San Francisco

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San Francisco Bay Area

A December 2000 trip to San Francisco by Sergey

Waves on a beachMore Photos

Sights to see within driving distance of San Francisco

  • 8 reviews
  • 2 photos

San Francisco Bay AreaBest of IgoUgo

Overview

The San Francisco Bay Area is a beautiful part of the country. I get to visit the area quite often on business. Because it is on business, I don't generally have a great deal of time to explore. In San Francisco itself, the sights that I have seen are the Ghirardelli Square, the Golden Gate Bridge and the famous Lombard St. Each one is highly recommended. :) There are also beautiful sights within driving distance (up to 2-3 hours). Inside you'll find some more details and a few pictures.

Quick Tips:

I have never seen it get hot in San Francisco. Yes, the sun feels warm, but the breeze is usuall quite cool. The farther inland you go, the warmer it generally gets. Bring a light jacket.

Best Way To Get Around:

Westin Palo AltoBest of IgoUgo

Hotel

I got upgraded to a Guest Office room. This was a really nice 2-room almost suite. There was a large bedroom/living room area with a king sized bed, a sofa, armchair and a TV. There was also an "office" room separated by a little hallway (no door). This room had a desk, printer/copier/fax, another TV, and a connection to the hotel''s high-speed internet access system (ethernet cable). The bathroom was huge. It was all done in marble, and had a separate bath and shower. The heating system was a bit quirky. The bed was Westin''s really really nice HeavenlyBed. The room also had a 2-line cordless phone, which was a very nice touch.
  • Member Rating 4 out of 5 by Sergey on July 29, 2001

Westin Palo Alto
675 El Camino Real Palo Alto, California 94301
650-321-4422

Sheraton Palo Alto HotelBest of IgoUgo

Hotel | "Sheraton Palo Alto"

I've stayed at this hotel so often that I can tell where the room is by the number. The location is convinient to downtown Palo Alto. It is next to the Westin Palo Alto. The Palo Alto CalTrain stop is right next to the hotel, and you can also catch the free Stanford shuttle there. The rooms range in size from small to decent. The furniture was recently all replaced. The exercise room has several bikes and treadmills, and one universal weight-lifting machine. There is an outdoor pool that is heated during the cold season. The hotel is a 4-story structure that is basically G shaped. The outer part of the G faces the train tracks, and the inner faces the pool and the mini garden. The garden can be a pleasant sight, especially with the mini-stream with large colorful fish.
  • Member Rating 3 out of 5 by Sergey on July 29, 2001

Sheraton Palo Alto Hotel
625 El Camino Real Palo Alto, California 94301
650-328-2800

Westin San Francisco Airport TheBest of IgoUgo

Hotel | "Westin San Francisco Airport"

This hotel is basically your standard Westin, but is right next to the airport and Highway 101. One really neat feature I saw when I stayed there was the cellular-based room phone. I could take the phone with me anywhere within the hotel, and calls placed to my room would reach me.
  • Member Rating 3 out of 5 by Sergey on July 29, 2001

Westin San Francisco Airport The
1 Old Bayshore Hwy San Francisco, California 94030
(650) 692-3500

San Francisco Airport MarriottBest of IgoUgo

Hotel | "Marriott San Francisco Airport"

This is a nice hotel right next to the airport. The hotel faces the bay, which also happens to be an approach path to the airport. If you room faces that way, you can watch planes land and take off. There was nothing special that stayed with me about the room.
  • Member Rating 3 out of 5 by Sergey on August 1, 2001

San Francisco Airport Marriott
1800 Bayshore Hwy San Francisco, California 94010
(650) 692-9100

Pacific Coast HighwayBest of IgoUgo

Attraction

Coastline
If you love to watch the ocean, if cliffs are your thing, if driving with the top down is fun, then you absolutely have to take several hours to drive down the Pacific Coast Highway. I drove from around San Francisco south to Big Sur, and then turned back. I went through about 4 rolls of film taking pictures of the ocean, the beaches, the cliffs, the trees, the birds, the sunset and everything else. This was the most relaxing time I spent on my trip. Along the way, you can stop off in the coast town of Monterey. Here you can see beautiful houses, interesting shops and pleasant sea-side paths.
  • Member Rating 4 out of 5 by Sergey on July 29, 2001

Pacific Coast Highway
CA 1/Pacific Coast Highway, South of San Francisco San Francisco, California

Ghirardelli SquareBest of IgoUgo

Attraction

Between the Ghirardelli Chocolate Company, small shops and restaurants, you can spend hours at this place. The ice cream is extremely delicious, and you can buy Ghirardelli chocolate that you won't find in your local grocery store.
  • Member Rating 4 out of 5 by Sergey on July 29, 2001

Ghirardelli Square
900 North Point St San Francisco, California 94109
(415) 775-5500

Lombard StreetBest of IgoUgo

Attraction | "Lombard St."

This is the really famous, really curvy street. You may have seen it in movies, or you may have heard about it. Either way, if you haven't driven it, you haven't experienced it. The most famous strip is really quite short. The streets around the area are also anything but level. You'll find yourself going up and down steep hills, sharing the street with the trolley (cable car?). I found the stop signs at the top of all the hills a bit disturbing. I would advise you to stay away if you have a stick-shift car.
  • Member Rating 3 out of 5 by Sergey on August 1, 2001

Lombard Street
San Francisco, California

About the Writer

Sergey
Sergey
Boston, Massachusetts

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