CZ Trip from SF

[abcnews]

I have an assignment in San Francisco this winter, so I plan to fly in for the photo shoot, then take a few days off to travel back home to Virginia on the CZ. This is my first time to travel east on the California Zephyr so I had a few questions...

Any good recommendations for a hotel in San Francisco that is close to the Amtrak bus route? Im looking at a couple of Holiday Inn properties that are located at Fisherman's wharf. We would really like to just wake up and walk outside and catch the bus. And we will only be there there one night.

Since this is a paid assignment, I can pass on the cost of the hotel, so not looking for a 2 star bargain, but would rather have a nice hotel room at a reasonable price (below $200).There will be a few family members traveling with me, so it is a bit of a working vacation. And the larger the room, the better.

 

[Bob Dylan]

You Didnt indicate when in the Winter you wanted to stay but there are Nice Hotels from Hyatt, Sheraton, Marriott,Holiday Inn etc. in the Fishermans Wharf Area under $200 a Night on Selected Nights! I use Kayak , Book it and Orbitz to Look up Hotels but any of the Booking Sites should give you Plenty to Choose From! And of course the Ambus will take you to the Emeryville Station to Catch the Zephyr! (Book with your Train!)

 

[abcnews]

Thanks - So Fisherman's Wharf is a good spot to stay - to catch the bus the next morning?

 

[Bob Dylan]

Thanks - So Fisherman's Wharf is a good spot to stay - to catch the bus the next morning?

Yes., the Wharf is a Good Place for Tourists to Stay! The Ambus Picks up @ Several Spots Between Fishermans Wharf (Close to the Hotels, in Fact Some Drivers actually Drop Off/Pick Up Passengers from the hotels/they are Friendly Veteran Drivers/a Tip is Appreciated for Good service!) and the Ferry Terminal which is Actually an Amtrak Full Service Station Without Trains! ^_^ You can Check Luggage, Purchase and Print Tickets etc. from the Agent ! The Bus Loads Here on the Street in Front of the Station which Looks like an AmshaK Inside ! The Entry Door is towards the Water and on the Back Side of the Building! It's Actually to the Right Side of the Ferry Terminal as you Look from the Front!

After Leaving the Ferry Terminal Stop the Bus Crosses the Bay Bridge to the Emeryville Station and Unloads Right in Front of the Station!( it's Strictly for Amtrak Passengers!!!)

 

[Gemuser]

In Sept last year I stayed at the Radission Fisherman Wharf., which was quite good. Pier 39 is about 50 meters away from the front door, which has an Amtrak bus stop. The bus stops there at 7:30 for the CZ connection. I used it to connect to the CS, so it was at the other end of the day, but everything worked well.

The location worked well for us as the hotel is on the F line and a short walk from both the Powell-Mason & Powell-Hyde cable car lines. There is lot of "stuff" in the fisherman Wharf area (some pretty tacky), we particularly enjoyed the Maratime Museum near the Powell-Hyde termius. The ferry Eureka from the Northwestern Pacific railroad was very interesting.

 

[pebbleworm]

Fisherman's Wharf is an outer circle of hell. I;d stay around Market Street/Union Square myself. If you LIKE tourist traps, go to the wharf...

 

[jimhudson]

Fisherman's Wharf is an outer circle of hell. I;d stay around Market Street/Union Square myself. If you LIKE tourist traps, go to the wharf...

He's going for Business and will Only be there a Short time! Normally I'd say avoid this Area also , especially in the Summer but it is Convenent to Everything, Comfortable and Affordable during Non-Peak Times!

 

[tp49]

I'd also add a vote for the Market Street/Union Square/Financial District area as there are three of the bus stops that are either on Market Street or within sight of it. There is also a greater variety of hotel properties in that area as well and the Wharf is either a short enough walk, bus ride or streetcar/cable car ride away.

 

[Mark]

I've stayed at the Handlery Union Square a number of times - always enjoyed it and think it's a great value.

http://www.handlery.com/

 

[PRR 60]

Fisherman's Wharf is an outer circle of hell. I;d stay around Market Street/Union Square myself. If you LIKE tourist traps, go to the wharf...

I'm with you on that one. Fisherman's Wharf reminds me of the Wildwood (NJ) Boardwalk - kind of interesting in a tourist trap, tacky sort of way - with some of the most overrated dining in SF. I don't mind walking around the Wharf and watch some of the local "characters" try to extract some funds from the visitors, but it is not somewhere I enjoy staying. It is also far removed from BART, which makes access from the airport more difficult and expensive.

