Ask MetaFilter questions tagged with sfo

Need advice on rush hour travel between OAK and downtown San Francisco

docpops — Tue, 10 Nov 2009 10:37:08 -0800

I need to get from Oakland airport to downtown San Francisco on a Thursday at around 4:30 PM as quickly as possible. BART or cab? Spouse and I are hoping to make dinner reservations in downtown San Francisco after landing at 4:10 at OAK. Is traffic a big enough issue that BART makes more sense? I have no concept of whether we are traveling with or against traffic flow and would appreciate insider advice. Any specific BART info appreciated also.

Dating in San Francisco : will the women here expect me to have a car?

Anonymous — Mon, 12 Oct 2009 15:46:55 -0800

Dating in San Francisco : will the women here expect me to have a car? I am a man who just moved to SF from NYC, and I plan on living in the city -- although I don't know which neighborhood yet. I lived in NYC for 6 years, and nobody there really has a car, so it wasn't expected. However, I know that SF is more car-oriented, so I'm wondering if being car-less will hinder my dating life.

I am considering getting a car anyway for recreational purposes, so this wouldn't be my only reason for getting a car. However, I can certainly live without a car, especially if it won't effect my dating life.

Please hold back on answering if you're going to respond with something like "You don't want to date a girl who expects you to have a car." That's not really helpful and doesn't answer my question. I also know that car ownership in the city can be a pain, so there's no need to go into that either.

Specifically, I would like to hear from men and women who live here or have lived here in the recent past. I would like to know what I'm in for, with as little sugar-coating as possible. Buying a car is a big decision, and I want to know as much as I can before I make this decision.

Also, I know there are various ZipCar / CityCar options. How is this seen in the dating world? Is it seen as a "he's too cheap to buy a car" option, an "it's perfectly fine" option, or an "it's perfectly fine, I guess, but why doesn't he have his own car?" option?

SFO to Downtown after midnight

fx3000 — Sat, 05 Sep 2009 07:38:06 -0800

Getting from San Francisco Airport to Downtown SF after the BART stops running. I'm heading to San Francisco this week and will be arriving at SFO late, right around the time the BART stops running. I will need to get from the airport to close to Union Square (Grant Plaza Hotel, Grant Ave), possibly after midnight. I'm on a fairly tight budget so I'd like to avoid getting fleeced on a cab if possible. I have read a little bit about the airport shuttles and this seems like the way to go, but I tried http://www.shuttlefare.com and got a few "Pickup times are unavailable for your flight requirements." I would also like to avoid any shady services. Are there good, after midnight shuttle services? Or should I consider another option?

Where to go around SF in a Rental Car?

gregr — Tue, 19 May 2009 09:20:02 -0800

I'm vacationing in San Francisco, and I have a rental car that gets returned tomorrow morning. What things outside SF should I go check out? I will be in SF for the rest of week, so I have plenty of time to check out the things in the city. Oh, and I've already been to Muir Woods.

In SFO for a weekend. What should I NOT miss?

cdmwebs — Mon, 17 Nov 2008 11:14:11 -0800

Will I have any time to check out cool tech sites with a Saturday and Sunday morning in SFO? So, I'm heading out to San Jose on December 9th, then driving up to El Dorado Hills, CA for training Wednesday, Thursday and Friday. I'd like to take advantage of being in the area by staying until Sunday evening, so I thought I'd drive back down towards San Francisco Friday after training, then spend Friday and Saturday nights in the Bay area.

My questions to the hive mind are:

1.) Am I crazy? Surely there's enough time to check out Google and Apple and all the other wicked cool stuff out there on a Saturday, right?

2.) Where should I stay Friday and Saturday? I'd be willing to split the visit if necessary, but one place would definitely be cooler. I'll have a car, FYI.

3.) What are the things/places I should not miss? I'm very tech-y, obviously, but I would like to cram as much in to the weekend as I can!
3a.) Is there anything going on that weekend that would be cool to see/visit?

4.) How long will it take to get to SJC and through security with car to return from SFO area on a Sunday afternoon?

Also, if there are any SF area MeFites who would like a free lunch or dinner, I'd love some guidance since you probably already know where you're going!

Thanks!!

SFO to SJC - At least I'll see a lot of public transit

Arbac — Fri, 01 Aug 2008 17:24:30 -0800

Easiest/quickest way to get from SFO to SJC and back again? So I'm taking a trip out to SF next weekend and screwed up my priceline car rental. I'm flying into SFO but accidentally selected to pickup/dropoff my rental car from SJC. Since I used name your own price on priceline I cannot cancel, change, or get a refund on this. Whoops! On the plus side, it's much cheaper to rent the car from SJC, so it's not all bad.

