Flying to Houston, LA and then driving up to San Francisco

Velonutter

Next month I am flying over to the states on Business, I arrive mid afternoon on the Thursday, and have meetings in the evening and on Friday, then I have all to myself Saturday, I figured it might be worth visiting the Space Centre as our Hotel is only 5 mins away, it sounds good but with only having one free day I wondered if I am missing a must see. My agents have offered to take us to a Rodeo on the Friday Night, but that's not really my scene, would love to have see a baseball match but they are away that weekend.

Early Sunday we leave for LA and I'm tempted to stay in the Queen Mary as they advertise the State room for only $300 for 3 nights! I've got meetings during the day on Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday morning, so realistically only have Sunday PM, Monday and Tuesday Evening, I'd fancy a jazz club or big band night, but my searches have proved great. Any suggestions for the short stay?

Wednesday lunchtime I'll drive up to San Francisco, so effectively my next meeting isn't until Friday, so again any cool clubs or sites to see, we'll probably stay half way up the coast overnight?

In San Francisco I only have Friday Night, Saturday and Sunday up until mid afternoon so thought about going out to the Jelly been factory as always fancied one of their cycling tops, not really interested in Alcatraz, but any more must sees whilst there?

Finally who's the best for competitive car hire, I'm after either a Musty, Challenger or Camaro?

Thanks in anticipation.

ugo.santalucia

Frisco is a nice city to walk around... the marina and Fisherman Wharf, the Chinese area, Market Street... then of course you have to rent a bike and cross the GG, heading to the Marin county... best if a MTB... you have to!

Velonutter

Sounds cool Ugo, I fancy riding across the GG, but not sure if my wife will, but there again she did it in New York, so might have to force her depending on the weather. :shock:

ugo.santalucia

Velonutter wrote:

Sounds cool Ugo, I fancy riding across the GG, but not sure if my wife will, but there again she did it in New York, so might have to force her depending on the weather. :shock:

You don't share the road with the cars, there is a dedicated path for cyclists which is segregated on the GG. Once on the other side it's a short ride to the off road sections, which are wide as motorways. You have to go to Muir Woods to see the Giant Redwoods... they are not as big as the Sequoias, but not far off. You can get all the information from the bike rental.

Cycling in downtown Frisco is an experience too... some slopes are 1 in 3

Velonutter

Thanks Ugo. now that sounds cool, will discuss that with my missus. 8)

ugo.santalucia

Velonutter wrote:

Thanks Ugo. now that sounds cool, will discuss that with my missus. 8)

Take for dinner at Alioto's at the Fisherman's Wharf... it's a classic gangsters restaurants with great views of the Bay... not to be missed

cc78

Drive up Highway One, the Pacific Coast Highway (as opposed to the inland interstate). You will not regret it.

It's a fair hike from LA in one day but the area around Monterrey is a good stopover, in particular Pacific Grove or Carmel.

orraloon

Second vote for Monterey for a break point. Is a long day's drive up the magnificent coastal route 1. But you will be on the wrong (i.e. right) side of the road going north for the best views. But plenty places to pull over.

We stayed on Venice Beach last time in LA, if you fancy a little bit of bohemia. Hotel Erwin is right behind Muscle Beach with a cool roof terrace cocktail bar.

GG bridge is a great gentle ride. Plenty bike hire places around Fishermans Wharf area. Can mess about as much or little as you or she like in Marin county and take a ferry back from Sausalito or Tiburon. Get a good view of Alcatraz that way without joining the tourist horde trips.

Velonutter

All brilliant info, saved me loads of time, seems like I need to find a hotel near Fishermans Wharf?

ugo.santalucia

orraloon wrote:

GG bridge is a great gentle ride. Plenty bike hire places around Fishermans Wharf area. Can mess about as much or little as you or she like in Marin county and take a ferry back from Sausalito or Tiburon. Get a good view of Alcatraz that way without joining the tourist horde trips.

Thats exactly what I did... this is what I hired back in 2006...

RDW

If your wife isn't much for cycling, you can just do a short ride from one of the bike hire places on Fisherman's Wharf, a slightly up-market California version of Blackpool (there are much more interesting places to stay downtown, but avoid the suspiciously cheap hotels in the Tenderloin area - best to check Tripadvisor reviews first). On the SF side of the bridge, it's mostly shared use paths with pedestrians and bike lanes. On the bridge itself you'll either be in a dedicated bike lane (e.g. at weekends) or again sharing with pedestrians (depends on the day and time). On the Marin side (where you can mostly use the shoulder of the road) carry on to Sausalito (about 8 miles in total) and just get the ferry back (check the timetable first and make sure you get the boarding token early). If your wife doesn't mind longer or steeper rides there are lots of other options, like carrying on to Tiburon or doing the Marin headlands (it is in any case worth climbing a little way up the headlands road to the west of the bridge just for the spectacular view!). Agree about Muir Woods, though you'll probably want to drive there.

