Oh, the places we will go (San Francisco to Portland road trip)!
August 21, 2024 6:32 AM Subscribe
Please help my significant other (who works in the Fiction Department of The Ministry of Truth), and me, plan our trip (budget ~$100-$200 per day including food and lodging). We will fly into San Francisco (SFO), arriving Monday August 26th at 5:22 PM. Please spoon feed us ideas, itineraries, and insights.
Where do we lodge in the city Monday (no car)? How do we get there? Where should we eat? What should we do Monday night (no car)? Which Museum(s) must we visit Tuesday (no car)? How do we get to The Village at Corte Madera by 5:30PM Tuesday (yes, still no car)? If all goes well, at about 6:30 PM we will purchase a beautiful used vehicle in excellent condition. Where should we lodge Tuesday? Where should we eat or what should we get for take in dinner? Now for trip planning, (don’t forget potential holiday weekend hell) we can take anywhere between 3-8 days to get to Portland.
Should we spend one more day and night in San Francisco and visit one or two more wonderful museums (what/where else must we see/do/eat/stay, in such a short visit)? Should we just hurry back to Portland to avoid crazy traffic and holiday crowds? Which route should we take? What should we see? Where should we stay? Where should we eat? Bonus for great beer and sour beer recommendations, for the end of days. Bonus for great road food, gelato, fun treats, and ethnic food recommendations. Bonus for great road trip albums and/or books on tape. Extra bonus for guessing which year, make, and model of car we are purchasing (yes it is an elegant vehicle befitting the status of employees of The Ministry of Truth, no is is not a 1984 vehicle).
Where do we lodge in the city Monday (no car)? How do we get there? Where should we eat? What should we do Monday night (no car)? Which Museum(s) must we visit Tuesday (no car)? How do we get to The Village at Corte Madera by 5:30PM Tuesday (yes, still no car)? If all goes well, at about 6:30 PM we will purchase a beautiful used vehicle in excellent condition. Where should we lodge Tuesday? Where should we eat or what should we get for take in dinner? Now for trip planning, (don’t forget potential holiday weekend hell) we can take anywhere between 3-8 days to get to Portland.
Should we spend one more day and night in San Francisco and visit one or two more wonderful museums (what/where else must we see/do/eat/stay, in such a short visit)? Should we just hurry back to Portland to avoid crazy traffic and holiday crowds? Which route should we take? What should we see? Where should we stay? Where should we eat? Bonus for great beer and sour beer recommendations, for the end of days. Bonus for great road food, gelato, fun treats, and ethnic food recommendations. Bonus for great road trip albums and/or books on tape. Extra bonus for guessing which year, make, and model of car we are purchasing (yes it is an elegant vehicle befitting the status of employees of The Ministry of Truth, no is is not a 1984 vehicle).
Best answer: Also the Oregon Dunes National Recreation Area, even just for a stop to have a picnic lunch to take a gander at the expanses of sand dunes. It's really cool.
posted by urbanlenny at 6:52 AM on August 21 [1 favorite]
posted by urbanlenny at 6:52 AM on August 21 [1 favorite]
Best answer: Let me take a stab at the transportation questions. The Bay Area has too many transit agencies, which makes this confusing. For airport to downtown you want BART. from SFO to the city. Leaves every twenty minutes, takes about half an hour to get downtown.
From downtown to Corte Madera, you want Golden Gate Transit. (Not Marin Transit, even though Corte Madera is in Marin County, because Marin Transit does transit within Marin County while Golden Gate Transit handles transit across the Golden Gate Bridge between Marin and San Francisco.)
This map shows that basically all their buses run to the Paradise Drive Bus Pad, adjacent to The Village at Corte Madera, and the commute-only buses will be running because you need to be heading north from the city in the late afternoon. Busses take a little over an hour from downtown; the best way to get a combined schedule for all the buses seems to be Google Maps.
I used to live in the Bay Area but moved away ten years ago, so I don't know where to eat now and I don't know hotels because obviously I wasn't staying in them!
And someday I want to take the trip you're planning. When I did leave SF by road it was usually heading south, not north.
posted by madcaptenor at 6:56 AM on August 21 [2 favorites]
From downtown to Corte Madera, you want Golden Gate Transit. (Not Marin Transit, even though Corte Madera is in Marin County, because Marin Transit does transit within Marin County while Golden Gate Transit handles transit across the Golden Gate Bridge between Marin and San Francisco.)
