San Francisco for a Saturday
August 9, 2015 12:00 PM Subscribe
Where would you recommend we stay for one night in San Francisco at the end of August?
We like wandering - just walking about - eating vegetarian food and good desserts in cute cafes, sitting on park benches, going to aquariums/galleries/museums, and using public transit.
But we just have one Saturday in San Francisco!
Where would be the best place to stay to be able to wander about the neighbourhood, take a bus/tram/train to see something cool and wander about it, and eat in a couple nice cafes?
I found a couple posts for 2004 and 2010 helpful, so am leaning to Union Square as an area to stay and maybe Golden Gate Park to wander, but am looking for updated advice to make the most of a relaxing day.
We like wandering - just walking about - eating vegetarian food and good desserts in cute cafes, sitting on park benches, going to aquariums/galleries/museums, and using public transit.
But we just have one Saturday in San Francisco!
Where would be the best place to stay to be able to wander about the neighbourhood, take a bus/tram/train to see something cool and wander about it, and eat in a couple nice cafes?
I found a couple posts for 2004 and 2010 helpful, so am leaning to Union Square as an area to stay and maybe Golden Gate Park to wander, but am looking for updated advice to make the most of a relaxing day.
Mission will get you the above, plus Dolores Park. 9th/Irving will give you that area, which is decent for food, plus GGP in the form of the Academy of Sciences, Japanese Tea Garden and the De Young. You could do it all, but you'd have to have a schedule.
The maximum schedule for this that I'd recommend for your needs would be to do Tartine in the morning (long line), walk down Valencia to 20th, then up the hill to catch the J-Church at 20th/Church at the top of Dolores Park, then take the J inbound to Duboce and take the N out to 9th and walk down into the park. Reverse this at the end of the day and eat dinner in the Valencia area. If you're super-veg, you might want to check out Gracias Madre. If you do wind up staying in Union Square, take the J out to 18th and walk down to Tartine. Dolores Park Cafe is good, too, but Tartine is A Thing.
posted by rhizome at 1:19 PM on August 9, 2015 [1 favorite]
The maximum schedule for this that I'd recommend for your needs would be to do Tartine in the morning (long line), walk down Valencia to 20th, then up the hill to catch the J-Church at 20th/Church at the top of Dolores Park, then take the J inbound to Duboce and take the N out to 9th and walk down into the park. Reverse this at the end of the day and eat dinner in the Valencia area. If you're super-veg, you might want to check out Gracias Madre. If you do wind up staying in Union Square, take the J out to 18th and walk down to Tartine. Dolores Park Cafe is good, too, but Tartine is A Thing.
posted by rhizome at 1:19 PM on August 9, 2015 [1 favorite]
Kind of an anti-recommendation, but if you're staying around Union Square, avoid the Hilton. It was a good location, but only two out of their three towers have been renovated lately. I ended up in the one that hasn't, and it was grim - super old furnishings, bathroom that smelled of cigarette smoke, plus they were dicks about moving me and dicks about booking a meeting room.
My boss stayed at the Serrano across the road, and had a better (and somewhat quirky) experience.
Plus points for this part of town are that it's on cable car routes and there's a bunch of ambient stuff within walking distance.
posted by terretu at 1:20 PM on August 9, 2015
My boss stayed at the Serrano across the road, and had a better (and somewhat quirky) experience.
Plus points for this part of town are that it's on cable car routes and there's a bunch of ambient stuff within walking distance.
posted by terretu at 1:20 PM on August 9, 2015
My usual technique is to see what the Priceline Express Deals is offering that has a good rating, and also check Kayak. San Francisco is funny because there's a lot of tourists but you can sometimes get a great deal.
I don't pay a ton of attention to the neighborhood because there are an embarrassment of great neighborhoods in SF. Even the Financial District, which isn't that lively, has some excellent restaurants, nice views and hidden gems like the Filbert Steps. The Castro, Mission, Japantown, Civic Center, Nob Hill, Union Square, Panhandle, Outer and Inner Sunset, SOMA, Chinatown, Marina, Presidio, Fisherman's Wharf, they all have something to recommend them. I mean, I avoid the Tenderloin (but not the "Tendernob", aka Lower Nob Hill) for the most part, and there are rough, pee-soaked blocks scattered all over the city that you'd want to avoid. I don't think I'm being Pollyannaish to say that almost every neighborhood is either worth a walk around or close to transit that will take you quickly to something worthwhile. And with a Uber/Lyft lurking almost literally around every corner, even the transit isn't really a constraint. So basically I find a hotel I like and then find something.
posted by wnissen at 1:34 PM on August 9, 2015 [1 favorite]
I don't pay a ton of attention to the neighborhood because there are an embarrassment of great neighborhoods in SF. Even the Financial District, which isn't that lively, has some excellent restaurants, nice views and hidden gems like the Filbert Steps. The Castro, Mission, Japantown, Civic Center, Nob Hill, Union Square, Panhandle, Outer and Inner Sunset, SOMA, Chinatown, Marina, Presidio, Fisherman's Wharf, they all have something to recommend them. I mean, I avoid the Tenderloin (but not the "Tendernob", aka Lower Nob Hill) for the most part, and there are rough, pee-soaked blocks scattered all over the city that you'd want to avoid. I don't think I'm being Pollyannaish to say that almost every neighborhood is either worth a walk around or close to transit that will take you quickly to something worthwhile. And with a Uber/Lyft lurking almost literally around every corner, even the transit isn't really a constraint. So basically I find a hotel I like and then find something.
posted by wnissen at 1:34 PM on August 9, 2015 [1 favorite]
(Just a note: a Tartine experience on a Saturday will eat up at least an hour-and-a-half (more like two, all told) of your single day in town.)
