rvaccha

Hello,

I need some help with some basic questions.

1) Cheap ways to travel from the San Fransisco are to Los Angeles

2) I am visiting the San Francisco area primarily to visit the U.C Berkeley Campus and the Stanford campus. Can anyone please tell me a location to stay which offers reasonable public transportation to these campuses, and has budget accomodation?. I prefer not to rent a car, unless its much more economical doing so. Furthermore, I would also like to take my nephew in to the city of San Francisco over the weekend.

3) I am visiting the Los Angeles area primarily to visit the USC and UCLA campuses . Can anyone please tell me a location to stay which offers reasonable public transportation to these campuses, and has budget accomodation?. I prefer not to rent a car, unless its much more economical doing so. Furthermore, I would also like to take my nephew to a LA city tour over the weekend.

Thanks
RJ

olympicnut

Well, you can always rent a car in SFO and drive to LA, thats pretty cheap, especially when 2 people are involved (as opposed to flying that is). Then you'd have a car in LA (which I highly recommend, especially when going from USC-UCLA).

There's always a cheap flight from OAK-LAX or BUR on WN (depending on how far out you are planning this trip, last minute trips can be pricey).

Not sure really about cheaper hotels or places to stay in the LA Basin.

rvaccha

Hi,

Thanks for your reply.

Based on your suggestion I would need to rent a car from SFO and return it at LAX. Is that a cheap option?. The total number of days will be about 6-7 days.

Any suggestions on good locations which offer reasonable priced accomodations in the San Francisco area, and are close to Stanford and Berkeley?

Thanks
RJ

vholic

From San Francisco bay area to Los Angeles:
1) Southwest Airlines from Oakland Airport (OAK) to LAX.
2) California Shuttle Bus http://cashuttlebus.com/
3) Greyhound
4) Check http://www.craigslist.org/ listing under Rideshare. Keyword: Los Angeles or LA. You can post or respond to an ad.

San Francisco bay area accomodation:
How about staying near the airport? SFO hotel for around $30-$40 if you bid thorugh Priceline. See http://www.biddingfortravel.com/ for tips.

Stanford Univ is accessible by CalTrain (Palo Alto station).
UC Berkeley is accessible by BART.
SFO and downtown SF can be reached by both BART and Caltrain.
OAK is by BART.
Take Muni busses and light rails in San Francisco.

Public transport links:
http://www.bart.gov/
http://www.caltrain.com/
http://www.sfmuni.com/
http://www.transitinfo.org/ => Comprehensive Transit Information for the San Francisco Bay Area

rvaccha

Hi Thanks for the quick replies

So, if I stay at SFO airport. How do I get to:

-Stanford
-UC Berkeley
-Downtown San Francisco

Do you know if it is reasonable to rent a car for a week, pick up in SFO drop off in LAX.

Thanks
RJ

danM

To expand on this, the Millbrae Travelodge is just across the street from the Millbrae BART station, which is apparently right next to the Millbrae CalTrain station (although I've only taken BART from there, so I haven't scoped out the CalTrain connection).

Then, it's a 1-stop BART ride from SFO (although the hotel also has a shuttle), a short caltrain ride to Stanford, and a moderately long BART ride to Berkeley (which is on the Richmond line), and a fairly short BART ride to downtown SF (which you'll ride through on your way to Berkeley)


Dan

danM

BTW, once you visit UC Berkeley, you won't need to worry about heading down to LA or Palo Alto, so you can save the money that way. Of course, I'm a little biased

On the other hand, do you look good in blue or in red?

Dan

l etoile

It would run you about $50 a day or $375 a week to pick up a car at SFO and drop it at LAX. You also need to figure in the gas - it's a little more than 300 miles. IMO, it's not worth it when you can get cheap flights, especially on WN out of OAK.

vholic

From SFO Airport to:

Stanford - Take AirTrain (free) to Garage G/Bart Station. Take BART ($1.50) to the next station: Millbrae. Take CalTrain ($3) from Millbrae to Palo Alto. There will be a free shuttle that will take you to Stanford.

UC Berkeley
Take AirTrain to Bart. Get off at downtown Berkeley ($5.50). You might need to change trains. Go to: http://www.berkeley.edu/visitors/public_transit.html for more info.

Downtown San Francisco
Take AirTrain to Bart. Get off at Powell St. ($4.95).

Note:
Millbrae is both Bart and Caltrain station.
AirTrain is the monorail connecting airport terminals, parking garage and BART.
http://www.flysfo.com/guide_nonflash...o/airtrain.htm

FlyinHawaiian

Here in LA, the area around USC is not the best of neighborhoods, so I would not be comfortable staying near there or riding public transit (the bus). I would suggest getting a car if you can. Having a car would also allow you more options when selecting an affordable place to stay.

rvaccha

Hi,

Thanks once again for all your replies.

I will definitely check out the Millbrae option.

Can you tell me, if I stay in SFO city/tourist areas can I take the trains to Stanford and Berkeley?. Basically my nephew would like to visit SFO while I am away visiting these colleges.

Thanks
RJ

rvaccha

Hi FlyinHawaiian,

Thanks for your post.

I may look into renting a car in L.A.

Are the U.S.C and U.C.L.A campuses far apart?. Which is a good safe area to stay in L.A, so that I can visit these campuses, and also take my nephew on the various tours that L.A offers.

Thanks
RJ

epi231

Having lived in the Bay Area for a few years and attended Stanford (Go, Cardinal!), I definitely think you should rent a car in the Bay Area. It will make the transportation to Berkeley, Stanford, and SF much simpler and much faster. While yes, one can technically use public transportation to get from Stanford to Berkeley, the schedules (esp. on the Stanford side) are very limited, and I would definitely drive!

As for LA, I am not sure how you can survive without a car there! A car is a must. So essentially I agree with folks who suggested renting a car in SF and dropping it off in LA.

I can't recommend any particular budget accomodations, but if you have a car, you don't need to stay in the center of the city, thus saving a bit of money. Also, check out the web pages of the universities you intend to visit; they often list nearby hotels (possibly with "special" rates) under visitor info.

Alex

PS It's relatively easy to take BART from SF to Berkeley, but it's somewhat more tedious to take Caltrain from SF to Stanford.

vholic

Yes. Your nephew can visit downtown San Francisco by BART easily. Good luck!

Note: If you decide to rent a car, free parking is rare in downtown San Francisco. Be prepare to pay $8 to $20 a day.

FlyinHawaiian

Glad I could be of some help.

If you look at a map of LA, UCLA is in Westwood, just northeast of the intersections of the 405 and 10 freeways. USC is in South Los Angeles, just southwest of the 10 and 110 freeways. It's about a 15 min drive on the 10 with NO traffic, and let's remember, it's LA, so there's often traffic. Rush hour would easily be an hour or more.

I'd consider staying in the Westwood area which is relatively safe. By car, it gives you reasonable proximity to LAX, Santa Monica, Mid-Wilshire, and Hollywood, all of which have quite a few attractions that may be of interest.

Here's a recent thread about staying in Westwood that may be of help.

http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/showt...light=westwood