This map shows that basically all their buses run to the Paradise Drive Bus Pad, adjacent to The Village at Corte Madera, and the commute-only buses will be running because you need to be heading north from the city in the late afternoon. Busses take a little over an hour from downtown; the best way to get a combined schedule for all the buses seems to be Google Maps.
I used to live in the Bay Area but moved away ten years ago, so I don't know where to eat now and I don't know hotels because obviously I wasn't staying in them!
And someday I want to take the trip you're planning. When I did leave SF by road it was usually heading south, not north.
posted by madcaptenor at 6:56 AM on August 21 [2 favorites]
Best answer: Take BART from the SF airport into SF, no idea where you should stay once you get there though.
Take a bus (with the Clipper card that you'll need to get on the BART) to go to the Mission and eat a burrito. My recommendations are Pancho Villa on 16th or Taqueria La Mission at like 21st and Mission. Go to Dog Eared Books on Valencia (I have no nightlife recommendations, just used bookstores). Alternately take the California bus out to Clement St. and eat something there (there's various options, including Vietnamese and, last time I was there, Turkish) and go to Green Apple Books. Stop by Park Life, an art and book store. If it's daylight, go to Ocean Beach and stare at the horizon (dress warmly!)
Take the ferry from the Embarcadero to Larkspur and then perhaps a rideshare to Corte Madera (I don't know the buses on that side of things).
When you drive up, take some time and cut over to Hwy 101. Don't try to do it the whole way, but try to make it to Trinidad, which has a beautiful narrow harbour where I saw my first ever sea otter, and continue up at least as far as Klamath. Buy some salmon jerky. The Requa Inn is worth a splurge if you want to stay there overnight - they have great food and you sleep in funky little victorian rooms and are right next to the mouth of the Klamath River, one of the best places in this wide and heartbreaking world. Then you can drive up through the northern redwood parks. We cut back over to I5 in Oregon, which took a surprisingly long time, and continued to Portland.
posted by Lawn Beaver at 7:07 AM on August 21
Take a bus (with the Clipper card that you'll need to get on the BART) to go to the Mission and eat a burrito. My recommendations are Pancho Villa on 16th or Taqueria La Mission at like 21st and Mission. Go to Dog Eared Books on Valencia (I have no nightlife recommendations, just used bookstores). Alternately take the California bus out to Clement St. and eat something there (there's various options, including Vietnamese and, last time I was there, Turkish) and go to Green Apple Books. Stop by Park Life, an art and book store. If it's daylight, go to Ocean Beach and stare at the horizon (dress warmly!)
Take the ferry from the Embarcadero to Larkspur and then perhaps a rideshare to Corte Madera (I don't know the buses on that side of things).
When you drive up, take some time and cut over to Hwy 101. Don't try to do it the whole way, but try to make it to Trinidad, which has a beautiful narrow harbour where I saw my first ever sea otter, and continue up at least as far as Klamath. Buy some salmon jerky. The Requa Inn is worth a splurge if you want to stay there overnight - they have great food and you sleep in funky little victorian rooms and are right next to the mouth of the Klamath River, one of the best places in this wide and heartbreaking world. Then you can drive up through the northern redwood parks. We cut back over to I5 in Oregon, which took a surprisingly long time, and continued to Portland.
posted by Lawn Beaver at 7:07 AM on August 21
Best answer: Bay Model in Sausalito
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i70wkxmumAw
This giant model stopped a terrible plan
https://www.spn.usace.army.mil/Missions/Recreation/Bay-Model-Visitor-Center/
Welcome to the Bay Model Visitor Center
posted by at at 7:33 AM on August 21 [2 favorites]
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i70wkxmumAw
This giant model stopped a terrible plan
https://www.spn.usace.army.mil/Missions/Recreation/Bay-Model-Visitor-Center/
Welcome to the Bay Model Visitor Center
posted by at at 7:33 AM on August 21 [2 favorites]
Best answer: The Green Tortoise is a good hostel, clean and safe, and fits your budget.
posted by minervous at 7:51 AM on August 21
posted by minervous at 7:51 AM on August 21
Best answer: Hitchcock fan? Visit some locations. Here is one about The Birds and Bodega Bay and one for Vertigo
posted by TWinbrook8 at 7:55 AM on August 21 [1 favorite]
posted by TWinbrook8 at 7:55 AM on August 21 [1 favorite]
Best answer: I would strongly suggest a stop off in Ashland, Oregon on your way to Crater Lake. Fantastic food.
