Question on San Fran...

[canucklehead-biker]

Wife and I are planning a trip to San Fran, Napa, Monterey etc in September, and have a few q's for the locals...

We're going to be in San Fran about 3 days (wife will fly home from there) and looking at hotels etc. Hotels in town seem pretty spendy, and parking looks like a nightmare. Does it make more sense to get a spot out near the airport and take the BART into the city to tour around? Any other options?

Thanks,

Griff

 

[jwhite518]

Yes it does make sense to do that. Driving in SF should be avoided if possible, parking will cost you an arm and a leg in a lot, and street parking is nigh impossible. You can get around quite nicely on foot and using SF's various public transportation modes. Could be tough finding hotels close to BART stations, though. Call around and ask if anyone has a shuttle service before booking. Millbrae BART station is a good home base.

https://goo.gl/maps/zvPze

 

[Tyler]

Check on the Sausalito side... Tiburon too... should be some lower-priced options out there and you can always take the ferry over to SF which is nice...

Also just found this place in the Presidio when I poked around on Google maps and searched for hotels. And here is where we stayed for Richard's first GOTC which was fine and withing walking distance of a really nice restaurant.

Are you riding or driving out??

 

[user 31223]

Also you cold try hotels on the oakland/ berkley side they tend to be cheaper. I also found when attending a conference down there a hotel called the bay bridge inn ha didn't look too bad and had parking, but I never ended up staying so can vouch for it.

 

[SacramentoMike]

I'd avoid the East Bay (Oakland, Berkeley, etc.). It's not a simple thing to get across the bay from there, and personally, I wouldn't want to spend much time on that side. Traffic getting into the city is ALWAYS tough. BART gets you into SF, but doesn't get you around SF. It's worth your effort to find a hotel somewhat near what you want to see, IMO, but absolutely check with them first to make sure they offer free parking. Many charge a lot extra for that. SF is a great walking city, busses and trolleys run all over, and taxis are everywhere. Don't make yourself crazy by trying to drive from one sightseeing spot to another. The places tourists like are always impossible to find parking anywhere near.

It's a wonderful city to visit, just tough for a tourist who doesn't know it well to drive in. Monterey is also crowded, but also very cool. The Monterey Aquarium is a fun afternoon, but very expensive--35 bucks p.p. The famous 17-mile drive is gorgeous, but snooty. No motorcycles allowed. (Thanks, Harley ****.) Costs around ten bucks. Great photo ops though. Napa is pretty cool to see--upscale shopping, lots of nice wineries to tour.

 

[jwhite518]

I'd avoid the East Bay (Oakland, Berkeley, etc.). It's not a simple thing to get across the bay from there, and personally, I wouldn't want to spend much time on that side. Traffic getting into the city is ALWAYS tough. BART gets you into SF, but doesn't get you around SF. It's worth your effort to find a hotel somewhat near what you want to see, IMO, but absolutely check with them first to make sure they offer free parking. Many charge a lot extra for that. SF is a great walking city, busses and trolleys run all over, and taxis are everywhere. Don't make yourself crazy by trying to drive from one sightseeing spot to another. The places tourists like are always impossible to find parking anywhere near.

I concur with this. East Bay is more hassle than benefit. Honestly I even think staying by the airport could also be a hassle. After a long day of tourist stuff, you have to hop a train, ride 30 mins to Millbrae, wait for the hotel shuttle, etc. I think you might be better shopping for a hotel in town. The prices are more than you're expecting to pay, but what the heck, pamper yourselves. It's a vacation!

 

[Tyler]

Alternative car rental option (instead of Hertz, et al.) - Zip Cars

Also consider renting one of these for a day which includes recorded directions and historical info - GoCar

 

[jwhite518]

if you have an iPhone - go download the app called Stray Boots. They have a number of San Fran walking tours. My wife and I did one (and we live here) and really enjoyed it.

 

[TomInPA]

You mention Monterey and Napa as places to visit. If you are going anywhere besides the City, you need a car. Personally, I'd consider staying a night or two in Monterey, and might even consider a road trip up north to Mendocino and Ft Bragg, dropping back down through the wine country of Sonoma County. So much better than Napa. A day or two in the City with parking is plenty. Get out and visit the outlying areas.

 

[canucklehead-biker]

Lots of good suggestions from folks, and all much appreciated.

