San Francisco travel - is this reasonable?

[PinkTulip]

We are driving to visit family in Sacramento in a few months, and would like to spend 2-3 days in San Francisco. We will be in our Suburban with a family of 6, so I really don't want to drive our car into the city and try to find (and pay $$$ for) parking.

 

I'm thinking we could stay in a hotel in downtown Oakland, near a BART stop, park at the hotel ($20/day?) and take BART back and forth in the morning and evenings after dinner.

 

Or is there a safe parking place where we could park the car for 3 days and then stay closer to downtown SF? Maybe park in long-term parking at the Oakland airport?

 

Is BART safe at night (9:00 pm-ish) from downtown SF to downtown Oakland?

 

Any recommendations for a (relatively) inexpensive hotel in San Francisco?

 

Just thinking all of this through!

[Carol in Cal.]

 

Is BART safe at night (9:00 pm-ish) from downtown SF to downtown Oakland?

 

 

I would take BART that late, but I would be a little concerned about getting off and getting to the hotel on the other end, safety wise.  Also, although public transit in SF is outstanding, BART is not near most of the tourist sites.  It's more in the commuter areas.  There are plenty of feeder busses, though, and also in general SF is kind of compact with mildish weather, so walking is not a big issue unless you hate hills.

[Arcadia]

My friend stayed in a family friendly hotel very near to Fishermen's Wharf and she paid $20/day to park her minivan at the hotel.

[swimmermom3]

Sailor Dude and I drove down to San Francisco for spring break. Dh was at a funeral in CA and flew in to join us the following day.  We stayed at an awesome Airbnb in El Cerrito. The first day, ds and I took BART, which was a couple of blocks from our place, downtown so we could take a bus tour. This isn't something I would normally do, but after driving all the previous day and with dh not coming in until evening, it ended up being perfect.  We took Dylan's Famous Tour from Dylan's Tours and absolutely loved it. The mini bus was just the right size and our young guide and driver was a native who was obviously passionate about his city.  We were then able to decide from our overview where we would spend more time when dh arrived.  If I only had a couple of days in San Francisco, I would consider this a must.  We also had City Passes which included muni passes, so besides Bart, we merrily took buses, cable cars, and ferries. I think we drove for our amazing hamburger in Sausalito and we drove to Golden Gate Park for the various attractions there.

 

Have a wonderful time. We are crazy about San Francisco and would do our trip again in a heartbeat.

[swimmermom3]

If you stay in a hotel with 6 people, will you need two rooms?

 

If you do, check Airbnb. We had a great old bungalow with two bedrooms, 1 bath, a third room where air mattresses could be used, a well-stocked kitchen and a delightful back yard. It was in the heart of El Cerrito, so on Wednesday night, we walked two blocks and checked out the food carts and the live music for our evening entertainment. I think after all of the fees, we ended up paying $145 a day. We ate breakfast at "home."  Our hosts had lemonade made from the lemons in the back yard and tons of really good touristy advice. 

[sassenach]

Don't forget Uber if you need a quick ride somewhere. 

[gingersmom]

We did Dylans Famous tours also. Loved!!

[kroe1]

We used BART from airport to hotel and then the trolleys and walking everywhere else. If you are staying downtown, most everything is just a few blocks away. I think we stayed at the Marriott which was OK. We walked beyond Fisherman's Wharf to see the bridge and park, then came back through China Town. I am guessing it was 7 miles or so, but we spread it out over the entire day. There were taxis and Uber drivers everywhere although we did not use those. And some of the hotels have shuttles which we took to the airport on the way back. I am glad I did not have a car there. I would freak on those hills.

[*lifeoftheparty*]

We used Priceline bidding, and got a room at The Holiday Inn at The Fisherman's Wharf, and it was fairly cheap... I don't remember how much, but it was less than $200 a night...

 

There are forums you can join that help people to know what hotels you are likely to get when using Priceline bidding- I have found them very helpful... though I can't remember the names right now, lol...

 

ETA: It's www.betterbidding.com

 

I used this site a lot a few years ago, because we went on several trips in a row, and I really needed to save money... I was nervous at first, but we got really nice hotels for cheap.

