San Francisco Restaurants & Sights

[Alberta Quilter]

Posted this on the California/Coastal forum but didn't get any responses so trying here.

 

We'll be in SF on Tuesday, Sep 30th from 1 pm to midnight, docking at Pier 35. We're planning to do Pier 39, Fisherman's Wharf and Ghiradelli Square. We love to poke about shops. We have been to SF before, a long time ago, and saw Muir Woods, Sausalito and Napa but little of SF. We don't have any interest in seeing Alcatraz. Also, I'm travelling with my 78 year old mother who can really only do flat walking.

 

My thought was to have dinner off of the ship to either break up the sightseeing or end it before going back to the ship. However, we could also go to the restaurant for a late lunch and sightsee afterwards. Is there a nice, not too expensive, restaurant in the area that you can recommend to us? Not too expensive, to me, means $50 - $75 for 2 entrees only (we don't typically have alcohol, desserts or appies). DM loves fish, I love shellfish. We're not so much into Asian. We love French and German food, too, plus, of course, the typical North American standards.

 

Do you have any other recommendations for the time we have in SF? We're not night owls but I do want to be up for the sail away under the GGB so will have to stay up until after midnight. Is there an evening show/event for which we could try to get tickets?

 

Any and all recommendations are greatly appreciated!

[Kamloops50]

Some of the best seafood restaurants in SF are at Fisherman's wharf.

They would be close to the pier .

[feedmytummy]

$50-75 can actually go a long way, especially if that's just for entrees. I highly recommend Waterbar. It's at the other end of Embarcadero so is a bit of a walk from pier 39 but can be gorgeous (weather-depending). The good news is that it's completely flat the whole way - something very hard to come by in the city. There's also public transit (I think the F line but don't quote me) that runs along Embarcadero if you get tired either way. They've got a huge selection of fresh oysters. You'll enjoy it if you're into that. I never was until I tried it there. Good selection of other food as well as some happy hour specials. Have I mentioned the view of the water and Bay Bridge? Really great place that's not touristy. Don't forget to dress in layers... unless you want to buy a sweatshirt along your walk. Whatever you decide, hope you enjoy. I absolutely love that city!!

[Alberta Quilter]

$50-75 can actually go a long way, especially if that's just for entrees. I highly recommend Waterbar. It's at the other end of Embarcadero so is a bit of a walk from pier 39 but can be gorgeous (weather-depending). The good news is that it's completely flat the whole way - something very hard to come by in the city. There's also public transit (I think the F line but don't quote me) that runs along Embarcadero if you get tired either way. They've got a huge selection of fresh oysters. You'll enjoy it if you're into that. I never was until I tried it there. Good selection of other food as well as some happy hour specials. Have I mentioned the view of the water and Bay Bridge? Really great place that's not touristy. Don't forget to dress in layers... unless you want to buy a sweatshirt along your walk. Whatever you decide, hope you enjoy. I absolutely love that city!!

 

Thanks for the recommendation. I think the Waterbar might be a little too far away for us. I guess I should have clarified my love for shellfish; it does not include oysters or mussels. I love crab, scallops and shrimp.

 

I will keep it in mind, though, in case we do use public transit.

 

Thanks again!

[FOXYROXY]

Thanks for the recommendation. I think the Waterbar might be a little too far away for us. I guess I should have clarified my love for shellfish; it does not include oysters or mussels. I love crab, scallops and shrimp.

 

I will keep it in mind, though, in case we do use public transit.

 

Thanks again!

 

 

When you come out of the terminal turn to your right. Pier 39 has a bunch of restaurants in it or just a bit further down (3 flat long blocks) is Fishermans Wharf. there are bunches of restaurants there. Many have their menus posted outside. There is about an eight or more block area in there that is all flat and great for walking. There is also seating here and there where you can rest and just watch the antics of the locals wandering around. It is a beautiful, lively city that I grew up in.:)

[Northender]

I use Trip Advisor to get information regarding restaurants, hotels, etc.

 

You can see reviews, pricing, etc. Try this link.

 

http://www.tripadvisor.com/Restaurants-g60713-San_Francisco_California.html

[Alberta Quilter]

Thanks everyone! I'll do more research using TripAdvisor. Thanks for reminding me about that, Northender!

[jamscckmc]

We will be at pier 27 sept 22. We will only be the third ship at that pier. Not sure if it's only Princess since the person posting this is going to pier 35. For pier27 would we go to the right to head to Fisherman's wharf?

[Jojiboy]

For pier27 would we go to the right to head to Fisherman's wharf?

 

Yes, that is correct.

[Cruise Raider]

For discount tickets for events / attractions, check out Groupon. Although we live right across the bay from SF, we chose to cruise from LA to SF and back because there was an overnight stop in San Francisco. You know how you never get the chance to play tourist in your own backyard unless someone comes to visit or you go to stay there overnight. Well, bingo! This was right up our alley.

So, we checked out Groupon and found such great deals on the attractions -- you can use them any day so you are not locked in unless reservations are required.

We choose the Pampantino (maybe Pampanito?), which was a WWII submarine that is docked just a few piers down from Pier 35 towards Fisherman's Wharf. While there are some narrow stairs to navigate, so not sure how that would work out for your mom, that was so worth the $10 fee on Groupon (think it may be $12 now) -- and definitely spring for the extra couple of dollars for the audio headset if you decide this is something you are interested in. I would plan about 90 minutes for this attraction.

