Saturday, February 16, 2008

T-Minus two months

We are going to San Francisco at the end of April. When I say "we", I mean me, Matthew, and Elyn. Nora is going to be hanging out with my mom for a few days...getting whatever she wants. And since I didn't want Elyn to starve to death while we were on a vacation, I decided she could come with us. I know, I'm mommy of the year.

So, all you readers out there, I have some questions.

We are going to be there for approximately 3 days (we arrive Saturday afternoon and leave Tuesday afternoon). What should we do to make the best use of our time? We are already planning on going to Alcatraz and doing the audio tour. Other than that...what are the BEST things to see/do?

I have talked to a few people already and they said that staying in Fisherman's Wharf is the way to go. Agree?

What is the best way to get around town without building my calves up to double their current size from walking all those hills? I read that a "San Francisco treat" trolley costs $2-ONE WAY. I guess if we do take the trolley, we will take it up hill.

What is the yummiest food?

Remember, we will have a nearly 7 month old with us, so don't get my hopes up with some fancy schmancy restaurant. But, also, don't feel limited to McDonald's...we have those here.

Okay, all of you lurkers/stalkers...start commenting if you have input on our vacation desination. I am so excited!!!!! I like to think of myself of pretty laid back (I am sure that I have a husband who would argue that point), but when it comes to vacations, I like to have a plan.

Unless the vacation involves a tropical location. Then my plan is to LAY ON THE BEACH.

I am confident you can help-please don't disappoint!

post signature

11 comments:

Kathryn said...

Hi, Dallas ... I've traveled to SF a couple times for work and really love this city!

There's a really fun restaurant in the North Beach area (no where near the beach!) called The Stinking Rose. If you like garlic, it's the place for you. The food is great (garlicky!) and decor is gaudy and fun.

On the cable cars, you can buy a three-day pass, which is the way to go. The car turnaround is at Fisherman's Wharf, so that will be an easy place for you to hop on and off.

Other fun things... seeing Lombardi street, Chinatown (good restaurants here too) and Golden Gate Bridge and park.

Enjoy your trip! :)

Julie said...

The seafood at Fisherman's wharf & chinese food in chinatown are great. This may sound gross, but the chinese places where they have a duck hanging in the window are usually really good:)

Go to the cable car museum. It's cool to see how they work. I definitely agree that Lombard street is worth walking up. It's very steep, but the view down is great!

Amy S. said...

My parents took us to San Fran when we were younger and we did Alcatraz audio tour (it was so good...even for a child) and Fisherman's Wharf. Definitely go there. I hate to say I don't remember much else that we did. I think we went to China Town and ate there. I also wanted to mention that you might want to order a red map for while you are there. I'm pretty sure they make them for all big cities. If you order one before you go you can plan out your days before you get there (www.redmap.com). Just a suggestion. Have a great time!!

Anonymous said...

This may sound dumb, but we were really excited to walk across the Golden Gate Bridge. It is quite a walk, but beautiful sights. There's a beach to the immediate left of the bridge(if you're leaving SF--I'm so bad with directions!) that has the biggest waves I've ever seen--I think it's called Baker Beach. Pier 39. Ghiradelli Square is supposed to be something fun to see, but I thought it was kind of boring. The crooked street (Lombard?) is something fun to see. And the Coit tower has amazing views. We had fun going to the Haight/Ashbury district and visiting the old hippy haunts, and then we found Janis Joplins house. The "painted ladies" houses (from Full House!;)) Oh I am so jealous now, have fun!

Anonymous said...

If I were you, I would pump and pump and leave the baby at home. You will enjoy yourselves more and will be able to eat at nicer restaurants??

Amy said...

We went to SF on our honeymoon. It's a great city and you'll have a fabulous time. We stayed at Fisherman's Wharf and it was very convenient and had a view of the water. All the things mentioned I would recommend (Alacatraz, Chinatown, Golden Gate Bridge, etc.) and public transportation was good. We went to Monterey and Caramel one day, and it was a beautiful drive and such wonderful cities. There's a great aquarium in Monterey, but you may not be there long enough to venture out. There's great seafood everywhere, and some excellent Asian food. And some very good shopping that's very convenient to the trolley stop.

c said...

Dallas,

I went several years ago with my mom on a girls trip. FUN! I will say Fisherman's Wharf is a good place to find food. The Golden Gate Bridge is one you do not want to miss. We had a pass for the cable car system. Oh you must eat some of the sour dough bread there - so YUMMIE! The other place that it is original to SF is the Ghirardelli Chocolate - close to the Wharf. Worth going to get their chocolate covered fruit. We rode the cable car up to the square and had lunch there at a sour dough bread place and then treated ourselves with chocolate for dessert! I will say the weather was true to the song about the coldest summer is in SF??? I was there in July and I had to go and purchase a coat. So check the temp. Hope this helps and have fun!

Julie Walker said...

Wow! I am excited for you. SFran is such a cool place! We went a few years ago at Spring Break and I was surprised at how chilly it was. Take a jacket because I am sure it gets cold at night. I loved Ghiradelli chocolate museum and also Sauslito is just over the GG Bridge. That is a fun artsy little town you could walk around. We actually rented a car because we went to Napa and Sonoma but I don't think you want to do that because mmost hotels make you pay around $25 to park per day! Have fun!!!!

donna said...

I like what anonymous said "pump, pump, pump, and leave the baby at home". What fun that would be for Nora and me!

khovater said...

Amen on the sourdough bread! Everytime my family comes to visit they ALWAYS bring SD bread with them because AR SD bread just doesn't cut it. I also love Sauslito. Very clean quite and sunny at least on the days that I have been there. Above all else remember to bring a sweatshirt or long sleeves of some sort!! I know it's California, but for some reason that wind gets caught in the city and makes it really chilly at times. If you guys do want to venture out the Carmel is a must!

Lindsey said...

Hi Dallas,
I have been reading your blog for a while now. I lived in SF for about 5 years. Such an amazing city. If you have a nice day, take the ferry over to Tiburon and sit outside for breakfast/lunch at Sam's Cafe.
http://www.samscafe.com/
There are great restaraunts So. of Market Street. Walking across the GG Bridge is fun (dress warm). Even though it is April, the city will still be cold in areas. Layers. Lot's of great shopping and good restaraunts in the Marina area. I love SF and hope to get back up there this year for a visit.
Hope some of this helps.
Lindsey in San Diego

Related Posts with Thumbnails