Fifty Plus (50+) - Biking in San Francisco

If all goes well, I'll be spending all of next week in San Francisco, attending a conference for 3 days and having 3 full days of free time. I've been planning to just walk and ride trolley cars around the city, but then I ran across this bike rental service that entices me to take a ride along the bay out to the Golden Gate Bridge, then ride over the bridge and back. Sounds like a blast. That is, if the winds don't blow me off of the bridge.

http://www.blazingsaddles.com/sf_bike_ride_maps.html

Have others done this? Is the ride along the bay from the Piers out to the Bridge along bike paths or streets? The ad reads like it is all along a bike path.

The ride to Sausalito & back sounds very nice too. But none of those hilly rides into Marin County, my legs are not in shape for them.

You might want to post this in the "Northern California" regional discussion area.

- Steve

Yes, from the Aquatic Park to Fort Point is all pathway but you do share with pedestrians. I have driven to S.F. before and parked my car a little farther south near AT&T Ball Park. I unpacked and rode my folder along the Embarcadero to Aquatic Park, Fort Mason, Marina Green and Yacht Harbor, Crissy Field, Golden Gate Bridge to Sausalito and over to Larkspur Landing. Then I took a boat ride back across the bay to the Ferry Building where you can stop in for a bite and brew at several places (gotta love the caviar and champagne bar!). It's a short ride back to the car, fold up the bike and drive home south some 90 miles. On a clear, windless day it's a very memorable ride!

San Fransisco has been working on its Bay Trail system for a long time. It is not complete but there are a lot of long sections. It is multi-use but it is a pretty wide trail.

http://baytrail.abag.ca.gov/

My wife and kids and I did the blazing saddle rental and rode to Sausalito about 4 years ago. About 2 miles along the waterfront that is flat- then a short steep climb to get to the bridge, Carefully ride across the bridge then its almost all downhill to Sausalito, Spend some time there and take the ferry back. An enjoyable few hours. I rode a rented tandem with my then 11 year old son. Many people ride all over SF. We enjoyed it and yes there are a few amazing hills but usually a way around them.

Riding along the Embarcadero to the Bridge is an easy ride...there's bike lanes the whole way. You'll need to dodge tourists going through Fishermans Wharf and by the Cannery though. Riding over the bridge is worth the effort if only to say you've done it. The hills going into Sausalito are not too tough either. You could maybe take the ferry boat back to SF from Sausalito.

Sounds like a great trip.

Thanks for the info. Sounds like it would be fun. I do think riding over the bridge is one of those things worth doing just to say you've done it.

I'd been planning my whole trip around walking & trolley cars & restaurants & going to a couple of Giants games. Now I'm rethinking one day to squeeze this in.

I've walked across the Golden Gate Bridge, and it was really fun. While doing this, we saw quite a few obvious rental bikes crossing it also. It's an easy walk, so it should be even easier by bike, and a lot faster.

Do it!

Paul

So far, I have ridden across the GGB twice -once on the west side and once on the east- and it's well worth doing; I'll surely do it again (and maybe next time head on down to Sausalito). Both times, I've had to ride on the roadway at least a little but if you turn into the Presidio off of the Marina route, that's pretty minimal. The ride through the Presidio is worth the time, anyway.

One thing to keep in mind is that the west side is for bikes only but I believe it's only open on the weekends. The east crossing gets pretty crowded so you'd be playing "Dodge-the-Pedestrian" and it's slow going.

+1 What others have said.

Just to note that going over the GG Bridge to Sausalito for lunch is recommended. There is also a large scale, working model of SF Bay including up into the Sacremento Delta that is in Sausalito and interesting to see. From the GGB down into Sausalito is a considerable hill which you must then go back up to get back on the GG Birdge. That's why the ferry is so highly recommended in addition to being a great way to experience the Bay.

...One thing to keep in mind is that the west side is for bikes only but I believe it's only open on the weekends. The east crossing gets pretty crowded so you'd be playing "Dodge-the-Pedestrian" and it's slow going...

There is a schedule of times for bicycle riding and the side you go on changes. Here is a link to the schedule...See part way down the page:

http://goldengatebridge.org/bikesbridge/bikes.php

You might want to check out the Craigslist Bicycle forum. While it is open to anyone in the world, it is very Bay Area Centric. http://sfbay.craigslist.org/forums/?forumID=95
They will probably have answers to any of your questions. Be sure to check back frequently after posting as many messages scroll off the bottom by the end of the day or sooner and you'll have to hunt them down on back pages.

