San Francisco

Reddog1 wrote:

I was not aware the Larkspur Ferry went to the Fisherman's Wharf. I guess I better take another look at that. In reading the info on the Premium City Tour link, it says it starts and stops at the San Francisco Ferry Building. The Ferry Building is in San Francisco, not to far from the Bay Bridge.

The Larkspur ferry stops at fisherman's Wharf first, and then goes on to the Ferry Building (a few blocks away).

For those new to the area, the Ferry Building is a fun place to visit. It is full of little market stalls and restaurants.

I strongly recommend that you do not drive into SF. The public transit is far easier and more convenient, and everything is VERY close together. It's a compact city.

Reddog1 wrote:

big whitey wrote:
... Yes we have a TC and not knowing assumed it might be better to commute to and from the city. You hinted that a trip to the city might be preferable or at least an option.

You need to provide more information on your rig. How long is your TC? Are you comfortable driving in a big strange city? I will give you some thoughts after you respond to these questions.

big whitey wrote:
Just guessing but I am assuming there is probably no opportunity for urban boondocking within commuting distance to the city. Any and all help would be greatly appreciated.

I worked at San Quentin State Prison for just over five years. I commuted to the Placerville area. I lived in my TC in the prison parking lot/s for five nights a week. You can see the Larkspur Ferry and Marin RV Park from the prison. I constantly explored the area within a 45 minute drive of the prison looking for someplace to boondock. I never found anyplace I was comfortable with. With a TC, you could simply park on a street, but that is not comfortable to me. My point is if you are willing to park in a shopping center parking lot and are okay with being told you can't park there, I question any boondocking. They cannot simply hook a tow truck to your rig with you in it, and tow your rig. One of my co-workers made that discovery in San Francisco.

Wayne your persistent requests for more info finally sunk in :S
Whats better it made me rethink what was reasonable for my rig. I will not fit into a regular parking space as we will have a couple bikes (bike theft rampant in SF)) hanging off the back and a cargo rack off the front, for a total length of about 27'.
In conclusion i think it would be advisable to stay out of the city and use the ferry.

If reservations for Alkatraz must be made months in advance i guess we will not be going,who would have thunk it.

I assume you were allowed to park at San Quentin because you were an employee.

Thanks for your help.

Van

San Francisco RV resort in Pacifica, a little pricey but close to the city. I even had a rental car delivered there and picked up.

check out Chabot county campground in castro valley.

When we went to San Francisco 2 years ago we used the San Francisco Hop On Hop Off system which is a series of open air top deck buses that carry you throughout San Francisco and you can get on and get off as you please, takes in the whole of San Francisco(Google it and see what you think) we left our truck at a free parking lot just on the north west side of the Golden Gate Bridge and a Hop on Hop off station was right across the road. Crossing the Golden Gate on the top deck in the open air is a rush for sure.

Plesanton Fairgrounds campground. Take BART, you can safely park at BART station, to city. Take van tour then public transportation to places you wish to revisit or the tour did not take you to. Ferry to Sasulaito for a walk about and lunch and an ice cream. Cable cars to Chinatown, Lombard St, Fisherman's Warf, and Union Sq.
Do not stand in the "tourist line" to ride cable cars. Go up a block or so and jump on, that is the way it is done...it is a working public transit system and many, many locals ride it to work and for getting around.
Lots to see and do. FYI...you will be better received there if you call it San Francisco or the city. Frisco is not a term endeared by the locals.

big whitey wrote:
... Yes we have a TC and not knowing assumed it might be better to commute to and from the city. You hinted that a trip to the city might be preferable or at least an option.

You need to provide more information on your rig. How long is your TC? Are you comfortable driving in a big strange city? I will give you some thoughts after you respond to these questions.

big whitey wrote:
Just guessing but I am assuming there is probably no opportunity for urban boondocking within commuting distance to the city. Any and all help would be greatly appreciated.

I worked at San Quentin State Prison for just over five years. I commuted to the Placerville area. I lived in my TC in the prison parking lot/s for five nights a week. You can see the Larkspur Ferry and Marin RV Park from the prison. I constantly explored the area within a 45 minute drive of the prison looking for someplace to boondock. I never found anyplace I was comfortable with. With a TC, you could simply park on a street, but that is not comfortable to me. My point is if you are willing to park in a shopping center parking lot and are okay with being told you can't park there, I question any boondocking. They cannot simply hook a tow truck to your rig with you in it, and tow your rig. One of my co-workers made that discovery in San Francisco.

We stayed at the San Francisco RV Resort which is south of San Francisco about 15 miles. We ended up renting a car from Enterprise for a few days and they had a location about two blocks from our location. We were also about a $15 cab ride from the nearest BART station. Unfortunately we happened to be there during a BART strike and so the system wasn't that beneficial for us.

I would recommend Alcatraz and you need to book the Alcatraz tour several months in advance. We ended up doing the Alcatraz tour with the added Angel Island tour and I would recommend this option. We also took in an Oakland A's and a Giants game while in town. I would recommend both if possible. Good luck.

2gypsies wrote:
We did this tour beginning on the north bay at Larkspur. You could park your truck camper there easily.

I have parked at the ferry terminal in Larkspur with my TC. I parked where I could allow the back of my TC to hang over bushes and such. I have a 11.5 foot TC. It is posted "No RV Parking", but a TC is not a RV in California, and if you only take one parking space should be no problem. 2gypsies, is this where you parked? There are only two Shopping Centers in that area I would consider parking in for several hours, but they would be a long walk to the ferry.

2gypsies wrote:
Our daughter, who lives in San Fran, did the tour with us and even she was highly impressed.

If she lives there, and was impressed, it must have been a great tour.

2gypsies wrote:
We took the ferry from Larkspur to Fisherman's Wharf where we got on the tour van. It returned us to the wharf at the end of the day and we took the ferry back to our vehicle.

I was not aware the Larkspur Ferry went to the Fisherman's Wharf. I guess I better take another look at that. In reading the info on the Premium City Tour link, it says it starts and stops at the San Francisco Ferry Building. The Ferry Building is in San Francisco, not to far from the Bay Bridge.

2gypsies wrote:
The tour gave us all the major highlights of the city and included a lunch stop in Sausalito and the Golden Gate Bridge.

Sausalito is unique, and a real pretty community.

2gypsies wrote:
We had time to walk through the Japanese Garden (May was perfect for blooms).

The Japanese Garden I am familiar with is in the Golden Gate Park, not far from the Morrison Planetarium. If you have time, a worth while visit.

2gypsies wrote:
San Francisco Small Van Tour

It looks very interesting. I am thinking maybe I might give them a try. With only a couple of exceptions, I have seen the sites on the tour. I think they made excellent choices. I would seriously consider camping at the Marin RV Park, walking to the Larkspur Ferry, taking to the San Francisco Ferry Building and going on one of the tours. That would easily fill a day. In addition to the tour, you would get a feel of the land, and decide if you want to drive in San Francisco with your TC.

You can easily spend another two days touring sites in San Francisco and the immediate area.

Wayne

Really great info folks, very helpful. I'm big on planning and these responses are invaluable.