LV, NPs and SF - all advice appreciated

[lojo]

Hi

We have booked most of the following trip already, but would appreciate any tips you might have re: places to snack/lunch, have dinner, best views, good spots for sunrises/sunsets, day trips (like the smooth river ride), must dos, things to avoid, and any other tidbits of wisdom.

6th Oct - Arrive LV 6.40pm (2 nights New York, New York)
8th Oct - Hire car (recommended companies?), drive to Grand Canyon (2 nights Maswik Lodge)
10th Oct - Monument Valley (1 night Gouldings Lodge)
11th Oct - Page (1 night BW Lake Powell)
12th Oct - Bryce Canyon (1 night Bryce Canyon Lodge)
13th Oct - Zion (1 night Zion Lodge)
14th Oct - LV (1 night - haven't decided this yet)
15th Oct - Fly to SF (8 nights Golden Gate Hotel)

Have never driven an automatic before, so a bit nervous about that (anyone who normally drives a manual transmission have any tips about switching to an automatic?)

The actual route kind of suggests itself, but interesting pitstops or diversions are welcome.

For SF, need the following tips:

Good but inexpensive eating out
Walking routes - or pointers to sites that give walking info
Somewhere for a special meal (it's his birthday while we're there)
Having done the parks above, is it still worth a visit to Yosemite?
Napa Valley or not?
A local alternative to a Disneyland trip?
How fit do you need to be to tackle the hills? (without passing out)
Areas to avoid

Have loads of books and spent oodles of time trawling the net for info, but the personal experience of people who have actually been there, done that can't be too highly rated. So please help...

 

[Dokietoes]

Plan to get a Muni Pass for public transportation. They come in one, three, or seven day passes, and are good for cable cars, F-line trollies, and all Muni buses. The hills will definitely get your attention, which is why I suggest to learn the ins and outs of the cable car/trolley system. That being said, we do a fair amount of walking, especially if the lines for cable cars are long, but there are ways around it...i.e. walk up to the next cable car stop or two, you can usually get on.

When I go for my birthday, I always go to Tadich Grill in the Financial District. It's our restaurant of choice for seafood, far better than the wharf places. Go for the rex sole, petrale sole, or sand dabs if they're fresh. Plenty of reasonable priced Italian restaurants in North Beach.

 

[The Blue Parrot]

John's Grill, 63 Ellis Street, between Powell and Stockton

http://www.johnsgrill.com

If I have a chance, this is the place I like to drop into for a good meal with friends. If you're a fan of Dashiel Hammett and "The Maltese Falcon", it's a stop not to miss as it was actually mentioned as a location in the novel.

Prices are what I consider moderate, but I've always enjoyed the meals and think the price paid is comparable for the value received.

For fun dining, check out the shops and restaurants at the Ferry Building. Lot's of great stuff. And Taylors Refresher is a good choice for something casual.

http://www.taylorsrefresher.com/

Sunset in SF? A couple of places worth checking out. The view from the Great Highway and beach can be fun at that time of year. Fog usually isn't a problem but if it's going to be cool anywhere in SF, this is the place. But if you're adventurous, you can use one of the fire rings on the beach to build a blaze to keep you warm.

And dinner at the Beach Chalet is another good way to watch the sunset. Good beer, brewed on site, too!

http://www.beachchalet.com/

Golden Gate Park is worth exploring. Same goes for the Presido. Lot's to see and a good walk in both.

 

[lojo]

Some great tips - thanks guys. Handy getting the links.

Anyone else? Especially stop-offs for food or sightseeing along the route between National Parks.

Thanks

 

[ScooterL]

I drive a manual transmission normally...but when I drive an automatic I just let that part of my brain go to sleep, LOL! It's really easy, though you may try to stomp your foot through the floor several times until you get used to not having a clutch. One thing I don't know...since in your part of the world the driver sits on the right, where are the various pedals? Here, the clutch is on the left, brake in the middle, and accelerator on the right - and of course in an automatic there's no clutch, so it's brake on the left and accelerator on the right. So I don't know if you'll also have to retrain your brake/accelerator foot.

As for rental car companies - you shouldn't have any problems if you go with one of the major ones - Avis, Alamo, Dollar, Budget, National, Hertz - I just go with whichever one gives me the best rate. Which is usually Dollar, Budget, or Alamo.

