San Fran with Teenage Boys?

Parent Cafe
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<p>The one week that both my boys are available to vacation is mid-August so I determined the vacation destination based on average temperature!</p>

<p>Other than Alcatraz, what else should we do? And any ideas where to stay that is cheap, clean and has wifi? We’d rather spend money on having fun and stay cheaply. </p>

<p>We’ll rent a car so day trips are fine! The boys are very fit and DH wants at least one decent hike. We toyed with Yellowstone, but we started planning too late.</p>

<p>Thanks in advance!</p>

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<p>The Cow Hollow Inn is in a nice/fun/hip neighborhood and includes covered parking. I would suggest a trip to Muir Woods for hiking and a trip to Half Moon Bay for biking along the ocean. You can easily see the city on one of those cheesy double decker bus tours and then go back and explore what you like.</p>

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<p>Easy in city hikes would be Sutro, Lands End, Christy Field, Twin Peaks. Outside the city you hit some amazing things. Fitzgearld Marine Reserve, Castle Rock, Mt Tamalpais, Mt Diablo, Muir Woods, Rodeo Beach, the list goes on and on. PM me if you want to know something specific. Hotel wise hmm I’ve heard people get really good deals via hotwire and priceline. You can use betterbidding to figure out what the hotels are before you go.</p>

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<p>Be sure to do the Exploratorium, and get tickets to the Tactile Dome in advance. It is so much fun there, and they may not even realize it is physics! </p>

<p>Golden Gate Park has a lot of wonderful things to do and then you can spend a liitle time on Haight.</p>

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<p>Do they scuba dive? If so, then the Monterey/Carmel area south of SF along the coast has some decent diving (for cold low visibility water). Point Lobos is nice for this. </p>

<p>If you’re in the Monterey/Carmel area then do the 17 mile scenic drive and see the Monterey aquarium. If you’re into golf you might want to try a course in that area.</p>

<p>Another interesting area is Ano Nuevo state park where elephant seals go to breed.
[url=&lt;a href=“HTTP404”&gt;Año Nuevo SP]A</a></p>

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<p>Academy of sciences
Take the ferry to Angel Island and rent bikes or do a Segway tour
Walk across Golden Gate Bridge, </p>

<p>For urban hikes, find a copy of the book “Stairway Walks in San Fransisco”. The book gives great historical and architectural background of the sights you will see on each walk. With all the steps you will get a workout and see somecamazing views!</p>

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<p>Make sure you bring some jackets - especially coming from Houston. You can’t believe how cold it can be right on the coast in that area when the low clouds come in along with a wind - especially walking across the GG bridge (which I agree is a worthwhile thing to do).</p>

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<p>You guys are awesome!!! MizzBee, Exploratorium is right up DH’s alley! GladGradDad, No scuba divers but your links are amazing. I love photography and would love to capture some good elephant seal shots!</p>

<p>One other thing, my hobby is stained/fused glass. I know there are tons of artsy stuff in the area, but the guys won’t go for much of that. If there’s some “can’t-miss” glass art I might reserve a half-day or so for myself! Any tips for that would be appreciated.</p>

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<p>Pier 39 is really fun and that area has a lot of unique shops, including some artsy stuff.</p>

<p>Actually anywhere in Fisherman’s Wharf…that’s my favorite area of SF. Boudin is the best clam chowder I’ve ever had. The sea lions are almost always out, especially in summer.</p>

<p>I agree that bringing a jacket is a must…even in the sun the winds can be pretty strong.</p>

<p>One last thing: it’s a little more of a drive (~2 hours), but Armstrong Redwoods in Guerneville is amazing to go and hike.</p>

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<p>Alcatraz needs to be booked online way in advance.</p>

<p>For art, take a boat to Sausalito, or when going to Muir Woods you could also drive there. However, nothing beats a boat ride. There are two good seafood restaurants on the water right when you get off the boat. </p>

<p>There may also be a marine museum on Pier 39 with lots of seals lounging on the pier nearby.</p>

<p>On Pier 39 there is a fabulous photography studio - mostly nature stuff done by one artist.</p>

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<p>Exploratorium, Muir woods (40 minutes from downtown), a walk to see Lombard Street, Liberty Ship [SS</a> JEREMIAH O’BRIEN - The National Liberty Ship Memorial, Inc](<a href=“http://www.ssjeremiahobrien.org/]SS”>http://www.ssjeremiahobrien.org/) . And for the one can’t miss thing off the beaten path - go have ice cream here: [|</a> Flavors |](<a href=“http://www.humphryslocombe.com/|_Flavors_|.html]|”>http://www.humphryslocombe.com/|_Flavors_|.html) The most ridiculous and yet strangely wonderful flavors. You can have a pretty authentic taco around the corner at Taqueria Vallarta (3033 24th St

  • between Balmy St & Treat Ave) . It’s a hole in the wall with amazing murals full of misremembered facts.</p>
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<p>What a coincidence! I am taking my 16 year old son to San Francisco in two weeks. His first trip there, my third (though the first two were not even a full day and hardly count). His main interests are Asian culture/art and video gaming. And disagreeing with every suggestion his dad makes. Not much of a foodie. Loves movies. Here is our itinerary:</p>

<p>Haight-Ashbury with stops at KidRobot and dinner at Club Deluxe (for their well-regarded pizza)
Alcatraz early bird tour (wanted the night tour but it sold out)
Fisherman’s Wharf with a stop at Musee Mecanique
3D Herzog movie in the Castro Theatre
Chinatown
Asian Art Museum
Marrakech Magic Theater
Muir Woods
Marin County Civic Center (for dad)
Point Reyes Hiking and wildlife watching.</p>

