San Francisco area drives

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RWDpetrol

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Heading off to San Francisco tomorrow for business and will have most of Saturday free before taking an evening flight back.

Any suggestions (preferably car related) to do for 8 hours? I was thinking of renting a Mustang convertible (60 bucks) but where should I go?

Thanks

PS: I've been before and seen the bridge and bars etc. Wanted to do some driving outside of SF.
 
For me it would have to be Monterey with lunch around fisherman's wharf, just under a 2 hour drive south from SF.
 
There is Half Moon Bay, may be a bit chilly this time of year. North of SF is Marin County with some lovely nature reserves and Napa Valley further north.
 
henley said:
For me it would have to be Monterey with lunch around fisherman's wharf, just under a 2 hour drive south from SF.
I second this
 
Carmel and Big Sur.

If you're a golfer you can sneak onto the (I think) tenth fairway of Pebble Beach from the beach at Carmel ;)
 
We're heading for San Fran and Carmel in June. Watching this thread with interest.
 
If you head North you can be in the Wine Country in an hour and a half or so.

I'll be around Napa for for a few days and in SF before and after.

Sounds like Monterey, 17 Mile Drive, Carmel and then back to the airport.

So what about type of car? Mustang convertible or Lincoln Town Car or SUV?
 
Doubt you'll have time for this, but to anyone visiting that area Hearst Castle at San Simeon is open to the public and a step back in time.

Home - Hearst Castle

As to regarding type of car, personal taste, but I've always been given an upgrade FOC.
 
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Try Lombard Street for fun - the worlds windiest street (windy as in bendy!)

Also, not very far, but Sausalito is very pretty, 1st or 2nd exit off the Golden Gate bridge.
 
Same as the masses, hit the road early and head for Carmel. It's one of the most beautiful towns I have ever been too. Then take US Highway 1 and head for Big Sur, grab a bite and then follow it until you hit normal roads again. It's about 100 miles of Jurassic coastline roads which are just fantastic. I hired a Mustang convertible too and was given an upgrade of a Corvette convertible. These cars make so much sense in the US and Highway 1 in a corvette with the roof down was very memorable.
 
Carmel and 17mile drive is not a bad idea but the drive there is not that interesting as you can hit a lot of traffic on the 101 around San Jose area. That stretch of 101 from Sanfran down to Gilroy is very busy in both directions and even on Saturdays, so expect minimum 2.5hrs and upto 3 if you're unlucky. Forget HWY 1 , though scenic but you don't have time. If you choose to go then go via I-280 from Sanbruno/airport area and rejoin 101 again south of San Jose. This way you'll avoid all the peninsula traffic, foster city ,redwood city, Palo Alto and San jose.

Personally, 8hrs is not enough window especially if you're catching a flight. I would head for wine country, Napa and Sonoma instead. Good back roads in the area and check out Sonoma Raceway, they might be something going on on the day.
 
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I agree with the others, especially sauntering along 17-mile Drive. But I also agree that it's not the greatest journey getting there. A better journey but probably outside your time limit would be to Yosemite - one of the most beautiful places in the world.

But with your time constraints I would recommend Point Reyes, about 35 miles north of SF. This is the best time of the year for whale watching from the sea shore. But because of the superb whale watching right now, it gets very busy so you may have to jump on a shuttle bus from Drakes Beach car park.
 
Thanks all for the tips. Had fantastic weather, drove to Monterey, did the 17 mile drive and lunch in Carmel followed by a few 0-60 stints in some industrial estate.



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Pity you didn't have more free time there. So much to see.

Was the Corvette auto or 'stick shift' ?
 

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