Help with Bay Area Trip!!!

[Sir Clinksalot]

We are going up to the Bay Area over Memorial Weekend.

 

Our original plan was to drive up on Wednesday the 25th, do PGA on Thursday the 26th. SFMW on Friday the 27th. San Francisco City Stuff on Saturday the 28th. Bonfante and SCBB on Sunday the 29th. Drive down the coast home on Monday the 30th.

 

Well, PGA has screwed up our schedule. They don't open until Saturday. Which means now we will be doing SF City Stuff on Thursday and PGA on Saturday. I think we may just take the coast up on Wednesday now and take the fast way (Interstate 5) home on Monday.

 

So here are my questions.

 

How busy will PGA be on that Saturday? Should we also set aside Monday Morning/Afternoon for PGA? We will have AP's there (since they are also good at Bonfante) so we will probably go back sometime during the summer.

 

What else besides Pier 39, Golden Gate, Alcatraz are MUST do's in SF? I haven't been in about 13 years and Kristi and the kids have never been. We are also thinking of doing the Jelly Belly tour on our way up to Vallejo.

 

Is 10-6 enough time for SFMW on a Friday? Remember we have never been here.

 

How much time do we set aside for Bonfante and SCBB on Sunday? Remember our kids will LOVE Bonfante.

 

Any suggestions on Hotels for the City, Six Flags, PGA and Santa Cruz/Gilroy. We don't care what chain as long as it's clean and in a relatively safe area.

 

Is staying in the city too expensive? Should we just stay outside the city on Wednesday night?

 

Thanks!!!

[Billy Hill]

I can't give an informed answer to all of your questions, but here's my take on a few things:

 

The exploratorium at the palace of fine arts in SF is a must do (since you have kids along) IMO. The 49 mile scenic drive signs will lead you around on a self guided tour to most of the more interesting places. Through Golden Gate park, down Lombard street, to the wharf, etc... The SF zoo isn't too bad, but nothing anywhwere near as extensive as the SD zoo. It's worth a couple hours of your time if you have some time to kill. The Jelly Belly tour is ok and all, but I don't know if I'd take time away from any of the parks for it. Your call.

 

10-6 is enough to do SFMW, unless you're planning on taking in all the animal shows. Personally, I'd make sure to see the dolphin show. As for the rest of the shows, it's pretty much "take your pick" of whatever interests you the most, and will fit into your day there. Since you're going on a Friday, hopefully the ride lines won't be too bad. I'd hold off on buying a "Fast lane" pass myself. You might not need them. I hope Zonga's running for you. It's been down every single time I've ever been there.

 

If you're just going for the rides at Bonfante Gardens, then you could kill that place very quickly. If you're into checking out the gardens and what not, then you could spend a lot more time there. That'll have to be your call. I can spend all day at that park with no problem at all, but I do spend quite a bit of that time in the various gardens.

 

Personally, I don't care much for SCBB. Way too many gangsta thug wanna-be types hanging around there the last few times I've been. Maybe hitting SCBB in the morning, and the BFG in the early afternoon/evening would make better sense? (Just thinking that maybe the low-lifes don't come out until later in the day) I dunno... It's your trip. Just a thought though.

 

I'm not in much of a position to give out hotel advice, since my last choice for a hotel near PGA was pretty pathetic.

 

I hope maybe something there helps at least a little bit. Have a fun trip. Maybe we'll bump you into you at BFG. I was thinking of possibly heading down there that weekend.

[coaster1]

All I can say is the Comfort Suites/Inn near SFMW was pretty nice .. we stayed there in March .. but it wasn't for too long as we didn't get back in til 2am and left at 630am for So Cal .. so yeah.

[crispy]

The kids will enjoy the Boardwalk, and if you have time, the Santa Cruz warf, which is right there is pretty awesome, with the basking sealions underneath the warf, that you can feed, also the seafood is good.

