Nob Hill v/s Columbus Motor Inn

Hi, I%26#39;ve started reading the messages about these two motels and can%26#39;t make up my mind.

Qn: How long would be a walk from these two motels to Union Sq?

And also, having only 3 days to visit SF, which one would be more convenient to avoid spending too much time in transport??

Note: we%26#39;ll have a car and teenagers (12/15)

Thanks for your help!

Nob Hill v/s Columbus Motor Inn

I don%26#39;t think you are talking about walkihg from either of these to Union Square...As I count it on the map the Nob Hill is 19 blocks from Union Square and the Columbus is 17.

I believe both of these have free parking, right? So, leave your car there and take the excellent public transportation.

Columbus is great for walking to Fisherman%26#39;s Wharf, etc. From Fisherman%26#39;s Wharf you can get a cable car for a ride to Union Square.

That%26#39;s my vote....at least for location. Never stayed at either property %26lt;grin%26gt;.

Nob Hill v/s Columbus Motor Inn

As Puter alluded, taking public transit may be more efficient in many cases. In some cases, walking will be best and most pleasureable, in some cases, public transit will, and in other cases driving will.

From either of those locations to Union Square, taking public transit would probably be preferable over walking, at least one way, even if you love to walk. Both are at least a mile and more from Union Square. And even though you will have a car, you really shouldn%26#39;t use it to drive from your hotel to Union Square during the pre-Christmas shopping madness. Union Square is an absolute chaotic mess for driving in the weeks before Christmas. Everyone comes in from the suburbs and heads straight for the Union Square garage and the streets surrrounding the square get gridlocked. You would be doing exactly what you feared -- spending too much time in transport -- creeping along the street, unable to make progress beyond a snail%26#39;s pace.

Location wise, the Columbus Motor Inn is off the Powell-Mason cable car, which goes to Union Square, and the workhorse bus line, the #30 Stockton, which gets close enough to Union Square to walk the rest of the way. Both lines can be really busy, and probably subject to delays.

The Nob Hill Motor Inn is just off the #27 Bryant bus, which I would tend to prefer. Although it%26#39;s also a workhorse line that carried a lot of commuters, it skirts some of the busiest areas. Well, at least it does from the direction of the hotel. It gets within a couple of blocks of Union Square and directly down 5th Street, past the San Francisco Centre, another huge shopping magnet, where it can likely get bogged down in the . The city usually positions traffic control officers on parts of 5th Street at this time of year to keep the cars out of the intersections and prevent total gridlock.

Do you really need a car?

Just so you are aware, (and it also talks about it in thier reviews) the Nob Hill is about 2 blocks walk from the Powell-Hyde cable car stop, where you could hop on and be in Union Square in no time. You could also walk around 4 blocks and pick up the California cable car line to head to the Ferry Building for instance. I believe there is also a bus that goes right down the street Nob is on. Either lodging choice would work. If you are a walker it could certainly be done from either location.

BTW, the 30 bus is far less crowded catching it on the way to Chinatown, Union Square than it will be catching it downtown to head back to Columbus Ave. We took it a couple of times off Chestnut St. and it seemed a lot quicker going, so consider another way back.

We parked for 3 days at Columbus and never used the car. Lots of dining nearby, nice neighborhood, can%26#39;t go wrong here. Hopped the cable car to Union Square, walked to Chinatown.

Dear all, thanks for your input.

In fact I think we will prefer park the car and go out walking or on public transport.

So from what I gather, Columbus would allow us to reach transport easily and within walking distance from Chinatown. It sounds fine.

I think we should hurry to make our reservations!!!

Bye and thanks again!

Since you%26#39;ve decided to use public transit a lot, consider buying day passes for unlimited riding. Regular adult fares are $1.50 and yout fares are $ .50, with transfer or reboarding within about 90 minutes. Cable car fares are $5.00 with no transfer or reboarding. I know you%26#39;d rather spend the money on a tour, a nice dinner, or souvenirs.

Check here for the pass(es) that would fit your needs. The ';passport'; is intended mostly for visitors.

www.sfmuni.com/cms/mms/fares/indxfare.htm

These are only for the Municipal Railway (';Muni';). Separate fares are needed for other regional transit systems like BART or Bay ferries.

Hi Frisco_Roadrunner, thanks, looking for prices and info on the bus passes was indeed the next step for me!!!

Columbus Motor Inn is in as excellent location for teens. They can walk to the wharf area that has a lot to offer any age group and is part of the San Francisco experience. We stayed at Columbus in December and were very pleased. It exceeded our expectations for location, cleanliness, quiet, easy access to public transport, walking distance to restuarants shops, wharf and a great value. For families they have 2 room suites. Thumbs up!!

Thanks all.

I just made a reservation for Columbus, we%26#39;re looking forward to this trip!!