Family Trip to EMY / San Francisco (?) or GPK

[dvdapex]

Normally, I like to have our family trips locked down 9 - 10 months in advanced, but due to a variety of unknowns, it looks like I'm "last minute" booking this year (only 4 months in advance).

Background:

Family of 4 with 2 kids around 10 years old.

In 2012, we did a Planes, Trains, Automobiles trip around the country CBS - GPK, GPK - PDX (train, bus), PDX DFW (plane), DFW, MSN (plane). It was only supposed to be Planes and Trains, but since we were taking the EB, we ended up with a 4 hour bus ride.

In 2013, we did a Planes, Trains, Automobiles trip with a 6 hour knee-kissing, no snacks, no water, bus ride included at no extra charge. CBS - PDX, PDX - MIL (plane).

We love the trains and planes, we do not love the surprise bus trips.

This year:

I have an Amtrak voucher to use + points. Our choices are:

CBS - GPK for 10 days (last time we only stayed 3.5 days)

CHI - EMY

My son wants to go back to Glacier, my daughter is a little too young to enjoy the constant hiking and getting up early. Since we're there for much longer, I don't think we need to cram quite so much into our time there, but there will still be a lot of hiking.

I wouldn't mind showing the kids a new state and happened upon a few discussions of Sacramento / San Francisco. Plus, this would be 2 solid days on the train and we would all like that very much. And, we'd be looking at 7 or so days actually in the area once we arrive.

So, here are my questions:

If we were to go to San Francisco, is this really a good destination to have a family of 4 take via the Amtrak?

I believe it's EMY and then a bus to SF, is that correct? Is the bus something that is "booked" as part of the Amtrak travel?

If this isn't a bad idea, any suggestions as to the best hotel(s) for arrival as well as close to public transport for sight-seeing (I'm really hoping to not have to rent a car.).

UPDATE:

Thanks everyone for the information / suggestions (and how QUICK they came!). Here's what we decided and I booked (roomette's all the way for 60,000 points and $168 due to my having a certificate to use):

CHI - SFC on California Zephyr, 2 full days on the train

6.5 days in SF

Then, SFC - PDX Coast Starlight, overnight in Portland (hopefully dinner and visit with family)

Then PDX - CBS, 2 more days on the train and we're home

With hotel points, we should be able to stay in the fisherman's warf area with little-to-no out of pocket. But, with the transportation booked, I have a little bit more time to investigate hotels.

Yes, it'll be a lot of time on the train, but CZ and CS are new legs for us and we've done CBS - PDX but not PDX - CBS so that'll be newish and we've all really liked our time on the train in the previous trips.

As I get the hotel(s) nailed down, I'll report back here and then at the end of the summer, I'll have a trip report.

That said, if there are more suggestions or tips / tricks regarding the area, keep them coming (and thanks again!).

 

[Shanghai]

San Francisco is a good destination for young people as well as adults. There are many tourist things to do and visit.

When you book your trip, book to SFC (San Francisco Ferry Terminal). That will ensure you have a ticket for the bus

from Emeryville to San Francisco. I have taken the bus several times and it is a comfortable bus with luggage storage

underneath. The bus makes several stops in the city and each has its own code. I use SFC because that it usually

where I depart as well as where I board for the return trip to EMY. You can check your luggage to and from SFC, but

I always collect my luggage at EMY (usually on a baggage cart) and take it to the bus. On your departure, you can check

luggage at SFC and it will be taken to the bus and then on the train by Amtrak personnel. I have always found the bus

drivers to be friendly and helpful.

I'm not familiar with the hotels as I have a daughter who lives in San Francisco and we stay with her. There are many

hotels in both the Emeryville area as well as San Francisco. Depending on the time of the year, they can be expensive.

I hope you and your family have an enjoyable vacation.

 

[dvdapex]

Why do you collect your luggage at EMY? Just to make sure it gets on the bus?

