San Francisco - SFO -> Mariott Marquis: Fastest transport?

Hi, what is the fastest way to get from SFO airport to the Mariott Marquis hotel on 4th Street on Wednesday around 2pm?

Is it faster to take a taxi or the BART, taking into account wait times for taxi or train, expected traffic, walk time, etc.?

Thank you!

101traffic is hit or miss
I'd take BART

Thank you.

Any begging to differ? :-)

I ended up taking a cab because it would have taken me extra time to buy the BART tickets. The plane touched down at 13:05 and I was inside the hotel 40 minutes later. This included quite some taxiing around the airport, no running, picking up my suitcase and a trip to the bathroom. :-)

Not bad, I reckon. It wasn't even a fast driver, but a stoic Asian guy. Several other cabs overtook us on the way.

Lucky with Traffic
You just never know with 101 and to some degree, 280

At that time, I think BART is also your best bet. Cab could take 30 minutes or MUCH longer depends totally on traffic.

From the BART 4th and Market station, a half-block walk more or less. No traffic. Ever.

At that time, I think BART is also your best bet. Cab could take 30 minutes or MUCH longer depends totally on traffic.

It should not be more than 30 minutes unless there is something seriously wrong on the Bay Bridge AND on 280. It's about 20 minutes in no traffic (and traffic generally starts after 2:30), 30-40 in traffic. Bart is almost always a longer ride than a taxi, even in the worst traffic.

It should not be more than 30 minutes unless there is something seriously wrong on the Bay Bridge AND on 280. It's about 20 minutes in no traffic (and traffic generally starts after 2:30), 30-40 in traffic. Bart is almost always a longer ride than a taxi, even in the worst traffic.

+1, in part because BART has a much longer route between SFO and SF.

At 2pm I'd definitely say taxi would be faster, but you'd be burning quite a lot of money to save just a little bit of time.

There's also the pleasantness factor, of course; BART is filthy and often full of sketchy people. Then again, so is the average taxi. Consider uber.com.

At 2pm I'd definitely say taxi would be faster, but you'd be burning quite a lot of money to save just a little bit of time.

There's also the pleasantness factor, of course; BART is filthy and often full of sketchy people. Then again, so is the average taxi. Consider uber.com.

SF cabs are generally OK, but Uber is a great alternative. It costs a bit more than a cab from SFO ($65 vs $35-50 or more in traffic), but the advantages are that (1) you know your fare in advance, (2) there will be no fight about taking a credit card, and (3) the drivers are generally all pleasant and will avoid doing things to get a poor rating (like loud music, windows rolled down, etc.). I generally do not take Uber from SFO, but I can see why some people do.

BART is filthy and often full of sketchy people.

Some of them may even be commoners or people who do manual labor :eek::eek::eek:

I find it amusing that people are still giving responses, nearly 3 weeks after the OP took his/her cab ride from SFO. ;)

I find it amusing that people are still giving responses, nearly 3 weeks after the OP took his/her cab ride from SFO. ;)

I know. It's not as if anyone other than the op might benefit from information about the fastest way to get downtown at 2pm on a weekday. ;)

Some of them may even be commoners or people who do manual labor :eek::eek::eek:

More concerned about the ones who smoke pot openly in the carriage... or more commonly, listen to music on their cellphones without using headphones.

More concerned about the ones who smoke pot openly in the carriage... or more commonly, listen to music on their cellphones without using headphones.

You must have been lucky ;) -- on the occasions when I ride BART (admittedly, not that often), I don't experience those things. Sounds a lot more like Muni, which can be pretty filthy (more so than BART) and can have some really bizarre passengers. :eek:

You must have been lucky ;) -- on the occasions when I ride BART (admittedly, not that often), I don't experience those things. Sounds a lot more like Muni, which can be pretty filthy (more so than BART) and can have some really bizarre passengers. :eek:

Perhaps you missed the article about what they found in BART seats:

http://www.baycitizen.org/transportation/story/bart-seats-bacteria-blossom/

Perhaps you missed the article about what they found in BART seats:

http://www.baycitizen.org/transportation/story/bart-seats-bacteria-blossom/

There are invisible pathogens everywhere. I don't go around carrying equipment to detect such things -- do you? :confused: Of course, I do wash my hands, or use hand sanitizer, after riding public transit. :eek: :eek: :eek:

I was referring to visible filth -- trash and even food/drink tossed on the floor, etc. -- which seems to be far more common on Muni than on BART. But of course, YMMV.

There are invisible pathogens everywhere. I don't go around carrying equipment to detect such things -- do you? :confused: Of course, I do wash my hands, or use hand sanitizer, after riding public transit. :eek: :eek: :eek:

I was referring to visible filth -- trash and even food/drink tossed on the floor, etc. -- which seems to be far more common on Muni than on BART. But of course, YMMV.

I ride Muni almost every day, and I have no qualms saying that Muni sucks in oh so many ways. But for some reason I feel okay about sitting on a clean-looking Muni seat, whereas I can't sit on any BART seat without at least cringing. BART seats are downright gross.

Agreed that a hand-scrubbing is vital after any public transit ride. And I think you're right that Muni has more litter.

I have never experienced pot-smoking on a Muni LRV (train). The buses, however, are a different story.