Where to stay in San Fransisco?

[Rupertdacat]

My wife and I will be in S.F. in April for a short trip. Its been years since we've been there. We're planning on staying in the city for 2 nights and then take a nice drive (somewhere) and spend another 2 nights. Any ideas/recs would be appreciated.

Tx,

Rupe

[Tim McG]

  Rupertdacat said:

My wife and I will be in S.F. in April for a short trip. Its been years since we've been there. We're planning on staying in the city for 2 nights and then take a nice drive (somewhere) and spend another 2 nights. Any ideas/recs would be appreciated.

Tx,

Rupe

BFrank lives in The City and would know more where to stay...he is a font of knowledge in that regard.

When I go, I try to book a room in the SF Airport area then CalTrain it into SF. Saves the aggravation of finding parking besides there are several 4-star hotels there and on Priceline, you can usually save a bundle, too. The worst you can do in that range is stay at a Hyatt, Sheraton, Hilton or DoubleTree.

Edited March 23, 2008 by GoodSpeak

[Big Wheel]

There are tons of good neighborhoods for walking (though some walks are strenuous because of hills). What do you and your wife like to do for fun? That may help narrow it down a little bit. Personally I like hanging out in the Mission (esp. the stretch around Valencia between 16th and 21st streets) but there are only a few nice B&Bs in the neighborhood. My dad stayed at one at 19th and South Van Ness, which did have a certain charm to it.

Most of the hotels are in the Union Square area, which is sort of boring unless you're planning to see shows in the theater district. The advantage of Union Square is that it's a major hub for the BART and Muni, so it's easy to get to the Mission and the Castro from it. You can also get to Noe Valley via the J-Church Muni, where there is some nice walking on 24th or Church streets (though it's pretty tame). Or you could take the N-Judah out to Cole Valley, which is only a short walk from the Upper Haight, or further out to the Sunset (some nice stuff to see around Irving St and 9th Ave). I like the Inner Richmond also, with some nice walking around Clement Street and 1st-13th Avenues (great Asian food).

Fun things to do in the city: parks, lots of them. My current favorite is Sutro Heights Park way out in the outer Richmond, in the northwest corner of the city. Golden Gate Park is enormous and always nice to walk through on a sunny day. Dolores Park in the Mission is a big hangout. A hidden gem is Grand View Park in the middle of the Sunset around 14th Ave and Noriega, which is a bit more of a challenge to get to without a car but has beautiful views of the whole area.

Toronado in the Lower Haight is generally regarded as the best bar for beer. Tartine in the Mission is an amazing French-style bakery. I haven't included much on the Marina/Russian Hill/North Beach areas because I know them less well.

In terms of going outside the city, any drive in Marin County is going to put you close to lots of things to do outside (wineries in Sonoma, hiking in Golden Gate National Recreation Area). Some people prefer to go south to Santa Cruz/Monterey (haven't spent as much time as I'd like in Santa Cruz and have never been beyond it).

Edited March 23, 2008 by Big Wheel

[Rupertdacat]

Thank you so very much for the above.

(Madame Dacat and I are simply trying to make some lemonade out of lemons she's been dealt. The purpose of our trip is for Jane to be evaluated at UCSF Med Center for a very rare neck tumor that requires a delicate and dangerous operation.)

Rupe

[Big Wheel]

Sorry to hear about your wife. Do you know which UCSF campus her doctor is at? USCF is spread out among 3 or 4 campuses. The main campus at Parnassus Heights is close to Cole Valley and the Sunset; USCF Mt. Zion is nearer to Japantown and Pacific Heights, and the Mission Bay campus is near the ballpark in South of Market.

One thing I forgot to mention is that the "best" things to do in SF are often CROWDED. Toronado is frequently packed at peak hours; there's always a line stretching outside Tartine (though it's usually worth it).

Edited March 23, 2008 by Big Wheel

[BFrank]

Don't know that much about convenient and affordable hotels in SF, unfortunately.

The Laurel Motor Inn on California & Presidio used to be decent and centrally located. Especially if your appointment is at UCSF's Mt. Zion campus. There are some nice neighborhoods that are walkable from there, too. Easy bus transportation downtown, as well.

[Tim McG]

The Cow Hollow area of SF on and around Stiener and Lombard affords some very nice motels. Mel's Diner is across the street from Cow Hollow Motel....just to the North and East of UCSF Medical Center. A very nice motel, IMHO.

Surface transit is in easy reach from there, as well. The Muni guys are usually pretty good about telling you which bus to transfer to in order to get to your desination. Lots of great walking routes [the Marina District, Fort Mason and the Presidio to name a couple] around there, too. Several cool bistros and shops to explore on Chestnut. Good news is the motel has a garage for residents, in case you should want to drive to the Med Center.

