Hello SFO Bay area californians... Need some tips

tsk1979 · August 8, 2007

Hi guys, we are here for couple of months in Santa Clara.
On some weekend we plan to go to Drieden Caltrain station(After catching the VTA) from santa clara to the caltrain station, and catch the train to SFO.

Now here we need some help
1. We will use tram or bus to go around in SFO. Can you guys suggest some nice spots to visit. We maybe go on the alcatraz cruise too. I heard there is a 3 mile walk also for those who are hiking kinds?
2. Any secret locations you know from where you get great sunsets and view of SFO. How to get there(1 mile walking is okay)
3. I guess we will be free by 8-8:30pm. After that from the sunset point you suggest how do we get back to caltrain station? We would like to catch the caltrain by 10pm so that we are in santa clara by around 11pm or so therefore we can get VTA back to our apartment complex.

I'll be with my wife, and we both can walk quite a bit, but we don't want to get stuck in SFO with all trains over...!
Please give all the advice you can, esp those of you who take the caltrain to SFO and have explored the Golden gate park and stuff like Fishermans wharf etc.,

Dee · August 8, 2007

I see a lot of people in San Francisco using these little yellow vehicles to get around, especially in the Crissy Field area. I'm not sure what they are or where you get one. I'll try to check it out tomorrow.

I googled them, a bit expensive, but here's the information.
http://www.alcatraz.us/tours/tourDetail.cfm?tour_id=3612

There are also bike rental places you might google.

A really good book, Photo Secrets of San Francisco
[URL="http://www.amazon.com/PhotoSecrets-San-Francisco-Northern-California
/dp/0965308715"]http://www.amazon.com/PhotoSecrets-San-Francisco-Northern-California/dp/0965308715[/URL]

I don't use public transportation in San Francisco, so I can't help much. Maybe someone else can chime in.

claudermilk · August 9, 2007

I found this link to be invaluable (thanks, Alvin!) when I went through a few months ago.

oh, BTW, this is the kind of thread the Location, Location, Location forum is for.

tsk1979 · August 10, 2007

thats a wonderful link!!!
Well I posted in "Big picture" because I wanted some non photography related advice.
And dee, we're on a budget... So that rules out 173$ shopping carts

photodoug · August 10, 2007

If you can finagle a way to get to Marin County (just north of SF), go to Tiburon, take a short ferry ride to Angel Island and hike for 5 miles around Angel Island...unique views of SF, Alcatraz, Golden Gate Bridge. This is the Ellis Island of the west (best) coast. There is a ferry that leaves from Alameda...that's up at the north end of the east side of the bay.

Even Segway tours of the island if you're not a hoofer (not too bad @ 65 for a two hour tour) ...or rent a bike on the island.

I was there a few weekends ago

Dee · August 10, 2007

tsk1979 wrote:

And dee, we're on a budget... So that rules out 173$ shopping carts

It rules it out for me too!

I just see so many of them I thought they might be reasonable, but that's way too much $$$, and the Segway tours are too much $$ too -- $65 an hour or so, and you'd need one for each of you...

I'm not sure how much the cable cars cost, but that would show you a lot of the city, and because they are open sided you could get photos too. I haven't been on a cable car since the 60s, so I don't know if you can hop on and off whenever you like for the same fare.

Angelo · August 10, 2007

SF is a relatively small town and very easy to get around, with the exception of the steep hills in parts of the city, so you'll want to segment your day trips and use the trolleys, street cars and buses to get around. The transit system is terrific and easy to use.

Start out at the Cable Car terminus at Market St. / Powell St. (or is it Taylor St?)

purchase a day pass (or multi-day pass) and ride to your heart's content. Go to Fisherman's Wharf and walk around. Be a little ambitious and walk all the way to "The Presidio"

Sunrise / sunset? Twin Peaks!!!

Fun urban street scenes? North Beach

Use this: www.sfgate.com

a110p0 · August 11, 2007

SF and the Bay Area

claudermilk wrote:

I found this link to be invaluable (thanks, Alvin!) when I went through a few months ago.

oh, BTW, this is the kind of thread the Location, Location, Location forum is for.