 

I learned about it from my husband's cousin- I was talking to him about all the great trips they take, nice hotels they stay in, etc. (I see their pics on Facebook) and he confided in me that he became a "pro" at Priceline bidding, and the only way they could afford to stay at those places, was because he got them dirt cheap through Priceline.

Edited January 9, 2016 by *lifeoftheparty*

[kitten18]

If you start looking at hotels in the city, check that a Suburban will fit in their parking garage.  

 

I would check VRBO.  There was nothing available through them when we went in July.  We ended up staying at the Marriott at Fisherman's Wharf and it was great but would be pricey for a family of 6.

[idnib]

I think your plan is fine. I would feel safe anyway, but I would feel especially safe in a group of 6. Avoid 6th St between Market and Mission in SF, esp. at night. It's a big drug scene.

 

You could park at the hotel in Oakland, you could park at Oakland Airport, which has a BART connector, or it may be cheaper to do an offsite parking lot for SFO. Parking at SFO is expensive, but the off-site lots may be cheaper than Oakland. The off-site lots have shuttles to SFO and you can catch BART there.

 

Be aware that BART doesn't run from midnight-isn to 4:00am-ish. I highly recommend 511.org for transit info and you can get an app for your smartphone if you have one.

 

Here's a hill mapper if you have people in your party who might struggle with long, steep hills on foot.

[PinkTulip]

You guys are the best - thank you so much for your help. I will look into all of these suggestions and figure something out.

[Lanny]

I wonder if you should leave your Suburban in Sacramento (free parking?) and take a bus into San Francisco and save the parking expense and the cost of fuel for your vehicle? Depends on what the bus fare would be and the cost of fuel for the Suburban and the availability of parking in San Francisco, for a vehicle of that size.. . I remember flying into Travis AFB, in Fairfield CA, and taking a Greyhound (?) bus, from the airport terminal building, into San Francisco, and then going back to Travis AFB, several times, on different trips. . I think it was about 90 minutes each way? Sacramento is East of Fairfield, so it would probably be about 2 hours from Sacramento into San Francisco? Possibly properties near SFO have larger parking lots and are better equipped with parking spaces for the Suburban? Take $$$$$ with you and enjoy your trip!

[ThisIsTheDay]

I haven't lived there in a long time, but I would never leave my car in downtown Oakland or consider entering/exiting BART there.  Oakland, to put it mildly, is not known as a particularly safe place.

 

There are great parking websites that will save you a lot of money parking, such as ParkMe and Spot Hero. You can usually pay through your phone too.  I've found those helpful when traveling to DC--it's cheaper for me to park in DC than take the Metro, if there are more than two of us.  

 

If you're continuing to consider hotels, look for ones that offer free parking (it's usually a filter option on the hotel search websites).  I recently found a hotel for <$100/night in Arlington, VA with free parking, one block from the Metro.  That was great.

[Allearia]

If you stay in a hotel with 6 people, will you need two rooms?

 

If you do, check Airbnb. We had a great old bungalow with two bedrooms, 1 bath, a third room where air mattresses could be used, a well-stocked kitchen and a delightful back yard. It was in the heart of El Cerrito, so on Wednesday night, we walked two blocks and checked out the food carts and the live music for our evening entertainment. I think after all of the fees, we ended up paying $145 a day. We ate breakfast at "home." Our hosts had lemonade made from the lemons in the back yard and tons of really good touristy advice.

You must have stayed just a few blocks from my house!

[idnib]

I wonder if you should leave your Suburban in Sacramento (free parking?) and take a bus into San Francisco and save the parking expense and the cost of fuel for your vehicle? Depends on what the bus fare would be and the cost of fuel for the Suburban and the availability of parking in San Francisco, for a vehicle of that size.

 

Lanny's post  reminds me if you take Amtrak from Sacramento to Oakland, you could catch a cab to your Oakland hotel and proceed from there. The trains run fairly often, as some people actually make the daily commute.

 

I haven't lived there in a long time, but I would never leave my car in downtown Oakland or consider entering/exiting BART there.  Oakland, to put it mildly, is not known as a particularly safe place.

 

It's changed quite a bit, in part because of gentrification from people who can no longer afford SF, but still need to commute so they want to live near transit. Not all of Oakland is safe, but the area around the 12th BART has opened more than 300 restaurants in 4 years, built lots of condos, there's a new outdoor art festival the first Friday of the month, etc. If you remember the amazing Flax art store in SF, they're moving there next month. And so on. It's still Oakland, of course, but it's probably not like you remember.

