ETTING DOWNTOWN FROM THE AIRPORT – I thought I should give my
“tips” or experience getting downtown from the airport. There was an
information desk by the baggage claim area, but there was no one there
when I arrived. Through the kindness of nice San Franciscoians, I found
my way. After you get your bags: 1) Find the AirTrain. I found it by
following the signs downstairs and the up five floors on an elevator.
Get on the AirTrain, it is free, and take it around to the BART
platform, for me it was around five stops; 2) Purchase a ticket for the
BART from the ticket machine. You need to get to the Powell Street
Exit. I think that was around $5.35 or something. It takes credit
cards, but I found the machine confusing to negotiate. Then get on the
BART. This is where it is a little fuzzy for me. I am not sure if there
are other trains, but make sure you get on the one that is going to San
Francisco-Pittsburgh-and Bay Something. There may be one going in and
one going out of SF so make sure you are on the one going in. The
Powell Street Exit is maybe 8 or 10 exits into the ride and
approximately a half an hour. Once I got there, though, I can’t tell
you how I found the hotel. I just asked some people and they directed
me, maybe a couple of blocks. It also depends on what street you exit
the station from. IF anyone has more specific information, please FEEL
FREE to edit this. –EddieBud
It’s SF/Pittsburg/Bay Point; the airport is a final station so
no worries about getting on going in the wrong direction. The fare from
the airport to Powell is indeed $5.35. Use the BART link below to find
map, schedules, and fare calculator for other travel on the system.
Once at the Powell Street station, exit on the side away from the
Westfield shopping center. You’ll find yourself at the intersection of
Powell and Market (it’s also the end of a cable car line). Head up
Powell away from Market (same direction as the cable car line), two
blocks to O’Farrell, turn left, the Hilton is two and a half blocks on
the left side.
Transportation
Getting around in San Francisco is quite easy, via:
– BART, the Bay Area Rapid Transit District, takes you up and down both sides of the Bay.
– CalTrain, will take you from San Francisco down to San Jose.
– Muni,
(the San Francisco Municipal Train Service), can take you along “80
routes throughout San Francisco with stops within 2 blocks of 90% of
all residences in the city.” This is done via streetcars, buses, light
rail vehicles, alternative fuel vehicles, electric trolley coaches, and
the all-time famous cable cars.
– SamTrans
is the San Mateo County Transit District, which offers bus service
throughout San Mateo county, as well as parts of San Francisco and Palo
Alto (home of Stanford University).
[edit] Weather
Finally, SAA is unlikely to be hot and humid! There’s the famous
quote attributed to Mark Twain “The coldest winter I ever saw was the
summer I spent in San Francisco.” We like to consider the fog to be
nature’s air conditioner (another way to go green!), but you can’t
count on it being foggy either. Weather in the Bay Area is ruled by microclimates–it
may be sunny and warm in one place and foggy and cool in another–and
those microclimates may only be a short walk apart. Dress in layers
(always a good idea for conference rooms anyway). If you are headed to
the East Bay or down the Peninsula it is sure to be sunnier and warmer
while if you head to the coast it is likely to be foggy and cool.
Update 8/26/2008: Did SAA bring the heat with them? Word is
that there’s gonna be a heat wave this week. Well, at least it
shouldn’t be terribly humid.
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