cappuccino

If you do a guided tour - book with Mr Toad's tours - they use a vintage car and small group going to off the beaten track places. If you do this, do it at the beginning of your stay as the guide points out really cool places to visit/eat (we left it till the last couple of days and regretted not doing it earlier).

penguinsix

The view from the Marin Headlands of the Golden Gate and San Fran is something you should definitely take in. Just drive over the bridge and then head up the mountains. There are a few World War II forts up there and even an old Cold War missile facility, but the breathtaking views back of the Bridge are something you won't soon forget.

Fisherman's wharf is ok, if you are a tourist or looking for a quick bite to eat. You'll see the old street cars running the lines (they have a collection of street cars from around the world that are still in service) and there are restaurants and other things to do. Most locals try to avoid and go to their neighborhood pubs and grub for their eats. We would often eat at Japantown (not the China town) which was a small two block area filled with Japanese restaurants and stores. Great if you want some noodles or looking to buy giant robots for the kids.

I like Sausalito on the other side of the Bay. Might be worth a ferry over there and walk around the eclectic mix of shops and places in that town just over the water from San Fran. Golden Gate Park is also quite nice, and leads you down to the Ocean where you can see some pretty lovely views.

Further out, you could consider a drive down to Stanford in Palo Alto, CA. It's about an hour trip from San Fran and a very beautiful campus. Palo Alto is a part of Silicon Valley, which doesn't really offer much for the tourist but if your partner is a bit of a geek he could visit things like Hewlett-Packards 'garage' where they started their company, or see Apples HQ or shop at Frys (where many a geek buys their gadgets). You could also consider a drive up into Napa wine country, which might be a nice day trip as well.

Sally Redux

My favourite things to do were Alcatraz, the Art Museum and Chinatown.

S Folinsky

I spent part of my Army Reserve duty there -- the support battalion of the former 91st Div (TNG) -- Battalion HQ, Transportation Company and the Band were at Fort Baker while the Supply & Service Company was at a former barrage balloon hanger on Fort Chronkite. We sometimes went exploring the old Coast Artillery fortification up the road at Fort Barry.

On the Presidio itself, Chrissey Field was an active airfield.

coastieexpat

Alcatraz is fun, reasonably priced and a nice boat ride.

Giantaxe

Fort Baker has recently been very nicely restored with an upmarket hotel, restaurant, spa etc. Nice views as well.

http://www.fortbaker.net/

Call me AL

This will be my first stop!

We are staying at the Marriott in Union Square.




I would like to thank everyone for their info. Please keep it coming.

traceym

A bit odd, when people come to stay they always want to do Alcatraz (which is great,) Fisherman's Wharf etc, but the last one only cared about one thing............

Going to see Mrs Doubtfires house, which she did!

I think the nicest part is driving up into the mountains on the other side of the bridge too.

S Folinsky

Thank you. I see that they removed the buildings from World War II. I was going to write "old WWII" buildings and then I realized that this was inappropriate in this context.

In addition, there is a lot of historic military housing on the Presidio. In my day, the Presidio was the oldest continuously used military installation in the US [dating back to 1776 under the Spanish]. From what what I understand, the Presidio was often the last posting for officers and senior enlisted before retirement.

S Folinsky

Angel Island is interesting.

S Folinsky

That was the background to the "Twin Peaks" sign at the Condor Club.

S Folinsky

I wish I could find a photo I took on my old Pentax back in 1973 -- it was at the corner of Fulton Street and Friendship Way. [SF street signs do not put "St" or "Ave" or "Way" on them] with the "one way" arrow indicating that

Friendship is a one-way street.

I'm not kidding.

Jerseygirl

Alcatraz is a must IMO.

snowbunny

Yes.... glad I went, and glad I got off the island!

Cape Blue

I agree - if you want a hike and some fresh air then a ferry to Angel and a hike to the top gives you some of the best views in the Bay.