I guess what you’re trying to say is the fall is better? 
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I really hope that this very nice topic you started, which somehow took a sharp turn, doesn’t dissuade your plans. And I’m done here! 
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Did you see that photo of the fog??? I totally love it. And I totally love cold weather. My first apartment in SF had a window seat in a little dining area I could sit there and watch the fog roll in. I had a friend who lived north of the city. She’d wear her cute little summer dresses to work…with a wool sweater over. I think fall is the best time but you never really know. Also SF is always touristy but the summer - as with every other place practically in the world! - is worse cause of kids being out of school.
Oh boy. No not at all. I love it.
Everybody has their preferences. Sounds like Northern California is your stomping grounds and you go frequently. That won’t be the case with us. We want to get the most out of our time. And shhh… I can be a bit of a hedonist. I like my comfort.
This is FTC. There’s bound to be disagreements and misunderstandings when things go on for a while. 
I don’t see much in the way of “disagreements” Also I don’t think you can adequately discuss something like this without giving some do’s and don’t’s re logistical issues. For me SF is a mini-Manhattan when it comes to bugaboos re driving/parking.
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Yeah, see, I’m learning this.
I’m very much feeling @Bookwich here.
I.
Do.
Not.
Get.
This.
Thread.
I mean, I appreciate much of the advice meant to optimize the trip, but a lot of posts are discouraging of the trip. ???
It sounds like @TheCookie has never been to SF. Is that true? If so, you are in for a wonderful awakening.
First, you will discover that there are more restaurants that you will want to go to than you will be able to go to.
Second, you will discover that there are lots of things to do in SF that have nothing to do with food and you will love SF for those things, too.
Third, you will realize how shockingly easy it is to visit SF on very short notice. You will go more often. Any restaurants or other places you missed on your first trip, you will go to another time. Any long weekend is doable.
Fourth, you will realize that having a car is . . . like . . . not a big deal. Enjoy that ride up. Park the car at your hotel/VRBO. Some days, you’ll take public transportation, lyft, uber, and the car will remain parked. Other days, you’ll take the car. It’s not much harder to deal with than LA. Then, enjoy that ride back!
Fifth, there is no bad time to go to SF, really.
Sixth, you’ll realize that the east bay is pretty cool, too. You’ll want to come back (probably with a car) for that, too.
Don’t let perfect be the enemy of the good. SF is EASY! Let it happen.
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What @Bookwich & @frommtron responded. Just go… 
, you won’t even be crossing state lines. I’ve hopped to a foreign country with 1/200th of the planning that’s taken place in this thread.
& Yes fall is preferred when the fog rolls back, unless you want to experience the Scottish highlands.
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Okay, okay!
I’ve been twice. Once to do the Fisherman’s Wharf / Ghirardelli Square type stuff as a little kid. Then once as a young adult. It was for one night to see a band (can’t remember who). It was a bunch of us crashing in a friend’s apartment. So I kinda’ feel like this is the first trip.
Just one more question. I don’t want to irritate anyone else. 
Some say avoid the fog, some say anytime is great. We really want to be out of our place the weekend of May 18th (long story). Is the weather doable? Or would y’all do something local like a staycay and plan for fall? I can’t help it. I’ve turned into a planner!
June through August are traditionally the foggy months.
There are indeed bad times to go to SF. During major conventions, rates go up and if you don’t book well ahead there may be nothing available. The weekend of May 18 there’s just a relatively small one.
There are indeed thousands of restaurants, but if you make no reservations, your choices will be limited. FTC seems like the wrong site to tell somebody not to worry about that.
Parking is not something to take for granted. For hotels, check the cost of parking when comparing rates. For Airbnb, if an on-premises parking space does not come with the place, finding a legal spot on the street may be difficult or impossible. The city tickets aggressively and fines are steep.
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In May?
Great central location, good neighborhood, free parking, near a Muni Metro stop and the vintage streetcar line:
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Cute! I was worried about that price (seems low). But it’s super cute.
I think that weekend it’s actually $259. May be on the low side for SF because it’s not near the convention center or major tourist sites.
I stayed there once 40 years ago after a fire in our nearby flat. Looks like they’ve spiffed it up a lot (as is true for the neighborhood in general).
Okay, that sounds more like it. It’s crazy, people get suspicious if a price is too low! 
You should be fine in May, honestly its not too bad when its foggy either - you just may not get the perfect shot of the GG bridge. SF tends to be chilly all year long anyway. Along the coast though it can be a little problematic during heavy fog days - less of an issue in the city.
When all else fails, just use yelp look for 4+ rating joint with high number of reviewers. Frankly I don’t recollect booking any restaurants in advance the past few times I was in SF and it wasn’t an issue.
I drive or rent a car every time I’m in SF.
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I wouldn’t plan a short trip to SF around the weather. Fall has the best weather but if you are here for less than a week you can get fog any time of the year and you can get lucky and get hot weather any time of the year. Yesterday was almost 80 in the city and today is currently 76 and sunny.
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Yeah, but, whatever.
This is a stretch. There are a few times when very large events might possibly impact the rates of all hotels and VRBOs in the area. Unless you have a specific one to bring up in this thread, it’s just adding needless detail and agita.
Straw man. I don’t think anyone said not to make reservations. I implied one shouldn’t avoid going because one might not get one’s top choices this late in the game. There will be a number of worthy, excellent restaurants that will still have availability.
Be aware of parking rates, yes. Do NOT stay in a place that doesn’t have a parking option. Good advice. But the OP is from LA. We get aggressive ticketing and difficult parking. This is not a reason NOT to go to SF and it’s not a good reason to avoid a beautiful coastal drive if one’s never taken said drive.
Easy long weekend trips to and from LA and SF are a beautiful thing. Let’s encourage @TheCookie to see how simple this can be.
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I’m certainly not discouraging TheCookie from the trip, just offering some tips from a fourth-generation local.
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