The east crossing gets pretty crowded so you'd be playing "Dodge-the-Pedestrian" and it's slow going.

Many of my rides are "slow going" even when the lanes are clear.

Last fall I went out for a leisurely ride and did 30 miles on a flat, empty rail trail. My computer recorded my top speed as being 10.7 mph and my average speed (with stops removed) was 9.1 mph. With stops included my average was 4.3 mph, as I took 7 hours to complete the ride. Ate lunch and took 2 walks during the 7 hours.

Usually my high will be around 17 and my average around 12, but I can ride slower and be perfectly fine with it.

So, hey, Mr Bombadil, what days will you be out here?

From Sunday afternoon 4/20 until Sunday morning 4/27.

I have business commitments from 8-5 Wed-Fri, but otherwise the time is mine to use as I wish. I'm flying single too as my wife had commitments she couldn't get out of. She knows she can trust me, I'm not much of a partier.

I'm planning on going to the Giants games with Cincinnati on Fri & Sat evenings (I've been a Giants fan since 1962). Sunday afternoon, Monday, Tuesday, and Saturday (until 4'ish) I'll just be exploring the city & eating good food. Looking at the weather forecast, mid-day Tuesday looks like the best time to take a bike ride.

I visited SF in Jan '94, but had only 1 free day on that trip. I did make the most of it though and saw many of the sights. I'm looking forward to a more leisurely pace this time around.

It's a shame I have oncall commitments starting tomorrow for the next two weeks
It really limits how far I can wander. It'd be nice to hook up for a ride together somewhere.

Yes that would be nice. Although even if I do rent a bike and do the Golden Gate ride, I most likely wouldn't ride for very long. I'm thinking maybe a 2-hour rental. There's a number of things I want to do and see in SF and so I doubt I'll want to spend a lot of time on a bike. There are other trips where I wouldn't mind spending several days mostly riding a bike.

I'll probably even skip taking a hike in a redwood forest, even though that is one of my all-time favorite activities. I've done it three times in my life, all on trips to Monterey, CA. Getting up to Muir Woods and back is a bit of a hassle when I don't have a car, and takes too much of my limited time. And since I've already done it three times ...

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2348/2411988595_dc35aaf8fc.jpg
Last weekend.
We BARTed into the City and rode with BikeForums NorCal. Out across the bridge and out through Fairfax to Pt. Reyes Station. About 83 miles.
Anyway, the bridge is a delight. Be prepared for cold fog, or a sunny warm day. It might b really windy. Or not. Or, as we had, both; One coming, one going.
Check this thread for more photos and such.
http://www.bikeforums.net/showthread.php?t=407424

Nice pics. That's a ride that I cannot imagine ever being able to complete.

If you do get over to Sausalito, make sure you ride in the bike lane if there is one. There's a thread in A&S about the cops writing a lot of tickets there.

We used to ride bikes across the Golden Gate Bridge into Sausalito when I was in high school. Great fun! I see lots of people renting bikes from Blazing Saddles. The bikes come with a handlebar pack with a map you can see while riding. I highly recommend you doing it! And Sausalito is so lovely. There's a nice path that starts at Mike's Bikes and heads north under the freeway and through some wetlands. Very nice easy ride. Have fun!

I'm really looking forward to making the trip. And I'm doing it on a budget - I found an old early-20th Century hotel that has been recently remodeled as a European-hostel style hotel. The weekly rate works out to just $59 a night, I'll have to pay for three nights. Small rooms but it gets surprisingly good reviews on some of the on-line ratings. It's across the street from the expensive Marriott, a block from Moscone.

I've gleaned about 50 recommended lower-cost restaurants using about 5 different SF restaurant rankings. I have to laugh when a restaurant with $15-$20 entres is considered budget class. But that's SF for you. One advantage to not drinking alcohol is that it holds the dinner expenses down.

For the four nights where I'm authorized for meal reimbursements, the University only covers up to a maximum of $20 for dinner. In rural Wisconsin, it can be difficult to spend that much. In SF the appetizers can run $20. Perhaps I'll be eating at lot at Mel's Diners? :)

I'm hoping to keep my personal expenses down to around $$350 for the week. That means sitting in the bleachers at the ballgames. And renting the hybrid instead of the road bike (like I would want to ride the road bike).

