What to See 5 days each in Toronto & San Francisco

blueredface

Hi there,

I'm travelling to Toronto and San Francisco in 5 days for each cities.
I'm just wondering if you can suggest what to visit in both cities when I'm travelling from 27 of August to 8th September. Would weather be o.k to have some t-shirts without any warm jumper or heavy jackets?

Re : Shopping in Toronto & San Francisco

Comparing shopping in Ireland, I heard few years ago that its best and very cheap to do shopping for branded products (clothes, shoes, electronics (Mobile phone, tablets) etc.) especially in USA. Is it similar good to buy branded products in Canada?
Please share your recent experience for above?

Thanks in advance.

Tangey99

I can't speak on Toronto. For San Fran, a quick look here:-

http://www.accuweather.com/en/us/san-francisco-ca/94103/august-weather/347629

Gives you the expected weather for all of this month. Not unlike Ireland temp wise, but much more likely to be dry and sunny than Ireland.

Any new city, I generally do the city tour bus. Most of them have a hop on-off, and its a great way of seeing places you might want to go back to and explore more fully. San Fran has the traditional things like going to see the seals and fisherman's Wharf in general, and going across to Alcatraz (hint, no matter what the weather looks like, bring a jacket/jumper, the boat journey across is at best breezy, and often a lot cooler than that). Pier (39?) @ fishermans wharf is a nice hangout, loads of shops, street entertainers, plenty to keep you occupied. Whilst you are down that way, you really have to get on one of the cable cars for a ride.

Are you staying in the Wharf area ?

iusedtoknow

The weather in San Francisco can be chilly at that time of year - do what the city people do and wear layers. There are a number of microclimates that can change the weather from one area to another.

5 days is a pretty long time in the region (SF is small) but you'll have more than enough time

Bike the Golden Gate Park
Bike Golden gate bridge to Sausalito
Eat a "Mission" Burrito (latino part of town)
Visit the science museum and/or exploratorium
Go on the night tour of Alcatraz
Rent a car and visit Muir Woods
Take the cable cars (tip...get the 5 day muni pass, otherwise the cable cars are $8 for a ride

Pier 39/wharf area is OK for an afternoon, but it is really touristy and the prices around there reflect that.

SanfranCal

First let me state that I believe all of the USA is experiencing some global warming/unpredictable weather. Also, please be aware that all of California is facing a drought now. No one wastes water; and everybody prays for rain. With that said, here is some general info:

Generally, SF has temperatures of 65 to 70 F, when you will be here. SF has its own microclimate as do the small coastal towns south of SF. Your weather may go as high as 73/74.
Generally, SF can get great weather in September and October, maybe some beautiful Indian summer weather.

I would stay away from brining any heavy-duty winter coats. I laugh when I see people on a beautiful day, all bundled up as though it's freezing.

I agree with previous posters. Bring layers. If you have a nice cozy scarf, bring it. If you have some light mittens, they won't take up much room in your suitcase. I would bring at least two or three long-sleeve knit shirts for walking around and keeping comfortable. Generally, I think short-sleeve shirts are not warm enough, although maybe you could use them in Toronto.

Yes, if you take any boat rides to Alcatraz, it will get very cold on the Bay. That is why having the ability to put on a sweater or sweatshirt, and maybe a scarf is good.

Yes, you can find some cheap clothing here. If you do not bring enough clothing with you, you can always go into an GAP store and get a long-sleeve cotton shirt that would not be expensive. You can always go to Macy's and get something on sale clothing-wise. There is a Macys for Women store and a Macys Men's Store near Union Square. And, then there are also junk clothing stores, which I dislike more and more each day; i.e., Ross Dress for Less, Marshalls, TJMaxx.

I wish you would post where you are staying, what type of age group you are in, what type of budget you are on, and whether you will have a rental car.

I have the Northern California Automobile Assn Tour Book with me. What I like about this tour book is that they distinguish quality attractions with a "star" or "gem" indicator as opposed to the cheap money-making touristy places.

And so, here are some starred places that I agree with:

1. Alcatraz Island - You must take a boat ride.
2. Asian Art Museum of SF in the Civic Center - this is a maybe.

3. Chinatown - The entrance to Chinatown is near Union Square. You could do a walking tour of Chinatown. I would not trust whether something is real jade or a real Ming Dynasty antique, but looking at their grocery stores with unusual foods and walking the streets could be interesting. .

4. The DeYoung Museum in Golden Gate Park (GGP). It could be a lovely day visiting the Arboretum in GGP and then walking over to the DeYoung Art Museum. The grounds outside are beautiful. Make sure you take their elevator up to the top floor for a beautiful view of the city. Just pay the basic entrance fee to the museum; don't pay extra for the special exhibits. They are not worth it.

5. Golden Gate Bridge.

6. Golden Gate Park.

7. The California Academy of Sciences in Golden Gate Park. (I think this includes the Planetarium, The Steinhart Aquarium, and the Kimball Natural History Museum) This looks quite interesting. I have not visited them.