Yosemite is SO worth seeing - you're going to be spending most of the rest of your time looking at lots and lots of red rocks - which are really pretty, but you get kind of tired of it after a while! Yosemite is huge granite walls, waterfalls, river, and meadows. Just gorgeous - I love it there. Probably not much in the way of waterfalls when you'd be there, but you should get to see the fall colors, and if there's an early snowfall there will be snow on the mountains.

Of the National Parks on your list I've only been to Bryce and Zion. For hiking at Bryce, you need to realize that you start hiking at an elevation of about 8000', and then you go *down* into the canyon, which means you hike *uphill* on the way back. I've certainly seen people do it who were not in particularly good shape, but they were struggling on the way back up. The hikes down into Bryce Canyon tend to be fairly short, though, but the trails are rather steep. Here's some easy hikes in Bryce:
http://www.nps.gov/brca/planyourvisit/easyhikes.htm

Zion has more walking that isn't quite so steep, I think. As I recall the hike to the Emerald Pools wasn't too bad, and the hike to the Weeping Wall was short. Here's a page on hikes in Zion:
http://www.nps.gov/archive/zion/activities/dayhiking.htm

It sounds like a great vacation - can I come, too?

 

[lojo]

Hi Scooter, thanks for the info.

No problem, where shall we pick you up?

Re driving - pedals are the same, no retraining required, and we've driven on the "right" side of the road quite a few times in Europe BUT
- how do hill starts work?
- when we want to add a bit of ooomph we change down gear (for overtaking or climbing a particularly steep hill) - how does that work in an automatic?
- conversely, changing down gears allows safe stopping if brakes fail????

Okay, got an idea - you can do all the driving!

Any tips for places to eat on the road between the parks?

 

[My2Cinderellas]

Re driving - pedals are the same, no retraining required, and we've driven on the "right" side of the road quite a few times in Europe BUT
- how do hill starts work?
- when we want to add a bit of ooomph we change down gear (for overtaking or climbing a particularly steep hill) - how does that work in an automatic?
- conversely, changing down gears allows safe stopping if brakes fail????

QUOTE]

hills - stomp on the gas pedal (accelerator)
ooomph - stomp on the gas pedal
brakes failing - there are actually 2 gears lower than "drive" on an automatic, marked 2 and 1. I've only ever used these going down a long steep mountain road so I'm not on the brake constantly.

I used to have a manual transmission car and loved it, but minivans don't come iwth manual transmissions. automatics are easier than manuals to drive, you'll pick up the hang of it quickly!

 

[McQueenofHrts]

Hi,

Thought I would add my two cents. I live in the wine country and think that a quick trip to Sonoma, CA (the alternative to Napa) would be a great idea! It is a 45 minute drive from SF. Crush will be in full swing here. The vineyards are beautiful that time of year too. Sonoma is a small town but has alot to offer. If you don't want to drive to the many wineries but walk and wine taste, Sonoma has a cute town square surrounded by great restaurants, wine tasting rooms and even an Irish pub-if you get homesick!

As far as driving the hills in SF, think of it as a roller coaster ride. It can be intimidating at first, but fun by the time you get down the other side of it.

Have a wonderful trip!

 

[ScooterL]

Hi Scooter, thanks for the info.

No problem, where shall we pick you up?

San Diego, if you wouldn't mind. And I'm used to driving long distances.

As for places to eat on the road between the parks...you'll be driving through desert most of the time, and there really isn't a lot to choose from! In the Bryce area, you're limited to what's at the Lodge or what's at Ruby's Inn...we ate at Ruby's Inn the last time I was there, and it was decent.

I think there's a reasonable selection of places in Hurricane, which is outside Zion, but we didn't actually stop and eat there. I would recommend that you have some non-perishable snack-type food with you - dried fruit, granola bars, nuts, crackers, etc., so that you'll have something to eat both when you're out hiking and if you get hungry when you're a long way from civilization! Be sure to have some bottled water with you, too.

A book that we found really useful on our trip to Utah several years ago was the Lonely Planet Guide for Utah - all of its recommendations for restaurants we found to be very accurate. We had a great meal at a place outside Capital Reef...but you're not going there.