 

As for somewhere to stay thats safe, I would aviod the cities, hit Scotts Valley, between San Jose and Santa Cruz, on the Santa Cruz side, the first exit, with the denny's sign has a hotel, Best western I believe, and if you've got the $$$, the have a awesome Hilton on Mt. Hermon Rd. Anyway, scoots valley is total yuppie ville, and they have a WAY WAY to aggressive police force, what other town of 10,000 has a SWAT team, don't speed there, but it is a very safe place to stay

[coaster1]

mmm Santa Cruz .. I like the road in .. SR-17 (I think) .. at night in the rain/fog and going 80mph is tons of fun on those curves ... I'm surprised I lived.

[socalMAN123]

SCBB is a great park for your family! Sometimes there are rowdy teenagers, but that usually doesn't happen. Giant Dipper and Hurricane are great credits and the other rides are awesome too! We went there late afternoon into night, and it wasn't that bad. I would think it would be fine for your family. As for Bonfate and SFMW, I know nothing about them, so you should ask somebody else.

---Brent 8)

[shepp]

Not to sound snobbish, but Pier 39 is...well, awful. The very definition of "tourist trap," which has much to do with the real city of San Francisco as DLP is representative of the rest of Orange County. (The sea lions are fun, though.) Visit it if you must for the kids, and to pick up those indispensible souvenir refrigerator magnets. If you're into ships at all, the Hyde Street Pier, a National Historic Site, is just down the waterfront, and though you have to pay to board the historic ships (which is actually worthwhile) you can enter the pier for free. It's cool for kids AND adults.

 

As was said, go for the Exploratorium instead, and maybe a trip to Golden Gate Park. I actually enjoy most of the shows at SFMW, not just the dolphins, but the killer whale and tiger things. And now there's the fedd-a-dolphin addtion, which may have a substantial wait, dunno.

[Meteornotes]

As far as hotels, I wouldn't stay anywhere around Santa Cruz or SFMW. I recall the area around both of these places being creepy, and wouldn't feel comfortable staying around there with a family. Someone that still lives in the area might have a better idea. Driving along the coast is a MUST, as there is lots of cool scenery.

 

Staying in the city can be exceptionally expensive, and hotel quality can be questionable. You might want to stay outside of the city and take the BART into town, and use public transportation to get around. I personally HATE driving in SF, and find using buses and such to get around to be about a billion times easier.

 

I'm not a huge fan of Fisherman's Wharf, but that might be because we had to take people down there every time we had visitors. GG Park and the bridge are must see attractions, and I'm a huge fan of Muir Woods on the other side of the bridge, but that might a little too much out of your way.

 

I'm thinking that you'll be fine at PGA that Saturday. The park isn't that big, and there really isn't anything there you're going to want to ride more than once, other than Top Gun. Get there at opening and get the Invertigo out of the way, as it probably has the worst capacity of the coasters.

 

On an unrelated matter, if you like sushi, you must go to Tokie's in Foster City. Most amazing Japanese restaurant ever!!!

 

Have fun!

 

dt

[WalrusMan]

>Well, PGA has screwed up our schedule. They don't open until Saturday.

>Which means now we will be doing SF City Stuff on Thursday and PGA

>on Saturday. I think we may just take the coast up on Wednesday now

>and take the fast way (Interstate 5) home on Monday.

 

Boy....that'll be a long car ride up, all the way up the coast on US 101 and CA 1? But, guess it's worth it with all the scenery. Cliffs around Big Sur are amazing.

 

>How busy will PGA be on that Saturday? Should we also set aside

>Monday Morning/Afternoon for PGA? We will have AP's there (since they

>are also good at Bonfante) so we will probably go back sometime during

> the summer.

 

I would doubt that PGA would be overly crowded on Saturday, even though it is a holiday weekend. Most people in the bay area head out of town. A day should be plenty for it though.

 

>What else besides Pier 39, Golden Gate, Alcatraz are MUST do's in SF? I

>haven't been in about 13 years and Kristi and the kids have never been.

> We are also thinking of doing the Jelly Belly tour on our way up to

>Vallejo.

