Arrive at SFC (Ferry Bldg) or SFW (Fisherman's Warf)?

First off, sometimes I feel quite needy and try to get things "perfect" when I travel, so if anyone has been reading my posts thinking "man up and just make a decision" I certainly understand.

I have the following booked:

MKE - CHI - EMY - SFC

returning home:

SFC - EMY - PDX - CBS

While we're in San Francisco, we're staying at the Courtyard on Beach Street.

I now see that there is a thruway bus from EMY - SFW (Fisherman's Warf).

Does it make more sense to arrive at SFW and walk to the hotel or SFC and take a cab to the hotel?

Does it make more sense to depart from SFW rather than SFC?

Some items I'm considering:

1. There's about a 15 minute connection time between EMY arrival and getting on the bus to SFW. There's no checked baggage on bus to SFW so does that mean we have to get our checked luggage when we arrive at EMY and deal with it from there? If that's the case, we'll likely not make the connection. Or, for the duration of the trip (CHI --> EMY specifically) do we keep our bags in the "rack" in the sleeping area?

2. I'm assuming a ~ 1 mile walk from SFW to the hotel on Beach Street during the early evening (assuming the train isn't horribly late) isn't too bad for a family with a couple of older (10 ish) kids) and a rolling bag a piece. Is that the correct assumption?

3. For when we depart, again with no checked baggage, should we just take the cab to SFC and check the baggage there or should we hope there's rack space for EMY to PDX and keep it in the sleeping car?

One of these days, I hope I can contribute to this site and not just ask for advise.

Nice trip! No worry. The Ambus to/from EMY-SF is only for Amtrak Passengers, it meets your TrAin no matter the arrival time!If you have checked luggage it will be brought to the bus by the Agent and you claim it and put it under the bus in the bin assisted by the driver!

Since you have your family with you I would hop in cab to your hotel when you get off the bus, (no need to change to the Fishermans Wharf stop)the weather is unpredictable in the Bay Area and the traffoc is usually heavy and you can ask your driver, they have been known to drop passengers off at their hotel or close ( a tip is customary)

No need to take a cab across the Bay Bridge to catch the Starlight,( they are expensive and the traffic is really bad!)! if you catch the Ambus @ the Ferry Building Stop it I'd a full service station with an agent and checked baggage, just no trains! The bus stops in front on the street, the waiting room is in back of the building next to the Ferry Terminal

You should have no problem putting your Luggage in the downstairs Luggage Rack in your sleeper on the Starlight, your SCA will assist you if necessary!

As far as I know, the ferry buildng has an Amtrak counter, and the Fishermans wharf is just a bus stop. I don't think you will miss a connecting bus due to luggage. You may need to self transfer it to the bus, but so will everyone else, so don't worry. I think it is the one bus which serves the two stops, so you can maybe just stay on it to the wharf if you decide that is what you want to do. It is not far from the ferry building to the fishermans wharf anyway, and you could catch a tram along that section also.

I don't know where the hotel is that you mention, but the whole of the seafront area there is busy with tourists, so I am sure you would be safe walking around the area.

Don't worry about asking questions, knowledge helps you make suitable choices!

Have a good time,

Ed

My family and I stayed at that very hotel a couple of summers ago. Great hotel at a great location. We went to the ferry Building and caught the F line to the hotel. It has a stop right around the corner from the hotel.

I'll update the original post, but for #3 I meant to say "cab to SFC" not "cab to EMY". That makes a bit more sense.

The Amtrak "Ferry Building" stop is in a separate building south of the big Ferry Building. It is easy to find. There is an F line streetcar stop just across the street from the Amtrak building. For those unfamiliar, the F line is exactly that, streetcars. It runs along the Embarcadero. Service is fairly frequent. If you go the other direction on it from the Ferry Building stop, it runs down the center of Market street. Fare is $2.00 per adult, 75 cents for children and over 65. Cash only, no change. Coming back to catch the train, you can do it either way. My own preference would be to take the F route to the Amtrak stop next to the Ferry Building. Be sure to allow yourselves sufficient time. The streetcar is fairly slow. NOTE: This is one stop beyond the stop in front of the main Ferry Building stop. You can't miss the right stop as it is the one immediately after the streetcar turns out of the Embarcadero.

