Bay Area tourist attractions - Overrated/ Underrated? (San Jose, Oakland: neighborhoods, bus)

[mayorhaggar]

Overrated:
Fisherman's Wharf
Muir Woods
Chinatown

Underrated:
Lands' End
Lake Merritt (on a nice day)
hiking in Briones
neighborhoods: Lower Pac Hts, Inner Sunset, Inner Richmond, Glen Park

Properly rated:
Alcatraz
Driving on 1 from Pacifica to Santa Cruz, or south of Monterey. (between Santa Cruz and Monterey it's mostly boring farmland)
Dolores Park

[dalparadise]

I'll second a trip up to Point Reyes, but it might eat up a whole day. Still, it's magnificent seashore, a beautiful beach and fun little oyster fisheries, where you can get them shucked fresh, right out of the water, with a cool bottle of Sonoma white to wash them down.

I would never considerMuir Woods overrated, though it is often overcrowded. The nice thing about this area is that the trails for the woods blend seamlessly with those for Mt. Tam, allowing you to make a full day of it hiking through the woods and up the side of the mountain. Plus, just getting there is a beautiful drive, especially if you go in through the longer, back way. It's akin to a religious experience for me. So peaceful and beautiful.

Speaking of that, a tour of Grace Cathedral or even a music performance there is beautiful. They get some jazz performances from time to time. It's an awe-inspiring place.

Just down the street and on the other end of the spectrum is the Tonga Room. It's fun to play tourist and drink tiki drinks while a Don Ho band plays on a boat in an indoor rain shower. Worth it to go at least once, I think. Or, if you want a great view, The Top of the Mark, across the street might be more your speed. Again, touristy--but probably worth it once.

I know it's cheesy, but I really loved Beach Blanket Babylon. The script is kept pretty current and the performances, while campy, are actually pretty good. Before or after the show, I love bumming around North Beach. I like dive bars and even pseudo-dives and this is ground zero. Skip the lame Italian food (except for rare exceptions) though.

Ride a ferry to Sausalito. Shop, walk along the waterfront, eat, drink and take it all in. It's super touristy, but in a fun way and the ferry ride is one of the best parts of the trip.

Go to Lagunitas Brewery in Petaluma. It looks lame from the outside, but they have live bands on the weekend, pretty good food and free tours. You can get flights of beers you'll only find there. Plus, the hops they use smell a lot like freshly dried marijuana. So, it kinda makes you wonder...

See a concert at Mountain Winery. Tickets are expensive, but some pretty big names play there.

The Santa Cruz boardwalk can be fun for a retro-carnival experience. It's nice to grab lunch and just walk around on a sunny day there, too. The downtown area has lots of galleries, craft vendors, wine bars and such.

Speaking of wine--Head up to Healdsburg. There are many great tasting rooms all centered on the square, so you can stroll rather than drive to sample wines. Plus some amazing restaurants are within a short walk of all the nice shops on the square. Really cool little town.

Hike up in the foothills and lakes around Ross. You can fish there too. It's beautiful around Lake Lagunitas.

Bike the bridge if you haven't ever done it. It's exhilarating. You can rent a bike by the Wharf if you don't have a way to get yours close enough.

I think a day at the DeYoung and the Cal Academy in Golden Gate Park is always fun. Get a CityPass that gives you admission to all, or wait for free days, as admission is high. Go fast if you want to see SFMOMA, too. It'll close soon for remodeling.

Drive and Hike up Mt. Diablo. It's incredible up there. I have started at the bottom in 68 and sunny and found ice on the north face at the summit. You can see pretty much from Fairfield to San Jose on a clear day. Beautiful.

Hope that gets you started. This is a great place to be a tourist. I'm one almost every weekend.

[Ruth4Truth]

Originally Posted by mayorhaggar

Overrated:
Fisherman's Wharf
Muir Woods
Chinatown

Underrated:
Lands' End
Lake Merritt (on a nice day)
hiking in Briones
neighborhoods: Lower Pac Hts, Inner Sunset, Inner Richmond, Glen Park

Properly rated:
Alcatraz
Driving on 1 from Pacifica to Santa Cruz, or south of Monterey. (between Santa Cruz and Monterey it's mostly boring farmland)
Dolores Park

No stand of redwoods could POSSIBLY be over-rated. It can't be done. Muir Woods goes in the "Properly Rated" column.

Under-rated: Lake Temescal Park. The redwood forest in the East Oakland Hills. Walking through tree-lined Claremont neighborhoods and enjoying the architecture and occasional views of the Bay.

What's so great about Dolores Park?

[dalparadise]

I think Dolores Park is fun on a sunny Sunday afternoon after lunch at a taqueria and a few beers. It's great for a kind of San Francisco old school hippie (hipster) carnival atmosphere--sort of like what the Panhandle must've been like in the late 60s. I like the people-watching and the neighborhood. I wouldn't call it "touristy" though.

[Ruth4Truth]

Thanks for sharing. I can see how that could be a pleasant afternoon thing for locals.

[dalparadise]

Originally Posted by Ruth4Truth

Thanks for sharing. I can see how that could be a pleasant afternoon thing for locals.

