Going to San Francisco, San Jose. Any recommendations ?

[locksley]

Will be going to San Francisco, San Jose in late Feb.
WOndering if there are things that are must get in USA .
Like camera, Lens, film, etc .....

btw can recommend me some places to shoot ?
I'm will be driving around (scare, scare )
Do I need to apply international driving license ?

 

[jeff49er]

Our own license will be enough and u b driving on the right side of the road.

Suggest u spend a few days walking around to get yourself acquainted to the traffice system. Hope you have a good map and a good navigator too.

Chinatown, Golden Gate Bridge, Fisherman's Wharve , Presidio, Lambert St (crooked street), Haight Ashbury, the famous cable cars are some places to shoot and visit in SF.

In San Jose, the downtown is clensed up. I have only been to downtown San Jose but u can check out the Chinatown there too. U can check the city websites for more infor. fodors.com is another useful site.

At this time of the year, it could be foggy so a BW film is nice. You must travel to coast along Highway 1 to shoot the seaside. It is very breathtaking.

Enjoy the trip and I really wish I have time and opportunity to go to the Bay area.

 

[locksley]

so I dun need to apply international license from AA
cos our license is recognised there

driving is a must ... no choice
going to work for 3 weeks

Wondering will the camera stuff be cheaper ?

Planning for trip is a headache

 

[plinius]

be warned that the traffic there could be quite crazy, not to mention left-man drive. parking will be expensive, and at times parking lot is not easy to find. actually use public transport is best.........

be prepared for Rain too!!!!

some other places to visit are:
1. Palace of fine Art

2. Cable Car Ride

3. Alcatraz -> visit Al Carbone cell

4. Union Square (like our Orchard Rd)

5. Muir Woods

 

[locksley]

But the company is quite remote ... not very accessible
My HR recommended me to drive

Thinking of driving for work only.
Then go down by public transport

:dunno:

 

[plinius]

since company paying the bill for the car, then ok...note that parking at most hotel also not free, some charge as much as USD20 for one day.....

you could buy the San Fran City Pass http://citypass.com/cgi-bin/citypass/city_fly?mv_arg=sanfrancisco&mv_pc=tiger

quite worth it....

enjoy ur stay there!!!!

But the company is quite remote ... not very accessible
My HR recommended me to drive

Thinking of driving for work only.
Then go down by public transport

:dunno:

 

[Astin]

since company paying the bill for the car, then ok...note that parking at most hotel also not free, some charge as much as USD20 for one day.....

Thats cheap! In San Francisco downtown, last time I drove there, some carparks charge like USD6 per hour!

 

[jeff49er]

Since you are working then you have the weekend to shoot shoot and shoot

In SF itself parking is terribly expensive and very difficult to get parking lots.

In my last trip I went around SF in public transport. I bot a day ticket for USD12 I think and I could travel in the bus, cable car and trams around municipal SF.

Out of SF there are Muir Woods, Sausalisto. If got time u can go to Reno and Carson City or down south to Yosemite,...and such places, no car means no leg

 

[locksley]

Coolz @@@
Thanks plinius

that's cheap !

 

[frenchbean]

ya... parking is extremely expensive in downtown SF, so taking public transport within SF downtown is a good idea...

another good place to go is twin peaks... u get to see the whole of SF downtown from up there, but u will need a car to get up there, no public transport up... great place to take pics....

well, for buying camera stuff, some stuff are cheaper than here in sg... check out the online stores.... www.bhphotovideo.com, www.adorama.com, and www.pricegrabber.com to compare the prices.... check out www.dealcatcher.com for more good deals.. hehe...

have a great trip...

 

[locksley]

haha
Thanks FrenchBean

Think I will be very broke after the trip

 

[espn]

Enjoy yourself, it's a lovely place, wish I can go back again

 

[darrelchia]

Unfortunately, getting stuff in US (from the shops) is very expensive, there is a 8.25% GST, which is not included in the listed price, so be careful when you buy. Most people will order from online shops, but i don't think they deliver to hotels. Driving in US is a breeze, the drivers are more patient and friendly than in Singapore, just be careful where you turn, don't turn into the road heading the wrong direction.

well, depending on how far you are planning to drive, and how many people are with you, there are a few places a bit far off that are worth a visit places like
- Yosemite National Park
- Monterey (~2-3 hours drive)
- Big Sur - Julia Pfieffer Burns Park
- Pebble Beach, Carmel (PGA golf course)
- Stanford University
- Berkeley (Hippie 70's place) , near UC-Berkeley

Some super far places ...
- Lake Tahoe, Mono Lake .. but note its winter now, so to get to these places, you need to get wheel chains and stuff, and the going will be really slow.