It was voted in the top 10 of "The 100 Best Small Art Towns in America".
posted by philsi at 9:41 AM on August 21
It was voted in the top 10 of "The 100 Best Small Art Towns in America".
posted by philsi at 9:41 AM on August 21
Best answer: Rebecca Solnit's Infinite City's good [sfmoma]
posted by HearHere at 9:55 AM on August 21 [2 favorites]
posted by HearHere at 9:55 AM on August 21 [2 favorites]
Best answer: My mom stayed at the Green Tortoise a few years ago and had good things to say about it.
We did a Bay Area--> Portland roadtrip around six years ago. Some highlights:
Definitely drive through the Avenue of the Giants (big redwoods!)
Crater Lake was cool, worth the detour
Hwy 101 was *very* pretty but also super slow. I think we took it all the way to Crescent City. Not totally sure I would recommend taking it that far unless you really want to embrace the romance of the windy coastal road in your new ride and have a lot of patience for the journey.
posted by ambulanceambiance at 10:37 AM on August 21 [2 favorites]
We did a Bay Area--> Portland roadtrip around six years ago. Some highlights:
Definitely drive through the Avenue of the Giants (big redwoods!)
Crater Lake was cool, worth the detour
Hwy 101 was *very* pretty but also super slow. I think we took it all the way to Crescent City. Not totally sure I would recommend taking it that far unless you really want to embrace the romance of the windy coastal road in your new ride and have a lot of patience for the journey.
posted by ambulanceambiance at 10:37 AM on August 21 [2 favorites]
Best answer: I just want to say you may want to double-check your budget; it may be difficult to find hotels that won't cost your entire daily funds just for a night's stay. Plus, gas is expensive.
posted by The otter lady at 11:06 AM on August 21 [11 favorites]
posted by The otter lady at 11:06 AM on August 21 [11 favorites]
Best answer: 101 North from the Bay Area is going to be a VERY leisurely trip - in the old days we planned on 6-8 hours to get from there to Humboldt, YMMV. If you do head up that way, Super Taco in Willits is a solid choice for a budget friendly meal. Los Bagels in Arcata is fantastic - be sure to try a corn lime cookie, maybe grab a bottle of Slug Slime to take with you as a tasty souvenir. From Arcata/McKinleyville you can choose to keep heading north on 101 toward Crescent City or cut over east on 299 toward I-5 and Redding. If you have had all the nature you can stand, this will be a good point to bail on the coast and be back in the hot dusty in a couple hours. Just north of Crescent City you'll have to decide again if you want to continue up the coast on 101 or cut over on 199 to I-5. Yes, there are other places to cut over from the coast north of Crescent City, but the stretch of redwoods along 199 is pretty awesome and there's a funky little nature trail to a Darlingtonia bog along there - assuming you are doing that stretch of driving in the day to see the cool stuff. I would recommend cutting east over on 199 toward Grant's Pass if you need to speed up your trip or are ready to bail on the coast at that point. When you go through Cave Junction it's worth a stop at Taylor's (if you're meat eaters) and/or Wild River Pizza. From Grant's Pass you can then decide how much more you want to see. Ashland isn't very far away to the south if you don't mind backtracking, you can head north to Roseburg and cut over on 138 to Crater Lake (there is some fire activity still in that area, so be aware of that) and then north on 97 all the way up through Bend, Redmond, Madras and up and over Mt. Hood on your way back to Portland. Or just stay on I-5 north from Grant's Pass and plan some stops along the way for whatever sounds good. Creswell Bakery in Creswell is great, Eugene/Springfield has something for everyone, Luis's Taqueria in Woodburn is fantastic.
