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We're planning a big summer trip to California. We'll spend 8 days in SF (staying with relatives) before we head south down the Pacific Coast Highway to Anaheim and Disneyland!
I've got a list, but I'm curious....what are your must dos in SF? Traveling party 4 adults in their 40's and one 14 year old boy. TIA!
The Exploratorium, a science museum, is tremendous fun. Honestly, there's a lot of Disney-like magic in its adventurous atmosphere, I think. We had a great time there. Very well-designed and maintained learning games and devices.
Food...oh, wowers! It's been some years since we were there, so the restaurants we enjoyed may no longer be in business, but here they are in case any sound appealing:
1--Yank Sing Dim Sum. Fabulous! It's easy to run up a bill without meaning to because carts come to your table every so often with all kinds of yummy stuff. We still have only to say "curried chicken" to each other to start drooling. The place had an incredible mild curried chicken piled in an avocado half. Naturally, being in California, those were unbelievably fresh avocados. I've had a lot of good dim sum since but none as great as at Yank Sing.
2--If you like garlic, Stinkin' Rose the Garlic Restaurant is equally fantastic. Even the garlic ice cream. Seriously! Their 40-clove roast chicken is marvelous, and I could have just eaten spoonfuls of the garlic-parsley spread. Oh, my!
Now, I wanna go back!
Have a terrific trip. It's such a beautiful city.
__________________
“People say nothing is impossible, but I do nothing every day.” —Winnie-the-Pooh
That's what I was going to say!
Alcatraz, cable cars, eating clam chowder in a sourdough bowl, Chinatown, driving down Lombard Street.
I'd love to go back to see the Disney Family Museum at the Presidio!
Alcatraz, the Golden Gate Bridge, the Walt Disney Family Museum (we'll be doing that on our day in San Francisco in August, as it opened since our last visit), Fisherman's Wharf, Ghiradelli Square, riding a cable car, going down Lombard Street.
Riding the trolley cars, a stroll around Pier 39, visit the candy store at Fisherman's Wharf, Alcatraz in the late afternoon, AT&T stadium for a ball game and a frappe at Starbucks every morning!
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Ghirardelli Square - must have chocolate!!!
Alcatraz - we took the night time tour...very cool!
Cable cars - so much fun.
Chinatown - we tried the ghost tour...ended up with a conspiracy nut as a guide - but Chinatown was cool to see!
Disney Family Museum - we missed this
Golden Gate Bridge - we went under in on a cruise of the bay
Cruise around the Bay - We got the City Pass and this was included.
Fisherman's Wharf - lots to see
Going down Lombard Street - don't go up!! It's one way, but we say a cyclist going up - he was our hero!!
Pier 39 - the sea lions are very entertaining.
Winchester Mystery House in San Jose - if you have a car and the time
__________________
Jennifer / Eeyore is my favorite!! OMG - He's sooooo grown up!!!! And an EAGLE SCOUT!! I can still remember my cute little Tiger Cub! 2016 Reading Goal - 75 books
I enjoy taking a boat tour of the bay. It was really neat to go under the Golden Gate. I also enjoyed being a tourist and hanging out along Fishermans Wharf.
__________________
DisneyDeva
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We went to what was then Marine land -I think it has been bought out by Sea World. The kids loved it.
They also enjoyed a trolley ride and walking around Fisherman's Wharf.
We went to Big Basin State Park out side of SF and saw Sequioas. You must see them someplace.
Also my kids liked the drive between LA and SF more then either city. A lot to see and do. Take your time getting there and stop for a few days in Monterey.
They also loved LaBrea Tar Pits. We went the day we arrived so maybe it was being able to walk around as much as the museum. My kids were 12, 10 and 7 at the time so a little younger than your son.
My older son wanted to go to the Comic Museum in SF. Before we got there we were warned it had adult exhibits. So make sure you check if you are thinking of going.
Registered Message Board Members save 30% off PassPorter guidebooks! When you register you'll have access to a discount coupon good for 30% off the list price of PassPorter books in our online store.
The Exploratorium, a science museum, is tremendous fun. Honestly, there's a lot of Disney-like magic in its adventurous atmosphere, I think. We had a great time there. Very well-designed and maintained learning games and devices.
Food...oh, wowers! It's been some years since we were there, so the restaurants we enjoyed may no longer be in business, but here they are in case any sound appealing:
1--Yank Sing Dim Sum. Fabulous! It's easy to run up a bill without meaning to because carts come to your table every so often with all kinds of yummy stuff. We still have only to say "curried chicken" to each other to start drooling. The place had an incredible mild curried chicken piled in an avocado half. Naturally, being in California, those were unbelievably fresh avocados. I've had a lot of good dim sum since but none as great as at Yank Sing.