Luckily I have a lot of time the day I arrive to go pick up the car, and plenty of time the day I leave to drop the car off and get back to SFO. So how do I get from SFO to SJC to pick the car up, and how can I get from SJC back to SFO after I drop the car off?

If it matters I need to get to SJC on Friday the 8th by around 5pm (landing around noon) and I need to be back at SFO on Monday the 11th at around 5pm.

As best as I can figure out, I can take BART from SFO to the fremont station. Then take VTA 180 to the civic center light rail stop. Take the light rail to the metro/1st stop. From there I can then take VTA10 (airport flyer) to SJC.

I would assume that I can then do that in reverse to get from SJC to SFO.

Is that right? Will that get me where I need to go? Is there a better way? Around how long with that take and how much will it cost?

If it ends up being a giant hassle I guess I'll just pay for a second car and use it as a lesson to pay more attention on priceline next time.

Thanks!

Help me give my 50 year old uncle a 4 hour tourist ride through San Francisco

Chuck Cheeze — Mon, 21 Apr 2008 13:04:51 -0800

My 50 year old uncle is visiting San Fran this Thursday for the first time. I am picking him up at SFO at 11 and we want to be back to Novato by about 330 to beat (most of) the traffic. On the way out we will certainly go up to the Marin Headlands, and he is a big seafood guy so I am guessing we will catch lunch down near the Wharf or maybe at the Cliff House. Obviously we don't have much time, so what recommendations do you all have for a few cool things to see in the city on the way out? I think we'll do Lombard, but otherwise I'm not terribly interested in super-touristy stuff. Maybe some historic spots?

Getting around San Francisco International Airport

CrazyLemonade — Thu, 31 Jan 2008 16:16:01 -0800

I need some San Francisco Airport help, ASAP! I just talked to my dad, who's in Beijing and supposed to fly into San Francisco tomorrow. My dad's sort of a control freak when it comes to airports, and he likes to know his way around them, since he travels a lot on business, usually changing planes on a hurry.

Anyway, he's worried because he has no idea on how to get from the international terminal where he'll arrive (United 888, Beijing - San Francisco), to the terminal where he'll get on a plane to Houston (Continental 1536, San Francisco - Houston). He's also a bit worried about making it on time (2 hour difference between one plane arrives and the other one leaves), as he has to clear customs (we're mexican) and he's carrying two pieces of luggage (he's used to a small carry-on).

So, anyone who knows their way around SFO, please help.

SFO layover & dinner

ClaudiaCenter — Thu, 24 Jan 2008 20:35:32 -0800

Friend with three-hour layover in SF -- help me with dinner logistics. Hi, a friend of mine has a three-hour layover tomorrow night at SFO. I'm going to drive out to the airport and the plan is to have dinner. So -- do we just hang out at the airport? Sounds boring. But driving back to the City for dinner seems like a big rush rush. Any suggestions?

(I live in San Francisco so I should know the answer but I don't.)

where to go in sfo

donguanella — Sat, 25 Aug 2007 09:58:06 -0800

Spending the weekend in San Francisco. I have a rental car all day tomorrow for a lunch meeting in San Rafael. Suggest where to go after the meeting to take advantage of having a car in the city & being a tourist. I just have to make it to the airport for an 8pm flight.

What should I do in San Francisco?

TurkishGolds — Mon, 05 Feb 2007 10:34:27 -0800

What should I do in San Francisco next week? I'm surprised that I can't find more AskMe threads about what to do in San Francisco, so here goes …

We're a couple in our mid-twenties traveling to San Francisco for the first time this weekend, and we'll be staying for most of next week. We're staying in Union Square. We'd like to eat wonderful food, bar hop, bike, be immersed in the culture, and do whatever else there is to do in San Francisco. We also want to rent a car for a day to see the redwoods and the surrounding San Francisco area to get a true northern California experience. What shouldn't we miss?

Oh, also, I'm a little bit bummed out that weather.com is predicting rain on the 10-day forecast. Can you provide me with contingency plans and/or well-wishes?

Where to stay on the PCH

Saucy Intruder — Fri, 28 Jul 2006 07:16:25 -0800

California peeps: Where's a good place to spend the night while driving the coastal route south from Redwoods to San Francisco? Assume a noonish flight out of SFO the next day after dropping a rental car off downtown, so it should be well south of the midpoint.