Airport shuttle

Hi,

I have a three hour lay over in San Francisco and I was wondering how far it is from the airport to downtown or if there is something worth visiting near the airport.

Thanks

Airport shuttle

If your layover is truly 3 hours (from the time your inbound flight arrives to the departure of your connection), 3 hours is a little tight (depending on time of day and day of week).

If you feel you have 3 hours to burn, BART into SF takes about 35 minutes. Fare is $5.35 each way. Exit at Embarcadero station and walk through the Ferry Building, lots of shops and restuarants.

Terminal 3 (United) has a ';museum'; of sorts along the concourse which frequently has some interesting exhibits. But it%26#39;s past security so only accesible if you%26#39;re flying United.

Not much to see in close proximity to the airport.

Airport shuttle

Thank you. Yes, it is exactly three hours. From 3 pm. until 6 pm. on a Monday. I would be coming from Las Vegas and have to change planes in San Francisco to come to Calgary. How much would a taxi be from the airport to Golden Gate Bridge and how long would it take? We are three people.

I wouldn%26#39;t risk it. If you take BART, you won%26#39;t have time to see anything other than the area near the Ferry Terminal. You can see the SF-Oakland Bay Bridge from there, but not the Golden Gate Bridge.

You could probably have a cab drive you to the Golden Gate Bridge, but once you go there, you%26#39;d have to immediately turn around and head back to the airport. The return trip to the airport will occur during rush hour.

A cab to the bridge would be about $50-55 dollars but the drive at the best of times would take 40 minutes.

With the amount of time you have between flights, I don%26#39;t think it%26#39;s adviseable to leave the airport.

Thanks. We will see the museum at the airport then.

Wharf Inn Penthouse?

I will be traveling to San Francisco in July 2009 with 6 people. I am looking for a hotel near the Wharf because once we park the car my husband does not want to move it. The things I want to do are; go to Alcatraz at night, the science academy, Chinatown (possibly the Wok tour), ride the cable cars, walk across the bridge, and any other National Park stuff. I read that the Wharf Inn has a penthouse that will sleep 6, full kithen, and free parking. I have a quote of $467. Does anyone know about tihs room.

Wharf Inn Penthouse?

We visit the city often for theater and stayed at the Wharf Inn last fall. We usually stay in Union Square, but conventions took up most of the rooms in that area.

I don%26#39;t know about their %26#39;penthouse%26#39;, except that the AAA tour guide describes it as a ';two-bedroom suite with kitchen';. AAA gives it two diamonds.

We were comfortable enough there for one night, but I find the location very busy and noisy.

If you want to look into a Union Square location, here is a website for Grosvenor Suites..this is on the cable car line.

http://www.grosvenorsuites.com/

You would not need to move the car to get to the locations you mention, as San Francisco has an excellent public transportation system.

However, parking is free at the Wharf Inn and the reviews on this forum are mostly positive. You should check them out if you have not done so.

Good luck.

staying at squaw creek resort

we will be staying there this weekend. Any good restaurants close, tips, activities we should know. We are planning to ski on Fri, I%26#39;ve gotten classes for us and kids. I know they have a pool and jacuzzi hopefully we can use it. Thanks

staying at squaw creek resort

The Resort at Squaw Creek has a beautiful pool area! I think you%26#39;ll really enjoy your stay. The rooms have incredible views.

There are good restaurants at the resort, I like the bbq by the pool for the setting. My favorite restaurant is Graham%26#39;s, on Squaw Valley Rd. by the post office. It%26#39;s upscale and quiet, don%26#39;t know if that would work for your kids. Plump Jack Cafe is really good for casual eating. Mamasake has yummy, but pricy, sushi. Blue Coyote has delicious burgers, fish tacos and salads, but the worst nachos.

The Village at Squaw has some cute shops to browse in. It%26#39;s fun to make candles at Waxen Moon. I enjoy wine tasting at Uncorked and browsing in the bath shop. I like a day at Trilogy spa even more! Kids love the bungee trampoline.

beauty

Buena Park Hotel

Sorry I posted this under the Buena Park forum, but did not receive a response.