I grew up there and lived in San Francisco and Belvedere/Tiburon. If you want, you can ride on from Sausalito to Tiburon on a rail-trail that has been there since the late 70s. Its all flat (except for one short small hill going onto Tiburon Blvd) and you can take the ferry back to the Embarcadero from Tiburon. I don't know how many miles it is round-trip, but this is a ride I have done often and it never really seemed like work. There are all sorts of "too cool" food, drink, and view possibilities everywhere along this route - including the margaritas at Guymas in Tiburon as you wait for the ferry. Have fun!

When you get to Sausalito, just keep going. You'll hit a bike path that will take you a few miles deeper in to Marin County. Actually, I will be there on the 26th., participating in the AIDS/LifeCycle Day on the Ride, a training ride that closely resembles that mentioned by cccorlew above, about 81 miles. I've ridden over the bridge about 5 times. Always fun. And you will see Blazing Saddles bikes everywhere. They will give you a map.

Try this route. A bunch of us did this ride Saturday. It's a very scenic and flat except for one short hill that lead up to go across the GG bridge.

http://www.bikely.com/maps/bike-path/ATT-Park-to-GG-bridge

I doubt I'll ride to Sausalito, although I understand the attractiveness. I've wanted to spend some time in San Fran my entire life and I have about 3.5 days on this trip to do so. Who knows if I will ever get back here again. If I do, then I'll go to Sausalito. This trip is about seeing and enjoying as much of SF as I can.

What I want to do is to walk the various neighborhoods, ride the trolleys, go to Giants games, enjoy the piers, sample different foods, shop in odd & eclectic shops, take in some live music, and now, ride a bike over the Golden Gate Bridge.

Tom,

Whether you ride or not one of nicest views of the city is sitting on the water front in Sausalito especially in the morning (providing no fog). Coffee in one of the little cafes is very nice and something we use to do quite often when we went into the city or over to Stinson beach. Also the drive on 1 through Marin and views of the ocean are spectacular over there. With more time a drive up to Pt Reyes Station is also a great thing to do. So much stuff to do in the North Bay you will have a great time.

I've driven on Highway 1 before (twice), but it was south from San Fran. I drove out of the airport up to the road that runs on the ridge and from where you can see the Pacific down the hills to your right and the Bay to your left, as you drive south. I eventually cut over to the coast and drove down along the coast all the way to Big Sur. Stopped in Santa Cruz, Monterey, Carmel, Point Reyes, etc. All told I've spent about 10 days along that coast.

This time I will not have a car at any time. I fly into SFO, will BART into downtown San Fran, and then will be using city transportation & my feet to get around. Thus my focus on this trip is the city itself. I'm kinda looking at this as "living in San Fran for a week - which includes going to work on 3 days."

"SAN FRAN" ???????? :eek: :eek: Nooooo....

Hey, like it or not, the term "San Fran" is accepted by many. If you Google on "San Fran" the 2nd hit is the official San Francisco Visitors site. So they have accepted it.

San Francisco Magazine's web page is www.sanfranmag.com

According to Wikipedia, the five accepted nicknames for San Francisco are: The City, The City by the Bay, San Fran, Frisco, and Baghdad by the Bay.

Personally I rarely use it, but I didn't feel like typing out the whole name when I typed that sentence.

Hey, like it or not, the term "San Fran" is accepted by many. If you Google on "San Fran" the 2nd hit is the official San Francisco Visitors site. So they have accepted it.

San Francisco Magazine's web page is www.sanfranmag.com

According to Wikipedia, the five accepted nicknames for San Francisco are: The City, The City by the Bay, San Fran, Frisco, and Baghdad by the Bay.

What do you expect. The visitors site is a shill for tourists. The City is what I've heard locals call it. I never heard San Fran and Frisco is a town in Texas. Bagdad by the Bay used to be cute (created by Herb Caen if I'm not mistaken), but now it brings to mind IEDs, soldiers and terrorists. ;) Stick to "The City" if you want to be respected.

The most common meaning for the term "The City" is London, not San Francisco.

