San Francisco and what to do in it

Hello! My wife and I are planning a relatively last minute two-week road trip to the west coast, starting May 9. We have a two year old toddler in tow.

Don't want to try to pack too much in, partly because of the toddler and partly because only my wife has a driver's license. So though I'd love to go all the way down to southern California (and indeed start in Seattle), I think it makes more sense to just do Portland to SF.

This is a rough itinerary we came up with. How does it look?

✈️ to Portland, spend one night there
1.5hrs drive
2 nights Cannon Beach
4hrs drive
1 night Newport
4.5hrs drive
1 night Gold Beach
4hrs drive
1 night Arcata
3hrs drive
2 night Mendocino
4.5hrs drive
2 nights San Francisco
1hr50 drive
1 night Monterey (maybe time to venture to Big Sur?)
3hr20 drive
3 nights Tenaya Lodge in Yosemite (they have babysitters you can hire there!)
3hr30 drive
San Francisco ✈️

I'll be happy to help you with Monterey/Carmel tips, but unless you leave very early from SF you won't be able to get in to too much of Big Sur (but if you can, go to Nepenthe).

The general itinerary seems good on the California front, Mendocino's very lovely and I've heard good things re Arcata but haven't been to the area in many years. Yosemite is excellent and it's good you're taking the time there.

2 nights in SF won't allow you to do *everything* but of course we're still reopening cautiously so it may all balance out. Assuming things hold steady all around by then it may be a good time for an open air FAP -- then again, are you all vaccinated at this point or what's your plan here?

Thanks Ned! I was thinking of the Big Sur trip being from when we stayed the night in Monterey, but maybe if we have only one night there there's too much to see. Could always extend it to two nights in Monterey and reduce Mondocino or Cannon Beach to one night instead.

Vaccination: we should be fully immunized by May 9. The whole trip rests on this!

Re: Yosemite, be sure to get a pass ahead of time as they are limiting numbers of visitors. Your Lodge reservation may be sufficient but worth checking.

Good to hear re vaccinations (I'm already covered so yeah, some outdoor chat/drink somewhere should be fine). Arcata to Mendocino, if you're taking the 1, will take the day so two nights there is wise; Mendocino's a lovely area to enjoy with leisure. You can still do Big Sur, but I'd just leave early from SF, get yourself checked in to your Monterey hotel and then use the afternoon for Big Sur; alternately you can leave earlyish, just drive through Monterey and get down to Nepenthe in Big Sur for lunch (it gets busy really quick, so I'd be there before the restaurant itself opens; they have plenty of outdoor seating) and then backtrack at your leisure; I definitely would at least recommend maybe a Carmel Beach visit or spending the toll money to do the Pebble Beach 17 Mile Drive. Again, if you need specific food recommendations in Monterey or thereabouts, just ask.

Am now wondering if we might enjoy ourselves more by cutting the ground we cover right back by just flying to San Franscisci and spending four nights there (but going for day trips), five Monterey and four in Yosemite before flying back. If we didn’t have a kid it would be a different matter but we may be spreading ourselves too thin to really soak it all in by squeezing in Oregon too. Hmm …

I generally prefer more days in fewer places, but ymmv.

Yeah, I think you’re right. OK, conversation with my wife about incoming …

The romance of the long trip down the coast (seeing as we’ve definitely not got time go across the country) is strong but we’d probably just end up exhausted and arguing.

The trip from San Francisco to Santa Cruz is pretty stunning.

(on the 1, of course)

Yeah I was going to say, if you did something where you flew in to SF and did stuff (and yes, take a day trip through Marin or into Sonoma at least), then took the 1 down to Monterey and then settled in there for the day, then a day for Big Sur, another day for Carmel and Carmel Valley, a day in Monterey and Pacific Grove, well there are far worse ways to spend your time. I'm also thinking with a two year old that this may just be an easier time of it to do these kind of concentrated stops in three areas like you suggest! And if you have a Monterey/PG day that's perfect timing for the Monterey Bay Aquarium if they've reopened by then -- I think that's on the cards.

Another advantage of the 1 from SF to Monterey via Santa Cruz is you don't have to leave early, could get lunch in Santa Cruz (various spots I can suggest -- pretty solid microbrewing scene there as in Monterey as well), then make your way to Monterey from there, just another hour along.

Actually I see you're planning five nights in Monterey -- great! I might almost suggest a further day trip on another day there to San Juan Bautista -- the mission there is a remarkable location (famously featured in Vertigo, though the tower was a creation for the film), the historical exhibits are also remarkable. I have a family connection there too -- my grandparents are buried in the nearby cemetery -- and Jardines makes for a fantastic spot for lunch in a very old school California Mexican way.

