SF suburbs

Carole Allen wrote:
Will be in the Bay area a few days with 12 yo grandson in June. I
don't need a car in SF (we'll use Bart, cable cars, bus, walk, etc),
so would like to stay near a Bart station outside the city. We'll be
coming in from NAPA and over the GG Bridge, then shooting south of
town, and continuing our journey south via the coast highway.

Millbrae, San Bruno, the airport? Any suggestions?

On 3 Jan 2007 08:15:08 -0800, "PeterL" wrote:
Lots of motels and hotels near the airport. Also some at Millbrae
along El Camino Real. I agree with Icono about staying in the city.

When I travel in Europe I always stay in the city centers, but then I
am usually traveling by train.

"Carole Allen" wrote in message
...

The plans are still in the working/draft stage. As soon as the
grandson is out of school we are driving down from Portland (where he
lives) on I-5, cutting over to Crescent City, staying there, then
doing the Redwoods, driving down the coast through Napa, may stop
somewhere between Crescent City and Napa Valley area for a day, then
will likely do 2 days in SF. I have been to SF before (lived several
years in San Jose, and several in LA, so not afraid of city traffic,
just want him to have new experiences). I have ridden Bart from
Pleasanton area, and it was an easy ride and a snap to get around the
city on cable cars and bus and walking without the hassle of a car in
the city proper. Besides, he has never seen anything like Bart (we
are years behind on the concept of mass transit up here in the NW - I
am in Seattle) and I think he'll enjoy that experience as well. And
we won't be doing any club-hopping, LOL...I think he'll get pretty
worn out in a normal day in the city and crash after dinner!

Once we have seen SF, we'll drive on down the coast as far as probably
Morro Beach, hitting aquarium in Monterey, other sights, etc., and
from there cut across past Bakersfield, etc., to the Grand Canyon
area, then wending our way home through Utah and Idaho, back to
Portland. I am still working on the general itinerary, points to stay
along the way, things to see, etc. Once I have some ideas on that I
will "feed" him some suggestions and get him involved planning sights.

The goal isn't to race from point to point but to meander a bit and
stop when we see something interesting - which to him is rocks,
fossils, geology, dinosaurs, all sort of nature stuff. And of course
beaches.

Haven't yet decided where we'll stop as we work south of SF to Morro
Beach and beyond. Half the fun is in the planning!

Carole - What a wonderful trip in the making!

One strong suggestion - After Big Sur and Hearst Castle, consider picking up
hwy 46 east to I5 and then make your way to Yosemite. A day or two in the
park could be the highlight of the trip...particularly the view from Glacier
Point, particularly at sunset. (I presume by your grandson's being out of
school that a summer trip is what is in the making.) Then cut over Tioga
Pass and visit Bodie and Mono Lake. Pause by the Mountain Light gallery in
Bishop to take in Galen Rowell's imagery - that is always worth a 15 or 20
minute stopover. Time permitting, visit the Bristlecone Pines at Schulman
Grove...the discovery trail has some very picturesque trees. Then work your
way down to the Alabama Hills to view not only some familiar surroundings
for old time movie goers but also to look up at Mt. Whitney. A quick trip
to Fossil Falls followed by another to Darwin Falls is a nice prelude to the
Trona National Natural Monument (earlier this year, a Subaru commercial was
taken at the monument). You are then right next to Death Valley National
Park, so meander over hwy 190 to take in the usual sights there. Make sure
you have plenty of water with you "just in case". And unless you have real
reason to visit Las Vegas, I've found the accommodations at Mesquite to be
just as nice without all the traffic and people if you're heading towards
Zion and the north rim of the Grand Canyon.

While in Utah, don't miss Antelope canyon near Page...especially the upper
canyon. Instead of booking a tour in Page, just show up at the entrance
station close to the power plant. You'll save yourself about $10 a person
buying your entry ticket directly from the indians there as compared to a
tour.

While Moab is a natural stopping place for Arches and Dead Horse Point, I've
found that Green River - about 45 minutes from Arches - is a nice place to
stay. If you are camping, the state campground in Green River is as nice as
can be...and with hot showers and flush toilets. And if you want to visit
some really neat slot canyons, check out Little Wild Horse Canyon near
Globlin State Park. With all these slot canyons, check out the weather
reports and make sure there is no rain predicted in the general area. The
slot canyons are wonderful to visit, but very dangerous if any rain falls
upstream even at a distance.