2--If you like garlic, Stinkin' Rose the Garlic Restaurant is equally fantastic. Even the garlic ice cream. Seriously! Their 40-clove roast chicken is marvelous, and I could have just eaten spoonfuls of the garlic-parsley spread. Oh, my!
Now, I wanna go back!
Have a terrific trip. It's such a beautiful city.
Good to know about the Exploratorium. That was low on our radar, maybe we need to reconsider. I'm prepared to love SF! And as I have cousins who live there that don't mind house guests, I have a feeling we'll return.
Quote:
Originally Posted by cubfancolleen
That's what I was going to say!
Alcatraz, cable cars, eating clam chowder in a sourdough bowl, Chinatown, driving down Lombard Street.
I'd love to go back to see the Disney Family Museum at the Presidio!
The Disney Family Museum is high on our list.
Quote:
Originally Posted by chezp
Alcatraz, the Golden Gate Bridge, the Walt Disney Family Museum (we'll be doing that on our day in San Francisco in August, as it opened since our last visit), Fisherman's Wharf, Ghiradelli Square, riding a cable car, going down Lombard Street.
Thanks. Those are all things I want to see/do!
Quote:
Originally Posted by Tigger71
Riding the trolley cars, a stroll around Pier 39, visit the candy store at Fisherman's Wharf, Alcatraz in the late afternoon, AT&T stadium for a ball game and a frappe at Starbucks every morning!
Candy Store at Fisherman's Wharf! Noted! DSis and I both worked at a local chocolate factory in our teens, and we have a "thing" about visiting candy stores. We're going to a baseball game at Candlestick (ahem AT&T) Park. Sorry, it'll always be Candlestick Park to me. We'll see the Giants play the Oakland A's .....2 local teams, should be good.
Quote:
Originally Posted by disneydeva
I enjoy taking a boat tour of the bay. It was really neat to go under the Golden Gate. I also enjoyed being a tourist and hanging out along Fishermans Wharf.
I'd love to do a boat tour.
Quote:
Originally Posted by jenifermg0
Ghirardelli Square - must have chocolate!!!
Alcatraz - we took the night time tour...very cool!
Cable cars - so much fun.
Chinatown - we tried the ghost tour...ended up with a conspiracy nut as a guide - but Chinatown was cool to see!
Disney Family Museum - we missed this
Golden Gate Bridge - we went under in on a cruise of the bay
Cruise around the Bay - We got the City Pass and this was included.
Fisherman's Wharf - lots to see
Going down Lombard Street - don't go up!! It's one way, but we say a cyclist going up - he was our hero!!
Pier 39 - the sea lions are very entertaining.
Winchester Mystery House in San Jose - if you have a car and the time
See above how DSis and I worked in a chocolate factory. Chocolate is high on our list! We thought the night tour of Alcatrz would be the most fun, glad to hear you thought it was good. We will have a car - haven't heard of Winchester Mystery House....have to look that up.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Huntermom
We went to what was then Marine land -I think it has been bought out by Sea World. The kids loved it.
They also enjoyed a trolley ride and walking around Fisherman's Wharf.
We went to Big Basin State Park out side of SF and saw Sequioas. You must see them someplace.
Also my kids liked the drive between LA and SF more then either city. A lot to see and do. Take your time getting there and stop for a few days in Monterey.
They also loved LaBrea Tar Pits. We went the day we arrived so maybe it was being able to walk around as much as the museum. My kids were 12, 10 and 7 at the time so a little younger than your son.
My older son wanted to go to the Comic Museum in SF. Before we got there we were warned it had adult exhibits. So make sure you check if you are thinking of going.
Big Basin State Park wasn't on my radar -thanks for the tip! We were thinking Muir Woods (cousin has a house in Bolinas). I would love to take a couple of days for the drive and that was the original plan, but DBiL has a baseball quest (seeing home games in SF, Oakland, LA and Anaheim) so we'll have just a day to make the drive. Also, he's driving and he's a Massachussetts driver so we've been emphasizing "slow, leisurely drive down the coast". The man thinks the estimated travel time given by navigation systems is a challenge as in "time to beat" lol. DS and I will have a day and a half in LA before we fly home and we might see the LaBrea Tar Pits then.
Great tips! Both validating my choices and giving me some new ideas. More are welcome
YES!!!! 2--If you like garlic, Stinkin' Rose the Garlic Restaurant is equally fantastic. Even the garlic ice cream. Seriously! Their 40-clove roast chicken is marvelous, and I could have just eaten spoonfuls of the garlic-parsley spread. Oh, my!
Union Square is a neat area.
The Painted Ladies row of houses are so beautiful in Alamo Square.
The Japanese Tea Garden is very pretty!
Coit Tower great view of San Francisco!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Ghirardhelli Square
Golden Gate Park and Golden Gate Bridge
Pier 39
Fisherman's Wharf
You MUST ride a cable car and watch the cable car turnaround.
