Visiting SF from LA (San Francisco, Oakland: rental car, rental, hotels)

[nowincal11]

I am planning on making a trip up to the Bay in September from LA with a friend of mine. We will driving up during the week, probably mid Tuesday to noonish Thursday. We know the sights we want to see. Alcatraz, Fisherman's Wharf, Chinatown, Giants game (if in town), and then perhaps a side trip to Berkeley.

Is it worth it to stay near the SFO airport due to much cheaper hotels than in the City?? Or even the Oakland Airport? Is it easy to get into the city from them?

I have heard Daly City is not that nice so even though it's closer than than the airport it's far from being safe.

Since BART doesn't go to all the sites, are there buses or cabs that are easily available since I can imagine parking is a nightmare in the City?

[jade408]

There aren't many options around Oakland Airport. I'd pass. If you were going to stay in Oakland, try the Marriott at City Center. They are finishing/in the middle of a renovation and the location is excellent. A very fast BART ride to downtown SF. Think about 15 minutes. If you don't mind driving more, Emeryville could work as well (this city borders Oakland and Berkeley on the west side, near the foot of the Bay Bridge). Parking during the week in SF is very expensive, and most of your attractions are in expensive parts of town, so it is about $40 a day to park. Transit is better. Cabs can be tricky to find, but transit would be easy, and you can also visit a large hotel's cab stand. I think the SF airport area is pretty lame, and not really all that close to downtown SF.

[mdwstrnkid]

I don't think that I'd worry about safety in Daly City as much as I would worry about the fog.

[mayorhaggar]

The hotels near SFO really are pretty cheap from what I've seen, like $60-80 a night compared to something that would be $150-200 in a touristy part of SF. But you'd have to figure out how to get to SF, if you take BART you'd have to get a shuttle to the Millbrae BART station, and riding a taxi would add up, and having a rental car and having to pay to park in SF would add up too. If you're in a decent part of SF you can just walk out the door and have a lot of stuff to do.

Daly City is just kind of a slightly dumpy inner suburb. Unless you found a really nice hotel near the Daly City BART station I wouldn't bother staying there, and I'm pretty sure there aren't many convenient hotels there.

[bmw335xi]

Don't stay at the airports if you are visiting San Francisco! I promise you will regret it.

If you want to keep your car, stay at a hotel along Lombard St. Cow Hollow Inn I can recommend from personal experience. Most of these properties offer free parking and are located in a great part of town. The rates are usually around $120-$150, but considering you'd pay $30-50 per night for parking in downtown, it's a steal.

Enjoy!

[nowincal11]

Cool thanks for the tips everyone! We may end up staying downtown Oakland because we want to catch an A's game (looks like they are in town not the Giants) and get to Berkeley one day too. Then spend a whole day in SF. We are driving up from LA too so it will be easy to drive to Berkeley from Oakland. Plus BART seems to be nearby in downtown Oakland to get to SF.

[mayorhaggar]

There are a few hotels around University Ave in downtown Berkeley that you could check out, they're just a couple blocks from the downtown Berkeley BART station on Shattuck where there's a ton of shops and restaurants. Downtown Oakland might be cheaper but you wouldn't really want to go out at night, there's some cool stuff in downtown Oakland like the Trappist pub and Lake Merritt but a lot of the area is kinda sketchy. But if you are just planning on going straight from BART to your hotel around 8pm every night you should be ok.

[jade408]

Originally Posted by mayorhaggar

There are a few hotels around University Ave in downtown Berkeley that you could check out, they're just a couple blocks from the downtown Berkeley BART station on Shattuck where there's a ton of shops and restaurants. Downtown Oakland might be cheaper but you wouldn't really want to go out at night, there's some cool stuff in downtown Oakland like the Trappist pub and Lake Merritt but a lot of the area is kinda sketchy. But if you are just planning on going straight from BART to your hotel around 8pm every night you should be ok.

Downtown Oakland is OK around 12th Street Bart, east of San Pablo/Clay generally -- as a single female I am fine over there and in Old Oakland. 19th Street BART is sketchier, meaning I wouldn't stroll around all alone, but in a group is A-OK.

Sketchy isn't really sketchy. Many blocks of Downtown are still 9 to 5 only so they are quiet after dark, but there are pockets of activity. I go pretty frequently.

In Downtown, there a few areas to check out. Lots of cute places in Old Oakland (near 9th and Washington) -- my favorite is Tamarindo excellent Mexican Tapas. In Old Oakland try the Trappist, Pacific Brewery, Liege, or Air Lounge.

There are other bars and such mixed in all around, like the Layover (on 15th and Franklin), Radio (13th and Franklin I think), Geisha (hit or miss, also on 15th or so), Era Art Bar (Grand and Broadway apx.), Plum (Grand and Broadway, gourmet food, fancy drinks, nice atmosphere), Somar (19th and Telegraph), 2022 (20th and Telegraph), MUA (25th and Webster) or Disco Voltane (17th I believe).

You'll have fun in downtown Oakland nightspots, people are friendly and the crowds are really diverse.

[humboldtrat]

Check out Millbrae near the airport. There are plenty of motels (such as a Days Inn) along El Camino Real (Hwy 82) that are within walking distance to the BART/Caltrain station. Much cheaper than staying in SF.

Here's a list of hotels near SFO airport:
San Francisco Airport SFO Hotels

[nowincal11]

Awesome. What I'll then probably do is stay in downtown Oakland since we can go to Berkeley day 1 then the A's game then hang around downtown Oakland near the hotel. The next day we can take BART into SF and head back to Oakland to bar.

Seems like that is easier than Millbrae.