We just made plans to meet up with my SIL/BIL (who are flying over from Israel) in San Francisco in early March, for about a week. We are all quite excited, and desire to find an apartment and/or condo to rent for our time there.

I have not begun my searching yet, but was interested in your input as to what neighborhoods to check out and which ones to avoid. My knowledge of SF is nil. I've been searching through previous SF threads, but haven't found too much info. Anything you can share will be most helpful. THANKS so much!

Here's a map with SF neighborhood names
And here's a rather rosytext decription, and here a moreidiosyncratic description

Using the map above and with the caveat that I haven't lived in San Francisco for 30 years, the most desirable places to get a rental are North Beach, Russian Hill, Nob Hill, the Marina and Pacific Heights.

Avoid the Western Addition, Potrero Hill, Hunter's Point and the more westerly and southern parts of Downtown/Polk.

The Richmond and Sunset District, "out in the avenues", are just that - a ways from most places you would want to sightsee.

quote:

Originally posted by caodog:

The Richmond and Sunset District, "out in the avenues", are just that - a ways from most places you would want to sightsee.

Ahh--but it depends on what you want to see. If you want a true neighborhood experience, then definitely look into these. We lived at Clement and Arguello recently (in the Richmond district), and what a great neighborhood! It's within easy bus distance of downtown, is close to Golden Gate Park (we'd walk there every Sunday), near great shops and restaurants--it would most definitely give you a slow travel, living in the neighborhood experience. Now, whether there are vacation rentals there, I have no idea. I guess I'm just saying that you don't have to be downtown to have a great trip to SF!
(Oh, and Cole Valley is a sweet little valley just past the Haight, near GG Park and on a MUNI streetcar line--neat way to get where you need to go, beautiful little houses...)

We stayed here and loved it!

http://www.vrbo.com/25532

I live and work in San Francisco. That is, at least half of the year. We are in Paris right now as part of our nine-week euro trip which includes Switzerland & Italy.

When you do find the apartments you are interested in, post it and maybe we can help.

Good luck.

Thanks for all your help so far. I don't have a feel yet for whether I should stay in the more tourist-y section or a more neighborhood feel. But your replies did stimulate another question for me - will we need a car to see SF? Or is there great public transport? How about parking - hard to find? Expensive?

(TIA - thanks in advance!)

Lesfaye, that place looks really sweet. Only one bedroom though, huh? I think we'd probably be looking for 2 bedrooms, if possible. But we do have $$ considerations too, so I won't totally discount not staying there. How do you think 4 would manage at the rental you stayed at?

I think the couch turns into a bed but the only problem would be privacy, as bed is only in an alcove in full view of the living room. THeir is another small room that was a baby's room towards the french doors that a double bed could be put into for privacy. The owner is very accomodating and mentioned that she has done that before. THe size of the place is doable for four, good size kitchen as well. Depends on how much you like your friends I guess. The area is also not for everyone. It is lower Haight which can be a bit seedy on edges. We liked it though, we have already done the Union Square, Fishermans Wharf thing so really wanted to get into a neighborhood and this did the trick. Very close to Golden Gate Park as well.. We spent most of our time here and in North Beach. Next time I would love to find something in North Beach but I didn't see any at the time. San Francisco is such a blast..

quote:

Or is there great public transport? How about parking - hard to find? Expensive?

Yes, yes, and yes.

Terry, I've just emailed several of my relatives who live or have lived in SF to see if they concur.

Ann

Terry,

I've just received a very prompt reply from my niece who lives in SF and is a long-time Bay Area resident. Here's her (edited) reply:

"The city is pretty small and public transportation is adequate (but not great!) and taxi coverage is also only adequate (ie, you can't just hail a cab in most neighborhoods). If she wanted to do a lot of sightseeing around SF (wine country, Sausalito etc), renting a car for a day or two may not be a bad idea. If she's only going to be in the city, she could get by with taxis, BART, and MUNI, but it's no New York.

"Driving can be very confusing in San Francisco. Lots of (scary) hills, and the left turn is elusive. Parking depends on the neighborhood. Not a ton of parking garages and street parking is also hard in most neighborhoods you'd want to be.

"Happy to answer any other questions."
(Debbie Jaffe)

Ann

San Francisco has an elaborate system of preferred parking neighborhood permits. I don't know if overnight parking or prolonged day parking are allowed or available:
http://www.sfgov.org/site/frame.asp?u=http://www.sfmta.com

Caodog, your links are the best. Thank you - so useful.

Ann, how sweet of you - I love real insider's views about an area. This stuff is so helpful. Muchly appreciated.

So, after a lot of long distance phone calls and back-and-forth emails, we have all determined that we need to find a rental with separate bedrooms. Those sites with the neighborhood descriptions, caodog, have been most helpful.

So we are considering this vrbo rental in the area known as Noe Valley. What do you all think? Nice area? Is anyone familiar with this rental? It looks like a nice place, nicely reviewed, and nice price for us. Two bedrooms. Near public transportation.

I am interested in your feedback..... Thanks!

Noe Valley is hip and animated - good cafés, good restaurants - and very sunny, in a beautiful city not well known for being sunny. Very lovely area indeed. Nearby Dolores Heights offers a great view of the city.

