Family trip to California in June

[wheatonFJR]

Thanks to all, especially Tyler and George, for your very well thought out answers. It' s gonna take a while to digest all this. :yahoo:

No thanks to you Ray. EDIT: ...AND BUG.

I'm always here for you Wheatie

I say ditch the wife and kids, come on up to my place and throw a leg over the FZ1. We can go terrorize the locals

Name the day and time.

Yer killin' me man.

 

[wheatonFJR]

If you do rent a car, try like heck to avoid street parking.

A. It's hard to find.

B. Feeding meters is no fun.

C. The towing cops are known to tow without cause, leaving you with a headache and huge expense.

There are a number of City owned parking garages throughout the city. They are usually reasonable and are rarely full.

Enjoy.

Mark

THANKS Mark. That's exactly what I needed to know.

 

[AVGeek]

I have been to SF on business a few times the last couple of years, and I don't rent a car when I am in the city. The taxi ride from the airport is a bit pricy, but you'll make that up on rental and parking for the days you don't need the car. Most of the major rental car companies have an office in the city (or at major hotels), so you should be able to pick up a car there, and return it at the airport.

 

[madmike2]

If you're going to cross the G.G. bridge, you might want to go down to the Presidio. Great views from the point and if the "fort" is open, there are interesting historical photos of the bridge construction (in case you know anyone who is an engineer). Pretty intersting views of the bay and the underside of the bridge.

There are some photos in a ride report....maybe the ride with you last year when some of us stopped there on the way North.

Yosemite

Absolutely drive up to Glacier Point.

I've never ridden one of the tour buses but there is plenty of parking on the valley floor for stopping and gawking/picture taking. It is definitely a place where you want to stop and "drink it in".

San Simeon

Hearst Castle is amazing. go early...take a tour....maybe take a second ancillary tour....

You're a good dad to shepherd the family and enjoy what some of we on the Left Coast take for granted.

 

[russperry]

Well, my wife has a few bucks left over from an inheritance that she wanted to spend on one last family trip. My older boys (20, 22) still seem amenable to do this on Louanne's dollar..and our daughter (16) is amenable as well. So here we go, one last swing at the family vacation thing...I'm not so sure close living with five for a week is idyllic... :blink:

Our itinerary at present is as follows:

FRI: Fly into SFO via Southwest Airlines...arriving about 10pm local. Grab taxi to hotel close to airport.

SAT: Visit San Fran: Chinatown, Fisherman's Wharf, Lombard St., GG Bridge-head north of Bridge...and back to the SW of Bridge by Legion of Honor.

We need some help trying to figure out the best way to get around San Francisco.

Do we

1. rent a car near the airport and park downtown in a garage(available)?? and walk around?
2. Or do we grab a taxi as we need it during the day?
3. Or do we take Public Transportation?

Option 1 is preferred if garages have enough space...but we heard that there is not enough parking in SF.

Please chime in if you have experience walking around the touristy area of SF...realy need some local knowledge.

BTW, the rest of our itinerary-for those that care- is

SUN: Drive to Big Basin Redwoods, Santa Cruz?, some other parks...then head over to Mariposa motel

MON: YOSEMITE

TUES: YOSEMITE

WED: Drive down to Goleta to visit Dad

THU: Visit with Dad

FRI: Head to Morro Bay, Cambria, visit Hearst Mansion, stay in Cambria?

SAT:Head up the coast, stop in Monterreyfor a bit, stay in motel farther up the coast somewhere??? COULD USE IDEAS HERE.

SUN: Return rented car, Flight leaves about noontime, local.

 

Thanks for any help you all can give. :clapping:

Mark - I envy you the chance for another family go-round. My boys are 18 and 20, and though I would love to take trips with them, the feeling is not mutual any longer (Dad is lame, I want to hang with my friends, etc...).

I'm trying to get them into riding with the hope I can coax them into some trips that way, but its still a work in progress.....

 

[Tyler]

Mark - I envy you the chance for another family go-round. My boys are 18 and 20, and though I would love to take trips with them, the feeling is not mutual any longer (Dad is lame, I want to hang with my friends, etc...).

I'm trying to get them into riding with the hope I can coax them into some trips that way, but its still a work in progress.....

Russ, hang tight... went through that phase with my daughter but we've come out on the other side even closer. It's just a part of growing up (for all of us! ). They'll come back around...

 

[wheatonFJR]

Thanks all for your very helpful advice. :clapping:

Yeah Russ, I agree with Tyler...your kids will come to realize soon how truly cool you really are.

...especially on a motorcycle. Peace brother...

 

[Bokerfork]

One more thing. Okay, maybe two.

