ROFL.... Hijack the thread.!!!
pushback said:Ivanist said:pushback said:I'm glad you had fun in my city! I love it here. The only thing you missed was your own private air tour. If you come out again, PM me. If you are willing to take BART out to Pleasanton I will take you up in a Cessna 172 and give you the city tour--take you up to Napa, or wherever. I just love to fly so no charge for the pilot (me) but you need to cover the airplane expenses. The engine runs at $90/hour, engine time.

Any FW'ers can take me up on this. I get to build time in my log book and you get a cheap ride! AND ... I get to show off my city!

(BTW: I am Commercial/IFR rated and have hundreds of hours logged)

Wow...pretty nice of you! Thank you in advance for your offer!!

Absolutely!

Just to elaborate--I can take 3 passengers and the clock runs only while the engine is on. So if we fly over the city, land in Napa, hang out for the day, fly back, that's only 2.5 to 3 hours of engine time.

How cool is that?

Sorry--didn't mean to hijack the thread.

Hmmmm--maybe a poor choice of words.

OP: Thanks for taking the time to post such a detailed report, it sounds like you really had a great trip!

Pushback: That's a very generous - and tempting - offer! My boyfriend moved up there several months ago and we've started exploring the city a little bit at a time, trying to hit a balance between getting to know the City and seeing some of the touristy bits. Are there any places (touristy or otherwise) you might recommend?

Pushback, thanks for the extra tips....I will keep those in mind when I go back!

Mini....yes, I did have a great time and it's my pleasure! Now, I'm gearing up for a trip to Buenos Aires.....lots of research to do and so little time!

vnw98 said:Hey guys. Thank god i found this thread in time. I am heading out to san fransisco in september 16th from stl. I will be there untill the 20. I am thinking about getting the city pass, as I would love to see alcatraz, use the muni, and the bus system to get around the city. My dad is going to be at his business meeting, so me and my mom are going to do a lot of sight seeing. Ahhh vacation from work its going to be great. If any of you have some suggestions about what other things to do in the city, or where to eat pls msg me, or post in the thread. Also the person who is a pilot I would so take you up on the offer, cuz I love to fly, but I dont think my mom would be up for that in such a small place. Anyways Cali here I COME.

Eats:

House of Prime Rib: Excellent. See website for menu. Make a reservation, even if its during the week at odd times (people were waiting for tables at 9pm on a Thursday). About $40 p/p with a drink. Take a cab...about $7 plus tip from Union Square.

Cortez (in Hotel Adagio): Very Good. See website for menu; small portions is their niche. Make a reservation; consider using opentable.com About $50 p/p with a drink. Walkable from Union Square area...watch out for the homeless (if that bothers you) at night.

Askew Grill - Haight-Ashbury location: Excellent. Few blocks from Golden Gate Park. Multiple locations for this restaurant. Good for lunch. About $10-$12 p/p with a drink. askewgrill.com

City Pass:

Worth it if you plan to use the MUNI and the trolleys multiple times. Alcatraz tour is an additional fee on top of your CityPass voucher. Lines for that tour were very long even at 8am on a Friday. Be sure to see the Aquarium, SFMOMA, and Museum in Golden Gate Park, all of which come with your CityPass. Flower Conservatory ($5) was pretty nice too...short walk from the Museum in the Park.

Learn the bus and street car routes for the attractions you wish to see. Get up EARLY for a trolley ride leaving from Powell and Market (line was about 10 deep for a 7:30am ride on a Friday...line was hundreds deep by early afternoon).

Have fun!

I use to work in the Union Square area and as far food is concerned, there are plenty of great places to eat. My favorite lunchtime spots are Blonde's Pizza on Powell & Market next to the cable car stop, which is possibly the most popular and tastiest pizza in the city. Also, there is King of Tai on Ofarrell and Powell. Food is served very fast and everything on the menu is tasty and reasonably priced at roughly $5-8 a plate. Also, in the Downtown Shopping Center top floor there is a Nordstrom's Bistro which serves a nice lunch menu. I eat there every once in a while because its a little more $ at 7-$9 for a meal, but the food is good so I treat myself now and then. Other choices are at Macy's bottom floor where you can have Wolfgang Pucks as well as others, or go across the street to Macy's East building and go to the top and have Cheesecake Factory.
I'd recommend taking a guided tour vs. going it on your own ONLY because traffic in the city isnt very pleasant. If you plan on taking public transportation then it'll be a tad better. Parking at the Pier is rediculious and dont even think of finding a parking space in Chinatown. A place I enjoy visiting that I dont think may people consider when visiting here is SBC Park. Its still one of the nicest stadiums in the country and has statues outside of Willie Mays, McCovey and Orlando Cepeda. I always go out there to shoot pics( sample)because its a nice walk along the embarcadero.

Thanks for the info, I will keep those resturants in mind when I am there.

It's only China "town", not China.

I work in Pleasanton but live in the South Bay...any chance you can pick me up and take me to work to avoid all that traffic one of these days?

LOL!