on what to do and see and enjoy? its going to be me and a girlfriend that will fly into sanfransico and she will stay for 2 weeks. Tho this wont happen until april we want to make plans and dream about all the fun were going to have. after san fransico were going to drive down the coast and camp and walk the beaches and then some time end up at catalina island.

By Bea on Monday, November 14, 2005 - 02:38 pm:

Go to Alcatraz, Fisherman's Wharf Ghirardelli Square, Haight Ashbury. Ride a cable car. Visit Chinatown. Go to Muir Woods to see the redwoods. Going down the coast, be sure to visit, 17 mile drive near Carmel. Ride a horse along the beach and watch the sunset....See the lone Cyprus and Point Lobos. Look around old Monterey. Eat at Fisherman's Wharf there too. Go to Cannery Row. Shop in Carmel, and go to see the missions there and in Monterey. Drive through and explore Big Sur and visit Hurst Castle.

By Kaye on Monday, November 14, 2005 - 04:03 pm:

Take a light jacket Every friend that I know that has been there has bought a SF jacket because they didn't pack one

By Melanie on Monday, November 14, 2005 - 04:51 pm:

Definitely listen to Kaye and bring layers of clothes! The fog settles in and is very chilly.

If you are into baseball even a little bit, go catch a Giants game. The stadium is just beautiful. It overlooks the bay. When you go out to the concessions, you are looking out over the Bay Bridge. It's a beautiful park and definitely worth a visit!

Do go to Alcatraz. Make reservations ahead of time as if you wait until the day of, you probably won't be able to get a ticket.

Have a wonderful time! SF is a great city to visit! Oh, and if you go through Santa Cruz, be sure to stop in and say hello!

By Tink on Monday, November 14, 2005 - 08:08 pm:

I think Bea nailed all the big sights, except the Golden Gate Bridge and Coit Tower. SF will definitely require a jacket, especially in the spring. As you head down south, stop in Santa Barbara. It's my favorite CA city and is just beautiful. You should let all of us Northern California ladies know when you'll be in the area and maybe we can meet up!

By Annie2 on Monday, November 14, 2005 - 08:29 pm:

Adding to the list: drive or walk down Lombard Street. Have a great time! I love San Franciso. I even named my second dog Frisco.
I haven't been there since the day before the horrible earthquake in '89.

By Dawnk777 on Monday, November 14, 2005 - 08:30 pm:

Gotta see Lombard Street. It's the curviest road in the world, I think!

Lombard Street

Lombard Street from the bottom looking up!

By Dawnk777 on Monday, November 14, 2005 - 08:30 pm:

Oh yeah and you have to eat some sourdough bread! My parents raved about it, when they got back from their trip, a long time ago!

By Melanie on Monday, November 14, 2005 - 08:56 pm:

The day before, Annie? Wow. Where were you on the day of?

We hadn't moved to CA yet, but the epicenter of that quake was just a couple of miles from where we live now. It didn't get much publicity because of the Bay Bridge, but downtown Santa Cruz was completely demolished. There are still lots fenced off where buildings once stood. My favorite story of that time is about a local bookstore that is still in operation. The building was very unstable in the days after the quake. The authorities were letting people go into the businesses to retrieve what they could for a couple of hours before tearing the buildings down. People had to sign releases stating they knew the building was not safe and any type of aftershock could make the building come down causing injury or death. Hundreds of people showed up to help bring out the books from the book store. For months and months the business operated out of a tent downtown. People would bring their old books down, donate them, and immediately buy them back. The downtown was rebuilt, and this book store stands proudly today. A survivor where so many other businesses folded.

Sorry, major tangent there. But it is a story of community that I absolutely love.

By Pamt on Monday, November 14, 2005 - 09:58 pm:

I lived in the SF Bay area for 10 weeks during one summer in college and LOVED it! I also froze my butt off in August, so I will reiterate the need for warm clothes and layers. My hands-down favorite activity was going to Alcatraz. It is utterly fascinating. Golden Gate State Park is also worthwhile. The other things mentioned that I enjoyed in order of most favorite: Ghiradelli, Chinatown, Lombard St., trip into Sausolito. We also walked across the entire GG Bridge. Not terrible exciting and the wind really hurt my ears, but a neat thing to say you've done. Fisherman's Wharf didn't do much for me personally. If there is some type of guided tour, you might do that too because there is so much interesting history in SF. We were with locals who knew all the scoop, but a tour would be great for all of the neat trivial stuff. Of course you have to ride on a cable car too!

By Annie2 on Monday, November 14, 2005 - 10:03 pm:

Melanie, my mom and I flew out of SF back to Boston. My mom grew up in Paso Robles. We were visiting friends and family, all around the state, for three weeks.

By Dawnk777 on Tuesday, November 15, 2005 - 11:27 am:

Both of my kids had a major event happen, when they were just babies. For Sarah, she was just 2 months old, when the 1989 earthquake happened and Emily was 3 months old, when Hurricane Andrew hit, in 1992.