San Francisco can be a little disorienting for the first timer. Remember it is only 49 square miles. You can park in the municipal lot on the border of Chinatown and North Beach and easily walk to Fisherman's Wharf. In other words, carefully planning the parking will allow for less driving and more sightseeing.

Also check out,i.e. Google, "Check Please Bay Area" and or "Diners Drive Ins and Dives" for a good idea of where the locals eat. When you Google Diners Drive Ins and Dives, go to one of the secondary search sights. They have better ability to narrow down specific areas than the general Food Network site does.

Mark

 

[madmike2]

For Saturday - what do your kids like to do? Maybe a day for hiking or bicycling or horsebackriding? Something that doesn't involve sitting in a car and doing something "cool." There's the Monterey Bay Aquarium and Monterey in general. There's Santa Cruz and the Boardwalk amusement park. There's ziplining in the redwoods. Lots more options depending on what you might like to do. B)

The Aquarium is a unique experience. Really! For young and old.

For a touristy thing there's Cannery Row or the Monterrey Fisherman's Wharf.

You might do some checking for motels via the internet. Santa Cruz is ont he North end of the bay, Monterrey on the South, about 40 road-miles apart. If you don't "have" to be near the bay the rooms are a bit cheaper.

 

[Tyler]

Another fun way to get around the city! B)

 

[wheatonFJR]

Thanks Mark, Mike and Tyler!

 

[wheatonFJR]

Thanks everybody. Your very helpful suggestions made planning much easier. Thanks! :clapping:

Leaving on a jet plane tomorrow night. :yahoo:

FJR stays at home on this trip. I guess I'll have to look up OM's RR to see what Yosemite looks like from an FJR...or maybe one of ol Andrew's.

 

[SacramentoMike]

If you see a few thousand people in blue t-shirts all walking around in the same direction on Saturday night, wave at the motorcycle escorts. Four of us will be from the forum (Tyler, NightShine, Erin and me). It's an 18-mile, all-night walk in support of suicide prevention. Or in our case, an all-night ride. Hope you and your family have a great visit!

 

[wheatonFJR]

If you see a few thousand people in blue t-shirts all walking around in the same direction on Saturday night, wave at the motorcycle escorts. Four of us will be from the forum (Tyler, NightShine, Erin and me). It's an 18-mile, all-night walk in support of suicide prevention. Or in our case, an all-night ride. Hope you and your family have a great visit!

...Aaaand, if you see a crazy driver in a rented minivan, giving you the TWN salute, it's me...and I'm not mad at you.

 

[airboss]

And you didn't adopt me for this trip! I'm hurt.

That's OK, I get my fill of mini vans at work. Have a Great time with the family. :yahoo:

 

[Hudson]

Wheatie:

Been to SF many times for biz and fun, both with and without a car. Unless you NEED to get outside the city, avoid the rental car. The rental car taxes in SF add a significant amount to the fees, parking is $20-30 a day at the hotel alone, and the car will spend most of its time parked. Unless you can get a rental for $15 a day, you'll probably spend less on taxi and BART and such than on the rental car. Plus you can drink and not worry about driving back to the hotel.

Take the BART to and from SFO into the city (about $5 a head), then walk, cable car or taxi to your hotel. I'd stay near Union Square if you can find a decent hotel (Hotwire is your friend), and from there you can walk, take MUNI, or cable cars or taxis to pretty much anywhere in SFO you need to go.

 

[wheatonFJR]

We are flying into SF, but our itinerary includes Yosemite, Goleta with my dad, and back up the coast for a couple days to SFO to fly back to Wheaton. Rental car will be a must to cart the family around The Golden State

 

[Old Michael]

Mark, I haven't read most of this thread, but I understand you're coming out this way.

Yo!

Wanna get together in the city, get hammered, and rustle up some hookers?

...Or have you got other plans?

Kidding. .....sorta.

I'm certain you'll have a fantastic time with the family here in beautiful NorCal. SF is the grooviest place in the world

for wandering around and doing the tourist thing. Especially in summer. It's almost always cool (the weather)

and if you like sidewalks and people-watching, it can't be beat.

 

[wheatonFJR]

We will be walking around SF on Saturday. Look for a grey haired guy in a Goober Pyle hat following along with 4 others that look like they are second cousins of the Darlin' family.

That won't be us...but be looking for them anyways. Just to be safe.

 

[Bugnatr]

Good timing on this one Wheatie. We had a rain storm on Monday but it's all sun and fun now (except the coastal fog).

Enjoy your marriage? Stay away from OM, he's trouble.

Wish we could meet the family but your on a mission. Have a ball and tell the boys not to pick up any spare change on the ground while your in the city.