As has been said, regard Emeryville as a transfer point. The buses between there and points in San Francisco are operated by contract with Amtrak and serve only Amtrak passengers. The connection between bus and train is guranteed. Our ridership is to/from San Joaquin trains so I am not sure the same applies for the buses connecting to the long distance trains, but for the SJ trains a ticket to any point on the San Francisco side is accepted by the bus driver to any San Francisco side stop.

Considering the travel with youngish children and rolling bags (even if carry-on size) I'd opt for the cab from the Ferry Building stop to the hotel. Reason being that the F line cars can be very very crowded and trying to manage bags and children could me more stress than whatever cost saving there would be. Additionally, I'd suggest the Ferry Building over the Wharf because the traffic by the wharf bus stop is almost always very slow moving so you'd probably be spending the same amount of time in the cab from either location. Just easier all around to get a cab at the Ferry Building.

As a 40-yr resident of the SF Bay Area, I would disagree with the comment that the weather will be "unpreductable". You are virtually assured that there will be no rain between June and October. Just fog and low clouds along the coast, extending inland nights and mornings. And Mark Twain was correct when he said that the coldest winter he ever spent was a summer in San Francisco.

Sent from my iPhone using Amtrak Forum

I like Mark Twain's description. I have only been there twice, but it just didn't seem like summer, even though it was. In addition to your other weather comments, we encountered wind, but then we loved watching the windsurfers on the bay. I noticed that public transport seemed crowded most of the time, so maybe the cab would work better with kids.

I have traveled to SFC on several occasions. (We have a daughter living in San Francisco).

Upon arrival at EMY, our checked luggage is usually on a baggage cart on the path to the

Ambus. We claim our bags, then take them to the bus and the driver loads them onto the

bus in the order of your destination. When you reach SFC, you can claim you bags again

curbside, then you are ready to hail a cab.

Upon your departure, we go to the Amtrak office and check our bags. There is a waiting area

in the office and when the bus is about to arrive, an announcement is made and you go out

to the street. I usually watch my bags being loaded on the bus, then climb aboard. The bags

will be transferred onto the train by Amtrak personnel, and you go onto the EMY station and

wait for the boarding announcement. Enjoy San Francisco and your train trip.

It's the same bus that goes to all SF stops. You can get off anywhere you want. Ask the bus driver what he going to do. They don't always go to the designated stops in the same order. If it's late at night they've been known to drop you at your hotel even if it's off the route.

Not necessarily the same bus to all stops. There may be more than one bus if the number of passengers warrants. In that case the stops will be divided up between them. Yes, ask the driver to be sure you are on the right one. Our last time in on the late evening SJ train there were no Fisherman's Wharf passengers so he went Ferry Building stop, Market Street stop then Caltrain. If there had been anyone for Fisherman's Wharf that would have been the stop after the Market Street stop in this instance. As said, the order of stops may vary.

I've seen them run as many as three different buses to connect from the Coast Starlight, so it is important to know to where you want to go before getting on. That said, I've never seen there be a difference in the ticketing; i.e., you can change your mind as to your destination all the way up until you board.

Hoofing it from the Fisherman's Wharf stop or taking the F-line are both perfectly fine ways to go. Personally, I think that I'd rather cut a connection, but there's a bit of adventure in taking the historic street cars.

chakk said:

As a 40-yr resident of the SF Bay Area, I would disagree with the comment that the weather will be "unpreductable". You are virtually assured that there will be no rain between June and October. Just fog and low clouds along the coast, extending inland nights and mornings. And Mark Twain was correct when he said that the coldest winter he ever spent was a summer in San Francisco.

Click to expand...

He didn't actually say or write that.

https://www.cliffhouse.com/information/weather.html

A WORD ABOUT THE WEATHER

“The coldest winter I ever spent was a summer in San Francisco.”

The coolest thing Mark Twain never said.

While usually attributed to him, the actual source of these words is unknown

and there is no evidence that Mark Twain ever said this.

Click to expand...