There's a lot to see in the city that you might miss if you drive all the way to the jelly bean factory and back. Chinatown is pretty big, much more impressive than London's, and fun to explore and eat in. Coit Tower on Telegraph Hill is a good place to go for a great view of the city, and from there you can climb down to the waterfront via the steps at the ends of Filbert or Greenwich Streets that thread their way through the local gardens before descending the cliffs. On the other side of the city, the area around the Cliff House and the Sutro Baths is nice to wander around, as is Golden Gate Park. Try a Burrito in the Mission district (El Toro, 17th and Valencia, is my pick) for fuel. If you're staying downtown, the Powell-Hyde cable car is a fun way to get back from Fisherman's Wharf after cycling the bridge. There are any number of lively bars and restaurants throughout the city.

Velonutter

Thanks for everyone's advice, I'm sorted for the Hotel in LA, I'm going to stay in the Queen Mary, at least that will be an experience and is priced similarly to other hotels in the area.

I've sorted out the car hire and think I've got a Challenger R/T convertible that will be good for the drive up the coast as long as it not raining :-(

Just need to sort the hotel in SF, naturally will need parking with it as well, any suggestions?

Sorry Ugo, would love to have given Alioto's a try, but we are Vegetarian, so probably not the best place to eat, despite the views.

ugo.santalucia

If you can afford it, go to the Clift Hotel

veronese68

Enjoying reading this. We are doing SF to LA in the summer. 3 nights in SF, Union Square I think, 2 nights in Yosemite, then Monterey and somewhere else I can't remember. 3 or 4 nights in Santa Barbara as I have to pop into head office but they are paying towards the trip. Then on to LA then San Diego where there is an old school friend of mine and a former customer that now deals in classic 911s.
The boy wants to go out on bikes at some point so might try from San Francisco as suggested. We can leave the wife and daughter to fend for themselves. I've just been told by the FD from over there that Carmel is a good spot to stop along the way with lots of good restaurants. No names yet.
Be interested to hear any veggie recommendations when you get back VN as the Mrs is almost a veggie. She eats fish so that's cheating.

ugo.santalucia

... there is nothing good about Carmel... press on the gas and carry on

Velonutter

A point to note so far, using Expedia for the flights and then the hotels including The Queen Mary has saved about 35% against if we had ordered direct, I was quite surprised at how much of a saving Expedia offered.

For example round trip from Heathrow, to Houston, then internal flight from Houston to LA, then return from San Francisco was £712 each, I've paid extra for the greater leg rooms seats, but otherwise I thought that was a bargain.

RDW

Velonutter wrote:

Just need to sort the hotel in SF, naturally will need parking with it as well, any suggestions?

Ditch the car when you get there? :-) Public transport is good, parking is limited, and it's a very walkable city (nothing like LA). Hotel parking is often quite a pricey add-on, in a city that's already pretty expensive for accommodation. One alternative is to use a garage like this, if you're downtown:

http://www.yelp.co.uk/biz/sutter-stockt ... -francisco

I don't know what hotel to suggest, as those I've stayed in previously seem to have gone a bit downhill, judging by recent reviews. When I was there a couple of weeks ago I booked an apartment through VRBO instead:

http://www.vrbo.com/vacation-rentals/us ... -francisco

See also Airbnb and FlipKey:

https://www.airbnb.co.uk/s/San-Francisco--CA
https://www.flipkey.com/san-francisco-v ... ls/g60713/

You can find very nice rentals on (e.g.) Russian Hill, Telegraph Hill, N*o*b Hill and North Beach for less than a dodgy hotel in the Tenderloin, but your choice may be a bit limited by the length of your stay (some have a 3 or 7 day minimum). Before I decided on this, I was looking at the Orchard and the Orchard Garden hotels, but they won't be cheap next month:

http://www.tripadvisor.co.uk/Hotel_Revi ... ornia.html
http://www.tripadvisor.co.uk/Hotel_Revi ... ornia.html

Otherwise, have a look at Tripadvisor for your dates and sort the results by 'ranking' (there are some with 'free' parking). You might also want to check this to avoid any nasty surprises!:

http://www.bedbugregistry.com/metro/sf/

Edit: Had to add asterisks to N*o*b Hill to avoid the forum nannybot converting it to 'doorknob Hill'!