Yeah, there are sometimes organized and often unorganized musical performances there. It's usually pretty active. Valencia is just a couple of blocks away, too.

If I may add to the CityPass thing for the OP--it's really something. It seems expensive, but the things it covers are outrageously priced, so it ends up being a pretty good deal if you can find enough time during your stay to do it all.

It includes a Bay cruise under both bridges, which is nice. It also gets you in to your choice of the small aquarium at the Wharf (which doesn't really have anything on the aquarium inside the Cal Academy, IMO) or the excellent (I have heard) Monterrey Bay Aquarium. There are several other attractions, too.

You also get unlimited cable car and Muni rides for the duration of the pass, so that's great for getting around without worrying about parking. I think it's cool to ride the cable cars, despite the thumbs-down from many here. I use them as a commuter every day and enjoy it every time. I meet people from all over the world and strike up conversations. It's a great ride, if you're not paying $6 per, as you would without the pass. Without a pass, I would concur with the tip to avoid them.

If OP rides just one cable car, make it the Powell-Hyde (the maroon North-South line). It winds through charming neighborhoods and offers amazing vistas and sights along the way. Don't sit--stand on the running board and enjoy the wind in your face as you hit the tops of Russian and Nob Hills. With a pass, you can also feel free to step off along the way and explore the neighborhoods on the route, then catch another car later on. Touristy? Sure. Like anywhere else on the planet? No way.

[jade408]

I love the cartoon art museum. Small museum, packed with stuff. I second the Oakland museum. Allot more time than you think, there is so much to see. I also like the Japanese Tea Garden in golden gate park. That is fun.

If you do feel like heading to San Jose, the tech museum and the Egyptian museum are great.

Continuing on Oakland day, the grand lake farmers market + a picnic at the rose garden and a walk around the lake with a stop in the Cleveland cascades would be fun.

[Ruth4Truth]

Originally Posted by dalparadise

You also get unlimited cable car and Muni rides for the duration of the pass, so that's great for getting around without worrying about parking. I think it's cool to ride the cable cars, despite the thumbs-down from many here. I use them as a commuter every day and enjoy it every time. I meet people from all over the world and strike up conversations. It's a great ride, if you're not paying $6 per, as you would without the pass. Without a pass, I would concur with the tip to avoid them.

If OP rides just one cable car, make it the Powell-Hyde (the maroon North-South line). It winds through charming neighborhoods and offers amazing vistas and sights along the way. Don't sit--stand on the running board and enjoy the wind in your face as you hit the tops of Russian and Nob Hills. With a pass, you can also feel free to step off along the way and explore the neighborhoods on the route, then catch another car later on. Touristy? Sure. Like anywhere else on the planet? No way.

That's great that there's a pass that allows unlimited rides on transit. I like to take the California cable car up toward the end. Van Ness is a funky neighborhood. It's nice to ride a car that isn't full of tourists.

I'd caution the OP about the Powell car. The problem is that it's mainly used as a tourist ride now, and there are lines to get on. Especially at the end, near Ghirardelli Square, it can take over an hour to get on for the return trip. And I wouldn't suggest getting off mid-route, unless you don't plan to get back on. Those Powell cars run packed. You can get off at the top of the first hill, and walk down to Chinatown, though.

Maybe mid-week it's not as busy on the Powell line, idk. Just a word of caution, there. It's definitely a spectacular ride, though, especially from the running boards.

[dalparadise]

Originally Posted by Ruth4Truth

That's great that there's a pass that allows unlimited rides on transit. I like to take the California cable car up toward the end. Van Ness is a funky neighborhood. It's nice to ride a car that isn't full of tourists.

I'd caution the OP about the Powell car. The problem is that it's mainly used as a tourist ride now, and there are lines to get on. Especially at the end, near Ghirardelli Square, it can take over an hour to get on for the return trip. And I wouldn't suggest getting off mid-route, unless you don't plan to get back on. Those Powell cars run packed. You can get off at the top of the first hill, and walk down to Chinatown, though.

Maybe mid-week it's not as busy on the Powell line, idk. Just a word of caution, there. It's definitely a spectacular ride, though, especially from the running boards.

That's a great point about the end of the line. However, I was down at the bottom of Hyde last Wednesday evening (6pm) and decided to catch the cable car to go to the top of the hill. Knowing better than to go all the way down to the turnaround, I walked up just a block above the Buena Vista and hopped right on. They rarely seem to load the running boards these days, so it's easy to catch a car at curbside just a block or so up the line if you're willing to ride on the running boards (which I prefer anyway).

I live on Russian Hill, so my typical cable car commute home is to ride the California line up to Powell, then transfer to the Powell-Hyde. It's very rare that I have to let a car go past because it's too full. Of course, that is always during the week. There are times when I ride the California line all the way to Polk, then walk the rest of the way over to Russian Hill. Depends on my mood.

[Ruth4Truth]

Well, it sounds like you're using the Powell line well outside of tourist hours. Sounds great, I'm glad there are some people who use the cable cars as transport on a regular basis. Really one of the great things about living in SF!

And variety definitely is the spice of life. Great to vary your routine. Are the brakemen still as much fun as they used to be?