# San Francisco/ San Diego



## Emily (Aug 1, 2012)

I have been really dragging my feet on making plans for vacation the end of next month because so many things in life are happening.

We have never gone to the west coast and usually take family vacations on the east coast.  This time it will be the two us and we will be going to San Diego with a few days to start in San Francisco.  

We will be flying from San Francisco to San Diego.

I have a few questions:

If you had a few days in San Francisco - what would you see and what would you skip.

Is Escondido close enough to San Diego or should I look for a place closer?

Thanks,
Emily


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## DaveNV (Aug 1, 2012)

Emily said:


> Is Escondido close enough to San Diego or should I look for a place closer?
> 
> Thanks,
> Emily



Escondido is about 30 miles north of San Diego, up an inland freeway.  Depending on time of day and traffic, it can be a bit of a trek to get to and from.  If your intention is to spend time in SD proper, seeing the sights and spending time at the beaches, you may want to find something closer in.  If your intention is golf and a lay-about kind of vacation, Escondido is a fine place to do it.  It can get pretty warm there, where SD would likely have milder temperatures.

Have fun on your trip!  SF and SD are two of my favorite California destinations.

Dave


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## presley (Aug 1, 2012)

I just got back from San Fran.  There is a tour company called Open Top Tours that has a red 2 story bus that goes to a number of sites (pretty much all major and minor sites) throughout the day.  You can get of and back on as many times as you want.  They have a one day or a 2 day pass.  

I didn't do it because I had already purchased a 3 day metro pass before I saw any information on it.  In the future, I will do open top instead because it goes so many places.  

My favorite site this trip was the Japanese Tea Garden in Golden Gate Park.  It is very serene and beautiful.  

I also enjoyed Muir Woods.  We took a half day tour that went there.  It wasn't enough time for us, though.  Next time, I'd rather take a cab and stay most of the day.

Lombard Street is always fun.  There are stairs on both sides of the street that are very easy to walk down.

As far as Escondido goes, like the poster above mentioned, it is a drive from all things metro San Diego.  It is close to the Wild Animal Park, Temecula wineries and the mission in Oceanside.  It really depends on what you like to do.  I'd rather stay in Carlsbad to be by the beach, but if you like golf and wineries, you'll be happier in Escondido.


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## BevL (Aug 1, 2012)

We took a one day tour that included a half day on Alcatraz, which is not to be missed, in my opinion.

If I only had two days, I'd do the one-day tour and then decide where I wanted to go back to.  

I drive all the time but San Francisco is one of the worst cities I've ever driven in.  We didn't move the car until it was time to leave.


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## Beefnot (Aug 2, 2012)

As far as proximity to San Diego, Carlsbad, La Jolla, etc., it is fine as long as you are not traveling during rush hour.  If you were going with your family, Welk Escondido would be perfect. So many activities for kids, gorgeous resort.  For a couple, it would still be fine, though if you can find a comparable quality resort closer to San Diego, hat might be better, depending on what you have planned.


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## klpca (Aug 2, 2012)

We really thought the San Francisco walking tours were fabulous. ( free - will accept donation) http://www.sfcityguides.org/  We enjoyed these tours - we did the Chinatown tour and the Palace Hotel. The Chinatown tour was especially interesting. 

I agree with what the others have said about Escondido. It's a bit of a trek, but not the end of the world. The traffic is heavy going south on the I-15 in the morning, and then going north in the evening. If you waited to leave after 9 in the morning, and returning after 6 in the evening, I think you would miss most of the traffic. If it's not a big deal to make a change, I think that staying closer to downtown San Diego would be easier, but I am more of a city person so it's probably just personal preference.


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## WalnutBaron (Aug 2, 2012)

*Top 10 San Francisco Experiences (IMO)*

I live in the San Francisco Bay Area and it's easily my favorite city in America. That said, here's one guy's list of the top experiences and things to do in San Francisco:


