SFO to Union Square late at night
 

Hi All. A bit of help please. I'll be arriving at SFO late on a Wednesday evening (21h30) and need to get to my O'Farrell Street hotel in Union Square. Now I have read all the previous posts about other questions similar to this, and I am quite happy to take the BART to Powell Street and walk, but Would it be safe walking at that time of night? Bear in mind that this will be a first timer in SF. Should I take the BART and get a taxi - can I get one at that time? Thanks

The taxi ride will likely be longer than the walk, and be quite convoluted. If you walk up Powell St. and then turn on O'Farrell, you will be fine. Even if you are a few blocks west on O'Farrell, the worst you will encounter is a few hookers and an offer or two for non-alcoholic mind altering substances. (Note, this would not be the same advice for streets just south of O'Farrell, west of Union Square.

I have stayed in the Union Square area of San Francisco many times over many years. At midnight and later the "Street People" are particularly dangerous. SFO is a very tough city for non-locals. Do not take unnecessary risks. At the very least, call the hotel Concierge in advance and get advice. My opinion...at the time of night you are mentioning...take a taxi from airport and cut corners somewhere else.

I am not afraid of the hookers; it's the theives and gang members. These guys will hurt you. The homeless are scary, but essentially harmless.

Agree. Take a taxi. It's not worth saving the $35 for this.

Thank you for your quick responses. It generally sounds like a better idea to take the taxi from the airport. When it comes to safety, spending that extra bit is certainly no problem!!

I just cannot imagine Powell to O'Farrell being any real danger. (Yes, bad stuff can happen anywhere at anytime, I know.) I used to live on the fringe of the Tenderloin and there were several streets I'd avoid. Powell anywhere, and O'Farrell within a couple blocks of Union Square aren't even on the "possibly-avoid" radar. If you walk with a purpose and don't appear lost, you should be fine. The most annoying part of the trip you propose is the up-to-20 minute wait for BART and then $8+ for the trip.

Another option could be to take SuperShuttle. They leave from the Departures level, and might turn out cheaper than a cab. I've used them a few times, and has turned out OK

I do agree with you there. That small strip is very safe. The problem for the OP is that once he/she emerges from the subway, he may be completely lost on Market street, walking the wrong way. If one knows where he is going, I agree with you. But if the OP were to get lost, dragging his big lugggage around Market street at night with a map in his hand asking people for directions makes him an easy target.

The cabs are usually pretty good. They usually won't rip you off because they can't really. It's just north from the airport, and SF is a peninsula, so there is not much of a "circuitous route" that they can take. It's around $35, and with tip $40.

This is a good option if you want to save money. But keep in mind, supershuttle is probably one of the most painful experiences ever.

You've just finished a long plane ride, waited for your bags, found the shuttle stand, then you get on the shuttle and wait for it to be loaded. This can be up to 30 minutes. Then, you drive around San Francisco and elsewhere dropping people off, and you may not get to your destination until 3 hours later. It's $17 plus $3 tip, so $20, so yes, it's cheaper. But it's just crazy painful.

I once landed at the airport at 6:00pm, and I did not get to my destination until 10:00pm. After that, I swore I would never take super shuttle again.

I have taken BART to Union Square many times, at all times of day, and I'm really surprised at the responses here. I have never considered the route suggested (Powell St. to O'Farrell) to be the least bit dangerous. The area is well travelled throughout the day and evening, both by tourists and locals alike.

It's hard to get turned around, because Powell St. is the endpoint for the cable car, so it's a matter of following the cable car line for two blocks and then hanging a left. What am I missing here?

Nothing, IM(nsh)O. I'd probably grab a cab if I was really tired after a long flight. But that would be the only reason.

Agree with Mike and Eastbay, walking up Powell is not a big deal at any time.

coupla points
 

1) if your plane isn't scheduled in till 11:30, it's possible that if you are retrieving bags you won't make the 11:54 PM cutoff for BART anyway.

2) SUPER shuttle is not super but it is a shuttle. It really, really sucks coming IN from SFO.

3) if you could make the BART train, walking up Powell to O Farrell is really no big deal. It looks scarier than it is and I'm a middleaged woman and very skeevy about walking around late at night. It IS easy to get turned around at Powell St station as it has several exits.

I'd say it's no problem at all unless you're carrying enough baggage so as to make getting around on foot rather unwieldy. I would, however, ask the BART station attendant for the right exit to come out directly onto Powell St.

Thanks again everybody. I think I will play it by ear. This is a two leg trip for me, first leg LHR - EWR, then EWR - SFO so that is quite a lot of travelling. If I feel totally dead after the trip I think just for a painless trip to the hotel I'll take a cab, possibly a shuttle. If I still have a little bit of energy left then I reckon I'll grab the BART and walk.

I wouldn't take a taxi from the BART station. If you're going to take a taxi, I think you'd be much better off taking the taxi from the airport.

As to taxi vs. BART-plus-walk, I'd recommend taxi. Not only is it safer, but it will get you to the hotel faster, especially at that time of day when there's no traffic. And since you're a first-timer in SF, I'd be worried about the (small) risk of getting hurt on the walk to the hotel, since you'll have to figure out your way around. But if the money is a consideration and you're a tough traveler, then you should be okay with the walk.