... You can check your luggage to and from SFC, but

I always collect my luggage at EMY (usually on a baggage cart) and take it to the bus. On your departure, you can check

luggage at SFC and it will be taken to the bus and then on the train by Amtrak personnel. ...

 

[NorthShore]

San Francisco is a compact city. You can actually just plain walk many places. Transit is excellent,so there should be no need to rent a vehicle. You can get back across the bay to Oakland, Berkley et al easily. You can even daytrip by train to other nearby cities such as Sacramento or San Jose.

If you're looking for nature, that is certainly available, also, just across the Golden Gate bridge. Think about renting bikes and riding across to explore. Or take a daytrip or overnight to Yosemite. Bus tours from San Fran are available if you don't want to drive and are satisfied with a ride through to see the waterfalls. Or you could rent a car and take it at your own pace. In which case, you might well want to take a drive down the scenic Cabrillo Highway, running along the Pacific Coast.

Like many major cities, hotels can be expensive, but in S.F. there are also affordable options, particularly if you're willing to stay at a European or hostel style location, with shared bathrooms down the hall.

For kids, definitely check out the Exploartorium.

I think you'd find a lot for everyone in your family in the area.

 

[Eyegor]

We did a family of four last year on the CZ route. Only difference was we stopped for 2 days in Denver. The first day on the train is good. The 2nd day (Denver to EMY) is amazing. You and the kids will both love it. Likewise, we spent 4 days in SF and had a blast. You will not run out of things to do. I highly recommend the Red Bus tours. They have a multiple tour package that we took full advantage of.

 

[dvdapex]

We did a family of four last year on the CZ route. Only difference was we stopped for 2 days in Denver. The first day on the train is good. The 2nd day (Denver to EMY) is amazing. You and the kids will both love it. Likewise, we spent 4 days in SF and had a blast. You will not run out of things to do. I highly recommend the Red Bus tours. They have a multiple tour package that we took full advantage of.

Eyegor, where did you end up staying? The hotels are coming up $$$$.

 

[Eyegor]

IIRC, it was the Marriott at Fisherman's Wharf. It was almost next door to a Day's Inn which is where we ate breakfast most days. (Denny's). 2-3 blocks from the water, 2-3 blocks from Ghiradelli (sp?) Square. Booked as part of a package through Amtrak Vacations.

 

[SarahZ]

Hotels in July are going to come at a premium, unfortunately. Check TripAdvisor for highly-rated hotels that might be more within your budget, or check Hotwire for their last-minute deals. Groupon puts out some hotel deals on occasion. I've seen rooms advertised for 50% off through Groupon.

 

[BCL]

San Francisco is a compact city. You can actually just plain walk many places. Transit is excellent,so there should be no need to rent a vehicle. You can get back across the bay to Oakland, Berkley et al easily. You can even daytrip by train to other nearby cities such as Sacramento or San Jose.

Some neighborhoods are walkable. However, trying to walk the city is made difficult by all the hills.

A bunch of us decided to do the local tourist thing and rode bikes from San Francisco to Sausalito and took the ferry back to San Francisco. There are several bike rental companies that will do this and provide differnt types of bikes. When we got back, it seemed as if most of the passengers were on rental bikes. I think the pricing was also made with tourists in mind. It's $10.25 regular fare, but $5.25 using the "Clipper" multi-agency card. Golden Gate Ferry doesn't provide parking at their Sausalito terminal, so I don't believe that a lot of commuters use it. However, their pricing for the multi-agency card seems to be priced better for the local who would know about it. They have their own parking lot at the Larkspur terminal (near San Quentin Prison) and charge $2 per car for up to 24 hours on weekdays. However, their adult fare is $9.25 regular and $6.25 Clipper. The ferry is an excellent ride with good views of San Francisco Bay, Angel Island, and San Quentin (on the Larkspur ferry).