We also choose to get tickets to the Aquarium of the Bay, which is right at the entrance of Pier 39. I love aquariums and this one did not disappoint. I think the tickets were half price, which made it quite the deal. Plus, it was right next door to Pier 35 (you might be in the new terminal by then, though -- so a little extra walking -- still to your right as you disembark).

Pier 35 is a great place to just hang out at the benches by the waterfront or have a nice lunch. Fisherman's Wharf is also always a good choice to get great seafood. There are also all kinds of coupons you can purchase ahead of time for some restaurants out that way.

Our third thing we did was take a hop on / hop off bus tour of the City -- however, it was raining that day so the bus was packed beyond belief, as nobody wanted to be outside. It would have proven to be much nicer if it hadn't been so crowded. The guide was fantastic, albeit, the noise from everyone on the bus kind of muffled out what he was trying to describe. I think it was a fluke because of the rain, though....the rain here is also a fluke.

 

Those were all offerings we chose from Groupon and they worked out really well for us. We only picked options that were within walking distance from the pier.

 

Once the rain calmed down, we walked down to the Ferry Building way down at the end of the Embarcadero towards the Bay Bridge. We've always wanted to go there and never seemed to find the time during our work life. I thought it was fantastic....a lot of specialty shops ... kind of high end. Not a lot of junk souvenirs like you will find at Fisherman's Wharf. I think a lot of business men and women stop here after work to catch their ferry home -- so we saw a lot of people stopping by and enjoying a glass of wine here and visiting with friends. The Embarcadero is also completely flat and if you are at the new SF pier, this will actually be closer to the Ferry Building. You will turn left to walk down the street for this one.

 

Now there are a million other things to do in San Francisco -- but these are only my close by easy things that I found very interesting and relaxing my last time over there. Hope you have a great time with whatever you choose to do.

[jack300s]

Posted this on the California/Coastal forum but didn't get any responses so trying here.

 

We'll be in SF on Tuesday, Sep 30th from 1 pm to midnight, docking at Pier 35. We're planning to do Pier 39, Fisherman's Wharf and Ghiradelli Square. We love to poke about shops. We have been to SF before, a long time ago, and saw Muir Woods, Sausalito and Napa but little of SF. We don't have any interest in seeing Alcatraz. Also, I'm travelling with my 78 year old mother who can really only do flat walking.

 

My thought was to have dinner off of the ship to either break up the sightseeing or end it before going back to the ship. However, we could also go to the restaurant for a late lunch and sightsee afterwards. Is there a nice, not too expensive, restaurant in the area that you can recommend to us? Not too expensive, to me, means $50 - $75 for 2 entrees only (we don't typically have alcohol, desserts or appies). DM loves fish, I love shellfish. We're not so much into Asian. We love French and German food, too, plus, of course, the typical North American standards.

 

Do you have any other recommendations for the time we have in SF? We're not night owls but I do want to be up for the sail away under the GGB so will have to stay up until after midnight. Is there an evening show/event for which we could try to get tickets?

 

Any and all recommendations are greatly appreciated!

 

We found this to be a blast! Take a ride on the San Francisco Cable Car. We went through Nob Hill and spent a couple of hours walking around Chinatown. The shops are really interesting and carry things you don't see in other places. And fantastic food and soups. Here's a link with routes and history..

 

http://www.sfcablecar.com/

[PoohUnderstands]

Scoma's on Fisherman's Wharf has been touted as being very nice by several fellow CC'ers. We are probably going to try them out on our next cruise from SF in March.

 

Pooh

[Alberta Quilter]

Thanks, Cruise Raider, Pooh, & Jack!

 

I looked at Groupon but got frustrated with navigating their website. Plus, I dislike getting daily emails (unsubscribed pretty quickly!).

 

The cable car sounds great so will try to fit that in. However, the more I think about our time there, with only having an afternoon and evening, the less I think we can do, given our own constraints and shops closing by 6 pm. Don't want to wear out DM!

 

Will check out Scoma's along with the Crab House and the Franciscan Crab. One of those should do for a resting point in our day.

[skandls]

If you go to Scoma's you may have a wait. But it is a nice table cloth restaurant. Even though it is a tourist place. I lived in San Francisco for 5 years and I recommend Scoma's as a nice place but not where the locals would go for dinner. I have always had a good meal there - the selection of fish is good.

 

FYI taxis and public transit are very good in the city. So if you have a couple of $10 cab rides to keep everyone comfortable - its not a big deal. You can also look at the San Francisco public transit. If on a budget you might check out using the bus, streetcar, cable car passes to get around the city.

[BEAV]

We love French and German food, too, plus, of course, the typical North American standards.

 

 

With regard to typical North American standards, Hillstone is right across the street (and to the left) as you exit Pier 35. Their menu changes often, but here's the current one. In addition to the listed menu, they always have a few daily fish specials. Try the Oak Grilled Artichoke -- it's a meal in itself!

 

http://www.hillstone.com/pdf_menus/hillstone/Hillstone_Embarcadero.pdf

 

This would be an excellent place to have dinner if you want to dine off the ship after sightseeing and then reboard immediately after dinner since it's right across the street from Pier 35. Reservations via http://www.opentable.com

[nna]

shops in places like chinatown...maybe even the ferry building..don't close at 6. union square area has some nice high end shops...