If you stay on 101 the entire way up the coast, it's about 6 hours from Humboldt to Florence, just to give you a time reference - and you might see elk on the stretch north between Orick and Crescent City. There will be no shortage of places to grab a bite and the coastal scenery is breathtaking almost the whole way north. Port Orford is a wonderful stretch break, Bandon has the Face Rock Creamery that serves food in addition to having so many delicious cheeses and an ice cream counter. Everywhere else, just stop wherever it looks good and you will not be disappointed.
Handy reference websites TripCheck for road closures and info, Oregon Fires Dashboard Map (don't let this deter you when it looks like everything is on fire - we were just at Diamond Lake/Crater Lake and it was fine) if you will be heading into the Cascades toward Central Oregon. Weather seems to be settling down with fewer chances of lightning strikes igniting everything. Have paper maps as some of the stretches on these highways do not have cell service - these should be easily found at visitor centers when you stop for stretch breaks.
First come, first serve camping is your cheapest option along the 101, 199, 138, and 97 (with a slight detour along the Cascade Lakes highway) routes if you decide to do the leisurely nature adventure but availability might be tricky. We spent an uncomfortable night in the bed of our truck once trying to do the last minute camping thing, but bless the campground host for telling us where to find a quiet place to park off the road and sleep til morning. Don't assume that campgrounds are open if they are near fire activity. Maybe look for budget motels along your route once you've decided where exactly you want to go? Gas will be hella expensive along 101 in Humboldt so, if you can, plan to fill up north of there in Klamath at the tribal gas station if you're traveling that far up 101. If you do cut over to Crater Lake, there is a Pilot Station on 97 north of 138 that is reasonably priced and has lots of amenities. From there you can choose to head back west to I-5 on 58, or stay north on 97 to La Pine, Bend, etc. where there are lots of lodging options.
And no matter which route you take, there are tons of great breweries all along the way! Have fun!
posted by Lady Sugar Maple at 12:19 PM on August 21 [3 favorites]
If you stay on 101 the entire way up the coast, it's about 6 hours from Humboldt to Florence, just to give you a time reference - and you might see elk on the stretch north between Orick and Crescent City. There will be no shortage of places to grab a bite and the coastal scenery is breathtaking almost the whole way north. Port Orford is a wonderful stretch break, Bandon has the Face Rock Creamery that serves food in addition to having so many delicious cheeses and an ice cream counter. Everywhere else, just stop wherever it looks good and you will not be disappointed.
Handy reference websites TripCheck for road closures and info, Oregon Fires Dashboard Map (don't let this deter you when it looks like everything is on fire - we were just at Diamond Lake/Crater Lake and it was fine) if you will be heading into the Cascades toward Central Oregon. Weather seems to be settling down with fewer chances of lightning strikes igniting everything. Have paper maps as some of the stretches on these highways do not have cell service - these should be easily found at visitor centers when you stop for stretch breaks.
First come, first serve camping is your cheapest option along the 101, 199, 138, and 97 (with a slight detour along the Cascade Lakes highway) routes if you decide to do the leisurely nature adventure but availability might be tricky. We spent an uncomfortable night in the bed of our truck once trying to do the last minute camping thing, but bless the campground host for telling us where to find a quiet place to park off the road and sleep til morning. Don't assume that campgrounds are open if they are near fire activity. Maybe look for budget motels along your route once you've decided where exactly you want to go? Gas will be hella expensive along 101 in Humboldt so, if you can, plan to fill up north of there in Klamath at the tribal gas station if you're traveling that far up 101. If you do cut over to Crater Lake, there is a Pilot Station on 97 north of 138 that is reasonably priced and has lots of amenities. From there you can choose to head back west to I-5 on 58, or stay north on 97 to La Pine, Bend, etc. where there are lots of lodging options.
And no matter which route you take, there are tons of great breweries all along the way! Have fun!
posted by Lady Sugar Maple at 12:19 PM on August 21 [3 favorites]
Best answer: Your budget is very low. Even camping is going to be at least $50 a night for a campsite, so you might want to take that into account. Lady Sugar Maple has covered all the bases, I'm just going to throw in that if you take 101 all the way up you can stop at the Sea Lion Caves and Prehistoric Gardens, both of which I adore. This time of year, though, camping and lodging is going to be chancy - the state parks fill up quickly and motels are crazy expensive. It might be cheaper going inland.
posted by mygothlaundry at 1:06 PM on August 21 [3 favorites]
posted by mygothlaundry at 1:06 PM on August 21 [3 favorites]
Best answer: Yes, the coastal highway is absolutely beautiful and well worth seeing! IMHO (Native Californian here) it is, in the right light and season, the most beautiful place on Earth (that I've ever seen anyway).
