ThatDamnedPanda
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quote:
ORIGINAL: Sanity
Who's doing a road trip this summer? 
Where are you going?
If you're staying behind, is it because of the economy or something else?
I'm going, we're heading out for just over a week, leaving this coming Saturday morning. Gonna rough it in Yosemite for the first night, and then spend the next night in a four star hotel near downtown San Francisco. After that we'll drive on up through the Redwoods, meander along 101 as it follows the pacific ocean beaches and finally head back home via Crater Lake and a "Star Party" at Mt. Bachelor in the middle of Oregon.
I'll post some pictures of the trip...
Who knows which is the best historical or science museum in San Francisco, and what else should we see (that's fit for family viewing)? The zoo, or the aquarium... Alcatraz... what are the must sees for someone who is on an extremely short visit?
Where's a good restaurant there, someplace nice but not really extravagantly expensive, where we can order up some great seafood?
Boy, you guys are going to have fun. Too bad you have so little time in San Francisco; you could easily spend a week there, especially if you have kids.
For great seafood, pasta, and sourdough, try Alioto's on Fisherman's Wharf. Try to get an upstairs window table, as close to one of the corners on the west side as you can get. Great viewing on the Bay and the bridge. If Alioto's is full, Scoma's is practically next door, and they're supposedly just as good. Both places are much better than touristy restaurants like Pier 39, which is more about the experience than the food. A better way to put it is that a lot of the restaurants there are tourist attractions that serve food, Alioto's and Scoma's are restaurants first and foremost.
For science museums in San Francisco, try the California Academy of Sciences in Golden Gate Park, or the Randall Museum, which i think is only about a mile or so east of there. I don't know how old your kids are, so you should check out both websites and see which of the two would most closely fit the age and interests of your family. I don't think you can go wrong with either, but the Academy of Sciences is a little spendy (for adults, anyway).
If you're into astronomy, check out the San Francisco Amateur Astronomers. They have star parties a couple of times a month, and at least one of those is held on top of Mount Tamalpais, north of the city - which is probably the best place in town to watch the sunset, too. The eastern peak is the best place to view the city, and the west peak is the place to watch the sun set. The star parties are held halfway between the two peaks. I found them by accident one night on my way down from the mountain, and they were very friendly people.
I don't know anything about the zoo or the aquarium there, but I can tell you about the cable cars. They're crowded. Your best strategy, if you're starting from the wharf, might be to head a block uphill from the starting point and grab a car as it comes to the first stop. They always start out with some space on the car so they have room for picking up passengers along the way, and that way you don't have to stand in line for an hour at the starting point. Hopping onto an almost-full car also allows you the opportunity to ride outside the car, which is way more cool anyway. Just to check that they're still doing that, though, try to observe a car as it heads out of the starting area. If it's packed to the rooftops, then you might just have to bite the bullet and wait in line with everyone else. It's worth it, though, if you have the time.You can ride to Chinatown and back, and it's probably the best way to tour the historic parts of the city. Try to ride on the left side of the car as it leaves the wharf, so you can see down Lombard (the twistiest street in the world) as you go past.
I don't know about Alcatraz, either, because i didn't want to spend a half day on that. Seemed like a waste of time to me, to be honest. Just the Wharf alone will take you the better part of the day - and keep your wallet in your pocket as walk past the shops on Embarcedero. Those guys can smell a dollar bill from a mile away, and they'll be on you like sharks on a dead fish if you look like you're even thinking of buying something. I've never seen such aggressive shopkeepers in my life.
Hope that helps a bit. Have fun, whatever you do!
< Message edited by ThatDamnedPanda -- 7/10/2009 5:39:28 AM >
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