What to do in SF for a day
 

I'll be traveling to SF on Aug 9th for an interview and will have some time to explore the city.

I'll arrive at noon on the ninth and have the whole day to myself plus the afternoon of the 10th 'til about 8pm.

I have rented a car since I don't want to waste money on cabs going to/from the hotel to the interview site.

So, having never been there, I think I've narrowed down my choices for what to see/explore:

- Golden Gate South rec area
- Haight & Ashbury St's
- Lombard St
- Maybe squeeze a visit to Alcatraz
- A ride on the Powell-Hyde tram

I also considered going to Fisherman's Wharf, but I hear it's waaay to touristy.

So I want to know the following:
1) How do I get to the GG rec area? Do I have to go all the way to the toll and exit right before it?
2) To go around Haight & Ashbury St where would be a good place to park and where else should I walk around that area?
3) Where do I get on and how much is the cost of the ride on the Powell-Hyde tram?
4) Can you please suggest any other attractions I could visit that are not too expensive? I'll be staying in Oakland and since I'll have a car I'm open to visit that part of the Bay Area as well.

Thanks!

First, it would be helpful if you tell us which airport you're flying into (I assume OAK since you're staying in Oakland) and where your interview site is.

1. GGNRA is actually a long piece of parkland stretching along the pacific coast from north of Pacifica to Bodega Bay (if not further). If you're talking about going to the Golden Gate Bridge then yes, you'd have to drive almost to the toll plaza and exit right before getting onto the bridge (watch for Last SF exit sign).

2. IMO, waaaay overhyped. Not too much to see there, I'd recommend going to North Beach instead.

3. There's no such thing as a "Powell-Hyde tram". It's called a cable car. Get it correct now or the locals will clober you if you use incorrect "terminology" :D. Start at Powell and Market. If you want to ride specifically the Powell-Hyde cable car, watch for the brown signs (yellow text on brown background not vice-versa). The other line that operates there is Powell-Mason which goes in the same direction but for some reason it's less popular with tourists (maybe the hills aren't as good :)). I'd suggest taking the cable car to Fisherman's wharf and then taking the F line back (walk to Beach and Powell St). Alternatively you can take the Cal street cable car which is usually less crowded and has many more locals than tourists. The cost for the cable car is $5 no transfers issued or taken. The F line is $1.50 with a 90-minute transfer issued (good on all lines except the cable cars).

4. Instead of visiting Haight-Ashbury you can get a somewhat similar experienc e(if not better) on Telegraph Ave in Berkeley near the UC Berkeley campus.

If you want to ride the cable car, it'll be difficult to park your car in downtown so consider taking BART into the city. Many areas in downtown are tow-away zones from 3PM to 7 PM or thereabout. Also, driving over the bay bridge during commute hours is a nightmare except eastbound in the AM direction.

You may or may not want to go to see Golden Gate Bridge, depending on how foggy it is, although the weather in that part of the city has been pretty good over the past couple of weeks.

You can probably squeeze an alcatraz tour if there are tix avaliable (book 'em in advance).

Again, let us know where the interview is and where you will be staying.

The first time that I visited, I took a bus tour, with on/off privileges. I think it's the best thing to do if you only have one day.

Knowing your interests are also important: for example, for art lovers, the current Monet in Normandy show at the Legion of Honor in Lincoln Park (NW part of SF) combines a blockbuster art experience with great views of the Golden Gate portion of SF Bay and a view back to downtown SF. Nearby, for culture lovers is "Clement St." which is a 13-block shopping street (from Arguello to Park Presidio) in an authentic SF neighborhood where, one can find all 6 cuisines of China + other Asian + Russian + Italian, etc. cuisine. So it all depends on your interests.

A stretch of pavement very close to my heart, as I lived there for seven years. Don't forget...Irish pubs with live music, especially the Plough & the Stars. http://pweb.jps.net/~jgilder/plough.html