I have booked the Inn and Suites Hotel in Buena Park. Does anyone know if this hotel is located in a safe location? It seems to get good reviews, but there aren%26#39;t a lot of them.

Thanks!

Best outlet mall around LA

Can somebody recommend a good outlet mall around LA.

We have a car so we can drive there, I鈥檓 serious need of some serious shopping.

Today we are going to the Fashion District, but still I need to do some outlet shopping! :)

Kris

Best outlet mall around LA

Ordinarily, I%26#39;m a fan of outlet shopping but in view of our failing economy, I%26#39;d recommend hitting the regular malls (and boutique shops, too) first since all of the retailers are overloaded with merchandise that was unsold during the holiday shopping period.

Also, look at the mini-outlets like Ross, Loehmann%26#39;s and Marshalls (all within the Beverly Grove neighborhood between the Beverly Center shopping mall on the west and the Farmers Market/the Grove on the east.

If you%26#39;re still hungry for outlets after that, consider the Camarillo Premium Outlets (about 1 hour northwest of central L.A.).

Good luck!

Best outlet mall around LA

Have to agree, all the stores around LA are full of merchandise with great discounts. Get a copy of the LA Times, coupons for more money off already on sale items at stores like Macy%26#39;s, etc.

Camarillo Premium Outlets are the closest to LA.

I would suggest the Citadel Outlet, which is just east of Downtown LA. There are 50 stores there. Not as many stores as at Camarillo, but it%26#39;s fun and much closer, especially to the fashion district.

It is located off Interstate 5 at Atlantic Blvd North

anything you find at a department store, on sale, is of a higher quality, and more current, than what you%26#39;d find at an outlet mall. Outlets carry merchandise made specifically for those stores, of a lower quality, and also carry merch from seasons ago.

Prices are better at the Beverly Center and SM Promenade. And they%26#39;re closer.

Unfortunately, all the ';good'; outlet malls are about an hour away from the ';L.A. area.'; The Citadel is close, but not that good and not that big, according to the wife! The best ones are Camarillo and Cabazon. Both are about an hour away in opposite directions.

Desert Hills outlets in Cabazon is the best outlet mall in Southern California. It has many high-end(YSL, Gucci, Dior, ect.) retail shops along with many mid-end shops. It is near Palm Springs which is a 90 minute drive from LA but if you are serious about shopping then it there.

In the LA/Orange county area your best choices for deep discount clothes are Off 5th(located at the ';Block at Orange'; shopping center) in Orange County. This is a Saks Fifth Ave. clearance store and the clearance racks at this store have amazing prices on high-quality stuff.

Nordstrom Rack in Glendale, Reaseda, or Costa Mesa. The Reseda and Costa Mesa stores get some of the best reviews for selection. High quality clothes from Norstrom. Clearance racks here are very good. Lots of shoes here too.

Loehmanns near the Beverly Center mall has the same sort of stuff as Off 5th and Nordstrom Rack, although I like the other two stores better. Clearance Racks here are decent.

www.yelp.com/losangeles has reviews for all of these places. Just enter the name of the store in the searchbox.

I agree with yogachik,

All the department stores are hurting for business so they are slashing prices. If you venture south of LAX you can have a great day of shopping at the Del Amo Fashion Center (which used to be the biggest mall in North America before the Mall of America opened.) Del Amo has 2 Macy%26#39;s branches, Sears, J.C. Penney, T.J. Maxx, Old Navy and a multitude of smaller stores. There is new outside section with more upscale stores too. Within a 15 minute drive of Del Amo is the South Bay Galleria (near Artesia Blvd.)which has Nordstrom and Macy%26#39;s. The area along Hawthorne Blvd between the 2 malls also has a Loehmann%26#39;s, Marshall%26#39;s, another T.J. Maxx, a DSW (Designer Shoe Warehouse) and a restaurant row (near Torrance Blvd.)

Head to the South Bay and make a day of it!

Just for the record Del Amo is a shadow of it%26#39;s former self. For whatever reason it went from one of the best malls in the 1980%26#39;s to a strip mall today.

handling exceptions

Driving from LA to Grand Canyon South Rim

We are wanting to drive from LA to GC South Rim and based on posts back so far we are no longer going via Las Vegas.