If you're going to be on public transportation a lot, I'd suggest getting a Clipper card. They're available where Golden Gate Ferry sells tickets as well as other locations. Probably the most convenient for a visitor is at local Walgreens stores. It's $3 for the card and it requires a $5 minimum "cash value" balance. Some services have discounts. There are a few drawbacks, such as having a hard 90 minute time limit on San Francisco's MUNI system. If you pay a cash fare on board, they hand over a paper transfer/proof of payment that can be up to 4 hours. However, if you're in San Francisco for several straight days, it might make more sense just to get a Clipper Card and load a 7-day MUNI pass that allows travel on all MUNI services, including cable cars, the F-line, buses, and MUNI Metro. You could also buy a paper pass. Another advantage to using Clipper is that often they'll have discounts for transferring from one service to another, such as from a ferry to MUNI.

You might want to rent a car if you want to explore more than just San Francisco and parts of Marin. Yosemite was mentioned, but Lake Tahoe is spectacular during the summer.

 

[BCL]

We did a family of four last year on the CZ route. Only difference was we stopped for 2 days in Denver. The first day on the train is good. The 2nd day (Denver to EMY) is amazing. You and the kids will both love it. Likewise, we spent 4 days in SF and had a blast. You will not run out of things to do. I highly recommend the Red Bus tours. They have a multiple tour package that we took full advantage of.

Eyegor, where did you end up staying? The hotels are coming up $$$$.

You might look for locations outside of San Francisco and then take public transportation into San Francisco. I rather like Walnut Creek. It's kind of a quiet suburb, but there are hotels near the Walnut Creek or Pleasant Hill BART stations.

This hotel has a great location next to the Pleasant Hill BART station. The hotel has its own shuttle, and I think the free Walnut Creek Shuttle might be doable. Walnut Creek has gone upscale with fine dining and upscale shopping in recent years.

http://embassysuites3.hilton.com/en/hotels/california/embassy-suites-walnut-creek-SFOPHES/index.html

 

[dvdapex]

Thanks everyone for the information / suggestions (and how QUICK they came!). Here's what we decided and I booked (roomette's all the way for 60,000 points and $168 due to my having a certificate to use):

CHI - SFC on California Zephyr, 2 full days on the train

6.5 days in SF

Then, SFC - PDX Coast Starlight, overnight in Portland (hopefully dinner and visit with family)

Then PDX - CBS, 2 more days on the train and we're home

With hotel points, we should be able to stay in the fisherman's warf area with little-to-no out of pocket. But, with the transportation booked, I have a little bit more time to investigate hotels.

Yes, it'll be a lot of time on the train, but CZ and CS are new legs for us and we've done CBS - PDX but not PDX - CBS so that'll be newish and we've all really liked our time on the train in the previous trips.

As I get the hotel(s) nailed down, I'll report back here and then at the end of the summer, I'll have a trip report.

That said, if there are more suggestions or tips / tricks regarding the area, keep them coming (and thanks again!).

 

[BCL]

If you're going to be in Fishermans Wharf, then the one place I recommend is the Boudin demonstration bakery. The main feature is their clam chowder in a sourdough bread bowl. I'm a local and I have that. They have multiple locations, but the one at FW attracts lots of crowds with their open window.

My usual is "Best of Boudin" with a half-sandwich and chowder in a bread bowl ($1 extra for the bread bowl). It's a little over $10. Nothing fancy, but it's good, clean tourist fun.

 

[SarahZ]

If you decide you want a ride somewhere, try the app "Uber" instead of waiting for and hailing a cab. We used it while there, and it was great. The drivers are professional and friendly, the cars are clean, and the app charges the ride to your credit card (meaning, you don't have some cabbie driving the long way just to keep the meter running). They are paid a fair fee for each ride, so they don't/can't accept tips.

When you use the app, it will tell you exactly how far away they are (via GPS) and how long you have to wait before they get there. Additionally, since you're putting in the number of passengers, it will only alert drivers who have that capacity in their vehicle. They won't make you cram you and your kids into a compact; they'll send a minivan or SUV so everyone is safe and buckled-up. It's wonderful.