 

I would say Golden Gate and Alcatraz are the only MUST do's on your list. Other places to go are Ghiradeli Square (and there's a nice bread shop right below it with great Cesar salad too ), the Exploratorium, Golden Gate Park, and if you're into baseball any, the Dodgers are in town for a game at SBC Park. (BEAT LA!)

 

>Is 10-6 enough time for SFMW on a Friday? Remember we have never

>been here.

 

10-6 is enough time to do the rides, but if you want the whole experience, all the animal attractions etc., I'd want more time. Rides would only take you to about 1 or 2 if you just want a few quick rides on them, but the animals can take forever, depending on how long you want to have fun for. My friends and I (we were all 16 year old guys at the time) spent about 45 mins in a bird house area. lol

 

>How much time do we set aside for Bonfante and SCBB on Sunday?

>Remember our kids will LOVE Bonfante.

 

Well, I would do SCBB and the warf (you can't miss the warf) in the morning, right when SCBB opens. It's not crowded at all and you can get quick rides on Giant Dipper and Hurricane. Then head over to Gilroy over CA 152 and Bonfonte Gardens is right along there. I don't really know if the kids really will like Bonfonte. There's really not much to do there. If you want to view the gardens, take a lot of time, but to just ride some rides for the kids, I'd say 1-2 hours, literally. It's a tiny park with almost no rides, and definetly no lines.

 

>Any suggestions on Hotels for the City, Six Flags, PGA and Santa

>Cruz/Gilroy. We don't care what chain as long as it's clean and in a

>relatively safe area.

 

>Is staying in the city too expensive? Should we just stay outside the city

>on Wednesday night?

 

Wouldn't know, the only hotel I can suggest is in San Jose, about 25 mins away from PGA called the Residence Inn. Kind of expensive, but a cool place to stay.....had to stay there a few months once........

 

>Thanks!!!

 

Yup

[shepp]

A couple of random thoughts I had:

 

If you are going to Pier 39, print out the coupon at http://www.pier39.com/funpack.html

 

Two hours free parking at the Pier garage, and plenty of other discounts, too.

 

Be sure to allow plenty of time for actually getting into SFMW, especially if you want to be there at opening. All parking is a fairly sizable tram ride from the gates, and the metal detector shakedown can get very backed up. Also, be forewarned that the park often doesn't start allowing folks to ride Medusa till 15-20 minutes or so after the park opens, by which time a sizable queue for the front row can build up.

 

Oh, and you might want to time things so the kids can feed the giraffes....

[socalMAN123]

Another thing that is fun to do in SF: go biking across the Golden Gate bridge. I don't know if you want to do this because it requires a lot of physical activity, but there is a rest stop at the end of the bridge and several stops before the bridge. Just another fun thing to do in San Fransisco.

The Exploritorium is awesome! Tons of fun science expierments and at night, when the museum is closed, you can expierence for a small price, the Tactial Dome where you have to use all of your senses except for sight going through pitch black tunnels feeling, smelling, and hearing. It's really fun, but can get scary for some little kids. My older sister made us get out of the maze because she got really scared of not seeing where she was going.

---Brent 8)

[Sir Clinksalot]

^ I have actually done this, and it is awesome.

 

Unfortunately my better half doesn't know how to ride a bike.

 

Go ahead and laugh ... I do.

 

 

Love ya honey!!!!

[PhishyBrewer]

Not to sound snobbish, but Pier 39 is...well, awful. The very definition of "tourist trap," which has much to do with the real city of San Francisco as DLP is representative of the rest of Orange County.

 

I'll have to agree with you there. When I goto the city, I stay as far from the Warf as possible.

[Sir Clinksalot]

Thank you everyone for all your help and advice! We are looking forward to our trip up north and I think we were talking about doing the Jelly Belly Factory tour as well.

 

Kristi

[socalMAN123]

^The Jelly Belly Factory tour is awesome! When your waiting for your tour to start, you can try out all of the flavors of Jelly Belly ever made. The tour is cool and you can see how they are made and some of the amazing artwork they do with simple jelly beans.