Looking at Google Maps we have decided to go via Victorville (I-15) then onto the I-40 to Williams.

My queries are whether we could do this drive in a day (leaving LA by 8am) or whether we need to overnight on the way. If we need to overnight on the way there seem to be 2 places that show up on the map - Needles %26amp; Kingman. Which would be the better place to stay or does anyone else have other recommendations.

Driving from LA to Grand Canyon South Rim

Well, according to Mapquest, it%26#39;s 6 1/2 hours from my house, so that seems like you could do it in one day. Stay in Williams and get up the next morning and drive to the Grand Canyon. There%26#39;s not really anything to do in Needles or Kingman, so if you decided to stay in either one, I%26#39;d pick Kingman b/c you%26#39;d get there later in the day and you%26#39;d be that much closer to the Grand Canyon.

Driving from LA to Grand Canyon South Rim

I would drive to GC in one day, as the previous poster states it is easily done in one day and none of the towns on the way have anything much to recommend them although they have adequate and reasonably priced motels (Kingman is nicer than Needles). There are some interesting side trips such as the ghost towns of Calico and Oatman, but these are not directly on I-40. Be sure to book your lodging in GC well in advance, see www.grandcanyonlodges.com

I%26#39;ve done this drive three times. It is about 7 hours to the actual South Rim. You can definitely do this in a day. And everyone is right....there isn%26#39;t anything much worth stopping to see on the way.

Actually, drive straight to the rim and you%26#39;ll be certain to catch sunset. The light is magnificent at this time!

Thanks everyone. We will definately drive direct from LA to South Rim.

Glendale - Good base or pay extra for W Hollywood/S Monica?

Hi,

This follows on from a previous post of mine.

I have been looking at the Embassy Suites in Glendale as a base for 5 nights in August. We have also been looking at accomodation in West Hollywood and Santa Monica. We%26#39;ll be visiting Universal, the beaches and having a good look around Beverly Hills, The Grove etc. I have read from a previous post that Glendale is a real community with a nice downtown, lots of restaurants and a brand new theme mall called Americana. It also said it is near to Universal but not the beaches. How far away (as in time driving) is Glendale from the beach? and would you say it was worth staying in Glendale in order to save $100+ per night or better to pay the West Hollywood/Santa Monica rates.

Thanks.

Glendale - Good base or pay extra for W Hollywood/S Monica?

It%26#39;s OK - Ignore this post! The hotel was only $100 cheaper than the WHollywood/SMonica hotels for only one of the nights of our stay so I don%26#39;t think there%26#39;s any point in considering Glendale anymore.

Glendale - Good base or pay extra for W Hollywood/S Monica?

Even if you were to get a savings, it%26#39;s not worth it. The drive is about an hour or so each way, in heavy traffic, top all the sights you list except Universal, which is about 30 minutes. And, it%26#39;s extremely hot, about 20 or so degrees hotter, in August.

An hour from Glendale to Universal? MAYBE and I mean MAYBE during rush hour IF there is an ACCIDENT/road construction. Glendale is......9 miles away from Universal.

You can drive an extra 5-10 miles and save an extra five hundred dollars on a Room over a 5 night stay.

holidaynut- If you don%26#39;t mind paying $275 to $300/per night then great. It is worth it if you are happy with it. West Hollywood has all those great Suite hotels(London, Le Parc, Chamberlin, and Le Montrose)and the area is fun, clean, lively, and safe.

Le Parc and possibly others have kitchenettes to help save on always eating out. If you get a place with a kitchenette you can easily save $50 to $75 per day instead of eating out for every meal for a family of 4.

Glendale is not to far and a nice little town with plenty of things to do at night.

That said, i would not consider it a ';base'; while vacationing here. Most attractions a visitor might want to see or experience while in town are on the other side of the hill. West Hollywood is a great place to ';base'; yor7uself, especially iof it is just a couple of $ more

Pay extra for West Hollywood or Santa Monica. You%26#39;ve listed things which are mostly on the west side. Makes sense to stay there and minimize the traffic headaches. I always prefer the beach in the morning.

I%26#39;d recommend for one day heading north on the Pacific Coast Highway from Santa Monica and visit Zuma Beach.

HTH