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Location: We_tside PNW (Columbia Gorge) / CO / SA TX / Thailand
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Quote:
Originally Posted by ceresc21
Well damn, I kind of just wanted to go walk around and check out the lgbtq scene, ....
Then you just might be fine.
I've never been under fear or concern while in SF. But things have gotten more complicated.
No Car? (that would be my biggest concern)
If not... just go for it and it will be an adventure. (not necessarily a dangeroius one).
Looks like either hotel is 3.7 star. I would use the one with direct street access (rather than an alley / back entrance.) We've stayed in some very quaint and nice hotels in that area.
My usual hotel booking website lists Hotel Abri Union Square, but not Abari. It is ranked similar to King George 8.2 out of 10. Book the one that is easiest to transit (bus and trolley)
I also really enjoy the walk (or bike) from Wharf to Golden Gate, and all things in the presidio, especially Legion of Honor views. https://www.famsf.org/visit/legion-of-honor
And Palace of Fine Arts / Marina district.
We take Ferry at night for views, and also run (walk / climb / ride / drive to Coit Tower (often for sunset.))
And the circular pier walk in front of Maritime Museum
(Thus many of our favorite places are near Ft Mason. One of the private rooms we booked had a view of Alcatraz
Last edited by StealthRabbit; 01-17-2024 at 01:25 PM..
Narrowed my choices down to Hotel Amari or King George Hotel? Both have good deals on Expedia, just not sure which to choose. Which would you go with?
I can't speak for those hotels, but stayed at the Four Seasons a little over 5 weeks ago and the city looked spectacular! Honestly, you couldn't pick a better time to go. I was a resident there for over 50 years and have never seen the city looks so good. I did a trip report with all sorts of pictures, but they were removed twice by moderators so I gave up on reposting them. There's no need to get a car. San Francisco is a wonderful walking city and also has a very good public transportation system.
Forty some years ago the Westin in Japan Town was very nice.
Sunday brunch at the Top Of The Mark was a decadent delight.
A bit down the coast ... the Double Tree in Monterey was wonderful.
When I go to San Francisco I always stay in Japan town. Even if we drive there we always take public transportation once there. There’s no place to park if you drive around. It’s expensive to pay for parking and unless it’s gated you have to worry about your car. All the hotels charge for parking. It’s a great place to visit but the homeless situation has negatively impacted the experience.
Do you have to visit San Francisco right now? If yes, please be aware of the homeless / drug addicts situation in the entire city, even more so in the Tenderloin District. Both hotels are within a couple of blocks from Tenderloin so I would probably not bother (King George is even closer to it than Amari).
My brother just got back from SF a couple of months ago for a business trip and for once, the horror stories all over the media about the homeless and crime situation was not exaggerated. If you plan on renting a car, pay for extra insurance coverage from the rental company because you will need it, and make sure you take EVERYTHING out of the car before you leave - not even a few coins of spare change and even if you're just leaving for a short 5-minute stop to pick up something from the store, because there's a strong chance your car will be broken into, or not going to be even there when you get back.
And ceresc21,
The bolded in this statement is blatantly false. Unless Grace's brother spent his entire time in San Francisco hanging out in the Tenderloin (where 60% of the homeless reside), he saw nothing of the sort. The APEC conference in San Francisco took place on Nov 17 (so exactly 2 months ago). The President and dignitaries from Asia were in town. Not only was there not rampant crime happening all over the city (needless to say there was quite a police presence), but the homeless were practically non-existent. The city was spit shined and most of the homeless had been removed.
If you read my trip report, it talks about this and how my trip (3 weeks after the conference ended) was the beneficiary of this. I took an 8 mile walk and went through Union Square, Chinatown, North Beach, Fisherman's Wharf, and the Embarcadero. The city looked World Class. And with all the WFH, there were just not a lot of people out and about so I was treated by feeling like I had the place to myself.
P.S. I'll go ahead and post a few pictures and see if they allow them here. You'll notice how sparkling clean the city is and the lack of people around (including the non-existent homeless)
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