Plan right now is that I'll be riding down, wife flying into SFO, and then we head south toward Monterey/Big Sur, wander around some, head north up the coast, inland to Ukiah and the Napa/Sonoma/wine country, couple days there, then finish back in San Fran for a couple of days. She'll fly home, I'll head to Laguna for the WSB race weekend and then head back north (with probably a stop at GP Suspension, since I'm due for service again).

I think we're leaning toward staying near the airport (Millbrae, there's a Best Western (El Rancho?) close to the BART) and taking the BART in as far as Embarcadero, then using taxis/trams/shank's pony to get around from there. We reckon a couple days total in SF. Definitely NOT interested in trying to ride/park in the city - if we get a downtown spot in San Fran, the bike will be parked until the morning she has to get to the airport for home.

FWIW, we did a similar thing in Chicago a couple years ago, stayed out by Midway and used the LRT to get into the city, and it worked well.

Griff

 

[jwhite518]

Wait a sec -- are you and the wife doing the Monterey and north coast stuff two up on a MOTORCYCLE? Well, that's a horse of a different color. Street parking can be easily had in San Francisco for a MOTORCYCLE. There are hundreds of dedicated bike parking spaces on the street in the financial district, 50 cents an hour on the meter. Even mid-day on a work day, no problem finding a spot if you know where to look. And I do.

 

[user 31223]

So I get the east bay nay, Was just a thought and Bart runs all the way out Richmond .

if one stays in a downtown hotel, how do you guys handle overnight parking, do you let them valet park your bike ? I would be interested because sometimes have to go down for conferences and always take the Amtrak and Bart from sac because of it ? Thanks

 

[SacramentoMike]

+1 on JWhite's post. In California, parking is a close second to lane splitting for WHY I LOVE MY MOTORCYCLE! I wouldn't even hesitate to get around town on the bike, unlike parking a car and moving it all the time. (In fact, I wouldn't leave the bike on the street while I was gone for a long time anywhere, including--maybe especially--downtown SF.) And now you can do things like ride out to Fort Point, Marin Headlands, Golden Gate Park, Haight-Ashbury, Telegraph Hill, etc., etc. (details available on request).

And BTW, no valet is parking my FJR (that was a joke, right, Gb?). There are always dead corners in parking garages that are just FJR-sized.

 

[user 31223]

Sort of many downtown, especially the cheaper ones don't have their own garage so findin a safespot without local knowledge is a challenge, just saying so ask he question when booking! One hotel did actually say they would valet prk it for me as they didn't have a garage! Needless to say, I don't stay there

 

[canucklehead-biker]

Interesting... agree that there's no way in Hell I'm gonna let a car jockey play with the FJR!

If parking is a breeze, around town, then it makes sense to look closer. I was told that parking (and especially overnight parking) was a real bear, and something to be avoided.

Plenty of time before the trip, so will look into the suggestions and see what's possible.

Thanks folks, can always count on getting the straight dope here

Griff

 

[AVGeek]

SF is one of the most motorcycle friendly cities in the US. I did three trips there in February and March for work, and was wishing for my bike each time.

 

[Checkswrecks]

Agreed about being bike friendly.

Plus, unlike in a lot of cities, SanFran has busses that you can actually rely on when downtown and not fear for your life.

https://www.sfmta.com/cms/mcust/newcust.htm

 

[SacramentoMike]

Miss Tyler called on all her organizational skills last spring and rounded up a BIG bunch of m/c riders to get involved in a worthy fundraising event that involved several thousand people walking all night long--18 miles up and down the hills in San Francisco. The cause was suicide prevention--really quite an event. The motorcycles were for traffic control and guarding intersections. We didn't direct traffic, we directed the walkers so they wouldn't interrupt traffic too much or get themselves run down. We just stayed at one location till the mass of walkers had gone by, then leapfrogged ahead again. Maybe 30-40 bikes, more than half recruited by Tyler!

We had a blast. What a fun city to ride around in, with amazing views wherever you are, and even more fun on a cool but mild night when the traffic is at a minimum. By the way, that big tower on the hill below is Telegraph Hill, mentioned above. Since you can see it from everywhere in the city, just head for it. You'll find the road to the top eventually. BEST place to get an amazing view of the city from, IMHO.

But, um, do watch out for the trolley tracks, especially where they merge together on the turns and the gap is even wider.

 

[rickysnickers]

Getting in on this one a little late. I have an uncle that lives in Menlo Park. There a nice little hotel, https://www.redcottageinn.com , that we enjoy staying in. It's nice, clean and quiet. It's also very close to the train stop in Menlo Park. It's worth a look.

Rick