmacking. Yosemite NP Official Site
- Monterey is not far away. A world class aquarium, clam chowder on the pier, seals and sea otters in the bay and Cannery Row, a tourist trap that would make Steinbeck spin.
- Big Sur and Points South The coast road down to Los Angeles is spectacular. Well worth a couple of days' drive.
- Bike Hire There are several places to hire pushbikes around San Francisco. One company that operates from Fishermans Wharf (and other places) arranges one way bike hire across the Golden Gate Bridge.
- Wineries The Napa Valley is close by to the north, across the Golden Gate Bridge. Easily doable as a day trip.
- California Academy of Science in Golden Gate Park. Aquarium, rainforest dome, awesome digital planetarium and a few other random museumy things. Well worth a couple of hours.
Shopping for Snow Gear
REI, an outdoor gear co-op at 840 Brannan St, San Francisco, CA 94103, Tel: (415) 934-1938 has a large range of winter equipment. There are other branches of REI in the Bay area.
Shopping for Other Stuff
There is a major shopping district near Union Square. It contains major department stores such as Macys and Nordstrom as well as a lot of smaller shops. The cable cars from Fishermans Wharf terminate here.
Places to Stay
San Francisco has many areas in which to stay. If you are interested in shopping find a hotel near Union Square. Fishermans Wharf is a bayside tourist area. All major hotel chains (and a few you haven't heard of) have properties in San Francisco and there is accommodation to suit every budget.
Getting Around
As well as cable cars San Francisco has the BART (Bay Area Rapid Transit) and the Muni ((which probably stands for something). The BART is a train and the Muni are trolley buses and trams. The services all link up well. An adult Muni ticket costs $1.50 and is good for about three hours on Muni transport (not the BART or Cable Cars). A concession ticket is $0.50. There is a BART station at the airport. If you can sort out the interchanges it is a great and cheap way to get around. The drivers are very helpful.