Tour the Palace of the Legion of Honor. It's a fantastic art museum which houses the largest collection of Rodin sculptures outside of the Louvre. The building itself is a work of art, built in the 1920's for the Pan Pacific Exposition. And there's a free bonus: the view of the Golden Gate Bridge from the parking lot is stunning.
Be sure to visit the Ferry Building. Restored after the 1989 Loma Prieta earthquake, it houses a number of gourmet food shops selling everything from artisan breads and cheeses to some of the best chocolate you'll ever have. It's a great experience.
Don't miss North Beach. It's the old Italian section of the city, and home to some outstanding Italian restaurants and fantastic pizza. You can climb to the top of Coit Tower, built to honor the firefighters who battled the fires in the aftermath of the 1906 Earthquake. You can also see the church where Joe Dimaggio and Marilyn Monroe had an iconic photo taken the day of their wedding.
Plan to eat lunch at McCormick & Kuleto's, located in Ghirardelli Square. The seafood menu is fresh everyday and the food is excellent, but the main reason you're dining there is for the spectacular views of San Francisco Bay, the Golden Gate Bridge, Alcatraz, and Angel Island all arrayed before you. Lunch gives you the daytime view--and it's less expensive than dinner.
Take the City By The Bay tour. It's a small, relatively new tour company--but when the tour guide takes you across the Golden Gate Bridge as the sun is setting over the bay, playing Tony Bennett's "I Left My Heart In San Francisco", you'll know you're living out one of those moments you'll never forget.
Visit Fort Point. It's a lesser-known place to visit, a former Civil War fortress which was in use all the way through World War II. To my knowledge, the troops stationed there never fired a shot in anger, but it's fascinating--with great views to boot.
The Conservatory, located in Golden Gate Park, has a tremendous collection of flowers, with collections that change seasonally as well as the permanent collections. It's stunning.
The Alcatraz tour should not be missed. Like Fort Point, it too was once a Civil War fort--but that's nearly forgotten in the wake of its infamous reputation as the prison that housed Al Capone, among other famous criminals. Until recently, some lucky tourists were able to have the former prison interpreted by former inmates and guards, but most of them are dead now.
Although it's incredibly touristy, I still enjoy having an Irish Coffee at the Buena Vista. They claim it's the place where Irish Coffee was invented--and they have copies of the story about how the drink was invented that they'll happily share with you while you're waiting for your coffee to be served. There's nothing better on a cool, foggy night than a hot toddy at he place where it all began.
Finally, I highly recommend you go to the Top Of The Mark at the Mark Hopkins Hotel on Nob Hill. They have three great features that commend the place to you--live (and excellent) jazz music, a fantastic array of martinis, and spectacular nighttime views of the City By The Bay.

You'll notice I left out a couple of iconic and touristy items: the cable cars and Lombard Street--"the crookedest street in the world". To me, the former is overpriced and just not worth it, and the latter is just not real interesting, especially when you'll likely be stuck in traffic on Hyde Street for at least a half hour as you edge toward your turn to make the trip down the street.

Enjoy!


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## Emily (Aug 6, 2012)

I'm really excited about visiting SF and my husband is as well.  Now I'm having difficulty with lodging.  I tried my good friend Allen who always seems to pull miracles with wyndham points, rci, II and priceline.

There is a large convention in SF the same time we are planning on being there      Is Foster City too far from SF?  I was really hoping to do SF without a car.  My husband really dislikes driving in traffic and I want this to be a really good vaca for him.


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## Luanne (Aug 6, 2012)

Emily said:


> There is a large convention in SF the same time we are planning on being there      Is Foster City too far from SF?  I was really hoping to do SF without a car.  My husband really dislikes driving in traffic and I want this to be a really good vaca for him.



Staying in Foster City is NOT staying in San Francisco (which I'm sure you realize).  Also, it's not a quick commute into the city.  I did it for work, by bus, for awhile and it usually took me about an hour.  Your dh is right, you really don't want a car.

Since it's just the two of you have you considered trying Priceline?


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## Emily (Aug 6, 2012)

I will pass on Foster City and focus on SF only.  I also changed our dates which should help some.  I bid on Priceline yesterday and today.


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## PStreet1 (Aug 6, 2012)

Trip Advisor people love the Chancellor.  It's clean and 1/2 block from Union Square.  The rooms are small, but as I said, clean, and the staff is very friendly and accomodating.  http://www.tripadvisor.com/Hotel_Re...on_Union_Square-San_Francisco_California.html


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## flexible (Aug 6, 2012)

WalnutBaron said:


> I live in the San Francisco Bay Area and it's easily my favorite city in America. That said, here's one guy's list of the top experiences and things to do in San Francisco:
> 
> 
> http://legionofhonor.famsf.org/ Tour the Palace of the Legion of Honor. It's a fantastic art museum which houses the largest collection of Rodin sculptures outside of the Louvre. The building itself is a work of art, built in the 1920's for the Pan Pacific Exposition. And there's a free bonus: the view of the Golden Gate Bridge from the parking lot is stunning.
> ...



Thanks for mentioning Fort Point. We'll be in San Francisco in 10 days.

Fort Point
http://www.nps.gov/fopo/index.htm


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## Bill4728 (Aug 7, 2012)

In our multiple times going to San Fran  The one thing we keep thinking about is our walk across the golden gate bridge.  We parked at one end and walked across the bridge. they have a large walking/biking sidewalk so it is fairly easy to do. 

Also you can take the ferry from downtown to Sausalito, and go right pass Alcatraz


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## MON2REY (Aug 7, 2012)

Unless you really don't like baseball, a must (for me anyway) is taking in a Giants game at AT&T park.


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