San Francisco Weekend Trip – Part 1: Cable Car Ride and Hyatt Fisherman’s Wharf Hotel Review
Good evening everyone, this is a short trip report from my short weekend trip to San Francisco with my parents. If you like pictures of cable cars and inside hotel rooms, this post is for you. In part 2, I will share some of the other activities I did in San Francisco. First off, I’ve wanted to ride a cable car for as long as I knew what a cable car was. I finally got the chance to take a ride from the Powell Street BART Station down to Taylor Street, which is a few blocks from the Hyatt Fisherman’s Wharf. Taking the BART from SFO to Powell Street took about 30 minutes and cost $8.65 per person, each way. The cable car ride lasted about 20 minutes and cost $6 per person, each way.
When you exit the Powell Street BART Station, you will see a big wooden turntable where the cable cars turn around. Line up behind everyone else and wait for your turn to ride. We waited about 25 minutes, but the time went by quickly since there were many street performers entertaining us nearby. You buy your ticket when you board, $6 cash, no credit cards.
There were two guys that were responsible for rotating the turntable platform since the turntable is not powered by electricity.
There is inside seating toward the back, outside seating toward the front, and standing room along both sides. I sat in the very front of the cable car.
The cable cars go to two different locations down by Fisherman’s Wharf. I was expecting to end up closer to Ghiradelli Square, but my cable car dropped us off at a different location.
You should learn the do’s and don’t of riding a cable car. Remember kids, cable cars are fun, but they can also be dangerous, so always pay attention.
Cable car going up the first big hill…
Cable car going down a small hill…
After getting dropped off a few blocks from the Hyatt Fisherman’s Wharf, we made our way to the entrance of the hotel. The hotel is about 3 blocks from the Fisherman’s Wharf and surrounded by many other hotel chains.
There is an interesting fountain near the lobby. There are many conference rooms near the fountain, so I’m sure they hold many conferences. The weekend I was in town (November 1-2), there was the San Francisco Half Marathon and lots of runners were staying in this hotel.
Here is one queen bed…
Here is the other queen bed…
View outside our room on the 4th floor looking out toward the bay and Alcatraz. We ate at the Hollywood Cafe across the street for breakfast and the food was excellent.
Desk, chair, and TV…
Thank you for letting me stay in the room, Mr. TV.
Bathroom sink and toilet…
Bathroom toilet and bath/shower…
Last but not least, a closet with a safe, ironing board, and coat hangars.
As for the location, it is very close to Fisherman’s Wharf with lots of touristy activities to do and restaurants to eat at. The room was nice, nothing special. I used my Hyatt Credit Card free night certificate that was expiring in a few weeks, so the entire stay was free. I was able to check in to my room at around 11am and late check out was 1pm, but we left before noon to walk toward the Ferry Building and grab some lunch. There are two other Hyatt category 4 hotels in San Francisco, the Hyatt Regency San Francisco which is right next to the Embarcadero BART Station and the Grand Hyatt San Francisco which is in the heart of the financial district. I haven’t stayed at either of those hotels, so I cannot compare the Hyatt Fisherman’s Wharf to them. If you want to park your car at the Hyatt Fisherman’s Wharf, parking is $50 a day. Yes, you read that correctly, $50 a day.
If you have any questions, please leave a comment below.
P.S. Here is what my parents and I had for dessert at Ghiradelli Square:
Grand Hyatt Union Square is a much better property and the cable car is nearby….much better shopping and better restaurants nearby………next time……..
Is that the Grand Hyatt in the Financial District? I walked by the hotel and remember seeing a cable car along the street next to the hotel. Thanks for the recommendation.
No, that was the Hyatt Embarcadero. Grand Hyatt is at Union Square which is a short walk to the Embarcadero
Oh right, now I know what you are talking about. Union Square is a very nice area, you are right about that.
I will second the recommendation. I have stayed at all three and the Grand is by far the best and Embarcadero 2nd. Great review. Love your Blog!!
Thank you Shane, I appreciate the recommendation for next time. Have a great day.
San Francisco is next on our list of US destinations. I’m looking forward to your trip reports and comments from others too.
Thank you TTN, I’m glad you like the trip report. Part 2 should be up later today.
Very timely report, Grant, as I am planning a trip with my wife for SF. I have never been, she breezed thru several years ago. Detailed info such as this makes a first time trip go so much smoother. Look forward to more Parts. And, as always, love your blog!
To get from SFO to the downtown area, take the BART. It’s under $10 per person each way, then you can probably grab Lyft or Uber to your hotel. Check http://www.awardmapper.com to see which hotels are in the area that you can use hotel points to stay at.
Thanks! I will give it a try.
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Nice report. I’m excited. I’ll be in Frisco in December, staying 4 nights at radisson fisherman wharf. I will make sure I hop on the cable car. How long was the cable car ride? Thanks
The cable car ride lasts about 20-25 minutes, depending on traffic in the city.
Jack the cat lived with his daddy at the Grand Hyatt in Union Square for a year, that’s a lovely hotel, however they used to have the bar on the top floor with amazing views of the city but about a year ago they moved the bar downstairs and put conference and banquet rooms on the top floor.
It’s too bad they took out the bar and replaced it with the conference room, that’s probably a pretty amazing view up there.
Top of the Mark is the bar you want to go for drinks with a view………Mark Hopkins Hotel and you can ride the cable car up the hill…….just hold on tight!
Sounds fun. I’ll check it out next time.