Weekend in San Francisco

Hi!
1) Take the Muni bus. It's probably half an hour. Details here: http://tripplanner.transit.511.org/mtc/XSLT_TRIP_REQUEST2...
2) See the trip planner above, but from the hotel to the pier, not that long. 20 minute walk. The ferry to Alcatraz is pretty quick, too. It's not a long distance - less than a mile into the bay.
3) Oh man. There's a LOT to do in SF. Museums - SFMOMA, the DeYoung, Exploratorium (it's for kids, but it's a blast for adults, too), the Museum of Natural History, the Conservatory in GG Park. Food - go out on a limb and try the House of Nanking (not that far from your hotel). It doesn't look like much from the street, but tell them you're adventurous, you're hungry, and what your budget is, and they'll blow you away with the best Chinese food you've ever had. If you want some finer dining, there are almost endless choices. You can't go wrong at Lulu (my husband and I got engaged there - it's homey, fun, and country french), Boulevard, Chez Panisse (it's in Berkeley, but WELL worth the trip across the Bay - take Bart to get there), Fifth Floor, Foreign Cinema (quirky, always a good time), Scoma (get the Cioppino - I promise it is the best you've ever had in your life). Honestly, it's hard to go wrong with SF restaurants. For Sunday brunch, you can't beat the Sheraton Palace on Market St. Skip the "view" restaurants. None of the truly great restaurants in SF have a view to match. :) Oh! Before your trip to Alcatraz, if you want lunch, since you'll be in the Ferry Building anyway, go to the Cowgirl Creamery's booth. They make a grilled cheese that will knock your socks off. And honestly, just a plain old glass of milk there is pretty awesome, too.

And as long as you're staying on the wharf, go ahead and take the cable car to Union Square. It's fun, and you can't do it anywhere else!

There are bicycles you can rent to ride around the city, as well as cars for the day like zipcar.com. You can get a Clipper card, which works on MUNI, F-line, and BART but only in the City. The F-line runs right by AT&T Park and all the way down into Fisherman's Wharf along the Embarcadero. The cable cars are an experience, and there are a couple different lines. My favorite line starts at Ghiradelli Square because it takes you up Hyde Street and you can see straight down the hill into the Bay. It also stops at Lombard Street, which is famous as well :) If you're dessert people, you can start that cable car ride with a sundae at Ghiradelli Square!

If you have access to a car, you should go over to Treasure Island (off the Bay Bridge) to see San Francisco at night. AMAZING! Also amazing is the Golden Gate Bridge and the view from Conzelman Road! The GG Bridge is an absolute must in my opinion! It's beautiful....

One of my favorite things is just walking through Pier 39 and along Fisherman's Wharf. We eat at the Wipeout Grill at Pier 39 every time my sister and I go to the City (about twice per year). Excellent food!

If you don't want to bother with a car, you could take a bay tour by boat that leaves from Fisherman's Wharf and takes you under the GG Bridge and around Alcatraz. Pricey but worth it depending on what you want to see.

SO MANY THINGS TO DO!! And lots of free stuff as well. I know there's also a fortune cookie "factory" in Chinatown, which is off a small alley. I haven't been there, but it's been recommended :)

If you like pizza, I can personally recommend Escape From New York in the Castro (508 Castro Street), and the MUNI drops you a block from it.

Giordano Brothers is at 303 Columbus Ave in the City not far from Market Street. Their Pittsburgh-style sandwiches, inspired by Primanti Brothers in Pittsburgh, are pretty darned good if you haven't had one before and are into trying something new.

There's a park at Clay and Drumm where wild parrots (used to??) frequent. You can't hand feed them anymore by law, but it's still pretty cool. That's a sunset-time thing.

Walking around Haight Ashbury, which is a ways from your hotel. Alamo Square where the Painted Ladies reside.

Even just riding BART is an experience :) I LOVE to visit the City!! There's just so much to do! Ok, I'm done now LOL

1. How long will it take us to get from the hotel to AT&T Park? How should we travel, (walk, cab, etc.)?
If you walk it will take an hour, but you can walk all along the Embarcadero from your hotel/Wharf to the ball park and it's a nice walk if you are walking people. If not, like the other poster said, I would take Muni. I think it's the F bus from the wharf to the Ferry building, and then the N-Judah traing from the ferry building to the park (but check out the link from the previous poster). But that will take at least an hour too. A cab is the quickest, but may cost more.

2. How long will it take us to get from the hotel to the pier to the ferry to Alcatraz? How should we travel, (walk, cab, etc)?
Walk from the hotel to the ferry.

3. What else should we do all weekend considering we might not make it back for years or ever??
Food: Almost any restaurant is great. I like Vicoletto www.vicolettosf.com or Michelangelo Ristorante & Caffe (both are Italian restaurants in North Beach) and just homey and yummy. If you don't mind the price, I suggest Water Bar http://www.waterbarsf.com/ (great views, food, and ambience).

Shopping: Union Square or Westfield Center on Market St.

Great late night drink with a view: Top of the Grand Hyatt at Union Square on Stockton St.

I don't live in the City, so I can't tell you how long it will take to get from place to place, but the hotel should be able to help you with that.

You cannot walk from your hotel to AT&T park. I would suggest either BART or some other form of public transportation. You could do a cab but the traffic will be a nightmare so the fare may be quite high. I don't use cabs so I really don't know about that.

You very well may be able to walk from your hotel to the ferry to go to Alcatraz. In fact, I'm pretty sure you can.

You should also visit Koit Tower,Golden Gate Park and Pier 39. No one should go to SF without seeing those! Oh, and don't forget China Town!

My husband and I just spent St. Patty's Day weekend in SF with our son and two doggies :) We live near Sacramento, but hadn't been there for years. I organized our trip out of things we all could do. I found a very quaint, clean motor lodge in the Marina District which was very doggie friendly. They even allowed us to leave our dogs in the room unattended from time to time. To travel around the city, most of the time, we used mass transit--the bus system. We were on a budget and their bus system runs excellently. When it was late at night, we took a cab. On occasion, we drove my car (inexpensive Honda civic). Must sees other than your list--fisherman's warf, pier 39, Coit Tower, Golden Gate park, and China Town are a few I think of off the top of my head. Have a great time! We certainly did.