in august. thinking three or four days then yosemite then tahoe. thoughts on where to stay. what to do when there. two teenage boys. i haven't been in almost 30 years.
Teen boys would probably enjoy Alcatraz -- a very interesting tour. The area around Fishermans Wharf is still fun to visit. Chinatown?
I don't really know about San Francisco so I can't offer up advice for that, but wanted to say have fun and take lots of photos!
We were there about four years ago and loved it. We walked or took the cable car everywhere! Staying there can be pretty expensive. I can't remember where exactly we were but it was around Russian Hill (other side of the crookedest street) and wasn't too bad a price plus it included parking which was a big plus for us. Definitely riding the cable cars, Fisherman's Wharf, Ghiradelli Square, Pier 39, Crookedest Street, Ripleys, Golden Gate Bridge.
*I'd agree with Alcatraz. It's awfully cool. *You'll also need to stop at the park just off of the Golden Gate bridge to get a closer look at it and see the exhibits. *Ghirardelli Square for sundaes! *Walking down Lombard Street. You can't drive down it anymore. :-( *Riding the cable cars. *Visiting the Boudin Sourdough Bread factory on the Embarcadero. They have a self-guided tour that has the most amazing timeline I've ever seen: concurrent histories of San Francisco and the Bakery. *Eating dim sum in Chinatown. Yum. *Eating the best clam chowder in the world (I'm not kidding here) at the Blue Mermaid in the Cannery. Seriously. It's the best I've ever had! Don't bother eating the chowder on Fisherman's Wharf - it's usually from a can. *Exploring the eateries and foodie shops in the Ferry Building. Here's my big tip: the Barbary Coast Trail walking tour. My hubby and I spent two days walking San Francisco, discovering the most amazing things we would've otherwise missed. We had the book with us. You can do the whole thing, or just parts of it. You can spend as much time somewhere that you'd like, or just pass it by. Like watching the ladies make fortune cookies at a factory. It's history, fun facts, and experiences all rolled into one. You don't even have to do the tour to get anything out of it - just reading the book itself is amazing. I'd tell you more, but I'm way past my bedtime and not thinking straight. You're going to have so much fun!
You have to book ahead for Alcatraz though, they have a long waiting list. @QuiltyMom that book sounds amazing. I would love to take the family to San Fran, (we cruised from there to Alaska) my favourite holiday ever!
It's my home. Let me think on some things & I'll get back to you. Golden Gate Park is fantastic in general. A pedal boat on Stow Lake is classic. I go here for last minute stuff to do in the area: http://sf.funcheap.com/. I've lived here 39 years (born here) & just recently did a bus tour across the Golden Gate Bridge for the first time. The kids & I loved it! The tunnel at the end of the bridge goes to Marin, it's painted rainbow in tribute to Robin Williams. He's actually the one who fixed up the vista point out there. It's just lovely. Chinatown is a must, Oriental Pearl on Clay Street is our favorite. A San Francisco Giants game is always good. Our boys aren't really into baseball, but they love the Giants games. Sliding down the Coca-Cola bottle's a good pic. The teens have to ride a cable car just to say they did. There are Japanese Obon Festivals all around the Peninsula in August. They have the best food & beautiful arts & plants. The Ferry Building has an amazing Farmer's Market. Every Sunday one neighborhood is closed off to traffic & there's some sort of family oriented theme, It's called Sunday Streets. This weekend it's the Mission District & theme is "Summer of Love", yes in March. Oh, and I live directly across from SFO, which is owned by San Francisco but is technically in Millbrae. The Best Western El Rancho is good in Millbrae or the Hilton in Burlingame. The Crowne Plaza in Foster City is nicer than the one in Burlingame, but further south. We live around the corner from the Days Inn San Francisco International Airport West. It's decent. It just cracks me up that the pictures all look quaint. Really it's on a very busy street in a suburb & it looks like a basic hotel in real life. Our wedding ceremony was on a cruise around Emerald Lake in Tahoe. The boat is the MS Dixie, it's a fun little dinner/dance cruise. Zephyr Cove is gorgeous that time of year, but August is the end of the Summer Season so I don't know how much of the beach rental stuff (kayaks/pedal boats) is open. We spend every Thanksgiving in Tahoe & stay at The Blulake Inn or The Big Pines Mountain House. To me these are very wintery places, so I don't know how they'd be in the summer. But, they're always clean, comfortable, & affordable. Wow, I had more to say than I thought.
