RE: San Francisco bound...what to do?

[stoichie]

 
Hey all,
 I know that there are a lot of N. Ca members here so maybe you can help.  I am flying in to interview for medical school the last weekend of Feb.  My interview is Monday, but I want to make a mini vacation of it.  I am going to fly in early Sat or late Fri and fly back on Tuesday.  I have never been to the area.  What are some places that I should explore?  I am looking at using public trans. and will be staying in Vallejo (close to the school, don t want to miss that appointment.

[TheWallRocks]

 stoichie
Well, I used to live in Sacramento and do a little business in SF.  When people from Michigan would come out and visit here is where we go:
 
 Fisherman s Wharf... specifically Pier 39.  Just a long pier with shops, lots of seafood restaurants, a lookout point at Alcatraz Island, etc.  I remember you could take a ferry over to Alcatraz for tours.
 
 Lombard Street.... the curviest street in the world I guess.  Since you are taking public transportation you might want to hire a taxi to take you down it.  It s quite a street on a very steep hill.
 
 Haight-Ashbury District.  Used to be the #1 place for hippies.  Even in the mid 90 s it was still full of head shops and " insteresting"  folks.
 
 Take a road trip to Monterrey/Carmel....... 17 mile drive that winds between the woods and the ocean.  Monterrey had a very nice acquarium when I was there.  You can also see the Pebble Beach golf course in Carmel if you are into that sort of thing.
 
 Wine Country.....  All kinds of wineries in the hills north of SF.
 
 Lake Tahoe... a bit out of your way (2.5 hours? east), but Lake Tahoe is worth seeing.
 
 There are probably many other things to see, but there s a start.  The BART (Bay Area Rapid Transit) system was outstanding when I was there.  Pay a few bucks and you can get just about anywhere.   I think Vallejo is a bit east of any BART stations.... might need to make it a little further west to get on the trains.
 
 Hope that helps.
 

[lhuff]

 stoichie
If you can rent a car for a little while, cross the GG Bridge into Marin county.  Take the first exit and then take the left into the hedlands above the bay.  It is BEAUTIFUL!!!  You can look out over the ocean, look down on the bridge and see San Francisco from a whole other prespective.  All the places listed above, Alcatraz  and Muir woods are great, but my favorite place is the headland area in Marin county.
 
 Oh yeah, and walk up on the hill above the parking lot to see some old WWII concrete bunkers.  It appears we were thinking of defending the bay in case of attack.  Pretty intresting in a strange sort of way.

[SactoCampers]

 stoichie
Jeannie,
 
 Vallejo is not well served by public transportation to other parts of the Bay Area. As noted, BART doesn t extend there and trying to get around the Bay Area using other public transportation will require transfers and such from each transit agency as they usually only serve their own county. You re best off renting a car, or somehow getting a ride to the Concord BART station. A lot of the suggestions so far have been really good, but would require a rental car.
 
 I suppose the other question is, how are you getting to Vallejo from the airport? The SuperShuttle and/or taxi to and fro might not save you much compared with a cheap rental car with unlimited mileage for that weekend, which would give you more sightseeing opportunities. Many of the places mentioned aren t served by public transpotation at all and are considerable distances. The Bay Area is spread out quite a bit.
 
 Anyway, good luck on your interview! That s exciting and it would be great to have you in the area and join the Nick-Neff-Cough gang!

[stoichie]

 SactoCampers
The school has arranged for transportation to and from the Oakland airport.  It is $38 plus tax round-trip.  The hotel is providing transportation to and from the school on Mare Island.  The cheapest that I could find a rental for was $41 + tax/fees per day.  Perhaps I can rent a car on Sunday and scoot about.
 The only other option is to drive up from Phoenix, but the cost of the flight is only $134 RT.  I would spend more on gas.  A third option is to fly up Friday morning and stay near the Oakland Airport until Sunday afternoon and then go up to Vallejo.  That way I could hit public trans. easily.
 
 Jeannie

[forestwalker]

 stoichie
If you do rent a car,you may want to check out Big Basin State Park,in the Santa Cruz area.It is about two hours away from San Francisco.We think it is well worth the trip.Big Basin is California s oldest state park.A great place to experience a redwood forest-both old growth,and second growth.Henry Cowell Redwoods State Park is in the same general area-It is beautiful,also.Cowell is slightly more impacted by urban encroachment,but does have a river that runs through it.Both parks have nice visitors centers.You might catch DW,and/or me, doing volunteer work,as docents,at either of those parks.We wish you a successful,and enjoyable,trip.

[GeneF]

 stoichie
If time is limited and you want to see San Francisco, look into some of the tours that are available.  You may be able to arrange for one at your hotel.
 
 For about $30 to $50 you can get some great tours.
 
 We took an evening one which included a tour of Chinatown, dinner and a drive across the Golden Gate bridge at night.
 
 There are also day tours that will take you to Fishermen s Wharf, Lombard Street, Chinatown etc.
 
 Alcatraz is also a very interesting tour but I would not do Angel s Island again.
 
 I have been to San Francisco three times and I love the city.  If you plan on doing a lot of walking, I hope you have strong legs.  Those hills are steep and you will soon find out why people use the trolley cars or the bus.
 
 try this link for some tours:
 
 http://www.graylinesanfrancisco.com/sightseeing.cfm
 
 Have a great trip and gook luck with the interview.