San Francisco

[Ironwood]

Anyone live there/have intimate knowledge ?  Wife fancies it for a week.

Discuss.  Or not.

[Llava]

INTIMATE knowledge?

Not really.

But I was born in the area and used to go about once a year.  There is a lot to see and do, if you can get a good list of all the various attractions.  Golden Gate Park is a day's event on its own, if you include the Tea Gardens and such in the excursion.  Check out the Science Museum right across the street from the Tea Gardens if you like, it's been years but I remember them having some pretty fun stuff.

The Wharf and whatnot are the other obviously touristy things to do, but the city offers more than that.  You can just hop on a train and explore some of the streets, check out the shops and whatnot.  There's a lot to experience.

[Engels]

SF is a great place to live, if you can afford it. I'm not sure its all that great to just visit by comparison to other cities around the world. It has decent weather, the people are cool, but its not boiling over with architectual marvels or anything. Chicago, Boston, New York or even Philadelphia are a bit more interesting.

If you're not focused on the US,  I'd save the airfare, and go to Berlin, Dresden or Prague (I'm correct in assuming you're in England?). Berlin is especially fantastic in the spring.

[WayAbvPar]

Come to Seattle instead. I wanna have a pint or 12 with ya.

[Llava]

It is kind of a looooooooooong ways from Scotland, not entirely sure it'd be worth that trip.

[Samwise]

I think I made some recommendations over nyah, but there's any number of things to do, depending on what your fancy is.  Museums?  Shopping?  Walking?  Dining?  Sightseeing?  Dancing?

[Ironwood]

Come to Seattle instead. I wanna have a pint or 12 with ya.

Convince me.
.
.
.
Actually, no - you had me at 'a pint'.  Convince the wife.

(She's looking at Seattle now and has already found a hotel.  It looks stunning.  Hmmm.)

[Ironwood]

It is kind of a looooooooooong ways from Scotland, not entirely sure it'd be worth that trip.

Anything that's a long ways from Scotland sounds good to me right now.  I have 2 weeks off and I want something new and interesting.  I've spent the last 3 months floating the company on the London Stock Exchange.  It's made 40 Million and I want a fucking break.


Tired.

Interests are ; Bed, Sleep, Snooze, Food, Drink, Sleep, Bed, Sexxor, Long walks holding hands, maybe even with the wife.



Edited to add :  What are the chances of being linked to a thread asking the exact same damn questions with the same heading.  Funny how life works sometimes.

[Engels]

Come to Seattle instead. I wanna have a pint or 12 with ya.

(She's looking at Seattle now and has already found a hotel.  It looks stunning.  Hmmm.)

A stunning hotel in Seattle? Where?! Ok, that was sarcasm. Lots of f13 folks in Seattle, I think. With 2 weeks here, you can even take a road trip to the Olympic Peninsula, which, as far as I am concerened, is the #1 reason to come to Seattle. Otherwise, Seattle is rainy in the springtime, but that shouldn't bother you too much, coming from Scotland. It has great beer places, decent movie theatres, of the artsy fartsy kind too, some nice architecture, and a historical area downtown that's nice to stroll around in. Shopping is really fun here, so the wife will like that if she's into that sort of thing. There's also the EMP (experience music project) which is a very very cool museum of rock and roll. It also has a nifty science fiction museum with all sorts of ancient sci fi movie parafinalia.

One thing though about Seattle; I think some folks think that there's a computer bazaar on every street corner, when the sad truth is that there are virtually no computer stores, much less anything of interested to a tech geek within the city limits. You have to drive to commercial strip malls on the outskirts to even see a computer for sale.

[Ironwood]

I don't want to SEE a fucking computer during my holiday.

;)

[Furiously]

Do you want to see people throwing fish? (Pike Place Market)

The SPACE NEEDLE? (BTW - don't eat there just pay the money ride to the top and come back down).

Could also combine the trip with a cruise along the inside passage?

[Llava]

Or you can check out Alcatraz.  Totally romantic.  Ladies love prisons.

[Rasix]

Anyone live there/have intimate knowledge ?  Wife fancies it for a week.

Discuss.  Or not.

My wife goes there often for work.

If you want some amazing Italian food, go to the Trattoria Contadina.  The veal saltimbocca (sp) is fantastic.

[Furiously]

Or you could go to http://www.armondos.com/ if you come to Seattle.

[Hoax]

Come to SF the only good thing about Seattle is if your from the States you can escape from Canada easier.

Actually I adore Seattle but I think we have better weather for the most part, if I remember the other thread Sam covered damn near everthing that fit the poster's requested activities.  If you have money to burn we have GREAT hotels downtown, also SF is a much better long walk city (despite the hills) where Seattle is much more spread out.  I love both cities (my two favorites in the states, the entire east coast is disqualified due to shitty weather) so you really can't go wrong with your current list of options.

Since this is for the wife (I think?) you might want to tell us -if you have an idea- what she likes to do.

[Furiously]

I think there is only one solution at this point: Vegas.

[WayAbvPar]

Or you could go to http://www.armondos.com/ if you come to Seattle.

MMMMMM Chicken Armondo's.....

[UD_Delt]

I think there is only one solution at this point: Vegas.

