San Francisco and Surrounds Sort of Solo - Page 2 - PassPorter - A Community of Walt Disney World, Disneyland, Disney Cruise Line, and General Travel Forums
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I've been going back and forth with the whole lodging thing for the whole planning process, but I think the trip is soon enough (FIVE DAYS AWAY!) that I'm going to just keep what I have. It's complicated, so bear with me...
When I first booked this trip, I thought I was 'just' staying in SF for 7 nights. So when I found a CRAZY good deal at a well-located, kind of funky boutique hotel that was ONLY available if you booked it for seven nights, I jumped at it. And so, I'm booked at the Hotel Des Arts for seven nights. For an insanely low price. Like really, I'd expect to pay this much for a hostel in a major city. And yes, some of the rooms have baths down the hall. Mine has a PRIVATE, ATTACHED bath. I checked something like fifteen times before booking and a good fifteen after booking!
However, even though I'm staying there for seven nights, I'm double booked for the one night in Napa, as it occurs on night five of a seven night stay. But even though I'm technically paying TWICE that one night, it is still cheaper than canceling my 7 night stay and finding somewhere else. In fact, the room at Hotel des Arts is so inexpensive that even WITH the night in Napa I'm STILL paying less per night than most hotels in SF.
We will be staying at the Napa Valley Marriott because, well, that's where Priceline put us when I bid on a 4-star hotel in Napa for a Sunday night. I got a great rate--$100--so I'm not going to complain. It's a Marriott, I'm sure it will be fine.
Then, after two more nights at Hotel des Arts, I leave for Yosemite! I'm super, super excited about this part of the trip, which you can tell from this post I wrote about preparing for it...
I managed to find an unbelievably good deal on a cabin at Evergreen Lodge (with some help from the SF Tourism Board--they rock!) so I'll be staying there for three nights before returning to SF to return my car and make my way to my super-late flight.
I originally thought that a 10:30 pm flight home was a bad idea because really, what would I do for the whole day waiting for the flight? Here's what I'll do--I'll sleep in. And then I'll do another short day hike in Yosemite. And then I'll drive the four hours back to SF. And THEN I'll have dinner at my local friend's apartment (or out somewhere with her). And then I'll head to the airport where I will sleep all the way home, landing in NYC in the light of day--when there are buses to take me back home--as opposed to all of the other flights that would put me there at midnight. and who wants to be alone at JFK at midnight? not i!
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Glad to see you back!! I was just wondering the other day where you were running off to next. I have always wanted to travel to San Francisco (can't wait to hear what tours and activities you have planned).
We will actually be in CA next week, but we are going to San Diego. Justin's brother is graduating from Marine boot camp on May 4 and we are making a mini vacation out of our trip.
Glad to see you back!! I was just wondering the other day where you were running off to next. I have always wanted to travel to San Francisco (can't wait to hear what tours and activities you have planned).
We will actually be in CA next week, but we are going to San Diego. Justin's brother is graduating from Marine boot camp on May 4 and we are making a mini vacation out of our trip.
really? you'll be in san diego on the 4th??? that's crazy. i actually BOUGHT a ticket to san diego a couple of weeks ago for that same week--i think i was going to fly in on the first of may--but then i canceled it because it seemed like too big of a trip (san diego to seattle). it's like we're on some weird vacation wavelength together. ha! i hope you have a great trip!!!
oh that's amazing! but sadly there's little to no way i'll be able to make it that far south in the time i have. boo! ah well--all the more reason to return. perhaps next time i'll fly into san diego and drive north. and stop at disneyland of course!
Sounds like you have a lot planned! Yeah, it's an awesome place! Have fun on your trip!
i printed out my confirmation emails today and there are twelve pages of them. so much for my relaxing trip! but it is going to be a super exciting and fun trip--and NEVER boring. if i get bored, i'll sleep. because i'll be EXHAUSTED after all i have planned. which brings me to 'what i have planned'...
my first day is arrival day so that doesn't count. my actual plan for that day is 'find bar, have glass of wine, return to hotel and sleep'. that's it.
