Author Topic: San Francisco, Rent a Car or use Uber/ Public Trans  (Read 5393 times)

wealthviahealth

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San Francisco, Rent a Car or use Uber/ Public Trans
« on: February 07, 2015, 04:56:57 AM »
Next month I will be attending a work conference in San Francisco and am wondering what will work best for getting around.
My company will rent me a car for the week but Im wondering if it would actually be less stressful to instead use uber or public transportation.
I have never been so I am unfamiliar with the daily flow of traffic and how driving is.

I will be staying near the San Fran air port and will also be making a few trips to Palo Alto as well as Berkeley.
With all of this in mind, what would you recommend? 

Dawn

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Re: San Francisco, Rent a Car or use Uber/ Public Trans
« Reply #1 on: February 07, 2015, 06:06:49 AM »
We spent a few days in Berkley this past summer and only used the Bart to get into the city and the trolley cars in the city. Very easy to use. I would have felt more stressed looking for parking than taking public transportation. Clean, easy to use and gets you anywhere you need to go. Not sure about Uber.
Enjoy!

Returnoftheyeti

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Re: San Francisco, Rent a Car or use Uber/ Public Trans
« Reply #2 on: February 07, 2015, 09:17:40 AM »
If you are staying near the airport, rent a car. This will cover you for going to Palo Alto and everything south.

If you are going into the city, drive from your hotel to the San Bruno BART station where there is free parking.  Take BART where you need to go.

BART will take you to Berkely as well, but you may find it more convenient to drive. It depends on where in Berkely. Use google maps transit directions, if your destination is more than a mile from a BART station drive.

Where is the conference?  Moscone Center? 

wealthviahealth

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Re: San Francisco, Rent a Car or use Uber/ Public Trans
« Reply #3 on: February 07, 2015, 02:59:42 PM »
If you are staying near the airport, rent a car. This will cover you for going to Palo Alto and everything south.

If you are going into the city, drive from your hotel to the San Bruno BART station where there is free parking.  Take BART where you need to go.

BART will take you to Berkely as well, but you may find it more convenient to drive.

Thanks for all of the help on this!

My trip is going to be fairly hectic as far as my schudule so I was thinking that BART might be a nice option even if less convenient since the ride will give me time to relax and recharge and Im worried that driving parking might do the opposite. ( I havent driven in many big cities before) Do you think I am off in this assessment?

Also, is there anything to do around my hotel that I can walk to or is it kind of away from everything?

Ricky

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Re: San Francisco, Rent a Car or use Uber/ Public Trans
« Reply #4 on: February 07, 2015, 03:14:25 PM »
Uber if you're on a tight schedule. Public transport if you have plenty of time to get there.

Uber fare estimate: https://www.uber.com/cities/san-francisco

I've drove for and used Uber/Lyft. As long as it makes sense financially, there's no better way to get around - I assure you.

That said, you'll probably find less trouble parking in Palo Alto and Berkeley, or at your hotel, so why not just let the boss rent the car just in case? But I definitely wouldn't drive into a congested area when you have more sane options.
« Last Edit: February 07, 2015, 03:36:31 PM by Ricky »

Davin

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Re: San Francisco, Rent a Car or use Uber/ Public Trans
« Reply #5 on: February 07, 2015, 03:25:57 PM »
I hate driving in SF. Parking in SF is a nightmare. Many of the streets are one way, and making a left turn is prohibited in most commercial areas. Bay area drivers tend to be awful, and the cyclists are frequently worse. BART is good, Muni is good, taking a cab is usually fine, and the city has a footprint of only 5 by 8 miles so walking is often the best option, although some of the hills are pretty steep.

ClaycordJCA

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Re: San Francisco, Rent a Car or use Uber/ Public Trans
« Reply #6 on: February 07, 2015, 04:24:32 PM »
Use the rental car for Palo Alto.  Don't take the car to SF.  As others have said, driving in SF is a big hassle.  Use mass transit, Uber/Lift, taxis or walk. Great walk along the bay from AT&T Park to Fisherman's wharf and beyond. Berkeley will depend on where you are going and the time constraints. Give me an idea of where you will be in Berkeley and I'll let you know if driving is the better option.

wealthviahealth

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Re: San Francisco, Rent a Car or use Uber/ Public Trans
« Reply #7 on: February 07, 2015, 04:31:01 PM »
Use the rental car for Palo Alto.  Don't take the car to SF.  As others have said, driving in SF is a big hassle.  Use mass transit, Uber/Lift, taxis or walk. Great walk along the bay from AT&T Park to Fisherman's wharf and beyond. Berkeley will depend on where you are going and the time constraints. Give me an idea of where you will be in Berkeley and I'll let you know if driving is the better option.

Thank you fro the great tips!
UC Berkeley. Might even head up to Pleasant Hill CA for a meeting as well.

 

coffeehound

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Re: San Francisco, Rent a Car or use Uber/ Public Trans
« Reply #8 on: February 07, 2015, 07:53:56 PM »
If you are staying near the airport, rent a car. This will cover you for going to Palo Alto and everything south.

If you are going into the city, drive from your hotel to the San Bruno BART station where there is free parking.  Take BART where you need to go.

BART will take you to Berkely as well, but you may find it more convenient to drive.

Thanks for all of the help on this!

My trip is going to be fairly hectic as far as my schudule so I was thinking that BART might be a nice option even if less convenient since the ride will give me time to relax and recharge and Im worried that driving parking might do the opposite. ( I havent driven in many big cities before) Do you think I am off in this assessment?

Also, is there anything to do around my hotel that I can walk to or is it kind of away from everything?

You are right on with using public transit or Lyft rather than driving.  Use BART and Muni.  There is a BART station right down the hill from UC Berkeley, and one in Pleasant Hill.  Frankly, if you're not used to driving in big cities, San Francisco is not the place to drive.  Parking is difficult, lots of one-ways, lots of limited left turns. 

I live in LA, and drive LA traffic 5 days a week, and I find SF driving stressful!

ClaycordJCA

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Re: San Francisco, Rent a Car or use Uber/ Public Trans
« Reply #9 on: February 08, 2015, 10:46:19 AM »
Rockridge BART station and a transfer to the 51 AC Transit bus along College Avenue will also get you to the South Side of the UCB campus. Pleasant Hill is much more suburban and mass transit is not as plentiful or convenient. Unless within walking distance of Pleasant Hill BART, I'd probably drive there.

 

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