Ducati Monster Forum

So me and my wife are going to San Francisco next weekend for a couple of days vacation.  We live in Las Vegas and have never been and are excited to visit.  I've noticed over the years that a few of the members are from here so I was hoping I could get some advice on where to stay, what to see, etc.  My wife got a little spooked upon doing research of places to stay upon reading reviews. We can't stay somewhere we don't feel safe which is where I'm having trouble booking a hotel.  I've looked at hotels in the Union Square East area and downtown in general (Orbitz).  We're not rich and always travel with a budget - so hotels in the $200 night range are out.

There seems to be a lot of bad vibe and publicity for SF, based solely on what I've looked up online.  We like to shop, sight-see and eat (as I'm a chef).  Most of the places we travel, we always stay in or around the downtown area and walk to most destinations, obviously seeing certain sights require driving and we will have a car with us.  We are beginning to think that staying a little outside of the city might be better for us.  Can anyone give me some good insight to this city? 

Thanks in advance...

You might get more responses in the MOB board... http://www.ducatimonsterforum.org/index.php?board=19.0 (http://www.ducatimonsterforum.org/index.php?board=19.0)

I was just there in December.  Post in MOB and PM Jaman.  He showed me the best time I could have had why I was there.

I don't see why you think it gets a bad rap.  I stayed in what might be considered a "bad part" but never felt unsafe, never was harrased by bums, and had a great great great time. The Hotel was the Monarch Hotel and it was only $75 a night.

Public transportation is super easy and cheap.  Go see Golden Gate park for sure.

Nothing like seeing Buffalo downtown. [laugh]

What a great park. [thumbsup]
http://www.golden-gate-park.com/ (http://www.golden-gate-park.com/)

We used to stay in hotels in SF when visiting family a lot.

There are a LOT of cheapish places in and around SF to stay in.  I mean in the 80-100/night range.  If you must stay in the city, you can find them but there are more on the roads outside of the city and across the bay.

Thanks for the tips...

Golden Gate Park is On the list so is Alcatraz, walking to take some pics on the bridge and the twin peaks (?). We mostly got concerned upon reading numerous reviews for seemingly decent hotel where the people said they were wouldn't have walked around at night... We have 5 days and we're going to fit Napa in there along with some of PCH.  Overall we are both extremely excited to go but I guess some of the reviews caught us off guard. 

Anymore suggestions on places to stay and things to see are greatly appreciated.

Book the Alcatraz trip now.  It can get filled up quick. 

Cable car museum is cool and I believe FREE.

You can tour a WWII sub called the U.S.S Pampanito.  Very cool self directed tour with headsets.

Current favorite bar in SF is Smuggler's Cove.

Since you are a pastry chef (?? says so under your avatar) you may want to check out Tartine bakery.  Lots of yummies.  Best eclair I've ever had.  Think it's in the Mission district.

I just flew to SF from Vegas direct on Virgin America.  Great airline.

18th and Guerrero.  It's close to the J Church streetbar (2 blocks) or BART at 16th & Mission (4 blocks).  The lines are long.  Dunno why.  It's good and all, but . . .

If you're a foodie, that block of 18th between Dolores and Guerrero is promising.  Delfina on 18th is a great restaurant and they've also got a more casual pizza place next store that's yummy.  By all reports, Buy Rite (grocery store) is a foodie's heaven, and there's great ice cream across the street.

If you're in that area (i.e, the Mission), there's alots of moto-related stuff around there -- dealers and gear shops. 

because you have a car, im going to say check out petaluma, santa rosa or sonoma... all 3 are fairly "safe" & you don't have to deal with the homeless population like you do in sf or the trouble with finding and/or paying for parking.. petaluma & santa rosa are less than an hr from sf & about the same distance to napa.. sonoma is about an hr to sf & 30 mins to napa.. & you can do a loop that will take you up through napa & on to calistoga... because you are a chef, you might want to check out this place in st. helena as well http://www.ciachef.edu/california/ (http://www.ciachef.edu/california/) they have a restaurant on site http://ciarestaurants.com/california-campus-restaurants/the-wine-spectator-at-greystone/ (http://ciarestaurants.com/california-campus-restaurants/the-wine-spectator-at-greystone/) & the campus is BEAUTIFUL

in sf, no tourist trip is complete without a drive down lombard street & a stop at coit tower... :)

Awesome advice!  Thanks so much...

I am a pastry chef so Tartine was already on the list, wife just doesn't know it yet...  Lombard for sure and I will definitely check out the Mission area...  I love finding good, new restaurants and I have heard that this is something that's abundant. 

Thanks for the tip on Alcatraz and I'm going to book it tonight just in case. 