Your kids are old enough that I think Alcatraz would be a cool experience for them. We did the early-morning tour, which meant we could have spent the whole day on the island if we'd wanted to. It gave us lots of time to wander around, take photos, do the audio tour of the cellhouse, and visit the gift shop. We also attended a talk from a former inmate and watched a video about what it was like for the wardens' families to live on the island.

We really enjoyed the Monterey Bay Aquarium and the old-fashioned boardwalk (with rides!) in Santa Cruz, so if it's in the budget, I'd recommend renting a car for one day to visit those areas.

Fisherman's Wharf will be great for the kids. There's plenty to do. If you don't want to drive down to Monterey Bay, Aquarium of the Bay is near Fisherman's Wharf.

 

[BCL]

Fisherman's Wharf will be great for the kids. There's plenty to do. If you don't want to drive down to Monterey Bay, Aquarium of the Bay is near Fisherman's Wharf.

Aquarium of the Bay is an earnest effort, but personally I think it's kind of sad considering its history. I remember there was controversy over its construction. It was original supposed to be a for-profit destination tourist attraction. There were worries about its impact on the water and sea life. I've been there once and had a good time, but Monterey Bay Aquarium is superior in almost every way. And if you're in San Francisco, the Steinhart Aquarium at the California Academy of Sciences in Golden Gate Park has a better aquarium, in addition to the other exhibits they have including a planetarium and natural history exhibits. I've got a membership there.

Aquarium of the Bay is now technically a non-profit affiliated with a scientific institute.

 

[SarahZ]

Good to know. I haven't been to Aquarium of the Bay, so I didn't know how it compared. The CA Academy of Sciences is on the list for next time.

 

[BCL]

Good to know. I haven't been to Aquarium of the Bay, so I didn't know how it compared. The CA Academy of Sciences is on the list for next time.

I got free admission through my county library's museum pass program. Otherwise I probably wouldn't have paid to go there. I take my family to San Francisco often, and I see a lot of kids wearing their "shark fin" crown that looks sort of like a carboard crown from Burger King. This isn't my photo:

I actually got free admission to the California Academy of Sciences via the library card. That was good for one adult and one child. It was odd too, since they had a limit of two per person, and my wife wanted to go along. She tried looking the next day, and their entire allotment was gone - every single day they had arranged. Since then I got a membership, which is generous. It's good for myself and one guest. My kid is under the age where they charge admission. And even when my kid reaches the age where admission is charged, I could bring my kid along as my guest. I didn't think it was too bad for $99.

 

[andersone]

accommodations at glacier this late will be a problem. If you go to SF, don't miss the Explatorium

 

[Jean]

I have been to SF twice and really like the sea lions. They are, of course, free! I did read somewhere that they may go away somewhere at certain times of the year, but I am not sure about that. Just walk along the waterfront at Fishermans Wharf, you will hear them before too long.

I also liked the little boats that you have to climb down a ladder to get on. That would depend on the tide. For a small fee ($10?) we had a trip out to the Golden Gate bridge. They were in a tiny harbour.

Does anyone know if that guy that hides behind some leaves and then jumps out at people is still there? We saw him both times and laughed and laughed. So simple and yet somehow so funny! Must be my simple mind.

Sausalito is nice too and can be reached by a ferry both ways. Yosemite is about 5 hours each way by coach. I was amazed that we were the only people actually staying overnight, most people came for the day, which I guess gave them a few hours of walking around in the valley, then another 5 hours of boring driving back. Not worth it for the day IMHO. Go another time when you can give it the time it deserves.

Another free thing, go look at the very steep windy street (Lombard St?) and maybe walk up or down. It was fun seeing the cars queue up to drive it and was nicely decorated with flowers etc.

Have a great holiday.

