General Thoughts/Notes for Future Trips

As I have mentioned a number of times, next time I am starting with the Bus Tours by Big Bus Tours.  They stopped at all the locations I had planned to stop, and allow for hop on/hop off services (meaning at any of the stops you can get off and check out the area, then hop on the next bus to catch the next site).  The bus costs $35 a person, but eliminates the stress (and believe me it was stressful) of driving downtown.  Plus it eliminates the tolls at the Golden Gate Bridge crossing.  I would take BART into town (eliminating the toll at the Bay Bridge as well).

I would absolutely include the Winchester Mystery HouseTour.  This was the most relevant to interior design out of all the tours, as the others were more architectural.  I would try to find more like this for the future.

I would purchase Alcatraz tickets in advance (I had checked a few days before we came and they still had ample supply of tickets, so I didn’t bother to purchase them since I didn’t have a final count on who wanted to go).

I also learned that flexibility is required.  Sometimes there are things outside of your control that will get in the way of the plans, and being somewhat flexible in plans and thoughts is essential.

The Architectural Bingo was a hit with my family though.  It kept my son entertained and eagerly looking at the sites as we drove around.  He was the first to get a BINGO.  There were two sites on the BINGO chart that we didn’t end up seeing (SF MOMA and SF Federal Building).  I would try to be sure that I include ones that I know we will see.  But arranging for the Bus Tours makes this an easier task. 

Not having been to SF before I wasn’t exactly sure the logistics of navigating downtown.  After the first day of driving, and the headache associated with trying to figure out how to get around the town, taking public transportation is definitely encouraged.