Also, I am very sorry to learn of your wife's condition as well.

I wish you and your wife the very best.

Edited March 24, 2008 by GoodSpeak

[Rupertdacat]

Thank you all for info and kind words. (The UCSF Med Ctr campur we are going to is the Mt. Zion one. Thanks for the recs.)

Rupe

[J Larsen]

I like to stay at the Fairmont. You can often get a good deal on line. If that doesn't work out, the Beresford Arms is a pretty nice hotel and priced far below market value.

(Grew up in downtown SF.)

[Dave Garrett]

  GoodSpeak said:

The Cow Hollow area of SF on and around Stiener and Lombard affords some very nice motels. Mel's Diner is across the street from Cow Hollow Motel....just to the North and East of UCSF Medical Center. A very nice motel, IMHO.

I haven't been to SF in close to ten years, but the last time we were there, we stayed at the Cow Hollow Motel. It was comfortable and significantly cheaper than many other places we looked at. The free parking garage was a non-trivial incentive as well since we had a rental car.

It was Christmas when we stayed there, and we ate breakfast on Christmas Day at that Mel's Diner across the street. Couldn't believe it was actually open.

[BFrank]

  Rupertdacat said:

Thank you all for info and kind words. (The UCSF Med Ctr campur we are going to is the Mt. Zion one. Thanks for the recs.)

Rupe

Definitely look into the Laurel Inn. There's a great breakfast place across the street - Ella's. As I said, it's also a good walking neighborhood. You have the Sacramento St boutiques a block away and the convenient Laurel Village shopping a couple of blocks away. There's even an old-style, neighborhood movie theater (The Vogue) a block away on Sacramento St that shows first-run films.

[Big Wheel]

  Dave Garrett said:

  GoodSpeak said:

The Cow Hollow area of SF on and around Stiener and Lombard affords some very nice motels. Mel's Diner is across the street from Cow Hollow Motel....just to the North and East of UCSF Medical Center. A very nice motel, IMHO.

...It was Christmas when we stayed there, and we ate breakfast on Christmas Day at that Mel's Diner across the street. Couldn't believe it was actually open.

Don't want to lead the original poster astray, so at the risk of sounding a little jerky I'll point out that being open at all hours is widely considered to be the only good thing about Mel's. Whatever it may have been years ago, it's now just a chain of greasy spoons where you go post-drinking at 4 AM. Given that SF has dozens if not hundreds of excellent restaurants, many of which are dirt cheap, I wouldn't waste a meal here (unless you're in the aforementioned post-drinking mode).

Edited March 24, 2008 by Big Wheel

[J Larsen]

BW tells the truth. It's on par with the Hard Rock cafe.

[Tim McG]

I dunno.

Sure, it's no place for calorie counters, but still pretty good eats and the 50s style breakfast can't be beat, IMHO.

[WorldB3]

  Rupertdacat said:

Thank you so very much for the above.

(Madame Dacat and I are simply trying to make some lemonade out of lemons she's been dealt. The purpose of our trip is for Jane to be evaluated at UCSF Med Center for a very rare neck tumor that requires a delicate and dangerous operation.)

Rupe

Sorry to hear that. If your appointment is on the Parnassus campus you are walking distance to the Botanical Gardens and Golden Gate Park(which is free) and the upper Haight which has maybe the best music store in the world in Amoeba records (it uses to be a bowling alley now filled to the brim with vinyl and cds!). Lots of good restaurants near by in the Avenues near the park and Cole Valley off the Haight.

If you figure out were you will be staying I am happy to recommend some good places to visit that are close by.

Edited March 24, 2008 by WorldB3

[Rupertdacat]

  WorldB3 said:

If you figure out were you will be staying I am happy to recommend some good places to visit that are close by.

Hi World B3 (and all).

We'll be at the Hotel Kabuki, on Post street in 'Japantown'. We'll be there a couple of nights and should have one whole day free. We like to stroll, hang out with a paper and coffee, people watch, eat tasty things in informal settings, see natural and man-made beauty, and, of course, music (though Madame's taste is ... well... ). I'm not a big shopper (and I try to keep my wife out of the stores as she has a bit of a problem with impulsive buying). Then we'll probably go for a one day/two night excursion somewhere.

Rupe

[BFrank]

There's a newly renovated Kabuki Theater movie multi-plex that's being run by Sundance, so there should be an interesting selection of movies, if you're into that.

You are also within easy walking distance of The Fillmore Auditorium and the new Yoshi's SF.

If you take Fillmore Street up the hill (North-ward) there are lots of restaurants, boutiques and coffee houses.