<p>Since everyone has so many good travel ideas I thought I would pose another. </p>
<p>DH and I will be in SF for just one Sunday at the end of the month. We are actually staying outside in San Bruno since it is a business trip for me. If you had one day for SF or the surrounding areas, what would you do?</p>
<p>Have brunch at the Beach Chalet (overlooks the ocean at the west end of Golden Gate Park)–then explore the park (museums if the weather is bad, gardens (Japanese and botanical) if it is good. </p>
<p>Or coffee at the Ferry Building (foot of Market Street) and then ride the trolleys out to Castro or the Haight or the cable car up and down California.</p>
<p>My favorite thing to do in San Francisco is find some vistas: If the weather is nice, take a walk in the Marin Headlands–easily accessible off route 101 near the Golden Gate Bridge. There’s also a great overlook in Golden Gate Park that you could do after the brunch and walk suggested above.</p>
<p>One Sunday? Wow, that’s way too little time! DW and I like walking, so that’s our bias for a Sunday. Brunch is OK since nothing happens in the morning. Noonish walk through the Haight and GG Park, a take-out lunch at a place of your choice (we like Gordo’s near the Park), then a walk across the GG Bridge, then through the Marina, and wrap up with a walk through Fisherman’s Wharf and Pier 39. Dinner somewhere you like, followed by trolly over to downtown and then up the hill for a nighttime walk through Chinatown. You’ll need to move/park the car several times, but usually this isn’t a problem on a Sunday. Enjoy!</p>
<p>I’d totally go check out Haight-Ashbury, maaaaaaaaaaannnnnnn.</p>
<p>[This</a> is LOTS OF FUN and very interesting too!](<a href=“GoCar Tours of San Francisco: GoCars & Electric Mopeds”>GoCar Tours of San Francisco: GoCars & Electric Mopeds)</p>
<p>[Customer</a> comments](<a href=“http://www.gocartours.com/pages/customer-opinions.html]Customer”>http://www.gocartours.com/pages/customer-opinions.html)</p>
<p>I’d go to Muir Woods–it’s my favorite thing to do in SF. I’d also find a great restaurant & enjoy a wonderful meal. Depends on what type of food you like, but you can definitely find it at a reasonable price in SF. Lunches are always a bit less expensive than dinner & breakfast is even cheaper (usually).</p>
<p>A cruise on the bay to (or avoiding) Alcatraz. Fisherman’s Wharf is interesting. Golden Gate Park is always gorgeous. Still, my favorite will always be Muir Woods.</p>
<p>Have you been in the area before?</p>
<p>If you like CITY…I’m sure you’ll get lots of suggestions from people here about things to do in SF. ANY of the museums, parks, shopping areas are wonderful!</p>
<p>If you’ve been to SF, and want a somewhat more “scenic” afternoon…head over to Pacifica, and travel down Highway 1 to Half Moon Bay. It will likely take less than an hour…and…the scenery traveling down the highway on just this brief ride is breathtaking (unless it’s something you do all the time…and maybe it gets to feel commonplace for people who live out there.) Half Moon Bay is a fun, touristy town with lots of little shops and places to eat. There’s probably more to do there…but it’s all I had time for!</p>
<p>On CC, I received a recommendation to stay at one of the lighthouses that is on the coast and run by the American Youth Hostel organization. The one I stayed at is about 40 -45 minutes from Pacifica. I stayed at the Montara Lighthouse for just one night. Accommodations in my private room were sparse…but the scenery and interesting people more than made up for it!</p>
<p>The problem with a short time in the SF area is that there is just too much to do…especially if you’ve never been there before!</p>
<p>I’m with Geezermom. I would definitely go for a walk on the Golden Gate Bridge (don’t need to go all the way across). And I would join all the other tourists and ride a cable car. It is fun and the views are spectacular. </p>
<p>Then I would go by my old apartment on Russian Hill (Green St) and head over to Oakland and check out the old neighborhood near Lake Merrit… sigh.</p>
<p>We did this recently:</p>
<p>-Walk in GG park
-brunch at Yank Sing–world’s best dim sum, nothing like it in NYC, cab to
-Ferry building–great shops, fun to see
-walked from Ferry Building to North Beach, had coffee and Italian cookies
-walked through Chinatown to Union Square, did some shopping
-dinner at the Cliff House
-night cap at Top of The Mark (Mark Hopkins Hotel)
-slept for 12 hours!</p>
