Green Tortoise San Francisco Hostel Blog

      So here in the Bay Area we are home to two of the coolest baseball teams in all the lands.  The Oakland A’s and the San Francisco Giants, now normally you can pick up cheap bleacher tickets for less than $20 (not bad for a few hours of camaraderie while participating in Americas favorite pastime) however there is another way.  That way is $2 Wednesday @ A’s Games!  ‘Tis a magical day where the tickets for the A’s are two dollars and the hot dogs are but a single dollar note, and don’t be skeized by the low price it’s the same dog that you would be paying $5 for but its simply marked down to market value. 

     The last $2 Wednesdays of the season are both in September (the 2nd and the 23rd) so if you’re gonna be at the tortoise be sure and secure those tickets ASAP.

     I know what you’re thinking, how ever do I get to the ballpark, it’s all the way in Oakland.  Well that’s simple, just take the BART (Bay Area Rapid Transit).  It’s the underground train that can take you all over Berkeley, Oakland, and the rest of the East Bay.  Just take the Dublin Pleasanton train and get off at the Coliseum/Oakland Airport stop, trust me from there you can fallow the sea of green and yellow A’s fans into the stadium that is just a short walk away.      

     If you cant make it out for those games or you’re just dead set on seeing the SF Giants play than you can find schedule and ticket info at athletics.mlb.com/ for the A’s or www.sfgiants.com/ for the Giants

Sutro Heighs Park

 This is a small neighborhood park that boasts incredible views of the city and the ocean. Nearby you’ll find the Sutro Baths; the skeletal remains of a once popular swimming hall, concert venue, and museum that burnt down in the sixties. Directions on Muni: take 1 towards 33rd Ave & Geary Blvd; get off at Geary Blvd. and 33rd Ave and catch the 38L towards Point Lobos Ave & 48th Ave.

 Land’s End Park

Land’s End Park will give you access to some of the most dramatic coastal views in the state. There are many beautiful trails for you to traverse and lots of windswept cliffs and sheer drops into the ocean. Locals report sporadic sightings of mythical creatures like Hydras and Griffins, and Pan playing his namesake flute.

On Muni: take the 9AX - towards Phelan Loop and get off at Stockton St and Geary Blvd; catch the 38L towards Point Lobos Ave & 48th Ave, and exit at 48th Ave and Point Lobos Ave.

Grand View Park

Hyperbole “Grand View” Park is not; the view is as grand as the name portends. Check out the sweeping vista of Ocean Beach, and enjoy the slightly challenging hike.

A little tricky, you’re going to have to do some walking: take Golden Gate Transit 72 towards Piner Road and get off at the Golden Gate Bridge Toll Plaza. Walk to Golden Gate Bridge Tunnel and Merchant Road and catch the 28 towards Daly City BART and exit at 19th Ave and Moraga.

Dolores Park

Some people go to parks to look at things; some people go to parks to be looked at. This SF locale proudly boasts a populous in favor of the latter option. And if you get tired of being looked at, you can look at the city that you were just in, but from a detached, slightly ironic perspective.

Take the BART to 16th Street and Mission. From there walk to 18th Street and Dolores.

Twin Peaks

Named for the David Lynch movie this park is hands down the place to get the best view of the San Francisco Bay Area. It’s a meaty hike or drive, and not at all easy to get to, but the reward is tremendous. Twin Peaks will tantalize and titillate your senses.

Ask your friendly front desk person for directional assistance.

There are two types of people that we see come through our hostel.  Tourists and travelers, though it may seem they are the same there are a few distinct differences between these two.  A tourist is here to see the sights, visit the bridge, take some pictures of some sea lions, and tour the city in it’s most historic means.  To these tourists we offer many options, a nice man by the name of Eli has a great city tour that takes you around all the hot spots of the city with a full background of why they are so remarkable and memorable, and he even makes it up to the Muir woods, a beautiful little redwood grove just north of the city that is not easily accessible throughout the week.  Another nice man named Dylan offers a similar tour and is just as knowledgeable in case Eli fills up.  We also know of some great tours of the Napa and Sonoma valleys.  But let’s say for a minute you belong to my second group.  Travelers are looking for adventures; we are an insatiably curious breed.  We know that the journey is more important than the destination.  As we travel this world we look for all the beauty around us that will awe and amaze us.  So if you come to the tortoise seeking adventure, we have the green tortoise adventure travel office in the same building.  You can go straight from exploring California in the city of San Francisco and go to Yosemite, the Canyons of the West, a pacific trek up to crater lake and lassen volcanic parks, or even further like New York, and many more.  You even get to go camping and meet other travelers from all over the globe.  So this may sound like some sales pitch but let me just spell it out for those of you who may doubt my sincerity.  We love helping people have the experiences of a lifetime, we enjoy meeting all our new friends, but most of all, we know how to have a great time going nowhere in particular, but always somewhere fantastic.

A hundred and fifty miles south of San Francisco prevail the redwood shores of Big Sur in Los Padres National Park.  Experiencing the indescribable beauty of this vast forest and pristine blue coast will instill in you things that you had lost or have never felt.  If you’re going to San Francisco, be sure to go Big Sur.  The trip will drastically improve your life.