My wife and I stay at the Hyatt Regency in the financial district. BART (Embarcadero) is right there. The Ferry Builiding is right there. Nice dining is right there (MarketBar in the Ferry Building is a favorite of ours). The California Cable Car is right there. The F Line can take you up to the Wharf to get your fix of tourist stuff if need be.

Pricing for the Hyatt can vary widely depending on what is going on there and at the convention center. Weekends tend to have the best prices.

 

[tricia]

I second suggestions for financial district. Last year got a good price at the Hilton there, and simply walked downhill to the Ferry Building to catch the Amtrak bus in the early AM. Lots of good eats at the indoor part of the farmer's market next door to the Amtrak station--we enjoyed an early breakfast of coffee, fabulous bread, and marscapone sitting on a bench looking at the water while waiting for the Ambus.

 

[AKA]

Do the Wharf. Bus stops at Pier 39. Short walk to hotels. Your only there one night. Station code is SFW. Check out Google Earth.

 

[abcnews]

Thanks for all the help. And actually, I will be flying in that morning, and then working that afternoon until 5:45 or so.

But the work will be kind of fun, since we will be photographing an engagement session, so we will gravitate towards scenic areas, and check out a few SF landmarks. In the past, I have covered news events in SF, but I was always working. We would fly in to SFO, work a day or so, before flying out again.

Best of all - we are taking the entire CZ back to the DC area. So I wanted to finish our photo shoot in San Francisco around dusk, in a nice area, so I don't waste an hour or more getting back to the hotel. I want to put all the gear away, and go out for dinner, etc.. with the family. Then get up early to depart on the bus, or just walk over to the Ferry Terminal building.

Thanks again for the help on this!

Mike

 

[Sactobob]

Another hotel you might want to consider is the Hotel Vitale, at 8 Mission Street. It is literally right across the street from the Ferry Building and the annex where the Amtrak ticket office/waiting room is located, and where Amtrak buses load. It is within walking distance (about two blocks) from the Embarcadero BART station. There are a number of dining spots located within the Ferry Building. The Vitale is a newer, boutique hotel and very nice.

 

[CoachSlumber]

Fisherman's Wharf is an outer circle of hell. I;d stay around Market Street/Union Square myself. If you LIKE tourist traps, go to the wharf...

He's going for Business and will Only be there a Short time! Normally I'd say avoid this Area also , especially in the Summer but it is Convenent to Everything, Comfortable and Affordable during Non-Peak Times!

I finally stayed around there and thought it was pretty cool. Obviously tourists by the wharf, but I was at the Marriott which seemed a little removed, and if I went uphill from there seemed to get away from the hustle.

 

[sechs]

Thanks for all the help. And actually, I will be flying in that morning, and then working that afternoon until 5:45 or so.

But the work will be kind of fun, since we will be photographing an engagement session, so we will gravitate towards scenic areas, and check out a few SF landmarks. In the past, I have covered news events in SF, but I was always working. We would fly in to SFO, work a day or so, before flying out again.

Best of all - we are taking the entire CZ back to the DC area. So I wanted to finish our photo shoot in San Francisco around dusk, in a nice area, so I don't waste an hour or more getting back to the hotel. I want to put all the gear away, and go out for dinner, etc.. with the family. Then get up early to depart on the bus, or just walk over to the Ferry Terminal building.

Thanks again for the help on this!

Mike

I'm sure that you're well aware that SFO is not really in San Francisco. It's only about thirty minutes or so from the airport via BART, but still not right there.

I will reiterate suggestions to stay in the Financial District. I usually stay at one of the Starwood Hotels or the Hyatt Regency there. All walkable to the Ferry Building, and very transit convenient.

 

[BCL]

I second suggestions for financial district. Last year got a good price at the Hilton there, and simply walked downhill to the Ferry Building to catch the Amtrak bus in the early AM. Lots of good eats at the indoor part of the farmer's market next door to the Amtrak station--we enjoyed an early breakfast of coffee, fabulous bread, and marscapone sitting on a bench looking at the water while waiting for the Ambus.

Marketing that Hilton as a "Financial District" hotel always seemed somewhat fishy to me. I remember the original incarnation of that place as the Holiday Inn Chinatown. It still has the original bridge to Portsmouth Square Park.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hilton_San_Francisco_Financial_District