alright, I guess I'm not staying at Roadway :D

Kimpton is not in my budget, so the search continues.

thanks for all the suggestions!

--Russ

Consider ditching the car and Pricelining something nicer. Whatever, do stay in the city, not at the airport. I'm a frequent visitor to SFO, and usually Priceline something because I get better value that way. The Civic Center isn't my favorite area, but there are worse places in the city.

You'll be okay at the Rodeway, but it won't be a great experience, just because it's a Rodeway. It's in a very gritty but not dangerous neighborhood.

You should be able to get a 3* boutique on Priceline for around $100, and it could include evening wine (Harbor Court comes to mind. We've also gotten the Grand Hyatt at Union Square and the Parc 55 for $110.) I just canceled a resv at The Fairmont for $176, which is high, but hell, it's the Fairmont, and the neighborhood is good and it included breakfast :)

Seriously, Priceline something in the Embarcadero, Union Square, whatever those areas are now on Priceline.

Did you read my subsequent post where I suggested staying in Hayes Valley? I don't consider that to be Civic Center. Civic Center is the area between Van Ness to the West, Golden Gate to the North, Mission to the South and 7th to the East. My advice is not to stay in that area; it sucks.

I agree that it sucks, but I think of that as the Tenderloin (though Polk street north of Golden Gate is nice). I think of Civic Center as including the area around the Civic Center, which also includes Hayes Valley. Citizen Cake is one block from the Capital, the fun area of Hayes Street only 2. We have a house on Oak between Webster and Buchanan which, while part of Hayes Valley, is walking distance to the actual Civic Center.

I live just a few blocks from your house and love the area. Hayes Valley is great; Civic Center is not.

Just an update... I was able to Priceline a Holiday Inn Golden Gateway for about $10 less per night than I'd be paying for the dreaded Roadeway.

Looking forward to this visit for sure!

--Russ

Looks to be much better than the Rodeway. The neighborhood is fine but there's not a lot within the immediate two or three block radius. However, it's walking distance to Lower Pac Heights (Filmore St.) and an easy cable car hop to downtown.

2 hours away at rush hour?!

Not a snowball's chance of that. My guess would more like 3 to 4 hours in evening traffic, even if you're counter-commute a good part of it. I've had evening drives from Vacaville to Oakland take 2 hours, and that's not figuring in the bridge.

If you really are open minded about staying further north, the Best Western on Jibboom in Sacramento is comfortable, clean, safe and usually quite cheap. It also backs onto the river trail, which can be a really nice walk. Very short drive from Old Town, the Capital area, etc.

sounds like I should have a relaxing dinner in the country before heading for SF on Thursday night.

obviously the car rental return will be closed already so it makes no difference to me whether I get into the city at 9pm or 11pm.

I'm looking forward to the Cable car rides, I heard buying a day pass is the best way to go.

What would you guys recommend for sightseeing for a first time visitor?

My plan is to roam around and of course check out some places to eat.

My cousin suggested I try Shark... I figure SF area is known for seafood so I might have some luck finding it... or am I dreaming?

--Russ

I find that many people come to SF looking for great seafood, though I have never found anything devoted to seafood that is worthy of excitement. San Francisco is more about local ingredients prepared well than any specific genre of food.

There are a few great threads regarding restaurants in SF that you should search for in this forum. In the area of your hotel, Hayes Valley, Fillmore St. in Lower Pacific Heights and Chinatown/North Beach are all easily accessible by taking a long walk or a cable car ride.

Is this a restaurant (which I've never heard of), or actually eating shark? You will find that many better places won't serve much in the unsustainable/overfished department. Please don't take this the wrong way, but the better fish places won't be in your budget if Kimpton isn't in your budget. For decent old-school fish, nothing exciting, but good, is Tadich Grill. Crab season opened today so if you find fresh local crab on a menu, you might want to try that, too. Make sure it is fresh and local, and hasn't been in a freezer for a year.

Also, come to think of it, is Hayes St. Grill still around? This was a top restaurant 20 years ago (the last time I was there) and is near Civic Center, but should still make a decent piece of fish.

Hayes St. Grill is still around but I actually got up and left the last time I went in there and looked at the menu. It's very expensive for basic grill fare. Tadich is a much better idea.

Shark would be found further south, at the HP Pavillion in San Jose. :D

Agree on Tadich.

I used to go to HSG a lot in the '80s for pre-performance meals before going to the Opera House or Davies Hall. The rents have gone up a lot in that area, so it's not surprising to hear that the menu prices have gone up so much.

I remember my first time at HSG, the waiter proudly told us that they only served fresh fish, and that the only freezer on the permises was a tiny one for ice cream.

Eastbay1K, certainly no offense taken... this is very much a budget trip.

Yes, I meant shark as in fish, but like you said I'm not going to break the bank to try it.

Another item to add to the search list is cheaper parking... Holiday Inn charges its guests $38.76 a night... wonderful!

--Russ ;)