Travel SAN FRANCISCO tips - questions - advice

#17
Gilroy could probably be done on the way to or from Santa Cruz should you want to go to that outlet. Gilroy is about an hour east of from Santa Cruz (traffic dependent of course). Depending on the time of year though, it can get a little stinky thanks to all the garlic. I find that a good stink though!

Also if you're on your way to Santa Cruz and like seals, I suggest Ano Nuevo state reserve (http://www.parks.ca.gov/?page_id=523). I've been there once before and got to walk among the seals on a tour. It was amazing. :heart:

Napa & Sonoma would require a different day from Santa Cruz/Gilroy. Even though Napa & Sonoma are right next to each other, I found the regions quite different. When I went (which was a few years ago, so I'm sure things have changed), Sonoma wasn't quite as touristy I didn't think.

I'm not sure what kind of driving conditions you're used to, but I always found the idea of driving in SF very intimidating and attempt to avoid it. It might be worth just doing a one day rental here or there if you're going to spend most of your time in the city. Their public transit is pretty good.
 
#18
rothjess said:
Gilroy could probably be done on the way to or from Santa Cruz should you want to go to that outlet. Gilroy is about an hour east of from Santa Cruz (traffic dependent of course). Depending on the time of year though, it can get a little stinky thanks to all the garlic. I find that a good stink though!

Also if you're on your way to Santa Cruz and like seals, I suggest Ano Nuevo state reserve (http://www.parks.ca.gov/?page_id=523). I've been there once before and got to walk among the seals on a tour. It was amazing. :heart:

Napa & Sonoma would require a different day from Santa Cruz/Gilroy. Even though Napa & Sonoma are right next to each other, I found the regions quite different. When I went (which was a few years ago, so I'm sure things have changed), Sonoma wasn't quite as touristy I didn't think.

I'm not sure what kind of driving conditions you're used to, but I always found the idea of driving in SF very intimidating and attempt to avoid it. It might be worth just doing a one day rental here or there if you're going to spend most of your time in the city. Their public transit is pretty good.
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Thanks.

What is it about driving there that you find intimidating?

I would only be using a car to get to the places mentioned above, not to get around the city itself.
 
#19
It was in the city itself. The hills freaked me out! The flat parts I would do fine in, but the hills :wtf: Those just don't work for me. I also have issues with two lane twisty mountain roads, so maybe it's a me thing. San Francisco is one of the two cities in the US I just won't drive in (the other is Manhattan).

The road from San Jose -> Santa Cruz is kinda sucky. The grade of the road is all weird going over the mountains, it's 4 lanes, and there are a lot of trucks on it. And, of course, just like every other populated area, the people from around there have no patience for you if you're not going 8zillion miles an hour. ;) If you prefer the scenic route, Hwy 1 is absolutely stunning, but I'm not sure how much time it would add to your drive (I'm sure MapQuest could tell you).

Ahhh I miss the days of being sent there every other month sometimes. :girlsigh:
 
#20
Oh, okay thanks.

Well, I definintely would not drive my manual car in SF due to all the hills. I live in Alberta, Canada and we have the Rocky Mountains and I don't mind driving through them so I'll probably be okay. Thanks for the words of caution.

I may only go to Napa and not to Santa Cruz, though I don't know for sure yet.
 
#21
Between the two, I'd definitely pick Napa/Sonoma over S. Cruz. S. Cruz is beautiful, don't get me wrong, but I find there's more to do up in wine country. Then again I do love me some wine :graucho: It's also SO beautiful - especially in the fall. If you're a foodie, there's some highly ranked restaurants in Napa / Sonoma. I've never been to them, but have heard many raves about them. I haven't been up to the outlets that way, so I have no recommendations/opinons on those.
 
#22
ValleyO said:
oh btw, if you have a car, parking will be very pricey- up to $8 an hour at some garages and most hotels charge $40 a night or so.

The nearest outlet is Vacaville, but honestly it's pretty crowded with Asian tourists and the experience is not too pleasant. The Napa outlets are further away but the drive is lovely, it's less crowded, and with better stores (Barney's, Benetton, J. Crew, etc.)
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I guess since I used to go to the Gilroy outlets a lot I found the Vacaville one to be pleasantly quiet.

The Coach outlet in Vacaville has a Burberry next door to it if you are interested. :graucho:
 
#23
I would say to not try to squeeze too much if you have a short trip. Union Square is awesome, I recently stayed at the St.Regis, which was amazing, but a bit pricey. Someone mentioned the Kimpton hotel group, and I stayed at a Kimpton in Washington DC that was very cool, and their prices were right on par to what I wanted to spend. Try this link: http://www.kimptonhotels.com/promo_winter_2007.aspx#SanFrancisco

Also, go to yelp.com, there's LOTS of info on SF there. ps. if you're into cheesy tourist stuff, go to Chinatown and search out the fortune cookie factory. it's the size of a closet and these two little ladies are sitting there folding fortune cookies, adorable. And go see the sea lions at pier 39 fisherman's warf
 
#24
I have stayed at the Hotel Palomar near Union Square area. The hotel is on the corner of 4th St. and Market and is soooo convenient because it's right next to the Westfield Shopping Center (Nordstrom) and only about two blocks from Union Square (Macy's, Neiman Marcus, Saks). It's a Kimpton hotel and is a small boutique hotel. I've probably stayed there on 4 different occasions and was just there for the Christmas holiday.

Check the Hotel Palomar website and also price compare with Expedia.

Have fun!!
 
#25
outside of manhattan, the SF union sq area is the best place for shopping i've EVER been to. and i'm not biased because i live here! ;)

in terms of outlets, the gilroy one is the biggest, followed by vacaville, then napa. napa is the smallest, but honestly, id go there because you can go in the same trip as the napa valley/wine country. there's not much to see in the gilory or vacaville areas, and they're WAY more out of your way than napa, in regards to the distance from SF.

all three outlets have coach. napa as a calvin klein, a bcbg, off 5th, dkny, etc. it's pretty sizeable even though it's the smallest of the three.

have a great trip! sometimes i wish i was a tourist, i'd enjoy the bay area even more, much more than being a native ;)
 
#26
bnjj said:
Hmmm... maybe I would need the car longer... are Santa Cruz and Napa Valley in the same direction or would you have to do them on different days?
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Completely different directions, but we actually went to Santa Cruz in the morning and then drove all the way up to Napa the same afternoon :nuts:
We were only in SF for a few days and crammed in as much as possible :lol:
 
#27
Well, I'm completely biased because I had my wedding there but the Westin St. Francis in Union Square is my favorite hotel. And it's smack dab in the middle of Union Square.

I believe there's also a Coach outlet in Petaluma, which is north of SF but not as far as the other outlets that have been mentioned.

Make sure if you go to Napa for wine that you take the Golden Gate Bridge way, it's breathtaking!

And absolutely do not miss the tour on Alcatraz, it's so cool ...
 
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