city pass? is it worth it?

if you do the math it seems like it is well worth it to buy the city pass...we will be there for 5 nights but technically only 4 full days...I figured that if we use the cable cars all days we might as well just buy the day pass and at that rate I should buy the city pass as for a little more I can get museums included... but how close are these museums or the arguarium or where you would board the cruise from union square(that is where I am staying) just trying to figure out if I will even be able to get to these places...I have bought city passes before to find the passes are for things far away from where I am staying.

thanks!

city pass? is it worth it?

You can almost walk to everything.

The Aquarium is at Pier 39.

The Bay Cruise leaves from Pier 39.

The Exploratorium is in the Marina District - a 20 minute walk from Pier 39 at an easy pace.

SFMOMA is right near Union Square.

Asian Art Museum is near Civic Center (you could walk or take the subway).

The de Young Museum is in the middle of Golden Gate park (you%26#39;ll need transit)

And the farthest from anything is the Palace of the Legion of Honor (you%26#39;ll definitely need transit) - it%26#39;s a nice museum with some good views and a nice cafe.

With the Muni Pass you%26#39;ll be all set. We%26#39;re really a small town. Nothing is too far from anything else.

That%26#39;s why you%26#39;ll only hear a San Franciscan complain about the proximity of something when they have to cross a bridge to get there. We hate crossing the bridges. ;-)

city pass? is it worth it?

P.S. If you go to the Asian Art Museum, it%26#39;s located in the old San Francisco Public Library building. And the New library is pretty much right next to it. Pop in for a peak, it%26#39;s a pretty amazing building in it%26#39;s own right.

lots of good info!!! so more questions!!...what are the hours for the cable cars? and what other transportation can you use with the muni pass? I am considering the Hotel 480...also how late are the museums and other things open that are on the city passport? like the aquarium, bay cruise, etc...we will be arriving at our hotel around 9 pm...is there anything open that we can just walk around union square and get familiar with the city? what reccommendations do you guys have...? my daughter%26#39;s graduation gift is our trip!!!

Here is a link to SF public transit website which will explain the different types of public transit, their routes and schedules. There is also a trip planner (right in the center of the home page) where you can enter starting and ending points and it will tell you which conveyances to take and show you the pick up and drop off times:

http://transit.511.org/

All of the museum hours are posted on their websites (as well as in the City Pass booklet). You know your schedule the best: If you want to pre-plan which museums you will visit on which days, you%26#39;ll need to go to the museums%26#39; websites before you start on your trip and make your plans.

You are relying way too much on the cable cars. They are, largely, a tourist attraction and compared to the other public transit options (the subway, buses and street cars -- the ';F'; Street car is your friend), it%26#39;s much quicker NOT to ride the cable cars since there are long lines to take them (you, often have to wait 15 to 30 minutes to get onto one), take a long time to fill up and they don%26#39;t move very quickly since they are climbing and descending big hills.

In fact, from the Union Square area to Fisherman%26#39;s Wharf, it would be faster to jump on the ';F'; street car-- in the middle of Market street going toward the Ferry Building -- and stay on it as it continues around the edge of the city and along the Wharfs -- than it would be to wait for and ride a cable car (and a lot more comfortable!)

what are the hours for the cable cars? and what other transportation can you use with the muni pass?

They run from about 6 AM to after Midnight.

You can ride all buses, cable cars, and streetcars, all MUNI vehicles. Does NOT include BART

.

also how late are the museums and other things open that are on the city passport? like the aquarium, bay cruise, etc

Most close before 6.

de Young open Fri til 8:45

MOMA Thurs til 9:45, Sat Sun til 7:45

Aquarium til 8

Asian Art Thurs til 9

we will be arriving at our hotel around 9 pm...is there anything open that we can just walk around union square and get familiar with the city?

Yes

http://www.unionsquareshop.com/

We bought the CityPass booklets because, as you spotted, they seem great value. We were in SF for 5 full days/six nights, and definately got our moneys worth. We would have had to buy a 7-day Muni pass to cover our 5 days (we were staying in Fishermans Wharf), which would have been $24 I think, and by the time we%26#39;d done the bay cruise and the Aquarium, that would have been another $30 which adds up to the same price as they CityPass. We also went to the deYoung museum, and the Legion of Honour. We never got around to anything else, but even with just those few, it was well worth it as far as we were concerned, and just being able to flash the booklet at bus driver and cable car conductors made it so easy. No problems using it anywhere either.

You can now get an Alcatraz Cruise as part of teh City PAss package, which makes it outstanding value. It%26#39;s a bit tricky ordering them as you can%26#39;t do it from either the City Pass or alcatrazcruises.com websites, but leave your contact details and someone will help you out.

I had a fella called Gary call me in the UK and too payment over the telephone.