What's the weather like there now?  I'm originally from the coast so I know being closer to water and humidity will mean colder weather, but I am a light packer and usually just bring a leather coat


If you can remember, what were those areas?  I'm thinking we are going to stay a little outside of the city to appease my wife... A friend at work mentioned Pacifica? and said that it was close to the water and a nice place to relax, which is exactly what we're looking for.

Check out the Nob Hill Inn.  Boutique hotel in an ideal location and might be in your budget.

http://www.nobhillinn.com/ (http://www.nobhillinn.com/)

There is nothing nice about Pacifica, unless you hate seeing the sun.

There is also no sun in the sunset district.

Make sure you hit up the Zeitgeist night on the 23rd if you're in town:
http://www.ducatimonsterforum.org/index.php?topic=55275.0 (http://www.ducatimonsterforum.org/index.php?topic=55275.0)

BTW - San Francisco is NOT an unsafe city. People will complain about the appearance of a neighborhood, without the slightest notion of whether it's actually dangerous. Very few places in the city are actually dangerous.

Be sure to check out the local resources thread for ideas:
http://www.ducatimonsterforum.org/index.php?topic=562.0 (http://www.ducatimonsterforum.org/index.php?topic=562.0)

And you'll be VERY sorry if you don't get out on a moto ride around here!

Marin.  Corte Madera...  San Rafael..   You have a car?

I prefer staying on the opposite side of the bay (well, my family is there in Mill Valley) but it's less built up and there is a lot to see there too.. maybe not if you're just visiting and want to see the city..

There are places to stay in SF, don't get me wrong, but parts of the city are kind of a dump.  Plenty of beautiful areas but you pay a lot more for that.  Don't get me wrong, it's just like any big city but you don't expect it there for some reason. 

We stayed at three different ones and the only names that come to mind are the Marin Suites and the Tiburon Lodge..  We stayed at both.  Marin suites is decent 3 starish place with largish rooms and kitchenettes (we prefer places with a kitchen as traveling with 2 kids it's huge help).

I think the Marin Suites was about $125/night or so.  That was 2 years ago. 

Thanks for all the advice. We ended up booking a hotel downtown and already got tickets to Alcatraz.  We're really looking forward to this trip and it's good to hear that I was incorrect on the safety. I think what threw us off were the reviews on some of the hotels we looked at, so we just changed areas and problem solved.

Unfortunately, I can't do anything moto related, save it for another trip.  Is there an arts district?

All of Frisco is an arts district.. lol

Haha. How did I know that was the response I would get.

Just don't call it Frisco in front of any locals...

i always do.   ;D

Museum of Modern Art (MOMA) is well worth the price of admission.
http://www.sfmoma.org/ (http://www.sfmoma.org/)

Haight Street is kinda cool to take a stroll on between like Schrader and Fillmore; be sure to check out Toronado (and Rosamunde Sausage Grill next door), Alembic, and/or Magnolia for some good sudsy refreshments if you are in that neighborhood.  Monk's Kettle in the Mission is a cool place too.

We live 3 blocks from Monks Kettle. Not bad, toug a bit pricey for what it is! In that same block are Puerto Allegre, Bar Tartine, and Kilowatt pub. Look us up for a beer! And post up in MOB...we'll do an impromptu Zeitgeist night!

Keep in mind that some people are chronic complainers. Remember: Opinions are like a**holes--everyone's got one. Every city has its seamier side and SF is not immune. I was terrified of the Mission District when I first moved to SF, and now I live there. Go figure. It's a great city!

Agreed...

So far I think we've got a pretty good trip planned... Just found out tonight that a musician I like will be playing on Tuesday at Slim's... Hotel room is booked, Alcatraz tour booked... Trying to decide now if we will actually make it to Napa or save it for another trip.  Either way, we're both really excited!

You'll love SF. I've lived there a couple of times and please don't believe the negative hype about the street people. Most of them are perfectly nice and harmless, maybe fun even if you are in the mood to sing/play the blues on the street. The worst incident I ever had was when leaving a club very early the next morning. I noticed a street dude carrying a pot which looked like he'd just burnt his dinner at the bottom. I just quietly passed by, not wanting to bring attention to him or myself -or get hit by a pot in the head-, when a few steps later I hear a "HEY!" behind me. I turned around to see the same man wielding his pot over his head. When he noticed that he got me attention, he said "YOU DIDN'T SAY HI! TO ME!". I said, "Sorry, Hi!" and walked about three times faster back to my apartment.

So we've been having an absolute blast... Eaten some really good food, shopped around, seen some tourist sights, etc.  Thanks to all for the recommendations!

Wanted to thank everyone here for their input.  We had an absolute blast traveling up to San Francisco and Napa Valley, then down the Hwy. 1 to Santa Barbara.  If I can repay the favor to anyone traveling to Las Vegas or the Carolinas, let me know!