All this sounds very appealing! Vertigo-spotting might make up nicely for giving up on the Twin Peaks tourism (the original plan was to start all the way up in Washington). This is going to be so good. And yes, would love to find time for an outdoor drink!

Excellent, well you know where to find me! And if any other SF/East Bay folks want to make this a combination catchup...

While highway 1 is more scenic, it is way slower than taking 101 ... it really depends on how much time you feel like sitting in a car.

If it were me, and you've already driven down the coast from Portland, and will resume driving down the coast at some point -- I would take 101 South from SF, and stop in San Juan for lunch -- it's a small place, and definitely suitable for a small child to run around after having sat in a car for a while. ... You can then pretty easily get back on the highway and go to Monterey.

Central Coast Natives like me and Ned will likely have our disagreements about what is worth seeing and how much time to spend at various places. ... If you want to look at luxury hotels and golf courses, by all means do the 17 Mile Drive near Pebble Beach. My personal recommendation is going from Monterey up to Santa Cruz and seeing the really cool looking power plant at Moss Landing ... there also is a pretty good restaurant with outdoor areas in Moss Landing.

Moss Landing is indeed lovely and if you do the SF/Santa Cruz/Monterey route by the 1 you’ll pass right through it. Well worth a stop.

Also, if you really want to get your Hitchcock on: have one day trip from SF be specifically to Santa Rosa in Sonoma County. Said city is where Shadow of a Doubt was filmed; it was also Charles Schulz’s home for decades and is where the Schulz museum is located.

Santa Rosa is also the home of Russian River Brewery, which makes several of the best beers I've ever had.

You can also go to Santa Rosa to spend time in/by the actual Russian River.

All of you telling Alba to skip actual northern California and southern Oregon are out of your minds.

Alba, the prettiest and most unspoiled parts of CA are in the north, don't take it off your itinerary. The central coast is pretty meh in comparison, imho.

If anything I'd say cut out Monterey entirely and skip over the mountains from Arcata to Mount Shasta, spend a day and a night there, then drive down to SF on the 5.

Current state of new plan, which reinstates Oregon, though not the southern part! Yosemite the casualty. Like the idea of just taking it easy in a rental in Gold Beach and pottering about the quiet coast there before hitting SF. Monterey I mainly want to be in as a base of exploring Big Sur. Though someone on a parents’ group recommends the quieter Pacific Grove instead of Monterey.

Portland 2 nights
5hr30 via Florence
Gold Beach 4 nights
7hr17 drive
San Francisco 4 nights
2hr30 drive
Monterey 4 nights
3hr30 drive
San Francisco ✈️

Yeah Pacific Grove I'll happily recommend -- it's literally right next to Monterey on the peninsula, just up from the Aquarium too, and has a huge amount of bed and breakfasts, etc.

Anyway this seems like a very good plan for sure! It is a pity you'll miss Yosemite -- it's a true treasure -- but maybe another time.

Would still say the 1 from SF to Monterey could be worth it if you're wanting to absolutely maximize coast time, but that can be your call since you'll be getting quite a bit as it is!

Sarahell's suggestion of San Juan Bautista en route from SF to Monterey certainly works and you could spend a day trip jaunt to Moss Landing/Santa Cruz separately from Monterey if you like. I will note one thing, though, about that SF/San Jose/Gilroy/Monterey route -- in recent years traffic has gotten NOTORIOUSLY slow around Morgan Hill and Gilroy as more and more people end up there to 'get away' from San Jose and all. My sis and I are visiting my folks in Carmel in a couple of weekends and we've already gamed out when we'll go precisely because of that (in this case an early Saturday morning). This certainly also depends on day and time of day but you could easily be in a situation where it's as long via the 1 from SF to Monterey as it would be via the 101 -- and if the choice is moving down the coast some more with those views and reasonably quickly, even with Santa Cruz on the way, and being stuck on the 101 between Morgan Hill and Gilroy wondering if/when things will move, you really should consider the former choice! (Another slight advantage -- San Juan Bautista's turnoff is past Gilroy when you're going south, so going up from Monterey for a visit instead can be smoother. That said, again, traffic can be tight sometimes on that stretch of 101 between Prunedale and Gilroy regardless. Whatever else you do, give yourself plenty of time to get out of Monterey early to get to SFO when you're leaving.)

For my money tabes is otm, that northern coast into oregon is spectacular

Look tbh for the tax free outlet malls alone......

xxp idk, except for during old school rush hour, I can drive the speed limit and make it from downtown Oakland to Gilroy in no more than 90 minutes on 101. ... At least since the road between the last suburban San Jose exit and Cochrane got widened from the dire two lanes it had been for decades, which was where the traffic got super slow (outside of the 101/280 merge and the mess at Tully Rd. or when there was a game).

