Hellobee Boards

If there is any way you can avoid having a car in the city, I would do that. SF is a very easy town to get around on foot or via public transportation, and driving and parking are just going to be expensive and annoying.

I think Union Square is the best place to stay in terms of access to everything - it is walkable to lots of things and is right on the BART. Fisherman's Wharf area is REALLY touristy, so I would avoid that.

In terms of restuarants, there are SO many amazing places to eat, I am not even sure where to start. Google is going to be your friend here. If you have the time and inclination, I highly recommend taking the BART across the Bay to Berkeley for a day/afternoon. Berkeley is known for its amazing food culture and is a good place to walk around - especially around the campus.

Westin St. Francis or the W Hotel. Best room sizes. So worth the expense if you are picky about hotels.

i was just there last month and had the best breakfast sandwich of my life at farm:table http://farmtablesf.com/

We stayed at the Intercontinental on Howard street and I thought it was great! We had a fairly large room and it was an easy walk to the BART and to Union Square.

***Please*** make sure that you check with your hotel concierge about how to walk to restaurants in the Tenderloin area as it is not safe at night in certain areas!!
Our concierge recommended using Powell street vs another route. Tenderloin seems to have tons of highly rated restaurants on Yelp.

I loved the Ferry Building and checking out Chinatown. Bund restaurant had great XLB!

And I would avoid bringing a car into the city if possible. Parking is ridiculous and it's just easier to take transit. If you are bringing a stroller be aware that you'll need to find the lone elevator down into the BART and if you take the Muni you may need to carry the stroller on/off it since there are 3 steps to the street level. That was a rude surprise for me

@Alivoo01: Definitely bring your carrier.

I *think* you can take the train or BART from the airport. You can definitely take Super Shuttle.

We stayed at the Argonaut Hotel in Fisherman's Wharf. I love Kimpton hotels,

What types of activities are you looking to do when you visit? That might help you choose where to stay.

Also, the car will be useful to get to some areas so it isn't bad to have it. Once you aren't in the main tourist areas street parking isn't that bad. It'll be convenient with the little one when going to dinner and stuff.

My first food thoughts...

Ferry Building at the Embarcadero. - farmers market on Saturday is busy but the food stalls are great. Any other time it's worth a visit to try the shops and food inside. Hog Island oysters, Blue Bottle coffee ( if the line is reasonable), Prather Ranch Market ( great!!!), and Gotts burgers are all excellent places for an inexpensive lunch.

Best ice cream: bi-rite creamery. Parking in the area isn't too bad. The line is worth it

Pizza delphina - small and busy. Very good. Near bi-rite

Craftwich - sandwich place from Tom C of top chef. I've only been once a couple years ago. It was really good.

I'll be back with more later... I'm so jealous of your trip!

@Alivoo01: I would say Union Square because it's a more lively area. There is lots of shopping and restaurants. The Financial District is very close to Union Square, but it can be really dead at night. F.D. is closer to the Ferry Building (great coffee and snacks), but I am not sure that would give it an edge over U.S. for me.

Restaurants I love:
Bar Tartine
Cafe Joqueline (funky little place that only serves souffles)
Zuni Cafe (amazing roast chicken)
Farrallon
Greens
Boulevard
Fog City Diner
Brenda's French Soul Food
farm:table

Across the Bay:
Rivoli
Chez Panisse (obv)
Zachary's

@Alivoo01: Yes cancel your car if possible! Cab will run you $50 or so. That is cheaper than paying for parking for days and days. You can also take the BART but with a stroller and lots of luggage you just might want to cab it.

Have you ever had Beard Papa's cream puffs? It's a nice treat to have! There is one in the basement of the Westfield SF and there is also one near Yerba Buena Gardens. They are Japanese style and not very sweet. I recommend the green tea and normal one!

If you have your hubs helping with the stroller, it should be ok to carry it up & down the Muni's 3 steps. I was by myself and I'm very petite so it was a little tricky for me. Especially since I wasn't sitting near the driver and couldn't take my time since I was afraid of missing my stop.

@Alivoo01: oh, and a heads up - even though the Hilton is called Hilton San Francisco Union Square, it's closer to the Tenderloin. It's a nice hotel, but it's right on the edge of an iffy area.

@Alivoo01: BART! You can use http://tripplanner.transit.511.org/mtc/XSLT_TRIP_REQUEST2?#tab1Selected to verify schedules and get to most places. I live in the Bay Area and love being able to just catch a train. Plus under 4's ride free.