Lombard Street
Alcatraz
Baker's Beach
Chinatown
The Cliff House Restaurant
Boudin Bakery has great sourdough!!! It's the original! They make cute crab shaped bread and animal shaped loaves
Hearst Castle if you get the chance. The Neptune Pool is amazing to see in person.
Winchester Mystery House is really fascinating in San Jose.
Half Moon Bay and Big Sur are neat places to see if you get the chance.
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Last edited by karadisney; 05-22-2015 at 09:46 PM..
Good to know about the Exploratorium. That was low on our radar, maybe we need to reconsider. I'm prepared to love SF! And as I have cousins who live there that don't mind house guests, I have a feeling we'll return.
I'd love to do a boat tour.
See above how DSis and I worked in a chocolate factory. Chocolate is high on our list! We thought the night tour of Alcatrz would be the most fun, glad to hear you thought it was good. We will have a car - haven't heard of Winchester Mystery House....have to look that up.
When BFF and I went we got it and it was great and we felt, a good value. I've listed what we used...we were very happy.
We used the Muni/Cable Car Passport daily, a lot...Getting on the cable cars without it was like $6 per person, per ride with no transfers. With the Passport, we jumped on and off at will and just flashed it to the driver. It was great.
We also went to the California Academy of Sciences. We could have spent the whole day in here. It was a lot of fun. And we had a nice lunch here too. It's part of Golden Gate Park so we also wandered around the Japanese Tea Garden. We also walked around the lake and just enjoyed the sights.
The Blue and Gold Cruise of the Bay was beautiful. They took us under the Golden Gate Bridge and around Alcatraz Island and back to the Bay Bridge. Only about an hour, but fun. And they have several each day so you can pick and choose when you want to go.
We went to the Aquarium of the Bay, mostly because it was right there at Pier 39 and we were already there. It was neat. The "aquarium" we have here in Alaska is very different.
We did not make it to the Exploratorium - kicking ourselves for that, but we only had five days. This is included in the City Pass and you have mentioned that you might want to do it.
It might seem like a lot of money to put out at first, but when you start adding up the prices of all the things you can do, it's well worth it.
Now the NON City Pass stuff:
As far as the night time tour of Alcatraz....we booked it 3 months in advance. I don't know that you need to be that early, but don't expect to get it if you try to get tickets the day you want to tour. There were ladies there the day we were waiting for the boat and they were bummed because they had come into town and on a whim decided to do the night tour. There wasn't space. They followed us around before we got in line to board and were making comments like, "Hey, you know anyone who might want to sell their tickets?" And other stuff like that. I was oblivious, pretty much ignoring them, but they started to really tick off the BFF!!! Hello, people!! We booked in advance and flew in from Alaska. NO!!! We are not selling you our tickets!!!
And the Winchester Mystery House.....This is the mansion built by Sarah Winchester, heir to the Winchester Rifle fortune. After the deaths of her daughter and husband, she was told by a meduim that she was cursed and had to build a house for the spirits of all the people killed by Winchester rifles. And as long as she kept building, they wouldn't kill her. The place it just bizarre, but really really cool!! BFF and I loved it!!!! It's supposed to be haunted, of course, and we love that stuff!!! We even rented a car for a day just to go. Here's the link for that: Welcome - The world famous Winchester Mystery House
Hope you enjoy your trip!!!
__________________
Jennifer / Eeyore is my favorite!! OMG - He's sooooo grown up!!!! And an EAGLE SCOUT!! I can still remember my cute little Tiger Cub! 2016 Reading Goal - 75 books
Last edited by jenifermg0; 05-22-2015 at 12:32 PM..
Thanks for asking this question! We will be there in 20 days!
Mostly, we're going because that's where DD lives these days, but I'm still excited to see the city again. We have a tour of Alcatraz planned, and if you want to do the night tour, you do need to book way in advance (60-90 days is recommended on their site). We are also going to a game at AT&T stadium, Giants vs Mariners. I hope we can make it back to the Walt Disney Family Museum. When we went last time, we got there late in the afternoon and didn't get to spend enough time before it closed.
Btw, forgot to add that if you do go to The Stinking Rose, buy their recipe book. It includes the chicken and that wonderful garlic-parsley spread.
Don't recall if the ice cream recipe is included or not. We didn't have an ice cream maker at the time, and much though I like garlic, I was pretty sure I'd be unlikely to load a bowl with a double scoop at home. It was kind of a, "Yup, I really did eat garlic ice cream...once." Yanno?
__________________
“People say nothing is impossible, but I do nothing every day.” —Winnie-the-Pooh
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you do need to book way in advance (60-90 days is recommended on their site). We are also going to a game at AT&T stadium, Giants vs Mariners. I hope we can make it back to the Walt Disney Family Museum. When we went last time, we got there late in the afternoon and didn't get to spend enough time before it closed.
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