Upcoming trip to San Francisco! (Napa, Independence: hotel, house, transfer)

[eskercurve]

Hi everyone! My wife and I will be going to San Francisco on vacation between the 3rd and the 6th. We're from Seattle - she's from Odawara, Japan and I'm from Chicago originally.

Is the city doing anything special for the 4th? We're considering this itinerary:

3rd: Arrive around noon. Check into hotel (3rd near Market). Check out Chinatown and downtown. Eat out at some good Chinese or other place (looking for recommendations).

4th: Booked tickets to go to Alcatraz in the morning. Come back in the early afternoon. City got something planned for the 4th? Fun stuff nearby? Fisherman's wharf? Museum of Fine Arts? Golden Gate park? For the heck of it, ride a trolley?

5th: Go to Napa. The wife already has this thing planned out. It will likely last all day.

6th: Fly back at 5 PM from SFO. Stuff to do after checking out of the hotel that won't make us late for our flight?

Lastly, we won't be driving a car, so I'm also looking for tips on riding public transit, so please include anything you know nearby ...

THANKS so much in advance!

[mayorhaggar]

A couple of good places in Chinatown are House of Nanking and Hunan Homes. The food is really good at House Nanking but it's a very crowded and noisy restaurant and the waitstaff is notoriously rude. Hunan Homes is a lot more comfortable and quieter and the food isn't quite as good but it's still very tasty. Honestly I've never been that impressed with most Chinese food in Chinatown, it's usually kind of bland and not cooked well, but these two places impressed me.

[Bayarea4]

You can buy a Visitor Passport for MUNI, the citywide transit system, that is good for 1, 3 or 7 days. This will save you from having to fish for bills and change every time you board a bus or train. Passports are not valid on the cable cars, though, which require a separate fare ($5.00).

The regular transit fare for adults is $2.00, 75 cents if you are a youth, over 65 or disabled. If you don't get a Visitor Passport, bring lots of quarters because the fare gates don't take dollar bills and MUNI operators don't make change. Here's more information on the Passport:
Visitor Passports

Finally, this is very important: ALWAYS get a transfer when you board transit. These are required as proof that you have paid the fare. Fare inspectors routinely ride the buses and trains and may ask you to show your transfer at any time.

As for the Fourth of July, summer weather in San Francisco always iffy. It can get cold, foggy and breezy all over the city, but especially near the water, where the fireworks show is held. Get there early and be sure to bring jackets and sweaters with you, because you'll need them. When there's heavy fog, the fireworks show uses special low-altitude fireworks so that they can be seen.

Have a great trip!

[expect]

if you're not doing anything saturday the 3rd:

TARGET Independence Day Celebration, Saturday, July 3

great chinese food, but outside of chinatown
Beijing Restaurant - Mission Terrace - San Francisco, CA
yao ming eats there when he's in the city