 

[barkley]

do you have kids? if so then i'll be honest and say that napa or sonoma will get pretty old pretty fast (grew up there, just moved from the region a year ago). as an adult it's beautiful and the wineries are cool-as a kid one vineyard tends to look like all the rest.

if you do head up to napa or sonoma and you've got kids (or are young at heart) you might want to scoot over to fairfield and do the jelly belly factory. they do free tours all day that are realy interesting and fun. if no kids i'de highly suggest going to dr. wilkinson's in calistoga for a massage, mudbath and/or a dip in the hot springs (heaven on earth). an awsome restaurant in calistoga is 'all seasons'. fantastic food, comfortable atmosphere

no real suggestions of a theme park in the bay area-there's great america but i'm not sure what their fall schedual is like (may only be open weekends), i'de totaly avoid 6 flags (or whatever they've renamed it) in vallejo. a kind of unique and interesting side trip could be to san jose and the winchester mystery house. it's a huge mansion built by a woman who was convinced that so long as she kept adding on to it she would'nt die. there are tours that take you around and some of the rooms are stunning-others are nothing but staircases or doors to nowhere.

while in san francisco you should try to do the alcatraz tour-it's very popular with visitors. i think wandering around tiburon is kind of neat too, and you can take a ferry there.

 

[SFBayDon]

Greetings,

Las Vegas is a blast and it is huge. Keep in mind that just getting through the casinos and the free events in them will take up a huge amount of time. There is also a discount ticket company similar to New York. It will not offer the new shows, but it does offer many discounts. Here is a link http://www.tix4tonight.com/ you purchase the tickets at their facility then you go to the respective box office to get the actual seat assignments. We did this for several shows and had great seats.

In San Francisco keep in mind we have “American size portions”. You may not want to order a starter and a main if you are not familiar with the portions we have on this side of the pond. There are a group of restaurants called Max’s and are in different parts of the city they are awesome.

This one is touristy but is great on a clear day http://www.sanfrancisco.com/cliff-house/

If you want to try Sushi http://www.tokyogogo.com/

Special Meal with the traditions of SF http://houseofprimerib.ypguides.net/ If you are a beef lover

Yosemite is a YES, even if you have seen others make this a priority you will not be sorry

Local alternative to Disneyland – Amusement parks I would recommend Great America to the south of SF http://www.pgathrills.com/#actions also if you are looking for more animals and rides then Discovery Kingdom (Formerly called Marine World) http://www.sixflags.com/discoveryKingdom/Index.aspx

Napa is a great day and there are lots of places to go, but if you have kids this may no be to fun for them.

Make sure you go to the base of the Golden Gate bride and walk across it. Take a jacket it will be cold even on a good day. You can also go into Sausalito after the walk to take a ferry from SF as this is a great way to see the bay

Hope this helps

 

[The Blue Parrot]

Okay, here's one I forgot.

The Garden Court at the Palace Hotel.

http://www.gardencourt-restaurant.com/

I had my first Monte Cristo sandwich here on my 18th birthday at lunch with my mother.

And Sunday brunch? Oh, yeah! A meal you won't forget in more ways than just the price. Some fine items that I am very much ready for all over again.

 

[CPT Tripss]

Springdale is the town just outside of Zion. I actually like overnighting there more than in the park. We really liked the Desert Pearl Inn.

Do check out the FREE walking tours in SF sponsored by the public library. Also make ressies for the trip to Alcatraz. Finally, bike across the Golden Gate Bridge to Sausalito and take the ferry back.

Fitness - how far above sea level do you live? all the national parks you are visiting are at altitude for us flatlanders. Bryce being the worst. My wife and I, in our late 50s, walk 6 to 10 miles a day in the parks . . . that's a couple of mid difficulty trails a day. Also that's much more than we normally do at home.

Now, to really mess with your plans, consider driving from LV to Death Valley for two nights then on to Yosemite for another two nights. Cut down your stay in SF accordingly.

 

[lojo]

Yikes, so many replies - you are nice people.

Be back when I get time to check out all your suggestions.

 

[lojo]

Just about had time to check out all the great advice - sister just had twins so it's kinda hard to concentrate on holiday plans.

CPT - Zion Lodge already booked (and paid for!). Interesting about the library sponsored walking tours - our libraries have trouble funding adequate stock. Will definitely consider the bike tour across to Sausalito - heard it can be very windy on the bridge? Anywhere in Sausalito you would recommend for lunch (with a view, of course)? We live inches rather than feet above sea level, but have been walking on holiday at around 6000 ft. We had considered driving through Death Valley to Yosemite to SF, but felt that six days of driving was enough and have a flight booked from LV to SF. If we don't get frostbit in Bryce, maybe we will be smitten enough to come back and drive in another area in the future.