<p>Are you renting a car? If you’re in San Bruno, head first to GG Park because it’s so easy to get to. Hwy 380 to 280 to 19th Ave. - turn right on Fulton, right into the underground garage and you’re under the concourse. The beach chalet has a great view, but the food is better at the museum restaurants. Both the De Young and the Cal Academy of Sciences are new buildings, well worth seeing. The Cal Academy has been mobbed since it opened, so go there early. It’s really spectacular. Don’t miss the living roof. Other fun things to do in the park - tea at the Japanese Tea Garden (next to the De Young) and walk down to the Conservatory of Flowers, which was also recently renovated and is stunning.</p>
<p>If you want to see the GG Bridge it’s just a short drive from GG Park. Then find some hills to drive up/down and head for Union Sq. It’s an easy walk over to Chinatown.</p>
<p>A great dinner option is the Slanted Door (great view, outstanding food, and you can be dressed casually) at the Ferry Building, make a reservation NOW. Then take a walk along the waterfront after dinner.</p>
<p>Thanks everyone for the great ideas so far. I have not been to SF in over 25 years. DH was there a little more recently but still over 10 years. We do have a car and just cannot decide what to do - hence the request for suggestions. We are arriving Sat evening and I have business meetings all day Monday, returning home on Tuesday, so unfortunately Sunday is it.</p>
<p>There was a lot of great info in this thread. Have a great time, we just love SF.</p>
<p><a href=“http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/parent-cafe/517500-help-planning-week-san-francisco.html?highlight=filbert[/url]”>http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/parent-cafe/517500-help-planning-week-san-francisco.html?highlight=filbert</a></p>
<p>beg to differ. Drive from Pacifica on HWY 1 toward half moon bay is away from the City. Altho its very scenic and gorgeous if those stately pine grooves are still there but its not the way to enjoy the city. </p>
<p>To do the city on 1 day I would these, there are no misses here:</p>
<ol>
<li><p>Morning: drive to Palace of Fine Arts in the marina. Try the Exploratorium if you have small kids but that will take some time to go thru all the fun exihibits and experiments</p></li>
<li><p>Drive across golden gate bridge to Sausalito. Buy Deli sandwiches and soda there. Head back up to the Marin Headllands (ask for direction at Sausalito) and have a picnic overlooking GG bridge, looking back at San Francisco sky line - a view to die for. There’s also a light house and old Fort there.</p></li>
<li><p>Short hop to Muir woods. So refreshing in stately 200 year old redwoods 20 min from the city, gives you different feel where you are in relation to nature. Ah…</p></li>
<li><p>I think you can skip Fisherman’s wharf. Just do drive by</p></li>
<li><p>head for Golden Gate Park - same route from Golden Gate bridge - I think call Park Presidio Drive or 19th Avenue - been decades since I lived there, visit the pond, green house, deYoung museum if you like that sort of things but short on time you might want to save for return visit</p></li>
<li><p>Check out the Haight</p></li>
<li><p>Just about time for dinner. I let others make suggestion because I seldom dine out at the haight. Oh, how about head back toward Chinatown and little Italy / North Beach for nice cappucino and people watching, and ease into a fabulous Italian dinner at any one of North Beach’s venerable Italian faire ?</p></li>
</ol>
<p>You will have a nice memory and ache for return visit.</p>
<p>If I were with the boys, I’d go to the Exploratorium, with dh to the Muir Woods, by myself, I’d do an architectural tour.</p>
<p>Go to the historic Claremont Resort and Spa in Berkeley for a massage (or couples massage) and for Sunday Brunch.</p>
<p>Drinks at the Top of the Mark (Hopkins) is a nice way to cap off a special time in SF as well. You can get a gorgeous view of the city and it’s pretty reasonable.</p>
<p>Bring a Never Lost GPS or rent a car that has the device. Otherwise slow traffic can eat up half of the day.</p>
<p>If you’re a culture vulture, a SF Symphony performance. It’s such a great restaurant city; find a cuisine and price range you like, and check out yelp or chow for recommendations. Feh to Fisherman’s Wharf, but the Alcatraz tour has been revamped, so if you went before, there will be new things to see and hear. Walk to/from the Ferry Building to check out the permanent farmer’s market, full of wonderful and pricey edible things. There’s also the new home of the Musee Mecanique, a collection of working antique coin-operated musical mechanical machines. Walk around Chinatown. Walk around North Beach, stopping for coffee and to look at City Lights Books. Second walking the GG bridge and Muir Woods. I’m one of the adults who can go to the Exploratorium by myself and spend half a day fully entertained, but that’s just me ;)</p>