[CAMom]

I have a very good friend who has been an Oakland police officer for more than 20 years. There is no way on earth he would let me do that. :)

Edited January 10, 2016 by CAMom

[idnib]

I have a very good friend who has been an Oakland police officer for more than 20 years. There is no way on earth he would let me do that. :)

 

Do what?

[CAMom]

Do what?

Take BART in and out of Oakland, especially at night.

 

Also, I'm not sure which station, but we had one of our employees working in SF for 6 months and staying in Oakland. His car was vandalized more than once from the station.

Edited January 10, 2016 by CAMom

[idnib]

I guess the other ~62,000 people who use Oakland BART stations each weekday will have to disagree.  :)

[Carol in Cal.]

I guess the other ~62,000 people who use Oakland BART stations each weekday will have to disagree.  :)

Remember, they are talking about arriving at night there, leaving SF around 9 so arriving there maybe around 9:45, and then walking to their hotel.  That's very different from a daytime commute.  I take BART in and out of SF and Berkeley/Oakland, but I wouldn't want to land at the 12th St. station and have to walk from there late at night.

[idnib]

Remember, they are talking about arriving at night there, leaving SF around 9 so arriving there maybe around 9:45, and then walking to their hotel.  That's very different from a daytime commute.  I take BART in and out of SF and Berkeley/Oakland, but I wouldn't want to land at the 12th St. station and have to walk from there late at night.

 

In my defense, I was responding to CAMom saying her friend wouldn't let her take BART in and out of Oakland at all, day or night.

 

Everyone has different comfort levels with traveling at night and personally I would feel fine at 9:45 pm in a group of 6 people at 12th St. But of course everyone has to make their own decisions.  :)

 

I guess I'll add a caveat that it depends where the hotel is. If they're walking to the Marriott, which is 2 blocks south of the station (one block if you take the correct exit from BART) I think it's fine. If they plan to walk 15 blocks, I would be more cautious.

[CAMom]

In my defense, I was responding to CAMom saying her friend wouldn't let her take BART in and out of Oakland at all, day or night.

 

Everyone has different comfort levels with traveling at night and personally I would feel fine at 9:45 pm in a group of 6 people at 12th St. But of course everyone has to make their own decisions. :)

 

I guess I'll add a caveat that it depends where the hotel is. If they're walking to the Marriott, which is 2 blocks south of the station (one block if you take the correct exit from BART) I think it's fine. If they plan to walk 15 blocks, I would be more cautious.

In my defense, I said "especially at night." :)

 

There are definitely places I would not even want to be during the day. :)

[swimmermom3]

Remember, they are talking about arriving at night there, leaving SF around 9 so arriving there maybe around 9:45, and then walking to their hotel.  That's very different from a daytime commute.  I take BART in and out of SF and Berkeley/Oakland, but I wouldn't want to land at the 12th St. station and have to walk from there late at night.

 

That reminds me that I told dh that our BART commute both ways in to town from El Cerrito was just fine.  He flew in late to Oakland and took BART out to El Cerrito.  He was not impressed with my earlier assessment. :tongue_smilie: If I remember right, Berkeley/Oakland is kind of cool and 12th St. is anything but cool.

 

[PinkTulip]

I think we have figured this out: leave Sacramento early in the morning, park the car in the Oakland airport long-term parking ($22/day), then take BART into a yet-to-be-finalized hotel probably either in the Union Square or Fisherman's Wharf areas. Spend the rest of that day and one other full day in SF doing our tourist thing. On the morning of the third day, take BART back and get our car, drive to Muir Woods, spend a couple hours, and drive back to Sacto in time for dinner with the fam.

 

We feel like this is the best of all worlds: not paying extra for bus or train tickets from Sacto, having our car so we can go to Muir Woods, having a safe place to park for a few nights, staying centrally to what we want to do, and not taking BART at night to what may or may not be a sketchy-ish area.

 

Thanks so much for everyone's help and input on this!

[Carol in Cal.]

Sounds like a great plan!

 

What are your and your kids current interests?  We can probably share ideas for where to target those precious few days in SF...

