Figuring out how to get where you want to go is one issue (or it can create many recurring issues) on any vacation. In San Francisco, we had a lot of options, and the numerous ways we got around made the trip more exciting.

Flight toward SF

First, we flew out from Seattle toward San Francisco. We decided to fly into Oakland instead of SFO because it was $75 cheaper per person. Fortunately, Alaska Airlines had quite a few flight options so we picked the best one for us. However, that meant flying on a Bombardier CRJ-700 (operated by Horizon Airlines), which is the smallest airplane that either of us has ever flown on. Instead of walking on a jet way to get on the plane, we walked on the ground and up some stairs to get on the plane. I really liked the plane, though, because it was very quiet inside, flew pretty smoothly, and we didn't have anyone between us and the aisle or window.

BART from airport to hotel

Once we arrived in Oakland, getting to our hotel was pretty easy. We didn't rent a car at the airport because we would be spending most of our time in the city and having a car to drive and park would just be a hassle, so we opted to take BART rail. Unfortunately we had to pay $3 each to take a bus to the rail station, but it didn't take too long and we didn't have to wait too long for the rail. The dated-looking light rail trains took us just a couple blocks away from our hotel in the middle of downtown.

Bus

Once we got in the city, we used multiple ways to get around. San Francisco is very walkable, so we were often able to get where we wanted to go on foot. However, we also took the bus quite frequently and had some negative experiences the first day. We tried to catch the bus at one stop, but all the buses that came were too full and didn't stop. The buses we were able to catch had standing room only with little room to breathe. After attending the baseball game our first night, we waited for the bus for 30 minutes before it came.

Throughout the rest of our time there, we rode the bus a couple times almost every day and had some good experiences where we didn't have to wait long and were able to sit, but those were balanced by the less positive experiences. One benefit of a big city is that you have a lot of ways to get around, but the problem with that is that none of them are very good. Still, the bus was a fine way to get around the city.

Car Rental

However, for getting outside the city, we chose to rent a car. It was nice having a car so that we could drive over the bridges, visit Muir Woods, and go to some of the less accessible viewpoints. We also drove down Lombard street, though it was at night. The car rental place closed at 6 and said that we could return it after-hours for $30. That's a lot of money, but parking it at our hotel would have cost $38 overnight, so we dropped it off that evening after we drove pretty much everywhere we wanted to.

Cable Cars

San Francisco is known for its cable cars, so we rode the Powell-Mason cable car to Fisherman's Wharf. Unfortunately, the line to board was pretty long and there was a temporary problem with the track that slowed things down. However, eventually we got on and rode across the city.

Streetcar

On our last day, we rode a neat, old Italian streetcar along Market Street.

Returning to Seattle

When we left, we took the same way back to the airport. Amazingly, checking in and getting through security in Oakland took less than 10 minutes. We saved time because we didn't check any bags but it was incredible how quickly we got to our gate. We gave ourselves a good time cushion, though, but missed the previous flight to Seattle, so we had to wait a while at the gate for our flight. Anyway, after a 96 minute flight, it felt good to be back.

Here are some pictures we took related to transportation: