Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
28
By Car
You can get to S an Francisco along thr ee
major highways. Interstate 5 runs through
the center of the state and intersects with
Interstate 580, which leads to Interstate 80
to the B ay B ridge. The driv e fr om Los
Angeles to San Francisco on I-5 is about 6
hours, and there aren't many places to stop
for food, so plan accor dingly. H ighway
101 is the other major r oadway fr om
Southern California, and it 's the r oute to
use for reaching Marin County, Napa, and
Sonoma, and other points nor th. The
drive fr om Los Angeles to S an Francisco
on 101 takes 7 hours if y ou don 't stop
along the way. If you are taking a leisurely
drive thr ough California, H ighway 1,
which r uns along the coast, is the most
scenic route and takes y ou by Santa Cruz
and M onterey, both fun cities for kids.
The trip takes at least 8 hours.
Approach the city with patience if y ou
have decided to motor her e. The freeways
seem to become mor e crowded every day,
and afternoon r ush hour on the B ay
Bridge is a misnomer: no one r ushes any-
where. Traffic on the G olden Gate Bridge
on the w eekends is also pr etty dr eadful.
Make sure the kids hav e plenty of things
to do in the car—por table cassette or CD
players with topics on tape and music ar e
nearly as important as a spare tire.
Drivers arriving fr om the east will cr oss
the B ay B ridge ($4 toll) and head to ward
downtown on 5th S treet or to ward North
Beach and F isherman's Wharf on F remont
Street. Cars coming fr
By Train
Amtrak (
&
800/872-7245
or 800/USA-
RAIL; www .amtrak.com) doesn 't stop in
San Francisco proper but lands in Emeryville
or O akland (depending on the point of
origin), both in the East B ay. F rom
Emeryville, an Amtrak bus takes passengers
into downtown San Francisco, stopping at
the F erry B uilding, F isherman's Wharf,
Union S quare, and the Caltrain station.
From Oakland, the Amtrak bus takes pas-
sengers to the Financial District.
GETTING AROUND
By Public Transportation
San Francisco's Municipal Railway, known
simply as “M uni” (
&
311
fr om within
San F rancisco or
415/701-2311
from
other locations), operates the city 's buses,
streetcars, and cable cars. F or detailed
route information, call M uni or visit its
website at www .sfmuni.com. Another
helpful w ebsite is http://transit.511.org,
which also lists schedules and r oute maps.
City Buses & Streetcars
Muni str eetcars r un undergr ound ex clu-
sively fr om Van N ess A venue to the
Embarcadero and mostly abo veground in
the outlying neighborhoods, fr om 6am
until 1am. Five lines ( J, K, L, M, and N)
make identical stops belo w Market Street,
including Van Ness Avenue, Civic Center,
Powell and M ontgomery str eets, and the
Embarcadero. P ast Van N ess A venue the
routes v eer in differ ent dir ections. The
N-Judah services the Haight-Ashbury area
and parallels Golden Gate Park on its way
down J udah S treet to the ocean. A t the
Embarcadero, this line also trav els to
AT&T Park by way of King Street near the
Cal Train station. The J-Church line passes
near M ission D olores and the Castr o on
its way to N oe Valley and points south.
The L-Taraval travels through the S unset
District within walking distance of the San
Francisco Zoo.
2
om the south on
Highway 101 will see the city skyline on
their left a few miles past Monster Park (the
former Candlestick Park). Downtown exits
here are either 7th or 4th str eets. If you're
driving from the coast heading south, you'll
enter S an F rancisco b y the G olden G ate
Bridge. O nce y ou pass the tollbooth ($6
toll unless thr ee or mor e of y ou driv e
through on a weekday between 4 and 6pm;
at that time it 's fr ee for carpoolers), exit
along the bay to Van Ness Avenue.