---Brent 8)

[PhishyBrewer]

^The Jelly Belly Factory tour is awesome! When your waiting for your tour to start, you can try out all of the flavors of Jelly Belly ever made. The tour is cool and you can see how they are made and some of the amazing artwork they do with simple jelly beans.

---Brent 8)

 

If you go to Jelly Belly, stop by the Anheuser-Busch brewery for a tour and some free samples . I work there as a brewer. Stop by and say, "Hi!" It's virtually across the street from Jelly Belly.

[What Now]

Be sure to do the Jelly Belly tour on a weekday, because the people working the assembly lines don't work on the weekends.

[Coaster Palooza]

Greg, Kristi

 

I think there is a Comfort Suites off 101 in Gilroy/Morgan Hill area. That might be a good place.

 

Below is how I would attack Marine World for one day and it depends on if you want to see the animal shows or not. I would definately see the Dolphin show and the Shouka show.

 

When the gate opens, go to the right to ride Medusa, Kong and Cobra (kiddie ride). Hopefully Medusa is running. Kong is a low capacity, ride this ASAP. Don't wait in line for it because it really beats you up. Next, go to the left side of the park for Roar, V2, and Zonga (if running). Don't stop at Ocean Discovery because you can hit that during feeding time. There is a BBQ area by Ocean Discovery that has an all you can eat. This is the best value in the park. It hasn't been open yet, but I think it might be for Memorial Day weekend. After that go to the Walrus display and continue towards the sharks. There are some flat rides around here if you want to ride them. If you didn't do the BBQ, you will be at the food court after the sharks. Depending on the time, either eat first or go see the Shouka show. It only lasts 20 minutes. At the top of the Shouka stadium is Boomerang. There are also some flat rides here. This will lead you down to the other animals. You can ride the elephant here and pet some animals too. There's a tiger show also back that way. I recommend feeding the Giraffes. The look on my nieces' faces was priceless. The giraffes tongues are huge. Now you're all the way in the back right corner, go to the Butterfly display. I don't go in, but Gyendolynne does. At this point it should be late in the day. Continue back towards the front to see the dolphin show if you haven't already and the Stargate virtual reality (I didn't like this and probably won't ride it again). After that, go to the Looney tune kid area. You can relax and the kids can have a good time. There are also a couple water rides in the park. Don't forget to feed the Dolphins and Sting Rays. I don't know what the schedule will be, but plan for that too. On your way out, ride Medusa again before you go.

 

As for PGA, I start at Top Gun and work my way back on the left side hitting the big rides (Delirium, Stealth (OOPS! ), Psycho Mouse, Drop Zone, Grizzly, Demon, Invertigo (usually breaks down a lot), and Vortex). Next lap I do some flat rides. The reason I don't go straight to Invertigo is because it isn't running all the time and I don't like to lose out on Top Gun.

 

SCBB and Bonfante Gardens. Go to SCBB first because there really isn't that much there. They put in a new 100 foot drop tower. You can spend the rest of your time at Bonfante and you don't have to feel you need to get to SCBB at that point.

 

I don't go to San Francisco a lot, but ride the cable car!

 

I hope this helps.

[shepp]

One addtion to the above:

 

Maybe my favorite thing at SFMW are the walruses. The scenes in 50 First Dates shot at SFMW settled once and for all the question: "Who can act better - Adam Sandler or a pinniped?" (Sandler lost.) There's a daily training/play session at the walrus tank that's really cool, so look for it on the schedule and try to catch it if you can.

[WalrusMan]

Don't forget to say hi to the walruses for me.

[Rollerholden]

Is 10-6 enough time for SFMW on a Friday?

 

I wast there last Saturday from 10-6 and we did all the rides we wanted with lines from 10 - 20 minutes. A Friday there will be extremely short lines. I go during the summer on weekdays and they let us stay on the rides because there are no lines.