Nice to see that the map link is useful!

San Francisco is fairly compact for a major city. Here's another
map that I made for some nice walks in the City.

San Francisco in August can be a little foggy. This summer seems to
be cooler than normal. The fog rolls in in the afternoon so don't expect
any great sunsets. September/October is probably the least foggiest
months. I like the sunset view from Treasure Island. Buses run to
Treasure Island but I don't know how often they run. If you drive,
getting on the freeway is a little tricky because you have to go
from a standing start to freeway speeds very quickly.

The classic view of the Golden Gate Bridge is from Marin Headlands.

I've seen some great shots of the Palace of Fine Arts at twilight.

Love going to Alcatraz. You may want to purchase tickets ahead of
time to get the time and date of your choice.

Angel Island is also a nice trip for a picnic, hike and photographing
old Fort McDowell.

North bound Caltrain ends in SF near AT&T Park (where the Giants play).

You could also take Caltrain to the Millbrae Station and transfer to
the BART system.

There are many places to visit in the Bay Area in addition to
San Francisco. Every region has interesting places to visit.

Enjoy you stay in the Bay Area.

Alvin

jdryan3 · August 11, 2007

a110p0 wrote:

The classic view of the Golden Gate Bridge is from Marin Headlands.

I'm not from there, but have been to the Headlands several times. Lots of different place and perspectives. Since you say you like to walk, climb Mt. Tam (Tamilpia?). Besides Angel Island, look at shooting from the hills in Sausalito across the bay.

claudermilk · August 13, 2007

Angelo wrote:

SF is a relatively small town and very easy to get around, with the exception of the steep hills in parts of the city, so you'll want to segment your day trips and use the trolleys, street cars and buses to get around. The transit system is terrific and easy to use.

Start out at the Cable Car terminus at Market St. / Powell St. (or is it Taylor St?)

purchase a day pass (or multi-day pass) and ride to your heart's content. Go to Fisherman's Wharf and walk around. Be a little ambitious and walk all the way to "The Presidio"

Sunrise / sunset? Twin Peaks!!!

Fun urban street scenes? North Beach

Use this: www.sfgate.com

IIRC it's like $10 or $20 for a day pass on the cable cars. $5 for one trip. On my one-day visit a couple months ago, we parked at Fisherman's Wharf, walked down to Pier 39 (shorter than the map would make you think), then walked down to Chinatown. The only hard part was my bright idea "well, we only have to walk two short blocks to California street to catch the cable car back to the wharf" except that those two blocks go straight up. :whew So, don't forget there is a significant vertical element to SF.

Since you're there for a while, a trip north is well worth it. Up to Mt. Tamplais & Muir Woods to start. Then further up is Napa valley, beautiful country even if you don't do the wine thing.

tsk1979 · August 13, 2007

Hi,
We went to vista point with a few friends.
Were short of time so will do the Wharf and stuff later.
Right now what we plan to do is this, on Saturday morning rent a car for 48 hours and see as much of the coast as we can.
I guess we will be able to see Monterey and 17 mile drive on the first day?
I am wondering on an itenary.
We do not want to stay overnight anywhere and want to come back to San Jose same day.
So leave early saturday morning, do the coast and see the sunsets, and come back by late at night. Drive up the hill or something and see the Silicon valley. Stuff like that.
We don't mind it being hectic. After all we are here for just 2 months, and want to see as much of the US as we can!

BTW SFO is really lovely.
I guess bay area residents are a lucky lot!

J.T. · August 15, 2007

try a view from treasure island
Take a cab ride over the Bay Bridge to Treasure Island and see some nice views of SF Bay / Waterfront by Embarcadero and the Ferry Building, as well as Alcatraz and the Golden Gate. This is a nice place for panoramics of the Western Span of the Bay Bridge and the SF Skyline. Be prepared for some wind though on some days. Avoid Labor Day Weekend since the Bay Bridge will either be closed for traffic. Have fun!

tsk1979 wrote:

Hi guys, we are here for couple of months in Santa Clara.
On some weekend we plan to go to Drieden Caltrain station(After catching the VTA) from santa clara to the caltrain station, and catch the train to SFO.

