Area recommendations for visit (Sacramento, San Mateo: rental car, rental, credit card)

[An Einnseanair]

I'm going to be in San Mateo on the 27th taking an exam. Currently, my plans are to bring a friend along and extend it into a mini-vacation. I've been to the area before and am moderately familiar with various modes of mass-transit.

As of now, we will:
Fly into SFO early Wednesday the 26th. Spend the afternoon getting settled and doing a little last-minute studying. Stay somewhere between the airport and San Mateo Wednesday night. I'd prefer to avoid getting a rental car and dealing with parking, so right now I'm looking at staying somewhere near the BART line, like San Bruno or Millbrae. Leaning toward Millbrae.

On Thursday I'll be taking the exam, but my friend will be alone in the city. She's a very pretty small-town girl with a very distinct south-eastern accent, but she's also smart and no-nonsense. I'm assuming that she'll be OK taking the BART and wandering the area around Tanforan during the day. We'll stay in the same area Thursday night, then check out and head closer to the "touristy" areas Friday-Saturday nights.

Anyone out there recommend against doing this? Any suggestions for things a small-town girl can do all alone in the airport area for one day other than burning up credit cards at Tanforan?

As for visiting the "touristy" areas, we'll do the standard stuff. Mainly mass transit/walking for 2 days and get a rental car for one day for a trip to Muir Woods and along the coast. The last time I was there I didn't do enough research and ended up staying in the Tenderloin district. Decent prices, not a good place to wander around after dark. We don't necessarily need a $39.99 flea-infested hotel, but also don't want to pay $300/night for a broom closet in the heart of the tourist areas. Somewhere around $100-$120/night would be perfect.

Are there any recommended areas with decent access to the downtown touristy areas via mass transit? Somewhere close enough to come back to during the day for a nap or to drop off purchases before heading out again. Or would we be better off to just stay in the airport area and ride the BART toward downtown?

Thanks in advance.

[Curmudgeon]

Oregon!

[Isebiel]

The Holiday Inn at Van Ness and California (Polk Gulch area) is decent, reasonable, and pretty well located. Parking fees are insane, but if you're not keeping the rental car overnight, that shouldn't matter.

[mayorhaggar]

Last time I checked that Holiday Inn it was like $210 a night. If you want cheap you should look around the airport, you see hotels there for like $60-80 a night that would be $150-200 in the city.

And I'd pick shopping in Union Square over Tanforan, plus there's a giant new Westfield mall at Powell and Market in SF.

[An Einnseanair]

Curmudgeon: the test I'm taking is in San Mateo. I could have opted to take it in Sacramento, but still a bit far for staying in Oregon. Thanks anyway!

Again, "cheap" isn't necessary, but I also don't want unreasonably expensive. The rates for the hotel in question were quoted at $176/night. That's more than I was planning, but looking at rates in the area it's about as cheap as it gets. It's cheaper than the Holiday Inn Civic Center which is where I stayed several years back (in the Tenderloin). It's right on one of the cable car routes (getting a 3-day pass, so free) and near several bus routes.

Tanforan is only for the day I'll be taking the exam. If she wants to ride the BART to downtown or go where ever she wants then that's her choice. We'll probably hit Union Square (and the terminal, wharf, trolley museum, china town, etc.) on Friday or Saturday anyway.

Thanks, and keep the suggestions coming!

[gone down south]

Yah, Tanforan is just a crappy mall, there's no 'there' there.

[capoeira]

Originally Posted by jwkilgore

Tanforan is only for the day I'll be taking the exam. If she wants to ride the BART to downtown or go where ever she wants then that's her choice. We'll probably hit Union Square (and the terminal, wharf, trolley museum, china town, etc.) on Friday or Saturday anyway.

Thanks, and keep the suggestions coming!

As an alternate trip choice she can take the Caltrain to downtown Palo Alto.

http://www.paloaltodowntown.com/docu...nTownMap_b.pdf

If she is even more adventurous she can take a bus to the Stanford campus from Palo Alto Caltrain and go to their musuem.

Iris & B. Gerald Cantor Center for Visual Arts at Stanford University

[An Einnseanair]

Originally Posted by capoeira

As an alternate trip choice she can take the Caltrain to downtown Palo Alto.

http://www.paloaltodowntown.com/docu...nTownMap_b.pdf

If she is even more adventurous she can take a bus to the Stanford campus from Palo Alto Caltrain and go to their musuem.

Iris & B. Gerald Cantor Center for Visual Arts at Stanford University

Palo Alto looks promising... We'd stay there for the first two days instead of near the airport, though. I'd take a taxi (reliable, company is paying) to San Mateo and Caltrain back, she can wander the shops, lots of awesome-looking restaurants...

This is why I posted here; I never would have looked that far south. Keep her out of the jewelry stores and all will be good

[dmode]

Airbnb can be a good option to rent a room and have an authentic SF experience