Flâneur

Plenty of sensible replies, but if you like a burger try "in and out" if you've not been before.

I'd always always suggest a visit to Yosemite if you can get the time to drive out from LA to SF, not direct so time dependant

veronese68

ugo.santalucia wrote:

... there is nothing good about Carmel... press on the gas and carry on

Could this be the difference between some Americans and Europeans? I must admit I did wonder about taking travel advice from someone that lives in Santa Barbara and goes on holiday in Carmel every year. How far is that?

ugo.santalucia

Veronese68 wrote:

ugo.santalucia wrote:

... there is nothing good about Carmel... press on the gas and carry on

Could this be the difference between some Americans and Europeans? I must admit I did wonder about taking travel advice from someone that lives in Santa Barbara and goes on holiday in Carmel every year. How far is that?

Carmel is full of old folks... there is nothing special about it unless you like false teeth. Big Sur is an interesting place to stop on the way

mitchell_inman

Went to the Johnson Space Centre about 10 years ago and had a fantastic all day tour. Tours seem different now, but if you're interested in this stuff then don't miss the opportunity.

VTech

Eat shrimp at Bubba Gump on the bay, drink a bottle of Montelena whilst enjoying the world go by.
If you can, drive the golden gate, its an experience.
I love San Francisco and fly out tomorrow for work, really looking forward to it.

Velonutter

Hmm eating shrimp is a no no as we are vegetarian.

I've hopefully hired a Dodge Challenger R/T convertible so hopefully will drive the bridge and a few other places as well.

VTech

Velonutter wrote:

Hmm eating shrimp is a no no as we are vegetarian.

I've hopefully hired a Dodge Challenger R/T convertible so hopefully will drive the bridge and a few other places as well.

Thats awesome, such a great car too.
If you have the car, drive upto Calistoga, its 70m north but you drive through Sanoma and Napa Valley, one of the most beautiful places me and the wife have ever been. If you decide too do that and like wine let me know, I can get you a tour around the chateaux which really is something to behold.

ugo.santalucia

It's a shame you don't eat at least fish... crab and clam chowder served in a bread bowl are great in Frisco

Velonutter

Thanks for the offer Vtech, time is very short whilst I am there as I am in a total of 9 meeting over the trip, so will have to keep it local. If I like SF then hopefully can do a return trip when I have more time.

Velonutter

ugo.santalucia wrote:

It's a shame you don't eat at least fish... crab and clam chowder served in a bread bowl are great in Frisco

Note to self, must resist the urge to bite :roll: :shock:

VTech

Velonutter wrote:

ugo.santalucia wrote:

It's a shame you don't eat at least fish... crab and clam chowder served in a bread bowl are great in Frisco

Note to self, must resist the urge to bite :roll: :shock:

One of my own biggest letdown's (to myself) is not eating shellfish. I don't know why I don't but I just don't. I did try a Prawn at Benihana in November but only bit into it and didn't eat it. I really wish I could and have no idea why I don't. It doesn't seem like a big thing but my dad always tried local food if ever he travelled and I'm just not that adventurous. the wife loves Paella but most restaurants only make it for 2 people so she hardly ever eats it when we are away. I always feel stupid for not trying as I am sure I miss out on a lot.

ugo.santalucia

Velonutter wrote:

ugo.santalucia wrote:

It's a shame you don't eat at least fish... crab and clam chowder served in a bread bowl are great in Frisco

Note to self, must resist the urge to bite :roll: :shock:

The problem with America is that it's not much of a vegetarian nation... in big cities you can go asian and get great food, but outside you are pretty much fucxed...
And even with Asian... Thai put fish sauce pretty much everywhere and Chinese fry anything that moves... you are left with Indian, which outside the Uk is always a disappointment

Velonutter

Yeah I know Ugo, but I use a number of Vegetarian Apps to find pure Vegetarian Restaurants and believe it or not there are loads around that many people don't know about. I also subscribe to the Happy Cow site and again it's brilliant for Vege food.

Going to Hungary a number of times which is a "Shudder the Thought of Eating Grass" type of country, we had some amazing food, that when I have organised tours with the boys, they have even opted for the vege option, so I don't think we'll have a problem food wise.

pblakeney

Velonutter wrote:

ugo.santalucia wrote:

It's a shame you don't eat at least fish... crab and clam chowder served in a bread bowl are great in Frisco

Note to self, must resist the urge to bite :roll: :shock:

Yup.
That is the principle.
Must resist the urge to swallow too.