Now here we need some help
1. We will use tram or bus to go around in SFO. Can you guys suggest some nice spots to visit. We maybe go on the alcatraz cruise too. I heard there is a 3 mile walk also for those who are hiking kinds?
2. Any secret locations you know from where you get great sunsets and view of SFO. How to get there(1 mile walking is okay)
3. I guess we will be free by 8-8:30pm. After that from the sunset point you suggest how do we get back to caltrain station? We would like to catch the caltrain by 10pm so that we are in santa clara by around 11pm or so therefore we can get VTA back to our apartment complex.

I'll be with my wife, and we both can walk quite a bit, but we don't want to get stuck in SFO with all trains over...!
Please give all the advice you can, esp those of you who take the caltrain to SFO and have explored the Golden gate park and stuff like Fishermans wharf etc.,

a110p0 · August 15, 2007

More places to explore

tsk1979 wrote:

Hi,
Right now what we plan to do is this, on Saturday morning rent a car for 48 hours and see as much of the coast as we can.
I guess we will be able to see Monterey and 17 mile drive on the first day?
I am wondering on an itenary.
We do not want to stay overnight anywhere and want to come back to San Jose same day.

You can do Monterey and Big Sur in a day and be back in San Jose. If
you plan on staying until sunset, you won't get home until late though.

I enjoy hiking around Point Lobos State Park. Further south is Garrapata
State Beach. The coastal bluffs are a nice spot to shoot the sunset.

The famous spots along the coast are the Lone Cypress along
the 17 Mile Drive in Monterey (you have to pay to drive the road),
Bixby Bridge in Big Sur and McWay Falls in Julia Pfeiffer Burns State
Park. Explore the area and find your own shots too.

The coast between Santa Cruz and San Francisco is worth exploring.

Hopefully, you'll have a chance to also explore the North Bay region,
north of the Golden Gate Bridge. The Golden Gate National Recreation
area, like Rodeo Beach, Tennesee Beach, Mt Tam (Panoramic Highway),
Cataract Creek, Point Reyes, Muir Woods and Samuel P. Taylor State
Park.

You have a lot of exploring to do. Have fun.

Alvin

gus · August 15, 2007

Hey Angelo & other locals. Whats the name of the street with those 5 beautiful old homes in the foreground & the city in the rear ?

I would love to get that shot (as boring as it may be to some) next month.

devbobo · August 15, 2007

gus wrote:

Hey Angelo & other locals. Whats the name of the street with those 5 beautiful old homes in the foreground & the city in the rear ?

I would love to get that shot (as boring as it may be to some) next month.

The painted ladys located at 765 Steiner St

gus · August 15, 2007

devbobo wrote:

The painted ladys located at 765 Steiner St

sandshoe

btw...that description makes for an interesting 'google images'

claudermilk · August 15, 2007

gus wrote:

Hey Angelo & other locals. Whats the name of the street with those 5 beautiful old homes in the foreground & the city in the rear ?

I would love to get that shot (as boring as it may be to some) next month.

You mean this one?

Right where DevBobo showed (I think it's the yellow house)...Grove street is just out of frame to the left of the cropped house...and an ugly block-wall building is just out of frame to the right. There's a number of nice houses all the way around the block, so take a little walk while you're there.

Angelo · August 15, 2007

devbobo wrote:

The painted ladys located at 765 Steiner St

also known as the "Six Sisters". Punch that addy into Google Earth and see the shots available.

devbobo · August 15, 2007

Angelo wrote:

also known as the "Six Sisters". Punch that addy into Google Earth and see the shots available.

or check them out on google maps using the "Street View" feature

Angelo · August 15, 2007

devbobo wrote:

or check them out on google maps using the "Street View" feature

Oh that's cool! I never noticed the street view before.

claudermilk · August 16, 2007

devbobo wrote:

or check them out on google maps using the "Street View" feature

That's cool and creepy all at the same time.

Hello SFO Bay area californians... Need some tips

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