Chris McGinnis offers San Francisco tips on CNN (Image: CNN)
Last year during the peak of the convention season in San Francisco, we wrote up Don’t make these 8 mistakes in San Francisco to help visitors avoid looking foolish when arriving in the City by the Bay.
Well, CNN producers liked that post so much that they sent out a crew from Atlanta to tape TravelSkills editor Chris McGinnis offering up his best tips and advice for visitors on TV.
Check out the two-minute video here:
See the video for Chris’s advice on finding the best coffee in town, when to schedule lunch, why not much work gets done on Fridays, how to try ride sharing, and perhaps most importantly, dispelling the myth about what Mark Twain said about summer weather in San Francisco.
Take a look at the video and offer up YOUR best advice for first time visitors to Frisco San Francisco! What did we leave out?
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Should include the warning for drivers Not to park in tow-away zones downtown .
Nothing like coming out of a meeting to see the line of tow trucks taking away vehicles .
Or at least they used to , Has SF become ‘nice’ & eliminated the tows ?
If they Are still towing . . . I wonder what the current ‘ransom’ , I mean fee is .
#1 mistake is taking a summer cruise without a sweatshirt. Brrrrr.
Awesome travel tips! Thanks, Chris.
Full nudity was banned. The sock-wearers referenced are still out in force on nice days. Wish they’d get a life (I suppose they think waving their socks at people is what passes for one.)
Great video Chris. And, the other name for the City that makes me crazy is “San Fran”
Nice video, Chris!
I would add not to bother with Fisherman’s Wharf unless you want the super-touristy experience. Too bad the editors kept on taking snapshots of it. There’s so much better things to do on the list…
Also, transit is “okay,” not good by East Coast standards. But I suppose it’s good enough if you’re staying downtown.
For the love of God, please never, ever, ever, call it “Frisco.” That’s the number one way to get laughed at in SF. Frisco is a city in Texas.
Good tips, Dan! Thanks I did not know about that surge protector. Smart! And re the nudists, that activity was banned by the city, so they are (thankfully) mostly gone. See this: http://www.sfgate.com/bayarea/article/Nude-protesters-gather-in-S-F-to-decry-nudity-ban-6055522.php — chris
Nice video. Since you mentioned ride sharing, another tip is to avoid Uber’s surge pricing. There is a simple app called SurgeProtector that shows whether Uber’s surge pricing is in force in certain areas. I use it all the time to decide whether or not Uber is worth it. I’ve read that Uber’s surge pricing reached 8.0x in New York during a snowstorm, and they actually tested 50.0x in Sweden. (At that rate, the Uber ride from my house to the BART station would be about $450.)
Parking a car at a San Francisco hotel is hideously expensive, but if your hotel is downtown there are a few big garages that you can park cars overnight in. If I read the rate tables right, 8:00pm to 8:00am at Stockton Sutter would cost only $12. Or just rent a car for one day during your visit. Pick it up in the morning and bring it back that night to avoid parking charges.
And avoid the Castro on warm, sunny days. Too many nudists wearing nothing but a single sock over one part of their body to stay within the law. It’s not a pretty sight.