How fun, I'm so jealous! I lived there for a short time. I agree with Jess ... go see some of the cool neighborhoods!!! They are all so distinct and each have their own charm. Golden Gate Park is fun and sprawling like Central Park ... there's a Botanical Gardens, and I loved the Japanese Tea Garden too, maybe Check out the California Academy of Sciences while there too (if into science/nature museum type stuff?). http://japaneseteagardensf.com (does not take a lot of time) http://www.smartdestinations.com/sa.../_attr_Sfo_Att_Calif_Academy_of_Sciences.html Hike the Lands End Trail ... http://www.parksconservancy.org/assets/visit-your-parks/park-sites/pdfs/image_1_2474.pdf http://www.parksconservancy.org/assets/visit-your-parks/park-sites/pdfs/image_1_2474.pdf and for the photographer in you, maybe stop in nearby to see the Camera Obscura? or the Presidio (less crowded park) http://www.hiddensf.com/430-things-to-do-presidio-sf.html The wharf/G Square area could be a fast stop to get your cheesy SF souvenirs to take home with you - or a place to grab a quick bite to eat (seafood) and check out the sea lions & street performers while eating outside - but I would definitely visit Mission, Chinatown, maybe a quick stop to see the Painted Ladies, Russian Hill -Lombard St (crooked St) is neat but there's usually a line so try to go at an off beat time to save precious time- if you are checking out the Wharf area maybe go here first thing early that morning? And YES to riding the cable cars!! So fun. Search the distinct neighborhoods on google- and see which ones appeal to you and make a little visit to a few of them. Sausalito - just over the Golden Bridge is a gorgeous little sea town but might be too artsy fartsy for the teens - there's the Muir Woods just north of the city - maybe plan these on your way to Tahoe as you are leaving the city? Alcatraz & catching a Giants game have been mentioned. I'm not a baseball person but my Keegan saw his first ever baseball game in SF - back when we went it was very chill and fun. I went to Tahoe once but it was so so long ago. I don't remember much. It's gorgeous though - but scary to drive around if you are like me and afraid of heights!!! Some of those peaks!
Break in the hiking boots! With your trip you could do some serious nature exploring!! Muir Wood north of SF for Redwoods Lighthouses and beach exploration north of SF. Ocean Beach. Depending on your budget ... sail boat excursions/ kayaking in the bay. And then of course, hiking in Tahoe and Yosemite. The lake is cold, but August is probably better. Paddle boats are fun! Rent bikes and take a bike ride over the Golden Gate bridge, have ice cream/lunch in Sausalito (just N of SF) and then bike back or take a ferry back across. Cross the Bay Bridge and go explore the Berkeley and check out Cal. Ever heard of panic rooms? There is one in SF. You could do the adventure there for a couple hours. Friends who have done it liked it. Museums ... Academy of Sciences and the Exploratorium is neat. There's a zoo. Alfred Hitchcock fans? Watch the movies set in SF and then take a tour of the locations ... On the East side, in Alameda is an old air craft carrier ... USS Hornet. If you are techy ... go down to SJ and find Google/FB/the home of HP. Lots of tech history and there is a tech museum in San Jose Peanuts fans? Charles Shultz is from the area so you can find stuff in the north bay. Disney? There's a Walt Disney museum in the Presidio California History? Check out old Missions/Presidios/China Towns/Mining history. Baseball? If the Giants aren't in town, check Oakland A's. Tickets probably cheaper/easier to get and you can take the BART (train/subway thing) to the other stadium. Basketball? Warrior tickets might be hard to get.
I just remembered ... we'll be in the area this summer as well! DD will be skating in Santa Rosa (Snoopy's Rink) in August competing in Showcase Nationals. We don't know the schedule yet, but we will have time to explore SF and areas. Muir Woods is definitely on the list of things to do, but I'm hoping we'll have time for more!
Sounds awesome! My sister just went a few weeks ago with her hubby and they sent pictures on some tour of a HUGE airline carrier. They had tons of planes you could go into and sit at the controls and saw lots of other parts of the ship too. Looked like something teenage boys would like.
That's the USS Hornet! It's pretty cool. My son got to do an overnight on it for Cub Scouts and our school does the Grad Night party on it. It's in Alameda so it's just across the bay, east of SF. You can see the SF sky line from the deck.
this thread is filled with goodness. thanks so much ladies. i'm going to sit down and savor every nugget. i need to plan an itinerary so i can figure how much time we need.