And don't forget Bryce canyon and the Escalante area. Hwy 12 going from
Escalante to Capitol Reef is spectacular - miles and miles and miles of
sedimentary rock. The hogback portion is a marvel - steep cliff dropoffs on
both sides of the roadway. If you have a high clearance vehicle, do visit
lower Cathedral valley in Capitol Reef - the Temple of the Sun and the
Temple of the Moon are huge sandstone monoliths rising from the flat floor.

"Carole Allen" wrote in message
...

On 03 Jan 2007 17:08:41 GMT, Patty Winter )
wrote:
I'm not quite clear on what you're asking. If you're asking about
lodging near BART stations, that will only work for the part of
your visit that's in San Francisco, not Napa or (much of) the
Peninsula. (BART also serves the East Bay, but it doesn't sound
like your trip includes that area.)

Or are you not staying in the city at all, but just in Napa, "south
of town," and on down the coast? Are you wanting to stay outside of
SF and then do day trips in? That's certainly feasible, but not
nearly as much fun as actually staying in the city! Whatever your
plans in SF, you'll need a car to get to Napa, and for "continuing
[your] journey south via the coast highway," unless you use buses
or trains.

Please give us a few more details, and we can make some better
recommendations.


Patty

The plans are still in the working/draft stage. As soon as the
grandson is out of school we are driving down from Portland (where he
lives) on I-5, cutting over to Crescent City, staying there, then
doing the Redwoods, driving down the coast through Napa, may stop
somewhere between Crescent City and Napa Valley area for a day, then
will likely do 2 days in SF. I have been to SF before (lived several
years in San Jose, and several in LA, so not afraid of city traffic,
just want him to have new experiences). I have ridden Bart from
Pleasanton area, and it was an easy ride and a snap to get around the
city on cable cars and bus and walking without the hassle of a car in
the city proper. Besides, he has never seen anything like Bart (we
are years behind on the concept of mass transit up here in the NW - I
am in Seattle) and I think he'll enjoy that experience as well. And
we won't be doing any club-hopping, LOL...I think he'll get pretty
worn out in a normal day in the city and crash after dinner!

Once we have seen SF, we'll drive on down the coast as far as probably
Morro Beach, hitting aquarium in Monterey, other sights, etc., and
from there cut across past Bakersfield, etc., to the Grand Canyon
area, then wending our way home through Utah and Idaho, back to
Portland. I am still working on the general itinerary, points to stay
along the way, things to see, etc. Once I have some ideas on that I
will "feed" him some suggestions and get him involved planning sights.


The goal isn't to race from point to point but to meander a bit and
stop when we see something interesting - which to him is rocks,
fossils, geology, dinosaurs, all sort of nature stuff. And of course
beaches.

Haven't yet decided where we'll stop as we work south of SF to Morro
Beach and beyond. Half the fun is in the planning!

I would stay in SF, there are resonable hotels and you do not have to spend
a lot of time on Bart. Coming down the coast, if he likes nature, go back
up the coast into Oregon 30 miles to Gold Beach and take a Jerry's Jetboat
trip up the river. The long trip. Book on the internet and save a few
bucks. He will see lots of the Rogue river and possibly otter, bears,
eagles, etc.

PeterL wrote:
What's the "Oakland Bridge"?

It's the one that, duh-uh, spans Oakland Bay.

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In article ,
Carole Allen wrote:

I have been to SF before (lived several
years in San Jose, and several in LA, so not afraid of city traffic,
just want him to have new experiences). I have ridden Bart from
Pleasanton area, and it was an easy ride and a snap to get around the
city on cable cars and bus and walking without the hassle of a car in
the city proper.

Okay, but on the other hand, you don't want to spend half the day
getting to and from the city. So how about the suggestion that someone
else offered of staying out on Lombard Street, or maybe on Van Ness,
and taking Muni transportation around SF? You could still give the kid
a taste of BART by going to Oakland and back via the transbay tube.


Besides, he has never seen anything like Bart (we
are years behind on the concept of mass transit up here in the NW - I
am in Seattle)

Says the lady from the city with the monorail. :-)


Patty

Carole Allen wrote:

Besides, he has never seen anything like Bart (we
are years behind on the concept of mass transit up here in the NW - I
am in Seattle) and I think he'll enjoy that experience as well.

Don't you have light rail in Portland?