posted by trip and a half at 2:15 PM on August 9, 2015 [1 favorite]
posted by trip and a half at 2:15 PM on August 9, 2015 [1 favorite]
Tartine will be ok first thing. Good point though-- Delfina can be bad at peak lunchtime too. More outer mission-y, but universal cafe is THE BEST for breakfast!
posted by bookworm4125 at 2:36 PM on August 9, 2015
posted by bookworm4125 at 2:36 PM on August 9, 2015
Staying in an Airbnb in the Inner Sunset would be good, I think. Nice neighborhood to wander around, plenty of places to eat, and next to Golden Gate Park, so you could walk to the museums there. You could also ride the N-Judah train out to the beach— it turns around right in front of the sand— and get coffee at Java Beach and then walk down to the camera obscura and Sutro Baths. I think it would be more relaxing to stay out there (or maybe somewhere near the Panhandle) then Union Square or the Mission.
posted by three_red_balloons at 4:02 PM on August 9, 2015 [2 favorites]
posted by three_red_balloons at 4:02 PM on August 9, 2015 [2 favorites]
Outer sunset is very neighbourly (I grew up there) but Judah street between about 43rd all the way down to beach has really come up in the last few years. If you do take the N-Judah down to the beach be sure to check out Trouble coffee for amazing cinnamon toast! (And a fresh coconut if that takes your fancy as well)
For food there is also Outerlands (used to be Vegan but just expanded and refurbished to be general new American) and Thanh Long (sister restaurant to Crustacean, be sure to get the roasted crab, garlic noodles and shaken beef).
posted by like_neon at 5:23 AM on August 10, 2015 [1 favorite]
For food there is also Outerlands (used to be Vegan but just expanded and refurbished to be general new American) and Thanh Long (sister restaurant to Crustacean, be sure to get the roasted crab, garlic noodles and shaken beef).
posted by like_neon at 5:23 AM on August 10, 2015 [1 favorite]
Not too far from Union Square is the Triton, a hotel that the firm I used to work for used all the time to host out-of-towners. High recommendations for customer service and walkability.
posted by brainwane at 1:24 PM on August 10, 2015
posted by brainwane at 1:24 PM on August 10, 2015
For more of a local feel, I'd recommend the Hayes Valley neighborhood and this B&B - http://hayesvalleyinn.com/
The 5, 5R and 21 lines are right there and will take you straight to GG Park. 5/5R also end at Ocean Beach for a short stroll along the Great Highway to see Land's End, Cliff House.
Hayes Valley has numerous cafes, some with outdoor seating, local boutique style shops, small parks such as Patricia's Green. You can also walk to the Painted Ladies from there.
From Hayes Valley, you can also walk (under 20 mins) to a great vegan sushi place, Shizen - http://shizenvegansushi.com/
It's also right next to Civic Center (10 mins walk) for the Asian Art Museum, Main Library, UN Plaza, City Hall Plaza... (daytime safe)
From Civic Center, you can take BART or MUNI (F line) to Union Square, the Ferry Building restaurants and shops, the Exploratorium, sea lions, Aquarium by the Bay, Aquatic Park, Ghiradelli Square, and ferry terminals. The Ferry Building has a Saturday farmers' market that runs from early morning until 2-3pm. You can find loads of vegetarian food options there and there's outdoor restaurant/bench seating for views of the Bay Bridge, also great for people watching.
I would avoid Union Square right now. They've been doing construction on the new central subway station (on Stockton, between Geary and Market) and it's congested, dusty and bound to be noisy (I've passed by active construction at night). As of a couple days ago, the Macy's side of Union Square also appears to be shuttered for other construction. I think I also heard they were building new Apple offices at Stockton/Post in the former Levi's space.
If you have an iPhone, download the Routesy app for BART/MUNI arrival estimates.
posted by sunrise8 at 5:33 AM on August 11, 2015
The 5, 5R and 21 lines are right there and will take you straight to GG Park. 5/5R also end at Ocean Beach for a short stroll along the Great Highway to see Land's End, Cliff House.
Hayes Valley has numerous cafes, some with outdoor seating, local boutique style shops, small parks such as Patricia's Green. You can also walk to the Painted Ladies from there.
From Hayes Valley, you can also walk (under 20 mins) to a great vegan sushi place, Shizen - http://shizenvegansushi.com/
It's also right next to Civic Center (10 mins walk) for the Asian Art Museum, Main Library, UN Plaza, City Hall Plaza... (daytime safe)
From Civic Center, you can take BART or MUNI (F line) to Union Square, the Ferry Building restaurants and shops, the Exploratorium, sea lions, Aquarium by the Bay, Aquatic Park, Ghiradelli Square, and ferry terminals. The Ferry Building has a Saturday farmers' market that runs from early morning until 2-3pm. You can find loads of vegetarian food options there and there's outdoor restaurant/bench seating for views of the Bay Bridge, also great for people watching.
I would avoid Union Square right now. They've been doing construction on the new central subway station (on Stockton, between Geary and Market) and it's congested, dusty and bound to be noisy (I've passed by active construction at night). As of a couple days ago, the Macy's side of Union Square also appears to be shuttered for other construction. I think I also heard they were building new Apple offices at Stockton/Post in the former Levi's space.
If you have an iPhone, download the Routesy app for BART/MUNI arrival estimates.
posted by sunrise8 at 5:33 AM on August 11, 2015
Response by poster: Thanks everyone - we had an excellent 22 hours in town!
posted by narcissus_and_ambrosia at 1:22 PM on August 31, 2015
posted by narcissus_and_ambrosia at 1:22 PM on August 31, 2015
This thread is closed to new comments.
posted by bookworm4125 at 12:17 PM on August 9, 2015 [3 favorites]