planning a trip to Fleet Week @ SFO

Hey kids, the family and I (wife and 4 y.o.) are planning on attending Fleet Week up in SFO. This is still in the planning stages, but we're thinking about driving up there from L.A. Just a few questions I guess. I've read that about 1 million people are expected to attend the week long festivities. How crazy will it get? I'm sure room rates will be as high as the sky as well. Anything to look out for? Visit? It's not my first time to SF, but I haven't been there in some time. I've always loved to visit SF, but that is one expensive city!

Thanks for any tips or suggestions.

 

Fleet week is cool. We were there just to visit 4 years ago and saw the aircraft flying overhead. Been there each year since. We stay at the hotels in the Airport area. South Airport Blvd. Then we jump on the 101 and it is a 1/2 hour to get near the area.


Crazy parking... the closer you get to fisherman's wharf the more traffic and the more expensive the parking. We go 3rd st, to folsom, to the Embarcadero and park whenever it starts getting crazy. We then walk (faster than waiting to get on the trains) to fishermans wharf.

Don't forget the freshly cooked crab while watching the airshow!

 

Pier 39, the Marina Green is nice, if you can hit up the Marin Headlands when it's not foggy, walk/drive/bike across the Golden Gate (one of the three), drive down the curvy part of Lombard St. if you can, hit up Alcatraz if you want, Scoma's restaurant is kind of expensive but I've been going there for years and it is ALWAYS good (seafood, of course), Little Italy because they have great candy shops for the little one, and most importantly, stay somewhere near a BART station outside of the city, no need to spend hella on a hotel room in the city when it could potentially be cheaper to stay along BART and just take it into the city. I live in San Ramon and it's like a 45-60 min trip with driving from the dublin/pleasanton station to the Embarcadero station.

Just have fun! Don't take a car, it's much easier to just walk. If the little one can't walk that far then bring a stroller or a little bike or something. But try your best to not drive a car around, it just sucks.