Weekend SF Trip?

I'm heading up to SF for the first time (besides flying in and out) for my 25th birthday.



We are going to do the Alcatraz tour (main reason for heading to SF), but other than that we are not sure what to do or where to stay.



So:

1 - Where is a good place to stay, within relative walking distance to other things (night life / attractions / shopping / etc)

2 - What would you recommend on visiting for a first timer

3 - What are the Pros / Cons to the Day / Night Alcatraz tours?

4 - Good places to eat



Thanks for the help.Weekend SF Trip?
First of all, Welcome to SF!

This weekend should be beautiful!



Besides having a ton of fun at the Alcatraz tour.

There is soo much to do here, you can check out the website below to see what is going on this weekend.



To answer your question:

1. A good place to stay (really depends on your budget), if you are willing to spend decent money you should stay in one of the nice hotels in downtown (there are quite a few) and they are close to a lot of services in SF. A few choices:

-Hotel Kabuki (Japantown), newly remodel

-Best Western (Japantown), also remodel, anime feel

-Best Western (Fisherman Wharf)

-Omni SF

There a lot of options, check out google maps, search hotel (link below, hope it works).



2. For first timer, it is a good to visit the good and the bad (that is how I like to plan my visits). I think it is great to visit Golden Gate Bridge (and there is also a park that has festivals and concerts at times), Fisherman Wharf (weekend it has this festival feel towards it, very nice and fresh), Downtown SF (has a lot of brand name store, skyrises)....Also, visit neighborhoods such as Japantown (small, but nice), Chinatown (it is quite big, very crowded, but it has great good and a good vibe), and visit North Beach (Italian neighborhood), there is also Castro (gay/lesbian neighborhood) and Haight/Hashbury (hippy part) and SOMA has a lot of character in it such as the Mission (lots of good taquerias and Latino food)...and that is just the iconic areas that most tourist visit...

3. Alcatraz Tour..to view the pros/cons see below site

4. Good places to eat, there is a lot, it really depends on what you like to eat....a good place to start is go to www.yelp.com, that site has thousands of reviews for restaurants....



The night life could be really fun in party areas of the cities...SOMA, Haight/Hasbury, Castro, North Beach....there is a lot of clubs, bars....you might find reviews in yelp as well...



Good luck, and hope you have fun!
Fun place to go is the metreon downtown LOADS of fun.Weekend SF Trip?
Fisherman's Warf is always fun. lotta places to eat and such there. you should go. i dont know if he's still there, but there is this black homeless man who hides behind a trashcan and scares you. its really funny. i think its on youtube? this was last april so im not sure if he's still doin it.
There are many things to see and do in SF. In addition to Alcatraz, everyone who visits SF has to walk on the Golden Gate Bridge. You can park nearby, look at some artifacts the city has put and talk a walk on the foggy bridge. Chinatown and Japantown are worth visiting. Golden Gate Park is a beautiful place. Its also a great idea to ride a cable car through the downtown area.



I like the Day Alcataraz tour better because there are beautiful views from the island that you don't get at night.



I'm not to sure about good places to stay or eat, but there are a few things I recommend. First, you have to try Chinese food in SF and the famous California Sourdough Bread. Talking about hotels, there are certain areas you should stay away from; check the source below. It will give you all the info you need.



Hope this helps!