"Patty Winter" wrote in message
...
In article ,
Carole Allen wrote:

I have been to SF before (lived several
years in San Jose, and several in LA, so not afraid of city traffic,
just want him to have new experiences). I have ridden Bart from
Pleasanton area, and it was an easy ride and a snap to get around the
city on cable cars and bus and walking without the hassle of a car in
the city proper.

Okay, but on the other hand, you don't want to spend half the day
getting to and from the city. So how about the suggestion that someone
else offered of staying out on Lombard Street, or maybe on Van Ness,
and taking Muni transportation around SF? You could still give the kid
a taste of BART by going to Oakland and back via the transbay tube.

"Half the day getting to and from the city"? Surely just a wee bit of
hyperbole in that statement? Carole says she plans to stay on the peninsula
near a BART station. Here's the weekday northbound schedule from Millbrae -
the southern most BART station: http://tinyurl.com/y389o7

and here's the weekday southbound schedule from SF to Millbrae:
http://tinyurl.com/jtr9j

Note that a train leaves Millbrae northbound at 8:01 am, arriving at the
Embarcedero station - the most eastern station in San Francisco - at 8:40
am...39 minutes duration.
And that one leaves the Embarcedero southbound at 4:59 pm, arriving at
Millbrae at 5:37 pm ...38 minutes duration.

You can, btw, use 511.org to plan your trips within the SF Bay area as per:

http://transit.511.org/tripplanner/index.asp

If you are in the neighbood of Lombard and Divisidero and want to go to the
Embacedero area at the foot of Market, 511.org has you taking the 22 Muni at
Union/Steiner to the 16th St BART station, then BART to the Embacerdero
station for a 34 minute total duration. Check it out for yourself.

Hello, Lawrence!
You wrote on Thu, 04 Jan 2007 19:23:09 GMT:


LA "Patty Winter" wrote in message
LA ...
?? In article ,
?? Carole Allen wrote:
??
?? I have been to SF before (lived several
?? years in San Jose, and several in LA, so not afraid of
?? city traffic, just want him to have new experiences).
?? I have ridden Bart from Pleasanton area, and it was an
?? easy ride and a snap to get around the city on cable cars
?? and bus and walking without the hassle of a car in the
?? city proper.
??
?? Okay, but on the other hand, you don't want to spend half
?? the day getting to and from the city. So how about the
?? suggestion that someone else offered of staying out on
?? Lombard Street, or maybe on Van Ness, and taking Muni
?? transportation around SF? You could still give the kid a
?? taste of BART by going to Oakland and back via the
?? transbay tube.

LA
LA "Half the day getting to and from the city"? Surely just
LA a wee bit of hyperbole in that statement? Carole says she

As an example, the moderately frequent No. 30 bus gets from
Chestnut St to Market Street or the Museum of Modern Art in
about 20 minutes outside the rush hour and goes quite close to
the Embarcadero and the antique trolley-car F line. You can use
a free transfer there. (There is also a limited stop 30X bus
*during* rush hours.) The bus always gets crowded in either
direction as it approaches Chinatown but seats become available
once the seniors get off to do their shopping.

James Silverton
Potomac, Maryland

E-mail, with obvious alterations:
not.jim.silverton.at.comcast.not

"Icono Clast" wrote in message
...
PeterL wrote:
What's the "Oakland Bridge"?

It's the one that, duh-uh, spans Oakland Bay.

-- __________________________________________________ ______________
Truth is a torch that gleams through the fog without dispelling it.
http://geocities.com/dancefest/ --- http://geocities.com/iconoc/
ICQ: http://wwp.mirabilis.com/19098103 ------- IClast at Gmail com

--
Posted via a free Usenet account from http://www.teranews.com


Actually the name is the SF-Oakand Bay bridge.

In article ,
Lawrence Akutagawa wrote:

"Patty Winter" wrote in message
.. .
In article ,
Carole Allen wrote:

I have ridden Bart from
Pleasanton area, and it was an easy ride and a snap to get around the
city on cable cars and bus and walking without the hassle of a car in
the city proper.

Okay, but on the other hand, you don't want to spend half the day
getting to and from the city.

"Half the day getting to and from the city"? Surely just a wee bit of
hyperbole in that statement?

Yeah. :-) But...

Carole says she plans to stay on the peninsula
near a BART station.

She said that originally, but then above, she mentioned having stayed
in Pleasonton in the past, so it would take quite a while to get into
the city if she did that again.


Patty