[idnib]

I think we have figured this out: leave Sacramento early in the morning, park the car in the Oakland airport long-term parking ($22/day), then take BART into a yet-to-be-finalized hotel probably either in the Union Square or Fisherman's Wharf areas. Spend the rest of that day and one other full day in SF doing our tourist thing. On the morning of the third day, take BART back and get our car, drive to Muir Woods, spend a couple hours, and drive back to Sacto in time for dinner with the fam.

 

This sounds like a good idea! I think you could choose a hotel after deciding on some activities. For example, if you want to visit the ferry building, take the boat to Alcatraz, or take the kids to The Exploratorium, it would be easier to stay at Fisherman's Wharf.  Union Square is closer to good shopping and Golden Gate Park and its associated museums and gardens.

[PinkTulip]

I think the first day, we'll ride the cable car, walk along the Embarcadero/Fisherman's Wharf/ Pier 39. Maybe hit the Legion of Honor Museum, which my kids will only tolerate (but DH & I will love!) with the promise of the Cliff Walk trail and explore the Sutro Baths after. I realize that may be too much, depending on what time we really get going in the city.

 

The second day, we plan on breakfast at the farmer's market at the Ferry Building, then rent bikes and go over the Golden Gate Bridge to Sausalito, eat lunch, and then take the ferry back. Dinner will be a big splurge at Tadich Grill, which holds a lot of sentimental family memories for us.

 

The last day we will get the car and explore Muir Woods for a few hours, which I am super excited to share with my kids. I have 4 teenage boys, so our vacations tend to be active, with minimal shopping, and museums only when mom & dad force some culture!

[Carol in Cal.]

Have you seen the new Academy of Sciences yet?  It's pretty remarkable.  Among its features now is a 3 or 4 story rain forest jungle area that you can walk around in.  

 

I have not been to the Exploratorium since they moved over to the Embarcadero, so I dont' know whether it's as good as it used to be or not, but before it was moved it had the very best older kids' physics and biology displays I have ever seen in a museum.

[idnib]

I think the first day, we'll ride the cable car, walk along the Embarcadero/Fisherman's Wharf/ Pier 39. Maybe hit the Legion of Honor Museum, which my kids will only tolerate (but DH & I will love!) with the promise of the Cliff Walk trail and explore the Sutro Baths after. I realize that may be too much, depending on what time we really get going in the city.

 

The second day, we plan on breakfast at the farmer's market at the Ferry Building, then rent bikes and go over the Golden Gate Bridge to Sausalito, eat lunch, and then take the ferry back. Dinner will be a big splurge at Tadich Grill, which holds a lot of sentimental family memories for us.

 

The last day we will get the car and explore Muir Woods for a few hours, which I am super excited to share with my kids. I have 4 teenage boys, so our vacations tend to be active, with minimal shopping, and museums only when mom & dad force some culture!

 

Sounds very fun! I think if I were following these plans I would stay near Fisherman's Wharf. I'm sure you already know this, but Tadich Grill doesn't take reservations so if you're planning to go on a busy night, don't arrive super hungry with 4 teenage boys! A half hour wait is typical, but if it's Saturday night in can be closer to an hour.

 

I have not been to the Exploratorium since they moved over to the Embarcadero, so I dont' know whether it's as good as it used to be or not, but before it was moved it had the very best older kids' physics and biology displays I have ever seen in a museum.

 

We've been to the new one quite a few times. It has many of the same exhibits as the old, plus some new ones. Some of the exhibits are outside, which is a nice thing they couldn't do at the old location. The restaurant is a bit more of a hassle now as it's a few different stations instead of one organized line, and parents with younger kids often end up standing in 2-3 different lines for different types of food, but teenagers can manage themselves. We try to eat late, around 2:00pm to avoid full tables. There's also a smaller cafe outside but we haven't tried it.

[ThisIsTheDay]

Out of curiosity, I'm looking at BART fares.  This is from the BART website, 9:47pm Sat. night PST.

 

ADVISORY: Trains are not stopping at West Oakland due to police activity.

West Oakland station is closed, due to police action. Trains are running through the station and not stopping. Passengers traveling to West Oakland A/C Transit bus numbers 31 and 26 are available from Macarthur Station. A/C Transit bus number 62 is available from Lake Merritt Station.