Visiting Big Sur without a car can be tough, but it’s more feasible than you may expect.  The key is the MST – the Monterrey-Salinas Transit, which has connections running from San Jose throughout Monterrey county, including buses that travel along Highway 1 down to Los Padres.  To get from San Francisco to San Jose, simply hop on the Caltrain:  http://www.caltrain.com/

Caltrain runs to the San Jose Diridon Station, transit center for the MST.  Don't waste your time in San Jose.  The MST schedule and bus line information for buses going down to Big Sur are available on their website:  http://www.mst.org/

For tips on where to visit and for camping information, check-out the California State Parks webpage:  http://www.parks.ca.gov/



I suggest camping at Andrew Molera State Park, where you can dive, surf, hike, sunbathe, and fish.  Camp sites are $15 a night and you can buy plenty of firewood for $2.   Though there’s clean water, in order to eat, you’d have to supply your own food or hunt.  On land there are deer, quail, squirrels, snakes, raccoons, snakes, skunks, and humans.
http://www.parks.ca.gov/default.asp?page_id=582

Andrew Molera is a short distance from Pfeiffer Big Sur State Park, which also has camp sites as well as some breathtaking hiking trails that snake up the mountain.   
http://www.parks.ca.gov/default.asp?page_id=570

Those are just two of the hundred outdoor opportunities offered in Los Padres.  You should set aside 3 to 4 days if you intend to properly pull-off a roundtrip journey down to Big Sur.

If you do make it down there and have $30 to wisely spend, swing-by the Monterrey Bay Aquarium, arguably the most beautiful aquarium in the world. http://www.montereybayaquarium.org/

Muir Woods is an astonishing National Park, famous for it's 240 acres of old growth redwood trees, located 12 miles north of San Francisco.  Every weekend, until September 27th, the Muir Woods Shuttle takes visitors from Marin City to Muir Woods and back.  This is this only public transportation option to get to Muir Woods, which is well worth a visit.

There's a $5 entrance for Muir Woods.


The Muir Woods Shuttle leaves from Marin City and is operated by Golden Gate Transit.   It's the 66 route, and the schedule and map are available here:  http://goldengate.org/news/items/Rt66pr.php\

To get up to Marin City, you'd need to take 70, 80, or 81 weekend bus from San Francisco.  Here's some information schedule:  http://goldengatetransit.org/schedules/pages/Bus-Schedules.php

Redwood trees can grow to over 380 feet, and the oldest tree in Muir Woods is over 1,200 years old

More information is available at the Muir Woods webpage:
http://www.nps.gov/muwo/planyourvisit/index.htm

Have you ever gotten the urge to get drunk and dance on floats in front of a government building? Me too! That’s why every October I spend my grocery money on booze and a sparkly outfit and head downtown to Lovevolution!

What is Lovevolution, you may be wondering. My answer to that is: Whatever you want it to be (as long as it includes rave music, dancing, and a high level of belligerency). This one-day festival begins with a parade, which runs down Market Street and ends at City Hall. I know, parades are lame and all, but believe me: this ain’t your momma’s parade. Instead of watching safely from the sidelines, you get to walk/dance/stumble along with all of the floats. Much more enjoyable than sitting in those uncomfortable chairs watching the local Boy Scout troop walk by. This parade goes down Market Street and ends up in front of City Hall, in the Civic Center Plaza where fun/chaos ensues. The parade begins at noon, and the Civic Center celebrations lasts until about 6:00PM. If you are feeling up to it, you can buy tickets to the all night rave that takes place in City Hall. Say hello to Gavin Newsom for me.

For all you German folk, this may sound oddly familiar: Until this year, this celebration was called LoveFest, and was the second largest in the world behind Berlin’s famous LoveFest. Now, due to legal actions taken by Los Angeles’ “The Love Festival”, we changed our name to Lovevolution (not cool Los Angeles, not cool). Last year over 100,000 people came to spread the love- this year, the Green Tortoise thinks you should add to that hefty number. Because I’m all out of things to say, I shall let the pictures do the talking:

For more information, go to http://www.sflovevolution.org. I’ll see you there- I’ll be the one embarrassing all of my friends with my dance moves. I won’t take it personally if you don’t say hello.

Saturday, October 3rd

Parade begins at noon on Market Street

Civic Center Plaza celebration lasts until 6PM

City Hall Rave lasts until the wee hours of the morning

Dearest Green Tortoise Friends and Guests -



IT CAN and WILL if you make the BEST DECISION YOU’VE EVER MADE and ride our 16-day NATIONAL PARKS LOOP!

Yes, you heard right. 16 days of seraphic cruising from one National Park to the next. See Yellowstone, the world’s first national park. Visit God’s triumph over all human intellect and architectural ambition, Zion National Park. Revel in heart-stopping rapture as you watch the earth unveil its grandest designs at the Grand Canyon. Witness over a dozen such natural wonders all of which will render you speechless and awed.

You’ll see the best nature America has to offer, and all in the luxury and leisure of our cozy, spacious GREEN ADVENTURE TORTOISE BUS. Do you enjoy our BALLROOM’S laid back party atmosphere? Well imagine that same ambience, but on wheels, and hurtling across this expansive continent towards one natural national treasure after the other.

So what have you planned that could possibly exceed the excitement of this opportunity?  I’ll tell you: NOTHING. Not only that, but this trip’s only $66 dollars a day, which includes most of your meals. That’s less than you’ll spend in San Francisco over a two-hour period!




If you have any questions (the only questions you have should be “where do I pay?”), please visit our helpful, smiley front desk persons or head on back to the travel office itself. They’d love to hear from you.