day two, my first full day in san francisco will be a VERY full day. i've booked a tour with a tour company that takes you all around the city and to muir woods and sacramento. it really seems like a tour for people that only have one day in town, but i'm looking at it as sort of an overview tour. i can then return to the places i liked. the tour is from 10 until around 4, and then i have to book it over to golden gate park to meet my friend and her boyfriend. we're going to briefly check out the de young museum--because they are members and i can get in for free--before our super exciting evening at the academy of sciences. yes, that's right, i said super exciting evening at the academy of sciences. they have this thing every thursday called Nightlife, and it looks awesome. i'll tell you all about it when i return.
day three begins with a food tour. san francisco has the highest number of restaurants per capita than any other city in the country. so it would be wrong to go there without taking at least one foodie tour. and that's exactly what i'm doing. in the afternoon, i may do a hop on hop off bus tour, or i may take a nap. i'm not sure yet. but i'll need my energy because i have an evening cruise tour to alcatraz planned for the evening! ideally i'll get dinner after i return from alcatraz, but i may be too tired at that point. fortunately i will have had a lot to eat on that morning's tour!
day four is an 'open day'--meaning i don't have anything booked. i have things i WANT to do--like visit the tea garden and the botanical gardens--but i don't HAVE TO do anything. i figure i'll see how i feel that day. oh--and i'm having a nice dinner somewhere with my local friend.
day five begins with picking up my rental car super early and hightailing it over the golden gate bridge towards napa. i have an all consuming fear of driving over bridges, so that should be interesting. as soon as we arrive in napa, we will park the rental car at the hotel and wait for our napa tour to pick us up. i decided that when tasting wine i want to TASTE the wine (and not spit it out) so i arranged for a guided tour of four or five wineries through a small tour company. it's billed as a very social tour--as we will be in a group of 12 or less--which is great for me. because i'm super social. after the tour we shall have dinner somewhere fabulous in downtown napa (which we will likely get to via taxi--no drinking and driving for this girl), though i'm not sure where yet. we will probably just sort of wing it. which is so unlike me!
day six is super awesome, because we are going on the wine train. if you don't know what that is--it's an old, restored train that takes you the length of napa valley whilst serving you a gourmet lunch. it then drops you off at the end of the line and you continue on in a bus to tour two super fancy wineries. i'm very excited about it. sadly, we have to return to SF that night--after what i imagine will be a few hours and likely another meal in napa proper (to wait for the effects of the wine tasting to go away) i'll spend this night back in my SF hotel.
this is where the tours end. day seven i may stay in san francisco and do stuff i didn't get to, or i may drive down the coast as far as i can--ideally all the way to big sur--and back. my money is on the second.
day eight i will drive to yosemite (which requires going through one if not more tunnels. and i have an all consuming fear of driving through tunnels. so again--interesting), where i will spend days nine and ten. day eleven is my late flight home.
Doesn't sound relaxing exactly, but does sound like a great trip!
Any chance you can check out Santa Cruz or Pacific Grove on your coastal drive? Santa Cruz has a great boardwalk (better, IMHO, than Mid-Atlantic ones) and this AWESOME wooden roller coaster. And Pacific Grove is a gorgeous place to sit on a rock on the coast and watch the sun set.
And would you consider the Disney family museum at the Presidio?
Doesn't sound relaxing exactly, but does sound like a great trip!
Any chance you can check out Santa Cruz or Pacific Grove on your coastal drive? Santa Cruz has a great boardwalk (better, IMHO, than Mid-Atlantic ones) and this AWESOME wooden roller coaster. And Pacific Grove is a gorgeous place to sit on a rock on the coast and watch the sun set.
And would you consider the Disney family museum at the Presidio?
i'd like to check out the boardwalk at santa cruiz (a lot, actually--it seems like a great place for photography) but that's all going to depend upon timing. i see myself driving through there either very early in the morning or very late at night, which is not idea. but we shall see what happens.
and yes, the disney family museum is on my list. ;-)
not sure where pacific grove is--will have to look that up.
May not sound relaxing, but it sounds like tons of fun! I wish I could tag along for day 3, a food tour?!? yum! Also, I watch the show "Alcatraz" on Fox and now I really want to actually visit Alcatraz.
Sounds like a great trip! I'm actually very jealous--btw you do know that I can get very good hotel discounts for my friends and family and even better discounts for my sister!
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I was just wondering the other day where you were running off to next. I have always wanted to travel to San Francisco (can't wait to hear what tours and activities you have planned).
Mary - not enough trips!
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