BlueParrot - The Garden Court Restaurant and menu looks lovely - might consider this one for birthday.

SFBayDon - Loads of great info, too much to comment on individually (sorry). Definitely will check out tokyogogo - love Japanese food. I was aware of the differences in portion size (although when we were in New York it varied a lot between different restaurants) and we will be sneaking a peek at people's plates before ordering. As it is, we usually share when we eat out in this country - I don't know how people eat three or four full courses night after night even on holiday, I'd end up comatose with no energy for having fun. You and others have convinced me that Yosemite is worth investing time in.

barkley and mcqueen - No kids (this time) so will probably want to take some time to see the wine country (who am I kidding - sample the produce). I'm leaning towards Sonoma - how easy is it to visit without a car though? And because we won't have a car while in SF we won't be able to check out a lot of what looks like really interesting suggestions

Scooter - "when you're a long way from civilization!" Excuse me, but civilization is one thing I will never allow myself to get too far away from (it can try to escape but...). Seriously, when in the parks we'll probably just take what comes, but we'd like to sample a little of the "mom and pop" diners that, we have been reliably informed by the movie industry, are scattered here and there along every highway - do not burst my U S A bubble!

My2Cin... - I kind of supposed that my right leg might get over developed muscles with all the gas stomping but I'm starting to worry I will start walking in circles. Great news about the two lower gears - it's a relief to know that I won't have to check the brakes everytime I get in the car!

Sorry if I've missed out anyone. All info and the time taken to provide it is appreciated.

 

[CPT Tripss]

The weather is a key to enjoying the ride across the bridge. I think it is always windy . . . I lucked into a beautiful sunny May day. The were a number of places to eat with good views.

While in the Zion area do have some Polygamy Porter - it should be available in town.

 

[kaoden39]

I live in Fairfield which someone recommended to visit for Jelly Belly, we also have Anheiser Busch which you can tour too. And there is an olive oil place called Sepay Olive oils and I consider it to be a not to be missed location. Their olive oil is the best. Especially their lime infused. Yummy. There is also an amusement park in Vallejo a Six Flags Discovery Park. And another couple of places closer to San Francisco is in the San Rafeal area. One is called Samuel P. Taylor State Park it is in an old growth of Redwoods and pines. It is a lovely place to picnic. Just a little further away is the Point Reyes National Reserve or Park I don't remember but it is worth seeing too. There is a museum there it's very nice. Have a great visit to my home state. There a lot of wonderful places to visit in the San Francisco bay area and you have a wonderful visit.

Michele

 

[My2Cinderellas]

barkley and mcqueen - No kids (this time) so will probably want to take some time to see the wine country (who am I kidding - sample the produce). I'm leaning towards Sonoma - how easy is it to visit without a car though? And because we won't have a car while in SF we won't be able to check out a lot of what looks like really interesting suggestions

My2Cin... - I kind of supposed that my right leg might get over developed muscles with all the gas stomping but I'm starting to worry I will start walking in circles. Great news about the two lower gears - it's a relief to know that I won't have to check the brakes everytime I get in the car!

Sorry if I've missed out anyone. All info and the time taken to provide it is appreciated.

Would it is possible for you to rent a car in San Francisco for a day or 2? there are rental offices in the city, and I would recommend doing so to drive up to Sonoma county. There may be bus tours available from the city, but we've always had a car. I don't know the town of Sonoma very well, I've only been there once, but we enjoy Healdsburg. if you end up in Healdsburg, I recommend Willi's for a tapas style dinner. http://www.willisseafood.net/ For wine, we have a couple of favorite wineries, and we start at one, and ask for recommendations from there. It's how we find wineries that we may not have stopped at otherwise and it's a lot of fun.

 

[kaoden39]

Something I forgot was the Walt Disney Family Museum which is in San Francisco. Shame on me.

http://disney.go.com/disneyatoz/familymuseum/index.html

This is the link to the museum.

 

[RudemanRB]

when in vegas take a cab over to the Rio hotel. and catch the sky parade.
as well as have the all you can eat seafood buffet. (with all you can eat lobster tails)

Floats suspend from the ceiling, a parade above the casino floor. This show is a lot fun and is worth seeing...and it's free!

http://govegas.about.com/od/show1/ss/riomasquerade_2.htm

Rudy