going to San Francisco this summer.....
Forums:
we will be going july 4th week, quick question to those that are in the area. was wondering if i should rent a vehicle, or does mass transportation actually get us around? me i prefer a car, but if not needed, might save some cash. thanks
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Top of Page Bottom of Page PermalinkFull Name: Ausonius
I'd get a car just so you can
I'd get a car just so you can get out of the city, lots to see within a 45 minute drive up north (Mt. Tam, Stinson Beach, Bolinas, etc).
Top of Page Bottom of Page PermalinkFull Name: roland
If you are really just going
If you are really just planning to stay within the city, you can get by without a car and considering parking, it may be easier to not have one. BART and Muni are adequate, though not stellar, and of course there are Uber and Lyft. Having said that, like Thom, I would recommend getting a car for part of the time at least, simply to explore beyond the city. There is a lot of beautiful coastline just north and south and it would be a shame to not check it out while you are there.
Top of Page Bottom of Page PermalinkFull Name: Bluelight
Get a car. The mas transit
Get a car. The mas transit does not matrix that city well, plus, you will want to leave. You have to take a bus from SF Airport to the rent-a-car areas, which sucks.
If you don't get car/truck you will be really limiting what you can do, and where and when you go.
Top of Page Bottom of Page PermalinkFull Name: Def. High
Be sure to wear
Be sure to wear
Some flowers in your hair.
Top of Page Bottom of Page PermalinkFull Name: roland
> You have to take a bus from
> You have to take a bus from SF Airport to the rent-a-car areas, which sucks.
Negative. There is a free shuttle that runs every 15 mins or so, 24 hours. It's pretty darn convenient actually.
https://www.flysfo.com/services-amenities/getting-around-sfo
Top of Page Bottom of Page PermalinkFull Name: Def. High
Isn't a shuttle a bus?
Isn't a shuttle a bus?
Top of Page Bottom of Page PermalinkFull Name: roland
And flying into OAK is an
And flying into OAK is an option, there is now a link to the BART station - I have used that several times now. Just beware of gangs overtaking the BART train...
http://www.sfgate.com/crime/article/BART-takeover-robbery-50-to-60-teens...
Top of Page Bottom of Page PermalinkFull Name: Peglet
Car, there is so so so so
Car, there is so so so so much to see and do outside of the city.
Top of Page Bottom of Page PermalinkFull Name: roland
Yeah, sorry, I said shuttle -
> Isn't a shuttle a bus?
Yeah, sorry my bad, I said shuttle - but SFO now has a light rail system that goes to the parking lots and rental car area (as well as connecting to BART) as of a few years ago.
Top of Page Bottom of Page PermalinkFull Name: aiq
If you are in a car don't
If you are in a car don't forget Muir Beach...
Top of Page Bottom of Page PermalinkFull Name: Lucky Day
>>>>Be sure to wear
>>>>Be sure to wear
Some flowers in your hair.
Or jorts, or wherever. Good to hear from ya. Hadn't seen a post from you for a while and was getting ready to put together a wellness check.
Safe travels. What's bringing ya west for the 4th?
Top of Page Bottom of Page PermalinkFull Name: Def. High
7-4 might be a good time to
7-4 might be a good time to stay in the city. Traffic is always bad there but that's when EVERYBODY is driving out of town.
Top of Page Bottom of Page PermalinkFull Name: My Name is
If you are staying in one of
If you are staying in one of the bigger hotels, just remember parking is $65 a day. SF will be so busy that weekend and expensive I would think about doing things around the ferry system. Bart and Uber will be your friends. More information would help.
Top of Page Bottom of Page PermalinkFull Name: Bluelight
>>Negative. There is a free
>>Negative. There is a free shuttle that runs every 15 mins or so, 24 hours. It's pretty darn convenient actually.
Roland, I feel most major city airports you do not need a shuttle to get to the rent-a-car areas, you can walk there. This is hassle that is a unique to that airport.
Top of Page Bottom of Page PermalinkFull Name: troubador
Get a rental car and go check
Get a rental car and go check out all that abounds outside of the city. Shoot, drive to Yosemite. The jaw-dropping beauty of the mountains, waterfalls, sequoia trees, etc. is worth the effort to get there, even if it's only a day trip.
Top of Page Bottom of Page PermalinkFull Name: roland
I hear ya, Bluelight. Gotcha.
I hear ya, Bluelight. Gotcha.
Top of Page Bottom of Page PermalinkFull Name: bweir I like cheese
Having done this a few times,
Having done this a few times, I'd be careful renting a car if you staying in the city as parking is a bitch and expensive. I would recommend using Enterprose on the days you like to rent the vehicle, they will pick you up at the hotel. You can rent the car for the day do your think and then drop it off when your done.