It is best to have a car. Public transport can be described as not the worst. But it's no fun waiting for the iffy buses in a city that can get windy and cold from one minute to another, from one street to another - strangest micro-climate.
Taxis, when found, are expensive - well, more expensive than Paris prices, even given the exchange rate.
Therefore if you don't have your own car, your rental - and visit - options can be greatly limited.
Bon voyage.

Noe Valley is a nice area, but I am concerned about their reference to Mitchell's Ice Cream. If the place is near Mitchell's it is on the pretty far outskirt of Noe Valley. Did they give you an address?

Nothing wrong with staying out there, really, but you'll be taking a lot of buses and streetcars and it will be a half hour or more to get downtown or many other places, not including wait times.

I adore Dolores Park and there are tons of restaurants around around 22nd and Guerrero, plus lots more down further into the Mission District.

You might want to choose something a little more central if you are going to rely on public transportation and walking to get around.

quote:

Originally posted by Americana in Parigi:
It is best to have a car. Public transport can be described as not the worst. But it's no fun waiting for the iffy buses in a city that can get windy and cold from one minute to another, from one street to another - strangest micro-climate.
Taxis, when found, are expensive - well, more expensive than Paris prices, even given the exchange rate.
Therefore if you don't have your own car, your rental - and visit - options can be greatly limited.
Bon voyage.

It is good to have a car IF there is plenty of street parking near your rental. There is also a resident sticker that you must have on your car in order to park in some neighborhoods for more than two hours at a time (and while this requirement ends at night, sometimes it is nine o'clock at night.) If you don't have this sticker, chances are you will be getting some parking tickets. So make sure that where your rental is, a) there is plenty of street parking and b) there is no resident sticker required there.

There are tons of cabs in San Francisco and they are not that expensive, especially if you just want to grab one to get home from dinner a few blocks away.

Terry - the owner of this rental is a long time friend of ours (and part of our Siena rental group of 18 in 2005, and our St. Remy vacation group of 12 in 2007). He just started renting it a few months ago, and I had forgotten about it until I saw your reference to Noe Valley. He has wonderful taste, and is the consumate host.

I think you would be more than happy with this rental, and wish I'd remembered it sooner. It is in a great neighborhood, with good access to public transportation, and he has put together a wealth of information about the area and its offerings.

Don't hesitate - he mentioned when I spoke to him that he is filling up fast, and loving every minute of it.

Judy

Terry, with TourMama's personal recommendation, I would definitely go with this rental. It looks great, and that is a wonderful neighborhood. Tons of stuff to do and see, great restaurant choices, and lots of public transport. And, as TourMama said, one of the best weather areas in the City.

Donna

You see, this is what makes Slow Travel such a great community. What a small world, and where can you find advice and information such as this?

Shannon, the rental is located here (click on the Google locator link in the right column), and apparently optional garage parking is offered at an extra $10/night. I clicked on a link that said "click here for more information" and found these photos and blurbs about the place and the area.

Judy, I am speechless. Who could ask for a better rec than that? Just amazing. Their website has some helpful links, and SFGate online looks like a useful resource for things that are currently happening all over SF. I am forwarding all of this great feedback to my SIL in Israel and will await her response.

It does look like it may be a ways from the downtown area. I (we) have to decide how we all feel about that. Not really sure yet what, if any, our car situation will be. We may rent for the entire time, or maybe just a couple days...to be determined.

Food for thought~

It's a bit of a stretch to call that Noe Valley... but the place looks great so who cares?

There is not THAT much public transportation right there. If you do stay there and can get the $10 parking per night, definitely get a car, for siteseeing trips during the day. It'll be much better when you want to get somewhere besides Market Street and downtown.

Question: If we decided to do the hotel route, what kind of rates could we expect to get through Priceline, and could we pick our neighborhood?

I'm thinking (Ann, jump in here if you want, as you know Philadelphia) that if I was staying in Philadelphia for a week, I would want to stay more in the downtown area as opposed to, say, Chestnut Hill, which is a lovely area but not exactly central.

I'm having trouble finding affordable rentals in the areas closer to downtown in SF, so I want to cover all bases for accommodation considerations.

Thanks.

Terry, what is your budget?

Have you tried Craigslist?

Go here and type San Francisco into the search engine.

Colleen and I just got rooms at the Hyatt Regency downtown for less than $80 including tax on priceline last weekend. But, it would be So Much Nicer to have an apartment. The rooms were fantastic at the Hyatt and good for a couple of nights but... get an apartment in a neighborhood if you can.

I use to live very close to that place in "Noe Valley." There are some cool places around there... for one, the famous and incredible Dianda's Italian Bakery on Mission and 25th, and Lucca's Italian Ravioli and Deli at Valencia and 22nd. The area is very colorful with lots of Latino markets though it is becoming gentrified. I think there is a hospital on Cesar Chavez near there, not sure how the sirens would be. The apartment is on a quiet street but the other streets around there are quite busy.

If you had a car, you could drive to Golden Gate Park, North Beach etc with no trouble; even driving downtown and to Union Square is not that bad, though you will have to pay for parking there. And there are lots and lots of restaurants pretty close by, where you can walk, take the J Church Streetcar or take a short cab ride.

So don't discount it because it is not so close to downtown - there are lots of other places to visit in San Francisco (Castro, Haight, Golden Gate Park) that you will be fairly close to - by car anyway - if you choose that spot.