There is a station closure at West Oakland due to police activity.

There is a major delay at West Oakland in the San Francisco and East Bay directions due to police activity.

 

Commuting from Oakland is one thing.  Traveling as a tourist with small children in an unfamiliar area outside of the busiest hours is not something I'd do. 

 

It looks like two adults + four children round trip from Oakland Airport to Embaracdero is over $70.  (It's possible there are discounts that I'm not aware of, OR perhaps this does include any discounts.) Plus $22 per day to park your car would be over $90.  This doesn't count any other transportation costs from your dropoff station to your hotel.  This is going to roughly equal the cost of what you'd pay for parking either at or near your hotel, plus you'll have the added convenience of your vehicle nearby, you'll save several hours of travel time, and you won't have to be concerned about what might be going on with BART.  :D

[Carol in Cal.]

We've been to the new one quite a few times. It has many of the same exhibits as the old, plus some new ones. Some of the exhibits are outside, which is a nice thing they couldn't do at the old location. The restaurant is a bit more of a hassle now as it's a few different stations instead of one organized line, and parents with younger kids often end up standing in 2-3 different lines for different types of food, but teenagers can manage themselves. We try to eat late, around 2:00pm to avoid full tables. There's also a smaller cafe outside but we haven't tried it.

Nice to know.

Idnib, where are you based?  Seems like I should know this but I can't remember.  I'm in San Jose/Santa Clara.

[Carol in Cal.]

Breaking news:  http://www.sfgate.com/crime/article/BART-s-West-Oakland-station-shut-down-after-6748681.php

[MEmama]

If you have such limited time, I would suggest keeping things simple and just pay for parking at your hotel. It might be less expensive than your public transportation plan, and will certainly save you hours of wasted travel time.

 

Your plan sounds fun and doable, especially if you don't waste half your days on BART.

[idnib]

It looks like two adults + four children round trip from Oakland Airport to Embaracdero is over $70.  (It's possible there are discounts that I'm not aware of, OR perhaps this does include any discounts.) Plus $22 per day to park your car would be over $90.  This doesn't count any other transportation costs from your dropoff station to your hotel.  This is going to roughly equal the cost of what you'd pay for parking either at or near your hotel, plus you'll have the added convenience of your vehicle nearby, you'll save several hours of travel time, and you won't have to be concerned about what might be going on with BART.  :D

 

It's not 4 small children, it's 4 teenagers.  :)

 

I agree with you. When I read PinkTulips's plan my mind immediately moved to the discussion of where to stay in SF. Later I was actually thinking about the plan and came up with the same math you did. I got out of bed to come post because it kept turning over in my mind.  :laugh:

 

I think I would just drive to the hotel and park. The Coliseum station, which is the one for connecting to Oakland Airport, can be sketchy, although PinkTulip would be there during the day.

 

I think BART is expensive in this plan because everything is multiplied by 6 and it's practically the same to park a single car. Looking at the fare from OAK to SF Embarcadero, including the connector from the airport, it would cost $10.20, so $61.20 for 6 people one way, $122.40 round trip, plus the cost of parking at OAK, including taxes. Then there's the time to transit from the OAK parking to the shuttle, to the connector, to BART, to the hotel and reversing that for the return. Additionally, it's in the wrong direction, so they would have to double back for everything.

 

As an example of parking in SF, the Sheraton Fisherman's Wharf is charging $59/night for vehicles over 6 feet tall. PinkTulip would have far less hassle, save at least 3 hours of transit time round trip, and not have to carry all the luggage as well.

 

Nice to know.

Idnib, where are you based?  Seems like I should know this but I can't remember.  I'm in San Jose/Santa Clara.

 

 

I'll PM you.  :)

Edited January 10, 2016 by idnib

[livetoread]

There are inexpensive shuttle buses from Salsilito that you can catch to Muir Woods. When we were out there, we rented bikes and rode to Salsilito. We were going to catch the shuttle to MW there, but we got a late start and I kept stopping to appreciate the view on the bridge, so we ran out of time. Plus, there was a monsterous line to get the ferry back. If you are efficient though, you might be able to tack that onto your Salsilito day and hit the restaurant you like another time.