Staying in Union Square or Fisherman's Wharf better

[KRISTINsf]

Originally Posted by Boompa

1) December is usually rain and fog but that's usually

2) There is public transportation every other block. I love the classic Trollies on the F route and the ferries.

3) Take the 38 bus to the end of the line and walk down the hill to the Cliff house, overlooking the Ocean. Good place for dinner.

4) You can rent a ZIPCAR by the hour and drive over to the Marin Headlands

5) The Ferry to Jack London Square in Oakland is good too. Some good resturants there and Oakland Chinatown a few blocks away

If you're gonna cross the Bay Bridge to Oakland, in addition to Jack London Square and Chinatown, you may as well cruise up to Emeryville and check out Pixar studios and the biotech industry is there as well.

Continue up Telegraph Av and check out Shattuck Sq in Berkeley as well as the university at Berkeley. Park and walk around campus as Berkeley is the flagship of the California school system. On the way out go thru Piedmont and Montclair, these are quaint little uni type towns and offer much flavor as you are getting away from the tourists and actually mixing with real Californians.

Last but not least as you exit out, cruise by the original Hells Angels Motorcyle Club on Foothill Blvd. This is the Oakland chapter, the most infamous, the one that put them on the map. Needless to say, at this point you'll really be knee deep in true California lifestyle. Definitely not your tourist traps.

[matt345]

Choose Union Square if you want to stay "in the city". Choose Fisherman's Wharf if you want to stay in a tacky, overly-touristy theme park.

[pectin232]

What good foods are there in San Francisco like shuck Oysters, seafood in general or others must eat sort of thing?

[Beat02]

Have never stayed at Hotel Triton, but it does look nice, comfy and most importantly, affordable. It's 3 blocks to Union Square, 5 minutes from Montgomery BART Station, and right across from the Chinatown gate.

Reviews:
Hotel Triton - Nob Hill - San Francisco, CA

[skyway31]

While we're on the topic of finding good hotels for folks from out of town to stay in, how about Cow Hollow suites in the Marina? You can get a suite for $220 a night and be near lots of shops in a nice neighboorhood. Anybody stayed there? And does anybody know of any other such places with suites in a nice part of town for under $250 a night?

[rah]

I'd recommend Union square. As others have said it's more centrally located, with more public transportation options (though nearly all of city has perfectly fine public transportation as well...downtown is just the epicenter where tons of bus/train lines plus the cable cars and BART all converge). Fisherman's wharf/Pier 39 is fun, I won't deny it. But it's also mostly a cheesy, overpriced tourist trap that does get old pretty fast. The highlights for me are the bay views, sea lions, In-N-Out (the only one in SF) and the street performers (and Bushman). Also, Alcatraz is worth a visit, and the ferry leaves from Fisherman's Wharf. There's some good food too, but lots of overpriced and overrated stuff as well from my experience.

Originally Posted by KRISTINsf

Last but not least as you exit out, cruise by the original Hells Angels Motorcyle Club on Foothill Blvd. This is the Oakland chapter, the most infamous, the one that put them on the map. Needless to say, at this point you'll really be knee deep in true California lifestyle. Definitely not your tourist traps.

Not trying to nitpick here, but from what i've always known (and what wikipedia confirms) the original Hells Angels clubs were formed in Fontana, Gardena, and San Francisco...so how exactly did Oakland put them on the map?