First Time Visitor Vacation Choices (Nob Hill Vs. Castro vs. Upper Market/Twin Peaks) (San Francisco: rental)

[Jowel]

Hello,

I am looking forward to traveling out to San Francisco with a relative for a few days (my first time in the city or California period). I am trying to decide which vacation rental would be best for my needs. I would not have access to a car. My wish list is:

-Centrally located to get to the major "touristy" attractions (Fisherman's Wharf, Golden Gate Bridge, curvy Lombard Street, Chinatown, Alcatrez). Plus I'm open to taking in the architecture, unique shopping (at least as much as my working class budget allows)/dining/sightseeing that is less "touristy" and and I'd really like to see the Pacific Ocean. I'm really looking forward to seeing a different topography of

-Easy access to Muni/public transport, and ease of use for someone not familiar with the area

-Safety- Obviously this is a large city, so I wouldn't be doing anything stupid, but I don't want to have to spend so much of my effort fearing for my life when I walk out the door or take transit, and I might like to take a walk in the evening where I stay.

-The least amount of noise possible- Again, I realize that this is a densely populated city and not rural Wyoming and the garbage trucks aren't going to reschedule their routes just for me but I'm probably more sensitive to noise than the average person, so I'd like to minimize this as much as possible. I'm bringing earplugs and noise canceling headphones to help mitigate whatever background noise I encounter.

So far, I have narrowed down the search to properties in three areas that look great (that are pretty similar in price range and size). The properties are:

1.) Nob Hill- The first one is on Pacific Avenue near Jones Street in the Nob Hill area
This looks like it's the most centrally located and extremely convenient to walk around and see many cool sights, but looks like it's in the most hectic area and I worry more about the general noise at this location than the others. I'm not really into the whole clubbing scene (too crotchety for that).

2.) Castro- Two properties include one on Collingswood near 18th Street about 2 blocks south of Market. The second property is at or near 18th and Danvers and says it's five blocks west of the heart of the Castro. These seem fairly centrally located and in a fairly decent area, I think.

3.) Upper Market/Twin Peaks- On Burnette between Glenview and Crestline and just west of Twin Peaks.
I love the views and natural scenery/topography of the area and it looks a little greener than some of the other places (from using Street view). My only concern about this location is that it looks like its a bit further out from things within walking distance. But it does look like a bus stop is nearby.

Given my wish list (hopefully it's not too unrealistic) does anyone have any direction that you would point me in. I'm doing quite a bit of research on my own, but am experiencing a bit of information overload, and so all local insight is appreciated!

[tcole2]

Hi there!

I'm fairly new to the area myself, so I won't comment on the other two.

I however live extremely close to your #3, so I think I can provide quite a bit of information for you.

The bus you're referring to is 37, which for you, you're probably only interested in the Castro or the Haight. Both are lovely places just to walk around and explore SF. 37 will drop you right off at the Castro Metro station. Here you can take trains inbound (toward downtown). All the areas you listed are definitely accesible for Twin Peaks. However, you're looking at about a 30 minute trip altogether, depending on if you time the train and the bus right and not going during peak times. If you take the F to the Wharf from Castro (very close to the 37 stop), then it's going to take longer.

Would I consider the area centrally located for a tourist? No. The only thing that's going to be really close that is of interest is the Castro and Twin Peaks itself. Outside of that, almost all of the touristy stuff is closer to downtown. If you're willing to sacrifice that part, for a quiet and safe neighborhood that doesn't feel too "cityish", then Twin Peaks might be worth the consideration. Keep in mind the weather is very different than rest of the city too - foggy, cold and windy mornings, and late evenings. During most afternoons it is quite lovely though. Oh and if the place you're considering is on the side of Burnett toward Market St, you'll get absolutely amazing views of the city. If the fog isn't there that is.

I moved to the area because I wanted to be close to everything, but escape the noise and crime like yourself. It's very different for a resident and tourist though.

[dalparadise]

The Nob Hill area is the choice. That will put you very close to all the sights -- within a fairly easy walk, as a matter of fact, though you will be climbing some hills. MUNI access is incredibly good there, too. It is quiet there, even though it's fairly centrally located, so I wouldn't worry too much about that. That's a primarily residential neighborhood.

Your other two selections would put you in areas that were less walkable to the sights you want to see and are not as well served by MUNI, though both are adequately served.

[pch1013]

Originally Posted by Jowel

2.) Castro- Two properties include one on Collingswood near 18th Street about 2 blocks south of Market. The second property is at or near 18th and Danvers and says it's five blocks west of the heart of the Castro. These seem fairly centrally located and in a fairly decent area, I think.

I live on 18th Street about a hundred yards down from Danvers. I really like the neighborhood. It's very quiet (though if you're close to Market Street at all, you'll hear that traffic). And it's about a 10-minute walk to the Castro Muni station. Or take the 33 bus down the hill. The only drawback is if you decide to walk back, the hill is rather steep, but it's great exercise. If the hill is an issue, the 18th & Collingwood one would be good, though it's a bit closer to the "action" and you might encounter some bar noise -- there are 2 of them on that corner. On the other hand, there's a nice grocery store right there too.

Oh, and the area is quite safe, too, but then so are the other areas you listed.

Weatherwise, my block is *right* on the fog line, but Twin Peaks is way past it, so you'll definitely have colder/foggier weather there than in Nob Hill or the Castro.

[capoeira]

Originally Posted by dalparadise

The Nob Hill area is the choice.

This is excellent advice. The Nob Hill location puts you in a great location for a visitor. I would not stay at the Twin Peaks location without a car.

[Jowel]

Considering the posts so far, it's sounding like Nob Hill would be the choice place to stay for a vacation, but Castro and Twin Peaks would be worth the visit for the culture and scenery. All the advice here is very enlightening, and I still appreciate the thoughts if anyone else wants to chime in.

[GraysFerryB4]

Nob Hill is very central; just avoid the tenderloin and places that come up on search engines that say "near Union Square". Only problem with Nob Hill is that you will REALLY be on a hill and the walk can be a bit of a shock to someone. My other suggestion is the Embarcadero hotels like Club Quarters...you can get to the MUNI and BART real easy and it gets you anywhere. Might be a little noise during the week because it's in the finance area but the Hyatt is a high rise and the views are nice. I would avoid staying at Fisherman's Wharf because you are kind of "stuck there"...the cable cars are always filled and the BART and MUNI subwways do not go there; just surface busses. Enjoy!!

[skyao]

i would choose nob hill.

That third choice is Twin Peaks, not upper market. Calling it Upper Market is a bit of a reach and its not the best area for a first time visitor because its not centrally located, not walkable, and has poor public transit options.

[mayorhaggar]

Originally Posted by skyao

i would choose nob hill.

That third choice is Twin Peaks, not upper market. Calling it Upper Market is a bit of a reach and its not the best area for a first time visitor because its not centrally located, not walkable, and has poor public transit options.

Yep. It's remote, way up on a hill, and there are only a few bus lines that go there and they run very infrequently. The Castro and Nob Hill are much more centrally located and are near a lot of frequent transit lines. For public transit I'd say the Castro is best since it has all the Metro light rail lines and is fairly close to BART, but Nob Hill is a short bus ride from a lot of locations.

[Jowel]

Thank you, everyone! I've been pleased with the helpfulness of the responses. I ended up going with the Nob Hill rental, but it was a close call.