Idk, I guess the question is ... would yr kid be stoked to look out the window and occasionally see cows? If yes, then 101. If not stoked about cows, then it's really about traffic tbh.

I think he'd be quite into the cows but my secret hope is that driving in a car is enough of a novelty in itself to keep him happy.

Any tips on where to stay in San Francisco itself? Looking at Airbnb, there are a lot more affordable options in Daly City but would that be a good base or not?

Places under $250 a night with two bedrooms:

https://i.imgur.com/mwcUrvu.png

I guess I should have done a bit of googling before asking that. The answer is no, right?

The other thing is whether it's going to be possible/wise for us to keep our rental car while we're in SF, parking-wise. I kind of wanted to hang on to it for trips outside but maybe it's impractical. Or is there an area near SF that's both easy to get into the city on public transport and easier to park in for trips further afield.

We're still planning to spend three or four nights in Monterey or somewhere near it at the end of the vacation, for trips to Big Sur etc.

Last time I was in SF I stayed at a Home2 a little ways from the airport. It was clean, inexpensive, and an easy drive into the city without having to go across the Bay Bridge.

Thanks Moodles. Yes, looking into it, hotels seems to be better value than Airbnb – we'd want a suite with two connecting rooms but this, near the airport looks like it might be the kind of thing:

https://www.tripadvisor.com/Hotel_Review-g33010-d225831-Reviews-Sonesta_ES_Suites_San_Francisco_Airport_San_Bruno-San_Bruno_California.html

On the car, I'm realizing we can just forgo it and use Zipcars if we need one.

That hotel is right at the San Bruno BART station.

As with all such stories, reductive, but it's still one of the better ones on the subject in terms of mass media

https://www.nytimes.com/2021/04/17/business/california-homeless-hotels.html

Deciding where to stay is proving really tricky. I think we do want a neighborhood that's both nice/interesting to wander around but also isn't far from downtown. I note upthread that Alex recommended Castro/Duboce Triangle/Hayes Valley/Lower Haight/Western Addition but there seems to be little in the way of hotels around there except maybe Beck's Motor Lodge, and Airbnb options are a bit limited too. Did find a niceish place in Noe Valley but feels like a bit of a trek north.

I note that everyone hates Fisherman's Wharf (is it just that it's soulless?). How is Lombard St/Marina by comparison?

Well Fisherman's Wharf just very tourist trappy by default, really. Certainly it's famous by default/in eight million film/TV scenes but the Ferry Building is kinda cooler.

Noe Valley is a hair of a walk but then I again tend to think in terms more of buslines and the like, which you may not want to do.

I'm not sure we want to do buses. Maybe! Just feels like a luxury of being on vacation is being able to walk places. Ferry Building is near financial district, yes? Is that an OK place to stay?

Well, yeah it has nice hotels but it IS the financial district, though you'd be close enough to North Beach. Personally I think Alex's suggestion is the better one, but I would leave it to others to suggest places to stay nearer there.

Thanks Ned!

little in the way of hotels around there except maybe Beck's Motor Lodge

my mom normally stays at the Willows Inn around there, she loves it.

and if you stay there, it's not worth waiting in line at Tartine when you're that close to Thorough Bread & Pastry

if you can stay at one of the big guys (the fairmont, etc) DO IT. use hotels tonight app for sick deals.

walking past the Dolores Park tennis courts, guy in front of me on the sidewalk (unmasked) starts belting out opera in a competent baritone. one of the tennis players turns to him and continues the song in a lovely tenor. guy in front of me smiles at him, keeps walking.

When we were in San Francisco a few years back, we stayed at the Hotel Zetta which was near 5th and Market, we got a nice deal and it was a good place to stay - clean, friendly staff, although honestly we were out and about so much it was really just a place to crash in exhaustion each night. There was tons of interesting stuff within walking distance, including SFMOMA and some great dining/brewery options. It was a long, leisurely walk, but we did walk to the Ferry Building from there one day.

Honestly, so much of what we wanted to see and do was all over the city, meaning that some form of transportation was needed at some point. In pre-pandemic times, we relied on Lyft/Uber quite a bit for the longest hauls. Obviously your comfort level and ability to do the same might be different.

Anyway, I would definitely recommend Hotel Zetta as a good place to stay with a helpful staff and, at least as of a few years ago, very reasonably priced.

The Ferry Building is bougie/yuppie tourist whereas Fisherman's Wharf is more middle-American tourist. It's basically like what Fisherman's Wharf/Cannery Row in Monterey is, but bigger.

It still stings that Aquarius Records announced their closing a couple weeks after we booked our trip and was closed a month before we got out there. At least we got to see the sign that was still up when Stranded first took over.

lol Stranded