In San Fran itself,
- Powell Street, Lombard Street (crookedest street), Palace of Fine Arts, Legion Of Honour, Golden Gate Bridge, Golden Gate Park (different things), Fisherman's wharf

If you have time, go grab tickets and watch NBA, the local team is Golden State Warriors .

 

[Fongster]

For camera equipment

http://www.kspphoto.com/

there is no one better....huge selection of cameras...anything u want...esp if u are into older stuff they always have a good selection fof used stuff....not cheap..but always in stock....


City is expensive to park...street parking is somewhat scary.... but i still park on the street...

weekends at haight asbury is interesting but leave as the night sets...esp if u dont blend in....

golden gate is always a popular spot to snap a few...very packed on the weekends...but foggy now....depends if u ike it or not...

-f

 

[Big Kahuna]

A travel guide is a must if you want to cover SF in detail, I recommend DK's.... :thumbsup:

Can try a day tour to Napa Valley.....wine tasting until you mabuk

Also must try the clam chowder at the Fisherman Whalf...maybe can shoot some seals resting on the dock

I have some pictures but it was shot from my old coolpix.....too paiseh to post after seeing those from Plinius :sweat: :lovegrin:

 

[knoxknocks]

Get a rental from Hertz. Then go for the "Never-lost" GPS system. At least you won't get lost very easily.

Are you going to be in SF itself or somewhere outside like Mt View or Sunnyvale? Anyway, it's good that you have a car, at least can explore other places along 280, 101 and of course highway 1. Really miss the west coast :cry:

Have fun and post pictures when you get back!

 

[locksley]

I'm will be staying at a apartment in this trip
Ya, and also will be hiring a car with GPS .

regarding the buying of online stuff, is it subjective to the 8.25% GST ?
Will I get GST rebate in the airport ?

 

[darrelchia]

I'm will be staying at a apartment in this trip
Ya, and also will be hiring a car with GPS .

regarding the buying of online stuff, is it subjective to the 8.25% GST ?
Will I get GST rebate in the airport ?

oh cool ... but be careful when u drive GPS enabled cars ... well .. at least don't speed. I remember reading a newspaper article when i was over there where the cars had build in GPS and would automatically fine the driver when the exceed the speed limit of the road. I don't think all the cars are equipped, but just tot that you might want to know....

The GST is non refundable, so u can't get re-imbursed at the airport. The tax actually defers from state to state. HOWEVER, if you do buy something online, if the shop is not in the state the item is shipped from (e.g. B&H in New York), you don't need to pay tax ... (cool loophole). Just be careful when you buy things off the shelf.

Oh .. if you're going shopping for stuff like levis, gap etc, a good place to stop will be Gilroy. Its basically factory outlets and stuf, and its on the way to monterey. And if you find yourself in downtown mountain view, go to the Mexican restaurant. I haven't had anything better (except for the month i spent in mexico ... )

Cheers, and enjoy your trip
Darrel

 

[locksley]

Thanks very much
I thinking to get something from B&H :think:
Film ? Lens ? apple stuff ?

any suggestion ?

 

[plinius]

when u buy B&H online you dun have to pay for the 8.25% GST. But I
think they do not deliver to hotel. you may encounter problem with your S'pore credit card too. But you may ask your USA colleague to help, use their credit card and send to your US office or their house lor....B&H shipping is fast in US usually 3 working days....

Apple stuff in US (in general) is not cheap...

u Canon user rite? then can buy Lens, cheap at B&H.....get those with
USA warranty those, as it comes with International warranty too........

boy! i miss San Fran manz!!! though i was there only 2 weeks ago! hiak.........

Cheers...........

Thanks very much
I thinking to get something from B&H :think:
Film ? Lens ? apple stuff ?

any suggestion ?