Thread: San Francisco - Suggestions/Trip Report

Two of my favorite restaurants in SF are Forbes Island, which is near Pier 39, and The Tonga Room at the Fairmont Hotel.

Vulindlela, brace yourself! The owners of the Fairmont are planning to convert the hotel's tower into condos and replace the Tonga Room with a grand ballroom. If the city approves the plans, the Tonga Room will close in 2011 or 2012.
Laughing Squid

Just in case you want to sign the save the Tonga Room petition.

Now I'll have to at least stop by for happy hour.

Dinner update
Despite the best laid plans; someone (no names will be mentioned) just had to have a steak.
So we ended up at Morton's in Union Square - excellent, expensive.

Hey Mig... see the PM is still down

You got any recos for a hotel in LAX or the best area to shoot for? My friends from Virgin are headed over and looking for something but I recall LA being a very odd place. I stayed in a motel 6 on hollywood blvd and feared for my life several times.

Nick, going to make this quick, gotta catch a ferry (yeah I know, I feel sick already! )

Since you didn't mention price, I'm going strictly by location.

LAX-
Loads of hotels, Marriott, Hilton etc on Century Blvd, however I steer my overflow and those with the early AM flights to the Hacienda Hotel it's a little cheaper and there are fast food spots and a grocery store nearby - free shuttle to LAX

Universal Studios Area & CityWalk Area - night life
Beverly Garland Holiday Inn (free shuttle to Universal studios/Citywalk)
Sheraton Universal Hotel there's a hill, but you can walk to the studios; there's also a shuttle.

Gotta go, more later.

Update - San Francisco Ferry ride

First off, I'm a terrible sailor. I've gotten ill every time I've been on a boat. But, under the intense pressure of three people working on me for five hours in a car, -"just do as we tell you, take the medicine you'll be fine". I relented and agreed to take a ferry ride tour of San Francisco Bay, besides it was only an hour ride - how sick could I get?

Preventive measures-
1- Go to bed early, All previous bouts of seasickness were due to exhaustion.
This time I will be fine because I will be fully rested.

2- I'd eat breakfast. According to RJ, all previous bouts of seasickness have been caused by my empty stomach.
This time I will be fine because I'll have a good breakfast and will have 'just in case crackers'.

3- Calm seas. All previous bouts of seasickness were caused by rough seas.
This time I will be fine because ferries don't even go out in rough seas.

4- I will sit facing foward with my eyes fixed on the horizon. All previous bouts were caused by me sitting backwards and failing to avoid "visual conflict" RJ's words .
I will be fine because I will sit midship, face forward and have eyes on the horizon.

and finally
5- Medicine. According to "consulting physican" RJ, all previous bouts of seasickness were caused by my "believeing I would get sick".
This time I will be fine because I'm taking medicine and will know I will be just fine.

I started out on the upper deck, facing forward, seated next to the rail. To tell you the truth, I was kinda sleepy, probably the medicine; at any rate, I was doing fine. It was probably about the 20 minute mark when I started to feel a bit queasy, but I kept taking photos and looking at the horizon.
Up and down, up and down, we were tossed like a cork in the water. We made the turn under the Golden Gate and I was reaching for my "just in case crackers". I gave the camera to RJ and started looking down at the water, comtemplating............. life! The famly seated behind us, got up and moved away - to the other side of the boat. The audio guide was going on about Alcatraz and RJ went below and came back with some ginger ale, saying it would make me feel better. Everybody was at the rail, taking photos and I just sat there glued to my seat, looking up at the clear blue sky and thinking about killing RJ
- now that did make me feel better.

thanks Mig... glad you fared well on the ferry

My friends at work swear by some place at Marina del ray... i don't know what or where that is but if it's a Marina i gather $$$. Think my friend is on some form of a budget!

Yeah I was "a lot better" this boat trip, probably because of all the precautions . Only went as far as stage 3 on the seasickness scale.
stage 3- nauscious, hung onto the rail, but not so sick I wanted to die.

Marina area - LA
Marina Del Rey is a nice area, you can walk or bike to Venice Beach, a place not to be missed
I know the Holiday Inn Express Marina Del Rey is there, but haven't been inside; might want to read the reviews on-line. Just make sure to note the parking fees, lots of hotels at the Marina charge.