Within the USA it is most commonly associated with New York City. There was actually a poll conducted on this, where 9,965 people where asked to identify what city they thought of when they heard the term "The City." 47% said NYC. Then came Chicago at 4.5%, Boston at 2.6%, Washington DC at 2.25%, and Los Angeles at 1.9%. So San Francisco was under 2% and didn't make the top 5.

The most common meaning for the term "The City" is London, not San Francisco.


Not in the Bay Area. :p

Not in the Bay Area. :p

Really, it is ONLY in the Bay Area.

Before you head down the hill to Sausalito there is a road that takes you to a one way tunnel out to Rodeo beach. It avoids going over the hill. Be sure to dress warm, that fog likes to hang around.

To quote the poet Ogden Nash:
May I be boiled in oil And fried in Crisco If I ever call San Francisco, “Frisco”

And indeed he is correct.
Sure, there are teen gang bangers who say Frisco on their way to sell drugs. There are losers who think they're cute saying "San Fran"

But anyone who lives here recognizes those terms as the mark of an uneducated low brow, or worse.

SF, The City (clearly a local term. No on suggests this would work in NY), or San Francisco. Please.

Through the Sixties, people in SF were able to write "City" instead of "San Francisco" on envelopes and the post office would know we meant SF.

It's always been "The City" to me but, then, I'm a native (so my word counts).
"Frisco"... absoLUTEly unacceptable in these parts.
There was even a salami jingle years ago that started off "You don't say Frisco, no, no..."
I know it's a PITA to type San Francisco, it really and truly is but, hey...

I grew up in South City. You gotta be from the Bay Area to know where that is.

OK native San Franciscans/Bay Areans: Who remembers Marin Town and Country with all those swimming pools? Those were the baby oil and iodine days! How about the ice skating rink just off of So Van Ness? Did anyone ever see those twin gray-haired ladies with their twin dyed poodles (sometimes pink, sometimes blue) who were always near downtown? How about that strange guy with what looked like tar on his head who often rode the 22 Fillmore bus? Hippo Burgers? Blums with that wonderful coffee crunch cake? Fillmore Street when it was less-than yuppie? Yummers on Union Street?

Here in the Midwest if I told someone that I was going to "The City" they would probably guess I meant Chicago. If I said I was going to "SF" then a few might guess that meant San Francisco. But if I said I was going to "Frisco" or "San Fran" almost everyone would know where I was going. Those nicknames have a very high recognition. Very much like if I said I was going to "The Big Apple" or "The Big Easy" most would know I was going to New York City or New Orleans.

There are about a dozen movies with the term "Frisco" in the title and the reference is to San Francisco. And there are literally hundreds of books that do the same thing. And then there are articles like this:
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?file=/chronicle/archive/2003/10/14/DD67721.DTL

And this states that "San Fran" is perfectly acceptable, but "Frisco" isn't:
http://www.virtualtourist.com/travel/North_America/United_States_of_America/California/San_Francisco-755471/Local_Customs-San_Francisco-SF_Nicknames_Pride-BR-1.html

There is a Frisco, Texas that is marketing aggressively now. And Frisco, Colorado is a nice small city.

I don't know of any popular reference to Madison or Milwaukee that the city/citizens resist.

We have "Orange Man" here in Madison. He always wears all-orange clothing, has orange shoes, carries an orange bag. Don't know how long he's been doing this, but it has been all 19 years I've lived in the area.

If you're going to San Francisco, be sure to wear some flowers in your hair.

We have "Orange Man" here in Madison. He always wears all-orange clothing, has orange shoes, carries an orange bag.

In Berkeley they have the Naked Guy and he doesn't wear anything at all.

Naked guys don't last long in Wisconsin.

I ride across the bridge every day commuting to work. If you time your trip to leave SF via the bridge after 3:30 the west side of the bridge is open. This is the bike only side so you don't have to worry about all the people walking around staring into space. On the negative side, the wind starts coming in from the ocean around 4:00. If your not use to a strong side wind, it can be nerve racking especially as you go around the towers when the wind (if it's strong) suddenly shifts direction due to the tower. The ride into Sausalito is worth the trip but stay in the bike lane and stop at the lights. The Sausalito police are targeting cyclists. Enjoy.

