Family Vacation? Skip San Francisco? (Vallejo, Richmond: rentals, hotels, live in)

[calgirlinnc]

We are considering Northern California for our vacation this year...we can get great prices on flights to SFO...and although my husband and kids have been to many typical bucket list destinations, they have never been to San Francisco or Northern California in general.

We could spend two nights in the city before heading out to other places such as Carmel, Yosemite, etc.

However I read such horror stories about the city now that I'm unsure whether to go there at all.

We have a 15 yo son and an 11 yo daughter.

Thoughts?

[mstnghu2]

San Francisco definitely does have plenty of issues it's grappling with...just like any other major city in the U.S. If you stick to the standard touristy stuff, you shouldn't encounter anything that would put a damper on your trip. S.F. still is a great city in many ways and you really should spend at least a day there exploring. I think you'd find that many of the negative stereotypes are completely exaggerated and some aren't. Have a great trip, whatever you decide.

[vter]

We just got back from Northern Cal with our young kids (5 & 9) and did the typical touristy stuff in San Francisco (cable cars, Fisherman's Wharf, etc) and had no issues at all. I say go for it.

[Commonproject]

SF is a good tourist city for a day or two because it's very compact. Just look at tripadvisor for top destinations and you'll have a good time. Would recommend getting around the city in Uber/Lyft

[greatblueheron]

Originally Posted by mstnghu2

San Francisco definitely does have plenty of issues it's grappling with...just like any other major city in the U.S. If you stick to the standard touristy stuff, you shouldn't encounter anything that would put a damper on your trip. S.F. still is a great city in many ways and you really should spend at least a day there exploring. I think you'd find that many of the negative stereotypes are completely exaggerated and some aren't. Have a great trip, whatever you decide.

This...

[calgirlinnc]

Originally Posted by vter

We just got back from Northern Cal with our young kids (5 & 9) and did the typical touristy stuff in San Francisco (cable cars, Fisherman's Wharf, etc) and had no issues at all. I say go for it.

Great, thank you!

Appreciate everyone's input.

[SlewsTheGoat]

I grew up across the Golden Gate in Marin but live in another state now. We brought our young kids to San Francisco a few years ago to visit family. They were 5 and 7 at the time. We had several days to do touristy stuff and had a great time. Even though I had done it all many times before, it was enjoyable to see it all through their eyes. There is so much to do in the SF Bay Area and No. Cal. You will not be able to do everything if you only have a few days, but here are some highlights of what we did, and others I would suggest.

Fisherman's Wharf and Bay Cruise (Boat goes under the GG Bridge and out to Alcatraz). My kids loved it.

Ride a cable car from the Wharf to Market St.

Pier 39 shopping and fun

Drive down Lombard(Crooked) Street

China Town (Great shopping and food. If the Potsticker restaurant is still there on Waverly Pl, check it out)

San Francisco Giants Baseball at AT&T Park

Steinhart Aquarium

Golden Gate Park

Walk the GG Bridge or at least go out to the vista point on the Marin side. Drive up to Marin Headlands.

Sausalito (a must) Great view of "The City"

Marin Woods, Stinson Beach. Make sure you go to Parkside Burgers at Stinson.

Six Flags in Vallejo

County Fairs: Check the schedule at cafairs.com :: Fair List

Wine Country, Lake Tahoe(3.5 hour drive, but worth it)

I could go on and on, but it's truly a great area, and San Francisco is without a doubt a world class city that must be seen to be believed. Your kids will not be bored.

[Ruth4Truth]

You could spend an afternoon (if not all day!) at Golden Gate Park; the kids will love it. The Japanese Tea Garden, the flower Conservatory, the Academy of Sciences with its aquarium and planetarium, the bandstand on Sundays has free swing dance lessons, and the park is closed to traffic on Sundays, to make it available to roller-skaters (skate rentals available). At the far west end of the park is the beach. There's a lake to go boating on, and the De Young Museum (check schedule for exhibits). http://sfrecpark.org/parks-open-spac...te-park-guide/

You won't encounter issues around the Richmond District. From GG Park, you can go to the Presidio; tour the historic site (it's a park), and from there, walk partway across the bridge, for views. The combo of GG Park & the Presidio and bridge could be an entire day. The kids will have a blast! You can lunch at the Cinderella Bakery on Balboa, about 3 blocks from GG Park, which is a Russian restaurant where the local Russians hang out. The kids can take delicious Russian and European pastries with them, for snacks later in the day.
http://cinderellabakery.com
https://freetoursbyfoot.com/walking-...n-gate-bridge/
https://www.presidio.gov

That will keep y'all out of trouble and harm's way for a very satisfying day! Probably everyone will want to see Chinatown the next day, and you can visit the Cable Car Museum, which is around the same general part of town. That's good for another 1/2 day, for you. I wouldn't recommend taking the Power Street Cable Car, which is the most popular one. It's so popular, it takes hours to get through the line of tourists, ride out to Ghirardelli Square (a real tourist trap), then wait another hour or more to get back on to go back downtown. INSTEAD, take the California St. car from downtown (Market Street) to the Cable Car Museum. It's a short run, and the ticket taker on the car can tell you where to get off.
http://www.cablecarmuseum.org

[Snort]

I'd combine city and nature with 2 or 3 days in the heart of SF with the rest of the time in the North Bay area (Petaluma, Healdsburg, or Windsor as a base from which to explore). You can get good deals on hotels downtown or the Financial District, though that will be harder in the summer.
Check out the redwoods and the coast in Sonoma and Mendocino counties. There's a lot to explore on Hwy 1, if you like to do outdoor things, such as hiking or kayaking (I recommend Van Damme State Park and Russian Gulch State Park for safety reasons).

[nobodysbusiness]

If you skip San Francisco, you will skip an amazing city.