(I just did it in June which was wonderful, but I never found a hotel (dog-friendly) for less than $100 a night)
If you happen to pass through Calistoga, you might enjoy a stop at a really wonderful, and ridiculously managed (their website doesn't seem to even work) natural phenomenon, the Old Faithful Geyser (not to be confused with the one in Yellowstone). It's inept, quirky, charming, not that expensive, dog-friendly and the geyser is legit (stand downwind in the grassy area and let it fall on you, it's nice!)
posted by The otter lady at 4:04 PM on August 21
(I just did it in June which was wonderful, but I never found a hotel (dog-friendly) for less than $100 a night)
If you happen to pass through Calistoga, you might enjoy a stop at a really wonderful, and ridiculously managed (their website doesn't seem to even work) natural phenomenon, the Old Faithful Geyser (not to be confused with the one in Yellowstone). It's inept, quirky, charming, not that expensive, dog-friendly and the geyser is legit (stand downwind in the grassy area and let it fall on you, it's nice!)
posted by The otter lady at 4:04 PM on August 21
Best answer: I recently did that trip! We chose the coastal route. Here are some things we enjoyed:
Mendocino Coast Botanical Garden
The town of Mendocino
Glass beach in Fort Bragg
Orr hot springs (inland detour)
Avenue of the Giants
The town of Ferndale
Tsurai Trail/Trinidad Head in Trinidad
Ma-le'e Dunes in Arcata
Prairie Creek State Park (elk!)
Endert's Beach in Crescent City
Battery Point Lighthouse in Crescent City
Haceta Beach and Haceta lighthouse
posted by umwelt at 4:39 PM on August 21 [1 favorite]
Mendocino Coast Botanical Garden
The town of Mendocino
Glass beach in Fort Bragg
Orr hot springs (inland detour)
Avenue of the Giants
The town of Ferndale
Tsurai Trail/Trinidad Head in Trinidad
Ma-le'e Dunes in Arcata
Prairie Creek State Park (elk!)
Endert's Beach in Crescent City
Battery Point Lighthouse in Crescent City
Haceta Beach and Haceta lighthouse
posted by umwelt at 4:39 PM on August 21 [1 favorite]
Best answer: Check out the wave organ when you're in San Francisco.
posted by Scout405 at 7:42 PM on August 21
posted by Scout405 at 7:42 PM on August 21
Best answer: Oh yeah another vote for Mendocino. It is so, so lovely. We also really liked the Sunday farmer's market in Arcata and enjoyed an overnight stay there.
I also feel like driving through a tree is a must-do, both as a fun nod to a vintage activity but also because it is pretty frigging amazing that there are trees big enough to drive through.
posted by urbanlenny at 8:59 AM on August 22
I also feel like driving through a tree is a must-do, both as a fun nod to a vintage activity but also because it is pretty frigging amazing that there are trees big enough to drive through.
posted by urbanlenny at 8:59 AM on August 22
Best answer: The best tidepools in Oregon are at Cape Perpetua and the cobble beach at Yaquina head. Try to time it for low tides. The view from the top of cape perpetua is the best along the entire coast- do not miss it. There are affordable hotels in Newport, and you could easily spend a day seeing the wharf, Nye Beach and the Oregon Coast Aquarium. The Coffee House (literally) is the best breakfast in town. If you don’t mind a little funk, The Newport cafe. is also a good breakfast joint, though decidedly local and working class.
posted by Devils Rancher at 9:19 PM on August 22 [1 favorite]
posted by Devils Rancher at 9:19 PM on August 22 [1 favorite]
OP, are we getting a trip report or not? ;-)
posted by Tell Me No Lies at 8:07 PM on September 14 [2 favorites]
posted by Tell Me No Lies at 8:07 PM on September 14 [2 favorites]
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posted by Tell Me No Lies at 6:35 AM on August 21 [5 favorites]