Another San Fran Thread
 

I know there have been several threads recently about SF. Please bear with me:

Husband is traveling to Menlo Park for business and my son (15yrs old) and I will be tagging along to tour SF without him. I do not want to rent a car. I don't want to hassle with parking and driving in a strange city.

What is the easiest way to get from Menlo Park/ Palo Alto Area into SF?

As a woman and teenage son, are there any areas of town I should be cautious of or avoid all together?

The choice of restaurants is overwhelming: Any in the Menlo Park/ Palo Alto area that are a must for dinner?

TIA

I lived in Menlo Park for over 30 yrs.
While there, take a tour of the Sunset Magazine's gardens.
Unless they've already sold & closed down.
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Take Hwy 280 from MP/PA to SF.
Take Sand Hill Road through Stanford Shopping Center to 280.
No other way to get from MP/PA to 280.
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Or just go North on 101 to SF. But 280 is far more scenic and less crazy...smoother road, too.
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The best restaurant in Menlo Park? Carpaccio!!!
They offer the best Carpaccio I've had!!!
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http://images.smulweb.nl/recepten/1402262/low_res/Kalfsvlees_carpaccio_met_truffelolie..jpg
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Wonderful menu and quality food.
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Carpaccios Restaurant, Menlo Park, Italian Cuisine
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Carpaccio - 75 Photos - Italian - Menlo Park, CA - Reviews - Menu - Yelp
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I think Don missed the part about you won't be driving into the city. If the hubby has a car, maybe he can drop you at the Frremont BART station early in his day.

JR

Hubby's meeting is at the hotel so no rental car. The hotel does car service within the Palo Alto area.

Hello.

There is public transportation from points on the Peninsula, like Menlo Park to San Francisco. Easy peasy.

When is your trip?

I used to work in Menlo Park.

If you change your mind about car rental, check out Club Sportiva :). One of the owners is a friend and fellow car enthusiast (including Porsches) and he and his wife moved to SC about 2 years ago.

Anyway, the Porsche enthusiast community here is very welcoming and we'll help you however we can.

Please contact me via PM and I can try to provide some additional suggestions for you and your family.

Carpaccio does look good. It is going on the list.

LOL, I live right by Fremont BART. Not a great way to go from Menlo Park to SF... Caltrain is the way.

Traveling on BART is educational. Cheap entertainment... :D

JR

Oops, Don surely did. Sorry.
Scratch that...or whatever itches. :)
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'Think I got all excited about my MP memories.

Having recently returned to the bay area (and working/parking in SFO) I now remember why I love the bay area and yet dislike the city.. It's filthier than ever. I park in between homeless tents and navigate my way between human excrements on the sidewalk to get to work - and it's not the worst area of town (mission)...

By and large the city is not dangerous. You will just see more or less junk / weird stuff / weird folks depending on where you go. The BART station nearest me is pressure-washed everyday because people defecate on escalators (think about that for a minute) and pee on walls. They've developed a paint that "bounces" pee at you better to prevent that. I kid you not...

Long response short: Take the Bart if you have to, but I'd borrow the car and drive to the touristy area instead - it's really not hard with a phone and a Waze app, pay the $20 parking and avoid the mess if possible... Failing that take a cab. Yes restaurants wise the city is amazing, but you should book yesterday if you plan on securing a normal dinner time at a nice place. SF is surprisingly small, and I would not be scared of driving it outside of 5-6PM commute times... You could drive to twin peaks, do the wharf, take the GG bridge and climb the view point on marin headlands, check out sausalito or Tiburon (areas much cleaner than downtown)- get a car is my advice...

System Map

Many, many great places to eat in Menlo Park and PA. And of course SF. And of course if you want to go north of teh bridge, up in Marin and wine country. If you decide on the latter, I have a P-Car friend that lives in Napa and operates a super high end livery service. He gets to places that only natives and the uber-affluent know about.

I have another idea. Stay in SF and make the hubby commute to where he needs to be during the day.

JR

The way to get to the city is Caltrain. You do NOT want to drive. From the Caltrain Station everything is in walking distance if you are good on foot. Otherwise you can string together cable cars, street cars, busses.

Some people bike around on a rental bike, but unless you stay in the flats along the piers, you are having a death wish (and will be pushing it a lot). I like to walk there - it can be strenuous / long, but I can clock 15 miles / day easily without feeling worn out.

IMHO in the daytime there are no dangerous areas. Just filthy ones, full of bums and crazy people. Every time I am there, I look forward to my next trip to the boonies away from people ...

G

Bookmarked for our next trip to SF! Thanks!

Done the BART and don't remember it being that bad but then I'm a pretty liberal guy. We were doing a job in Berkley and the tunnel under the bay freaked me out a little.

RE: SF Golden state park is a nice spot and you can spend the whole day there museum hoping and walking around the park if that is your thing... I did the garden and the art museum last time I was there.

My last decade in the SF Bay Area I dreaded having to go to the city.
No place to park. Unless absolutely necessary, I'd just not go.
I had friends who loved to go and when they did they'd find (?) a parking spot and take taxis everywhere.
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Also, the city is a bit of a filthy place...Liberal city council.
Did I say that? :eek:

This is so easy...

CalTrain to the city. UberPool after you're in SF. $7 fare ANYWHERE in the city. So easy. Clean, safe, convenient. I never take cabs in SF. Oh... stay out of the Mission after dark and stay out of the Tenderloin 24/7. Still a great city, although it needs a bath. Enjoy!

Map of Suppenküche
Suppenküche
4.3
418 Google reviews
$$ · German Restaurant
525 Laguna St, San Francisco, CA 94102
(415) 252-9289
Open today · 5:00 – 10:00 pm
Website
Directions
I love this place. Gets real crowded and loud. Lots of fun and great German beer.

we visited sf in tgiving and used the bart to get into the city then took the buses and cable cars and street cars, easy to get around.. not sure if bart goes to where you are but its easy and fast. previous visits we stayed outside downtown and parked by the embarcadero close to the ferry that takes you to alcatraz. it was easy and not too expensive to park, then walk or take the street car to where you needed to go.

I agree with Caltrans, then Uber. Make sure your smartphone is charged. If it's a nice day out, you can head into North Beach, rent bicycles and pedal around the city. SF is one of the prettiest continental US metropolitan areas. With regards to food, we need to know if you are an adventurous eater, a gourmand, etc. There are so many options. There is also no shortage of specialty coffee shops in and around SF. I am partial to Blue Bottle. Their Au lait is incredible.

Gen. 19:24 to 26