# To Do in San Francisco Bay Area ?



## Pete Thornton (Jan 2, 2008)

I'll be cooling my heels while the wife is at a conference in San Fran this week. Any suggestions of things to do that don't need a rental car ?


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## Bob in Kalamazoo (Apr 2, 2009)

There are a lot of garden railroads in the Bay area, hopefully one of the owners will see this and make some contacts for you. I saw two beautiful railroads when I was there a couple of years ago. Neither of them were in SF but both within driving distance. And the railroad museum in Sacramento is well worth seeing, but that might be too far away.
Bob


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## Gary Armitstead (Jan 2, 2008)

Posted By Pete Thornton on 08 Oct 2012 10:27 AM 
I'll be cooling my heels while the wife is at a conference in San Fran this week. Any suggestions of things to do that don't need a rental car ?

Lots of ideas! But without a rental car, those are shot to ****.


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## Randy Stone (Jan 2, 2008)

With no rental car, hopefully you'll be in walking distance to the trolley line. 

I bet the San Fran city commission has a map showing places to see and even where the trolley goes.


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## John J (Dec 29, 2007)

If you get to Fisherman s warf There use to be a Ship Called JERAMA O BRIAN. It is one of the last VICTORY SHIPS from WWII in the original configuration. You can tour it. Also I think there is a submarine. Plus from the warf you can get to Alcatraz....that is worth the trip. Also the Fort under the Golden Gate Bridge. 

JJ


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## Totalwrecker (Feb 26, 2009)

Gosh there's a lot you can do if you can reach the Cable cars or BART Bay Area Rapid Transit... 
Check at your hotels visitors center. 

Have a Great Time! 

John


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## Gary Armitstead (Jan 2, 2008)

Pete,

John mentioned the cable cars and if it is still open to the public, you should visit the cable house. This is the place where they power all of the cable cars in San Francisco. Well worth seeing! It's called the Cable Car Museum now. 1201 Mason Street in San Fran.


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## JackM (Jul 29, 2008)

There is EVERYTHING to do in San Francisco. First of all, never, NEVER call it Frisco. It's either San Francisco, or The City. Second, they put mayo on everything, even a hamburger. 

Get a bus/trolley map of the city and spring for a three day pass ($21, I think). You are never more than two blocks from public transit in the Cityd. Go to Fisherman's Wharf and ignore everything. Catch the #6 Market Street line. That's the one that has nothing but PCC cars and Peter Witt cars. Ride them to the end and back at least once a day. I don't know the fare if you don't get the pass. Cable cars are $6 . The Mason Street cars have long lines of tourists waiting to get on. Better - take the #6 to California St. and take the California St cable car all the way to the end at Van Ness. Not the narrow passage between parked cars that you see on the Mason St. cars, but the tourists totally ignore the Calif. St. cars. 

Go now. 

JackM


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## JackM (Jul 29, 2008)

I presume you're back from riding the #6 line thru the downtown/Financial district, etc. Tell your wife to meet you at Vesuvio's when she gets out of her meetings. It's on Columbus (you'll probably take the #30/37 bus). It's where Jack London used to hang out, hasn't changed a bit. Plenty of good restaurants in that stretch of Columbus. 

The #0/37 bus will take you from the Financial District out to Cow Hollow (Union Street) and cross Fillmore. Take the Fillmore bus to the Haight (as in Ashbury). Stand at the intersecion and take it all in. Lots of restaurants, jazz clubs, etc. 

Ask someone where the Seven Sisters are. That's the line of seven gingerbready houses that are in every picture of The City. Find the wild parrots that live in The CIty - I think they're around Coit Tower. I didn't have time to get there last year. 

Next time, take me with you. 

JackM


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## JackM (Jul 29, 2008)

Sorry if I sound a bit hyper about The City. I was ticketed to take the Empire Builder to Seattle, then Coast Starlight to S.F. last week, but ended up postponing the trip to next April because I waited way too long to make a hotel reservations, forgetting that that was Fleet Week. My 1.5 star motel was getting $300/night. I now have that motel next April for $93/night. 

When visiting San Francisco, plan on walking a lot - it's the best way to actually see it. 

JackM


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## Pete Thornton (Jan 2, 2008)

a bit hyper about The City 
Jack - nothing wrong with that. All good ideas! 

Maybe when they get the BART to San Jose I can visit the Train Shop. I am close to BART and the Cable Cars. I saw the Cable Museum last trip - really neat - and I've been to Sacremento twice. 

Is it worth heading over to Jack London Square to check out the street running?


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## Dwight Ennis (Jan 2, 2008)

There's the Academy of Science in Golden Gate Park. I second Gary's suggestion about the Cable Car Museum and power house.


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## Dwight Ennis (Jan 2, 2008)

Posting at the same time.