OK native San Franciscans/Bay Areans: Who remembers Marin Town and Country with all those swimming pools? Those were the baby oil and iodine days! How about the ice skating rink just off of So Van Ness? Did anyone ever see those twin gray-haired ladies with their twin dyed poodles (sometimes pink, sometimes blue) who were always near downtown? How about that strange guy with what looked like tar on his head who often rode the 22 Fillmore bus? Hippo Burgers? Blums with that wonderful coffee crunch cake? Fillmore Street when it was less-than yuppie? Yummers on Union Street?

The Marin Town and County "Club" was off limits to me when I was a kid because of polio fears - that's how old I am. The ice skating rink was as good, no better, than the wooden slides in the Fun House at Playland. I live for a while on California just up from Leavenworth and would watch The Twins cross the plaza in front of Grace Cathedral from my living room window. Did you ever go to their shop, the Twin's Armoir? You could buy their clothes there - kind of creepy. I rode the 48 (?) Sacramento down to the Embarcadero to catch the Tiburon ferry in the morning - I was working over there at the time - and that guy probably changed from the 22 at Clay. I always thought the "tar" was something he used to fool us into thinking he didn't have a bald spot. I also thought he was French, but what did I know? I remember Fillmore when it was a black neighborhood, and Laural Super when it was a black supermarket. I remember the thick power lines that ran down Fillmore - taking them down made it OK for the Yuppies to colonize. I thought Yummers was horrible, but I love the dachshund head on the Doggie Diners on Mission and Sloat. Someone told me one of them is in someone's back yard in San Leandro now, peering over the fence. There, whew.

Sounds like most of us here want to go to San Franciso too, TB...

Oh, and by the way, never, ever "San Fran," and the other "F Word" will cause an instant lightening strike.

The most common meaning for the term "The City" is London, not San Francisco.

Within the USA it is most commonly associated with New York City. There was actually a poll conducted on this, where 9,965 people where asked to identify what city they thought of when they heard the term "The City." 47% said NYC. Then came Chicago at 4.5%, Boston at 2.6%, Washington DC at 2.25%, and Los Angeles at 1.9%. So San Francisco was under 2% and didn't make the top 5.



Well said. I have to laugh when people here call it "the city" but I use to live in Chicago.

The Marin Town and County "Club" was off limits to me when I was a kid because of polio fears - that's how old I am. The ice skating rink was as good, no better, than the wooden slides in the Fun House at Playland. I live for a while on California just up from Leavenworth and would watch The Twins cross the plaza in front of Grace Cathedral from my living room window. Did you ever go to their shop, the Twin's Armoir? You could buy their clothes there - kind of creepy. I rode the 48 (?) Sacramento down to the Embarcadero to catch the Tiburon ferry in the morning - I was working over there at the time - and that guy probably changed from the 22 at Clay. I always thought the "tar" was something he used to fool us into thinking he didn't have a bald spot. I also thought he was French, but what did I know? I remember Fillmore when it was a black neighborhood, and Laural Super when it was a black supermarket. I remember the thick power lines that ran down Fillmore - taking them down made it OK for the Yuppies to colonize. I thought Yummers was horrible, but I love the dachshund head on the Doggie Diners on Mission and Sloat. Someone told me one of them is in someone's back yard in San Leandro now, peering over the fence. There, whew.

Sounds like most of us here want to go to San Franciso too, TB...

Oh, and by the way, never, ever "San Fran," and the other "F Word" will cause an instant lightening strike.

The Fun House! Laughing Sal! Remember the smell of the stinky feet and burlap as you climbed the steps up that wooden slide? Wow! You saw that guy with the tar head, too? And I had no idea those ladies had a shop. Yes, I recall the heavy black power lines. And I loved Yummers, but I was in high school with high school tastes in food (I liked Jack in the Box on Lombard, too!). And Funston Park will always be Funston to me, not Moscone (remember the old war vet, Frank, who used to hang out at the playground? Mothers loved having him watch over the kids. Now days, he'd be run off as a possible danger! They are finally rebuilding the Charlie Saba pool on 19th and Wawona.

When one lives in sprawling suburbia, whatever city is at the heart of the area is usually referred to as "The City." As in, I'm going into The City today. So I can understand how SF came to be known that way across a wide area of Northern California. After all, it is such an impressive and diverse city.

Where I grew up in rural West Virginia, going to "The City" meant going to Elkins, WV. Population at that time was around 9,000 - it was the only municipality larger than 2,500 within a 50-mile radius. Pretty pathetic. Elkins was 15 miles from us and I only got to go there about twice a year.