8. The Legion of Honor in Lincoln Park. This is an art museum, with beautiful grounds and views.

Additional thoughts:

Definitely ride on the cable cars. It is good to get on at the beginning of the line or the end of the line, so that you can actually get on the cable car. The lines more fast. I think you may find it easier to get space on one of them if you ride in the evening. A lot of tourists have gone back to their hotels.

Go see Beach Blanket Babylon at the Fugazi Club. It is a musical review...very funny and so very characteristic of SF. I have not gone to this place in a long time, but generally speaking, it would be a great way to spend an evening. Google it.

As for Toronto, I believe they get more extreme weather than SF. Generally, I think you will experience weather up to the high 70's -- come September, they will start to be getting into Fall.

tricky D

SanfranCal wrote: »

7. The California Academy of Sciences in Golden Gate Park. (I think this includes the Planetarium, The Steinhart Aquarium, and the Kimball Natural History Museum) This looks quite interesting. I have not visited them.

It's quite pricey but not bad imo, ie. worth a visit. There were 2 planetarium shows last Oct and there's an earthquake simulator. There can be some long queues for those two especially when school tours are around.

Over the GGB is the Nike Missile Base tour open from Thurs - Sat which is free but has limited opening hours: http://www.nps.gov/goga/nike-missile-site.htm

There's also the camera obscura at the Cliff House: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Camera_Obscura_%28San_Francisco,_California%29 and the wave organ in the Marina/Yacht Club area: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wave_Organ

iusedtoknow

sugarman wrote: »

1

12. If you're into sports, you can try see a baseball game at AT&T park or American football, SF 49ers are just outside of town.

12. Take a trip over to Berkeley. Great little university town with plenty of shops and good night life if during college semester.

Unfortunately, the 49'ers are now playing down in Santa Clara (closer to San Jose, and if accounts are accurate...a pain to get down to and away from with or without a car

Berkeley is OK, I'm over there often enough for concerts at the greek theater, however it is pretty quiet when college is out. Oakland further down is actually pretty nice for Bars and restaurants. We're moving over to Lake Merret in 2 months so am looking forward to experiencing more of the east bay life.

iusedtoknow

tricky D wrote: »

It's quite pricey but not bad imo, ie. worth a visit. There were 2 planetarium shows last Oct and there's an earthquake simulator. There can be some long queues for those two especially when school tours are around.

Over the GGB is the Nike Missile Base tour open from Thurs - Sat which is free but has limited opening hours: http://www.nps.gov/goga/nike-missile-site.htm

There's also the camera obscura at the Cliff House: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Camera_Obscura_%28San_Francisco,_California%29 and the wave organ in the Marina/Yacht Club area: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wave_Organ

They have a really fun thing every thursday night - "nights at the museum". It's $15 in, cocktails and food everywhere, and the lines are a lot less for all the exhibits. The only downside is the butterflys/parrots and lizards all tend to be asleep

jjbrien

BTW dont do any shopping in Toronto the stuff thee costs 15 to 30% more than in the USA. I lived there for 2 years most canadians head down to Buffalo NY to shop due to the USA being a lot cheaper.

As for stuff to do in Toronto:

CN Tower is the largest standing tower in the world gets you a good look at the city.

Rogers Centre you can catch a Toronto Bluejays baseball game there tickets start at $10

Hockey Hall of Fame pays hommage to Ice Hockey and the NHL its well worth a look.

St Laurence Market more info here http://www.tripadvisor.ie/Attraction_Review-g155019-d185112-Reviews-St_Lawrence_Market-Toronto_Ontario.html

Do do the tour of the steam whistle brewery its right opposite the rogers centre and the CN tower they show you how they brew the beer and you get a bottle of the stuff too and a sample before the tour also.

Make sure to check out the Toronto Islands theres a small theme park there and a very nice beach.

If you get time do the day trip down to Niagara Falls most tours do a wine tasking which is well worth it and they also go to the beautiful historic town of Niagara on the Lake.

Do look at this page http://www.tripadvisor.ie/Guide-g155019-l171-Toronto_Ontario.html its a 3 days in Toronto guide will give you an idea of what to do and see.

sugarman covered all the good sites in San Fransisco but let me give you a tip do try to book the night tour to Alcatraz far less people on it and they do stuff you wont get on the day tours.

InTheTrees

sugarman wrote: »

Anyway, Oakland Raiders are another NFL team thats only a few minutes away on the BART.

With only 8 home games per season the NFL gets sold out quickly. And tickets arent cheap either.

Stubhub.com or craigslist are good for tickets.

The Baseball season is 168 games long so its usually easy to get tickets.

iusedtoknow

InTheTrees wrote: »

The Baseball season is 168 games long so its usually easy to get tickets.

But watching paint dry is far more interesting than sitting through either one of those games