A Possible Favor from San Franciscans
 

I am heading down to San Francisco to run the marathon on June 16th.
I was thinking I might:

Camp outside the the city on the night of the 15th
Find a good place to park my car in the city on the morning of the 16th
And ride my bike down to the start if necessary

The start-finish is under the Bay Bridge

Can you recommend a good place to park my car on a Sunday morning?
Can you recommend a place to camp Saturday night?
Should I just grab a hotel? I am on a budget.

Thanks,

Kev

Parking is ridiculous in the city, especially if there is any kind of event.
My vote would be motel+public trans (so you will have a bike to return to when you are done)

Feel free to lock your bike up in the city, just be aware it might not be there when you get back.

SF now charges to park in metered spaces on Sundays, so make sure to feed your meter accordingly.

The smart thing is probably to get a modest hotel room where they don't charge TOO much for parking.

Les and I have found some really good deals using Priceline's "Name your own Price" system. Even if you find a metered spot (a minor miracle in itself) you wouldn't be able to feed the meter throughout the day.

Parking is going to be tough no matter what...

Motel alternative: http://www.airbnb.com

Any parking garages that are open on Sunday downtown are fairly cheap, or, at least cheaper than multiple parking tickets.

If the start/finish is at the Bay Bridge, I highly recommend parking in Oakland or Berkeley and taking BART (only about 20 minutes, and a couple of bucks). You can probably walk to the start (probably <1 mile), but you can also take MUNI or a bus. Since it's the weekend, you can park in the BART station parking lot at Rockridge or North Berkeley (or in the residential streets near either of these stations).

If you decide to get a motel, I'd again suggest Berkeley or Oakland.

Greg

Bart/Trans running at 6am?

Definitely looking at Oakland

What about USF or San Fran State Campuses? Are there places to camp there?

Public parking at Golden Gate Park?

Surprised to hear theft is that bad ... I will have to bring the beater

Keep the options coming!

BART is definitely running at 6am.

Not sure about camping, but I do know that parking at Golden Gate Park is a PITA, especially on the weekends, because of the Cal Academy.

BART does not run that early on the weekends. They usually start around 8am. Check BART schedules here: http://bart.gov

I wish I could help you, I am out of town that weekend and live down the street from the start and finish. A couple years ago when I ran it and didn't live in the city, I think I only paid $20 bucks at a lot pretty close. Get into the city early and you can find a parking lot for a reasonable price.

Unfortunately there is no camping option that is all that close. There however there are a ton of people that sleep in their car along Golden Gate park or sleep in the park, I would not recommend that.
Bike theft is like any other big city, lock it up smart and it will be there when you get back (wheels and seat too)
Most hotels anywhere close to downtown will charge a ton on parking, sometimes more than the room.
There are small hotels in neighborhoods that will be under $100 no parking, or small fee but parking won't be too hard to find on the street.
Try the Metro Hotel on Divisadaro and Page or Days Inn on Grove and Gough. They are 2-3 miles from the start of your race.

do not think about camping in golden gate park. thats illegal, and gross. stay in emeryville or oakland, take the ac transit bus over in the morning and take bart back post marathon. easy.

Yes, please note that I said that tongue and cheek. I live by GG park panhandle and deal with the grossness everyday.