My 2 cents
Top of Page Bottom of Page PermalinkFull Name: Strangha
My suggestion would be to
Coming from public transit deficient Salt Lake, I was pretty happy with the mass transit, but I did stay mostly in the city.
My suggestion would be to rent a convertible, at least for one day, so you can drive across the Golden Gate Bridge and go see the redwoods and the coast.
Fear and Loathing!
I'd also recommend some time at the California Museum at the Legion of Honor. The new aquarium by GG Park was nice too.
Have a great time.
Top of Page Bottom of Page PermalinkFull Name: I rang a silent bell
Have fun! We rented a car
Have fun! We rented a car and as others posted it was worth it to get outside of the city.
Is there still a water taxi to go from the city to TXR?
Top of Page Bottom of Page PermalinkFull Name: Lord Kalvert
I may be down there that week
I may be down there that week also- sure is going to be tough not having mother's house to crash at any more.
I'm long overdue.
Top of Page Bottom of Page PermalinkFull Name: Painted Mandolin
I live in SF - if you have
I live in SF - if you have real questions feel free to ping me.
Muni and Bart are adequate - but in many cases, they beat having a car because of the paucity of parking.
Lyft and Uber can be good but I recommend Lyft as it's less of a corporate scam.
If you want to be at TXR or Sweetwater - you need a car.
If you have time B4 the 4th - this looks pretty fun- but ya'd need a car for sure cause it's 240 miles to Quincy....
Top of Page Bottom of Page PermalinkFull Name: Localcountyline
Rent a car. Be aware that
Rent a car. Be aware that Highway 1 is closed between Muir Beach
and Stinson Beach, and will be until October.
SF has tons of rent-a-car break-ins, so be careful where you park and don't
leave anything in the car.
Top of Page Bottom of Page PermalinkFull Name: Sless is Best
As your trip gets closer,
As your trip gets closer, shout out here for any help or Zoner hookups you may need, Jorma!
**** this is major warning about renting a car and parking in lots at public parks and beaches in SF***
Do not leave ANYTHING of value in the car
leave NOTHING in SIGHT!!!
I speak from experience while having guests and taking them to the Cliff House and Sutro Baths in SF
Your window will be smashed and all will be gone. Happens all the time there!
Has happened to 3 different people we know in the last 8 months... usually at Ocean Beach, SF.
Klowan is right... use Lyft and Bart, Muni, etc while in SF
rent car for days outside the city...
Top of Page Bottom of Page PermalinkFull Name: Sless is Best
True that, Local!
True that, Local!
Top of Page Bottom of Page PermalinkFull Name: Sycamore Slough
After much bargain-hunting &
After much bargain-hunting & online shopping, the best rental car deal was from Hertz's 2nd-tier company at Oakland Airport. They have the older Hertz cars with a dent or scratch, still run fine. I reserved a micro-compact and drove away with a Ford SUV (they ran out of what I reserved before my 10:30 AM pickup time). Actually that was good in that the larger more comfortable vehicle was same $$. I forget the company name though.
I only needed it 4-5 days to leave the Bay Area and head to points North, so I didn't have to deal with SF parking. Did drive from TXR to east Bay one night. It's a little tricky if you don't know the area real well, all those bridges and barely-marked on/off-ramps.
Top of Page Bottom of Page PermalinkFull Name: MikePA
For our long weekend we used
For our long weekend we used BART and MUNI 95% of the time, the only time we didn't was after the JRAD show in Oakland we took the BART back to the Mission for late night munchies and had to cab back to the hotel @ 3 am, other than that we walked, rode the bus and BART - heck, we even took MUNI / BART back and forth from the airport...if we had stayed longer i'd have rented a car to get up to Muir and Stinson...
Top of Page Bottom of Page PermalinkFull Name: Ken D.
>>>Car, there is so so so so
>>>Car, there is so so so so much to see and do outside of the city.
Yep. Unless you are in town for only a weekend, getting a car is a must for at least part of the trip. Parking in town is a hassle, but can be done with the right amount of patience and perseverance (we usually stay with friends in East Bay so its not much of an issue).
As for renting the car at the airport, the train that circles SFO makes a stop at the rent a car center.
Top of Page Bottom of Page PermalinkFull Name: Rich Pankanin
thanks for the ideas, will be
thanks for the ideas, will be renting a car. parking at the hotel which will be expensive but safer. timmy nice to hear from you too. just going cause the mrs got me this trip for my birthday. never been there and i always wanted to check it out. one thing off the bucket list lol. thanks again all.