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## Michael Glavin (Jan 2, 2009)

Pete, 

Take a 90 mile ride East to Sacramneto and visit the California State Railroad Museum........ Heck you can even ride Amtrak to Sacramento and exit within blocks of the museum. 

Michael


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## noelw (Jan 2, 2008)

Posted By Michael Glavin on 08 Oct 2012 02:07 PM 

Pete, 

Take a 90 mile ride East to Sacramneto and visit the California State Railroad Museum........ Heck you can even ride Amtrak to Sacramento and exit within blocks of the museum. 

Michael Also, if know ahead of time, can pick you up and we can play for a few hr's. with lots of Michael's trains. His is better than mine.. lol.


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## vsmith (Jan 2, 2008)

Cable Cars..enough said, but also


Market St and Fishermans Wharf Muni run classic old trolley cars in regular service including PCC cars. All the other above mentioned things to do. 


Now if you can get across the bay, the USS Hornet museum on Alameda Island is a must see, if you can get a car...


Sacramento California State Railroad Museum is well worth the effort


Niles Canyon Railroad is on the south of the bay is a great standard gauge museum line, and my best recommendation is do whatever you can to get to Roaring Camp Railroad in Felton just above Santa Cruz, real steam Shays on 8% grades thru huge redwoods WOW!


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## San Juan (Jan 3, 2008)

Pete, where exactly will you be staying in San Fran?

I go there about once a year for a tax law conference and know certain parts of the city pretty well.

When I go there, I typically take the train (Coast Starlight). Los Angeles to Oakland and then the Amtrak bus from Oakland to San Francisco.


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## Pete Thornton (Jan 2, 2008)

Thanks guys (but without a rental car, most of those are out of the ballpark.) Interesting that Nile Canyon RR doesn't even have directions from the BART. 

I may be able to get to the Train Shop in Santa Clara via Caltrain though...


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## Homo Habilis (Jul 29, 2011)

Found this regarding BART to Niles Canyon - http://www.bart.gov/news/articles/2010/news20100419.aspx - as with anything on the Internet don't know if it's still (or ever was) accurate.

You can also use http://511.org/ as a trip planner. There is most likely an AC Transit connection from BART to Niles.

Hope this helps.


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## Bob Pero (Jan 13, 2008)

Going to Fisherman's Wharf? Be prepared for the cold. Was there once on business in August, and I was the only one in the group with a sweater. The rest froze from the breeze off the bay.


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## jfrank (Jan 2, 2008)

Pete, I can't believe you even have to ask that question. There is so much to do and see without a car I can't even begin to list it all. I always take a ride on one of the cable car lines and the vintage trolleys that traverse Market St and Fisherman's wharf. Or take the 39 bus to Coit tower for spectacular views of the bay. I usually take the bus up and just walk down if it's a nice day. Plus the city has the largest trolley bus network in the western hemisphere and some routes offer great views as they climb the hills. Get a Muni map of the city or just print it on line. Trolley bus routes I would recommend or the 33,24,22. Then there is the light rail system which comes into town under Market St. The M and K lines use the Twin Peaks tunnel. The J line does not. But they meet up out at the end so you can go one way and return the other. The K line ends at the Pacific ocean. The best cable car ride is California st because it is not as crowded. But the Hyde st line is the most scenic. Grab it early in the morning and it is not that crowded. Get an all day pass before you start any of this as it's a bargain. Market St Railway has a museum here: http://www.streetcar.org/ Muni is here: http://www.sfmta.com/cms/mhome/home50.htm When you get hungry, San Francisco has probably the best food and variety anywhere. Just look around they are on every corner. lol. A one day visitor passport is $14. But a single cable car ride is $6. There is the Golden Gate Bridge which you can walk across. Finally, for some fun............look for all the wierd people doing soft shoe routines at the cable car stops, in every door way and at Union Square. lol. See if the guy in the gorilla suit is still there or the guy that plays the piano in the bed of his pickup truck. Or is golden boy still at Union Square(when I saw him he was silver boy). This is just the tip of the ice berg so to speak. Have fun. You wife may never see you again. lol.


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## Pete Thornton (Jan 2, 2008)

Going to Fisherman's Wharf? Be prepared for the cold 
Thanks, Bob, but as a boater, I am often around the docks and out on the water - and I always take a sweater!


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## Pete Thornton (Jan 2, 2008)

There is so much to do and see without a car I can't even begin to list it all. 
John, 
Good to see lots of people like this town! I did get to ride the "historic" trolley over to Pier 39/Fishermans wharf and I found a collection of antique amusement arcade slot machines - large and small and still in use - next to the WWII submarine. I stopped at the street railway museum on the way back. [The line for the scenic cablecar over Powell & Hyde was round the block, and I have done it many times in the past - before the tourists took it over.] 

I was really wondering what had changed on the railroad scene since my first visit 30 or 40 years ago. Thnaks again for your input - I'm off to ride BART & Caltrain to Santa Clara.


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