Hey peeps! The famjam is headed on a vacation to San Francisco and Monterey. It's a long story, but essentially we're going there because it's somewhere my grandma really wanted to go and it's right on the water (which she loves). Does anyone have any firsthand experiences, tips, or stories they can share? Exciting things to do? I literally know next to nothing about both places. Doesn't have to be LGBT-related things either, just generally cool things. Thanks!
Yes. They are all tourist things, but worth seeing. San Francisco: - Twin Peaks viewpoint, the view over everything ... and then some. - Lombard Street, with its twists and turns, and a cable car ride down to the wharf ($-cable car) - Fisherman's Wharf and Ghirardelli Square (famous chocolatiers) - North Beach (Little Italy and adjacent Chinatown) and Coit Tower - The Marina area and the Palace of Fine Arts - the end of Market Street at the Embarcadero, with the Ferry Building - there are some nice plazas, walkways next to the bay, and restaurants/bars/places for a snack - Golden Gate Park - the San Francisco Zoo ($) - The Cliff House and Ocean Beach - Lincoln Park, the Palace of the Legion of Honor, the GGNR with views of the Golden Gate Bridge, and the mansions in adjacent Seacliff - the Golden Gate Bridge - there's parking at the south end (scarce) and a view point from up high across the Golden Gate, but will require a toll coming back in to town if you choose to cross on the bridge ($) - Soma district (South of Market) and the Museum of Modern Art ($) Some other things to consider: - you can take the Bay Bridge to its midpoint at Treasure Island for its view back to the city and come back without paying a toll if you don't cross the entire bay - you can take BART (the subway) over to Berkeley if the weekend market on Shattuck Avenue is going on, for a taste of Berkeley street life ($) - food, and lots of choices ($) Note: You would be surprised, but San Francisco is SO compact that you can chew off many of these on a day. There is sort of a designated driving route to see the city, too. Monterey/Carmel: - the Monterey Cannery and the historic waterfront - the Monterey Aquarium ($) - the Seventeen Mile Drive ($) - Mission San Carlos in Carmel - "downtown" Carmel and the shops - even a scoop of ice cream is expensive - south of Carmel is Point Lobos State Reserve, and China Cove is especially beautiful ($) - further south, if you are willing to drive some 20 miles along beautiful coastline, you can cross over the historic Bixby Bridge en route to Julie Pfeiffer Burns State Park where there's a thin waterfall that drops into the ocean (? if $) That's a start.
I was just there a few days ago! Both places are beautiful. San Francisco: -Pier 39 -Lombard Street -Chinatown (go to a restaurant there! So many good choices!) -Golden Gate Bridge -Muir Woods (the Redwoods are there) -Fisherman's Wharf Monterey: -Cannery Row -Monterey Aquarium -Sand dunes And if you can, visit Big Sur, which is close to Monterey. Hike to see McWay Falls, the famous waterfall that is among the few in the world which pours right into the ocean. SO beautiful!The entire coast is pretty, Hope this was helpful and have a blast!
I'll echo all of the above. If you're into hippie, artsy-craftsy, and related clothes/art, the Haight area is fun to walk around in, and the Alcatraz tour is definitely interesting and worth taking. They have some former inmates that work as tour guides, and you can do it self-paced or with a guide.
Parking can get expensive so try to find a parking area without a meter. Lombard street is a great one. Very pretty and walking up there is like a hike. The Alcatraz tour was fun. And the Chinatown was very memorable. Word of advice, a lot of smokers. The fisherman's wharf was a delicious one. I mean, the clam chowder is awesome. Riding in a cable car is pretty fun. Just hold on tight.
Bring an extra sweater or windbreaker too, it can get quite chilly and blustery sometimes, even in August. I love SF, a beautiful city, you'll have a blast!
Yes, there's a saying that "there's nothing as cool as a San Francisco summer." It's called the "air conditioned city," among other nicknames. Further south, in Monterey/Carmel, here's what you get - McWay Falls at Julia Pfeiffer-Burns State Park costs $8 per car for entry. However, the coastline all the way down there is stunning. When I was a kid, it was FREE. You just pulled in for day use to see the ocean. http://www.stevenkharper.com/images/McWayFallsRS.jpg This is the historic Bixby Bridge between Carmel and the Big Sur Coast (south). http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7025/6717626603_5b28177673_z.jpg This is what China Cove in Point Lobos State Reserve looks like, and it's the highlight of Point Lobos. If you choose to go here, there are lots of friendly squirrels who want to be fed. You certainly don't want to get bitten, but many people used to feed them. I don't know what the current rules are. There are stairs down to the sandy cove. http://farm4.staticflickr.com/3598/3465233706_5c7611f707_z.jpg?zz=1
The Alcatraz tour was one of the most amazing things I experienced in SF. I went in the evening, and I think that made it even better. Pier 39 and Fisherman's Wharf are good fun. Haight-Ashbury is a good place to shop, and walking around the Castro is an experience worth having. More than anything else, I just loved walking the streets, going into stores, sitting down and looking around, just being there.
Awesome, because while I love summer weather, I'd rather be cold than hot :lol: Those pictures are gorgeous, I'm definitely going to try to go visit those! Interesting; I didn't know Alcatraz was there (well, I had no idea where it was to be honest, let alone in the US). Sounds cool though. Thanks everyone for the suggestions so far!