<p>We wanted to go on the Dashiell Hammett Walking Tour, but it looks like the guide/owner may be scaling back, as its only offered in May and September now.</p>

<p>We’re only doing three days in the city before heading north to spend time visiting family.</p>

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<p>I would consider renting bikes and biking over GG Bridge to Sausalito and taking ferry back.</p>

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<p>Check the current walks page of the Hammett site: [Current</a> Walks | Up and Down These Mean Streets](<a href=“Current Walks | Up and Down These Mean Streets”>Current Walks | Up and Down These Mean Streets) as they have walks scheduled for June 17 and July 1.</p>

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<p>-Start with a HOp on/Hop off double decker bus tour for all. Get an idea of places you want to spend time at…</p>

<p>-If they HAVE to ride cable cars, either go early in a.m, or do the California Street line…</p>

<p>-Go over GG Bridge, head out to Marine Mammal Center (rehabs seals and sea lions–interesting); continue to Rodeo Beach for tide pooling, etc. or head down the road to Stinson Beach. Rent boards, wet suits, etc.</p>

<p>-Take ferry to Sausalito, walk down to Bay Model Visitor Center; nearby are kayak and paddleboard rental places.</p>

<p>-Drive to Mount Tamalpais, in Marin County. Drive up as far as you can, then hike the last mile up to top–great views, if it’s not foggy. Then drive down, down, down and go to Muir Woods to see giant redwoods.</p>

<p>-Rent Bikes at Wharf and bike over Bridge to Sausalito and return on Ferry. You can also rent segues (sp?), and little 3 wheeled cars (not sure what they are called).</p>

<p>-From Tiburon, take ferry to Angel Island (used to be the “Ellis Island” of the West). Bike or Hike around—fabulous City, GGB & Bay Bridge views.</p>

<p>-Go to Exploratorium; then walk to Chrissy Field–you can walk to the base of GGB.</p>

<p>-At Chrissy Field, one of the converted hangars has House of Air Trampoline–great fun,
and kids are really worn out after an hour!</p>

<p>-At Wharf, be sure to see the Sea Lions on Pier 39. Also, Musee Mechanique ([Welcome</a> to the Musee Mecanique - The Mechanical Musuem](<a href=“http://www.museemechanique.org%5DWelcome”>http://www.museemechanique.org)) has lots of old coin operated penny arcade games–my kid spent hours in there. Next to that is a retired submarine that you can tour.</p>

<p>-Yes, do the Alcatraz tour… [Things</a> To Know Before You Come - Alcatraz Island](<a href=“http://www.nps.gov/alca/planyourvisit/things2know.htm]Things”>http://www.nps.gov/alca/planyourvisit/things2know.htm)
get tickets in advance. Try the night tour!</p>

<p>-Cable car museum; walk thru Chinatown (go to Stockton St.-locals vs. Grant Street-touristy.</p>

<p>-If the Giants are in town, the ballpark is fabulous, south on the Embarcadero.
-If you are American League fans, hop Bart and go over to see the Oakland A’s.</p>

<p>CAR: in SF, a car is a big, expensive hassle. (Expect hotel parking $40+/night). If you are fit, you do not need it. Walk, use streetcars, muni, bikes, etc. </p>

<p>When you do need a car, rent one…some at Wharf, also rentals near Ferry Building.
(Ferry Building is basically Pier 0. Going towards Wharf/bridge, the piers are odd #'s 1-41. Going south towards Ballpark, piers are even 2-40).</p>

<p>I’d also suggest getting on Groupon, Living Social and Goldstar for the SF Bay area. I often see deals for tourist events (bikes/kayaks/bay cruises, etc.). Just watch the expiration dates.</p>

<p>Have fun–SF is a great outdoor City!</p>

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<p>^^ Segway, not segue…oy. long day.</p>

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<p>Also for teens of all ages: [Welcome</a> to the Musee Mecanique - The Mechanical Musuem](<a href=“http://www.museemechanique.org/]Welcome”>http://www.museemechanique.org/)</p>

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<p>We did the Segway tour when we were there w/a 11 y.o. – we all had a blast. It was really fun. </p>

<p>The Musee Mecanique is creepy in a way adults and teens would probably enjoy.</p>

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<p>A couple of other ideas, one in the city, one on the Peninsula:</p>

<p>[San</a> Francisco Cable Car Museum](<a href=“http://www.cablecarmuseum.org/]San”>http://www.cablecarmuseum.org/)</p>

<p>[Computer</a> History Museum](<a href=“http://www.computerhistory.org/]Computer”>http://www.computerhistory.org/)</p>

<p>And I second the suggestion of bringing a sweater - it can be very cold even during the day.</p>

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<p>Take a half day trip across the bay to Berkeley. Tell your kids about the free speech movement (and Patty Hearst, lol) as you walk through the beautiful UC Berkeley campus and along Telegraph Ave. Then head to the gourmet ghetto to pick up some wonderful bread/cheese/fruit and drive up into the Berkeley hills – maybe to the Lawrence Hall of Science – where you can eat your gourmet snack while enjoying a spectacular view of SF/Bay/Marin County/both bridges.</p>

<p>PS If you’re from Houston, bring more than a sweater. Fleece, jeans and a scarf is more like it for those who come to SF from hot places.</p>