NorCal : San Francisco Bay area, Sacramento, Sierra Nevada, etc.

[gcarrie]

mga sis,
pwede ba magdrive ang tourists sa San Francisco? are passport/visa and phil driver's license enough? or need pa kumuha ng drivers license dun? or meron ba na makukuhanan dito permit to be able to drive in the US?

thanks!

[mama squeak!]

^Yes, pwede. Hubby and I do it all the time. Just make sure valid yung Phil. driver's license mo.

[gcarrie]

yey! thank you, mama squeak!

[yapeegurl]

^and to add, mura din ang rent-a-car nila.. we spent something around $100+ for 7 days.. Sa san bruno area kami nag rent..

[hotbride22]

I love SF!! Esp the Union Square, Wharf, Embarcadero......was der last year 2x!!! My fave place in West Coast!

[Vera]

Sakura season na in San Francisco! Spring is the best time for me. If you are in SF and want a free tour (actually $2 lang), search online "San Francisco Walking Tour for History and Fitness" and you will be directed to a meetup group. The group leader's name is Howard. I am a member of that group and I'd join their walks on weekends. Iba-iba routes and the walk is informative, historical, and usually lasts 3 - 5 hours. Yung walks na to hindi inooffer sa  mga travel agencies or travel sites. 

Also search for "San Francisco City Guides" - these are free walking tours as well and they have dates on their websites. Usually these walks are by local volunteers who love the cities they pleasure in showing the people / guests around. You can tip them if you're happy with their service naman.

Also it's a great time to be in Napa Valley, which is a day trip from San Francisco

[yapeegurl]

^what I love about Napa Valley are the castles!

We also took the cable car ride at Sterling Vineyard..

[Vera]

^Sis, you're referring to Castello di Amorosa in Napa? I love their chocolates and their sweet wines. I hope to be back in June. I go to Napa and Sonoma 3x a year and hope to revisit some of the wineries that I love, i.e., Robert Mondavi, Opus Winery, Domaine Chandon, and visit those that I haven't visited yet (a lot of them!)

I'll be in San Francisco on June 15 for a month. 

[yapeegurl]

^yes sis.. that's the one we went to... ako lang ata ang nag enjoy kasi ang husband ko hindi mahilig sa wine... more on beer drinker kasi sya... gusto ko lang ang Napa talaga dahil sa scenery.. ang ganda ganda magpicture!

[ostentatiouslykikay]

I love SFO and the bay area. But last June we went to naman to Pacifica and point reyes aside from sausalito and sonoma. It's soooooo nice there!! Hay i always seem to forget my heart everytime I go to SF. Lols

[Vera]

For this leg of my US trip (still ongoing, on my 48th day now), I lived in different neighborhoods of San Francisco -- one week per neighborhood at a time, using airBNB.com. I've lived in Pacific Heights, Lower Pacific Heights, the Castro, Richmond / Outer Sunset and, my favorite, the Mission area. This is an eye-opener trip because I lived and mingled like a local, made good friends, discovered local, San Franciscan / California cuisine, and explored the through free walking tours.

I've officially fallen in-love with San Francisco.

[moonstar_004]

^i know your last post was months ago, but what area do you recommend for a family of 5 adults(2 senior citizens)) and 2 kids?

i've checking out airbnb and there are a LOT of options. i'm confused lang where we should stay.

[mama squeak!]

^Depends. Is it your first time to visit? How long will you be staying. Will you have a car?

[moonstar_004]

^just 5 days to a week. we'll probably have a rental. this isn't our first time, but it it might as well be, it's been ages since we were there.

[mama squeak!]

^I've stayed at the following areas every time I visit the city:

Union Square - very convenient for visitors but parking can be expensive.
Fisherman's Wharf - touristy but quiet by night. Parking is still expensive.
Haight-Ashbury - hubby and I love this place but can be tricky for kids. Parking's a bit affordable here.

Found this website that can help you decide where to stay.

 

[moonstar_004]

^thank you! will check that out

[m_lim]

for a 3night visit, anong magandang itinerary? late 20's kami.

[yapeegurl]

For 3 nights maybe you can go to the following tourist spots for the experience:
1. Lombard St.
2. Golden Gate
3. Palace of Fine Arts
4. If you have time pa sa Napa Valley
5. Alcatraz
6. Na-bore ako sa bay tour
7. Hang around Union Square
8. Quite interesting ang Winchester House
9. Aliw din ang Mystery spot

[m_lim]

^thanks so much sis!!

[prettycath12]

Crab house is one of the best seafood restaurants I've been to. Highly recommended!!