Sold.... be there June 4th - 8th. Friend of mine is moderating some panel discussion on something or other and his company is setting him up in a suite at Mandalay Bay. Free place to stay = more money to lose playing poker.

Never been to San Fran but San Diego/Tiajuana was fun when I was 17.

[Ironwood]

Well, 4-5 months pregnant, so rollerblading is out.  Something nice and scenic with a gorgeous hotel a wee bit away from the city, but close enough to shop.  Something restful but not too far away from interest.

Sorry, I'm no help here.

Gimme a great hotel, money no object.  :)

[Ironwood]

I think there is only one solution at this point: Vegas.

NO.

[Furiously]

Or you could go to http://www.armondos.com/ if you come to Seattle.

MMMMMM Chicken Armondo's.....

13" wood fired pizza with double pep. Wonder if the cheesecake place has gone in next door....

[WayAbvPar]

Well, 4-5 months pregnant, so rollerblading is out.  Something nice and scenic with a gorgeous hotel a wee bit away from the city, but close enough to shop.  Something restful but not too far away from interest.

Sorry, I'm no help here.

Gimme a great hotel, money no object.  :)

Salish Lodge

Probably 30 minutes from downtown Seattle, but it is SUCH a cool place. Great food, great view, etc. Might be worth a night or 2 if you do decide to come to Seattle.

[Furiously]

Plus Twin Peaks was filmed there....

The waterfall there is amazing. The olympic pensula is beautiful as well.
http://www.visitlakequinault.com/

or stay on the ocean in a bluffside cabin.
http://www.visitkalaloch.com/

or take a ferry into the San Juan islands.
http://www.friday-harbor.com/lodging.html

[Ironwood]

Heh.  You're really wanting that pint, aren't you ?

[Furiously]

Not that either of us work for the tourism industry in Seattle....

[Rasix]

The Palace Hotel. 

Wife's favorite place to stay in San Francisco. 

I've also stayed at the Westin Saint Francis, which was OK but a bit cramped.  It's right next to Postrio though, which is a Wolfgang Puck place.  Also, stayed a W in Union square, which was very nice but just somewhat of a standard upscale hotel. 

[Furiously]

I'll raise the http://www.fairmont.com/seattle/

[Hoax]

There are 36 4 star+ hotels in SF on hotels.com there are 15 in Seattle.  We win.

[Ironwood]

What's the Oyster like ?  Not the food.

[Furiously]

There are 36 4 star+ hotels in SF on hotels.com there are 15 in Seattle.  We win.

Nice - the one I listed is a five star.

[WayAbvPar]

There are 36 4 star+ hotels in SF on hotels.com there are 15 in Seattle.  We win.

I think the fact that your city contains both the 49ers and Barry Bonds more than makes up for Seattle's dearth of 4 star hotels.

[Trippy]

Well, 4-5 months pregnant, so rollerblading is out.  Something nice and scenic with a gorgeous hotel a wee bit away from the city, but close enough to shop.  Something restful but not too far away from interest.

Sorry, I'm no help here.

Gimme a great hotel, money no object.  :)

I've lived in the San Francisco Bay Area all but one year of my life (I was born outside of California). However, I don't like cities and rarely ever venture into the City (the "City" is always San Francisco to true Bay Areans contrary to what San Jose would like you to think) so take whatever I say with a few heaping teaspoons of salt.

You do not want to stay outside of SF if it's your main reason for visiting. Driving to and from the City is a fricking pain in the arse and one of the main reasons I don't like going there. Also there's nowhere really nice to stay just outside of SF since there's a "dead zone" just to the south (i.e. South San Francisco aka "The Industrial City") and south of that is where all the airport hotels are (though President Reagan did stay in the Airport Hyatt when he came to visit once). There probably are some cozy bed and breakfast type places to the north across the Golden Gate Bridge but the traffic across the bridge is a pain and you probably won't be able to see the City.

Probably the best place to stay is somewhere around Union Square where most of the fancy shopping is, preferably up the hill on Nob Hill where the nicest hotels with the best views like the Fairmont and Mark Hopkins are. Union Square/Nob Hill is located near most of the other major SF attractions as well other than Golden Gate Park which is on the other side of the city but there are no really nice hotels on that side that I'm aware of. Staying on Nob Hill means lots of hill climbing if you want to visit the nearby sites like Union Square and Chinatown, though, unless you want to take a taxi even for short jaunts (there might be a shuttle or something to and from Union Square check with the hotels).

[gimpyone]

Maybe us Bay Area f13ers can get together and drink and eat.

[Samwise]

I'd be up for that.

[voodoolily]

Sauced and I had more fun in Seattle just eating cheap-o Vietnamese food and watching a matinee than eating at the upscale oyster/steak house. We stayed at the Alexis downtown. Not too touristy, awesome little bar called The Bookstore in the lobby (with a very cute, tattooed Emo bargirl who comped us our drinks twice for no reason whatsoever), and an Aveda spa deal with the room. We had massages and I had a facial. Not that kind, you perverts. We did some of the cheesy touristy stuff like the aquarium, but I just love that shit and can't help it.

Growing up in Portland I've been to Seattle many times. Jimi Hendrix is buried right outside the city limits, and you can visit his grave and make a rubbing. Not that kind, you perverts. If you decide to give it a shot maybe we can visit too. We're only three hours away.