 

[BCL]

I have been to SF twice and really like the sea lions. They are, of course, free! I did read somewhere that they may go away somewhere at certain times of the year, but I am not sure about that. Just walk along the waterfront at Fishermans Wharf, you will hear them before too long.

I also liked the little boats that you have to climb down a ladder to get on. That would depend on the tide. For a small fee ($10?) we had a trip out to the Golden Gate bridge. They were in a tiny harbour.

Does anyone know if that guy that hides behind some leaves and then jumps out at people is still there? We saw him both times and laughed and laughed. So simple and yet somehow so funny! Must be my simple mind.

Sausalito is nice too and can be reached by a ferry both ways. Yosemite is about 5 hours each way by coach. I was amazed that we were the only people actually staying overnight, most people came for the day, which I guess gave them a few hours of walking around in the valley, then another 5 hours of boring driving back. Not worth it for the day IMHO. Go another time when you can give it the time it deserves.

Another free thing, go look at the very steep windy street (Lombard St?) and maybe walk up or down. It was fun seeing the cars queue up to drive it and was nicely decorated with flowers etc.

Have a great holiday.

The original "Bushman" is still out there. There was a second one, and he recently died.

As for Yosemite, I'd think that an Amtrak fan might consider taking Amtrak, although the schedules are iffy if you don't have lodging reservations. It's the San Joaquin to Merced, and then through-ticketing on YARTS to Yosemite Valley. I generally think Yosemite is best with your own vehicle.

 

[roadman3313]

San Francisco would have a lot of options in terms of things to do. Also, the added train time is nice if you and the family enjoy riding trains. There are also many more lodging options for a reasonable price booking this "late" in the game. San Francisco would also include the entire Bay Area with an array of activities for all ages.

 

[Notelvis]

With one of the SF days you may want to 'daytrip' up to Sacramento and go to the California State Railroad Museum.

 

[Trainmans daughter]

Don't miss the quirky Golden Gate Fortune Cookie Factory @ 56 Ross Alley in Chinatown. It's kind of hard to find, but so worth the effort. It's just a little hole in the wall place that makes the best cookies you have ever eaten. Nothing like the ones you get in a Chinese restaurant. The old man owner will greet you with a smile, offer you a free sample, and then will rush you through the buying process. He always throws a handful of warm, unfolded cookie disks in your bag. If you want to take a picture of one of the 3 Chinese grandmas hand-folding the cookies, it will cost you 50 cents. The whole visit will only take about 3 minutes of your time. Try to get there on a weekedy when it isn't too crowded (the place is very tiny), and maybe the old man will let you stay a little longer. Your kids will love it!

The best way to get there is to take the California Street Cable Car (the uncrowded one) to Grant Ave. Walk North on Grant, turn left on Washington and right into Ross Alley. The GGFC factory is on your right. Very easy to miss, but follow your nose. It smells wonderful!

 

[Eyegor]

Alcatraz was mentioned. I learned first hand that you need to book that pretty far in advance. I didn't and the closest date I could get would have had me staying in SF for a month!! Not a bad idea, but the boss and wallet didn't agree.

 

[chakk]

And if you do decide to visit San Francisco in July, be sure to bring some warm clothing. Was it Mark Twain who said the coldest winter he ever spent was a summer in San Francisco?

 

[BCL]

And if you do decide to visit San Francisco in July, be sure to bring some warm clothing. Was it Mark Twain who said the coldest winter he ever spent was a summer in San Francisco?

That's the claim. However, nobody can track down when he was supposed to have said it.

I've experienced some absolutely gorgeous T-shirts and shorts type weather in San Francisco. But it can change in an instant. The wind can kick in or it could turn overcast quickly. There are also freakish things happening. Once in Marin County it was perfectly sunny and gorgeous. My wife looked in the distance and it looked like a sharp wall of fog coming in. We stayed where we were watching the fog roll in. Within 10 minutes, visibility was down to about 50 feet and the fog was actually quite misty. So be prepared.