ArrivingWednesday, July 299:08am - UA 1415 - Meeple
9:51am - UA 1950 - Soppy
2:05pm - DL 4806 - VSM10:39pm - DL 64501 - Niu
10:56pm - JB 1475 - Jim +1Thursday, July 3010:00am - VA 67 - super
2:20pm - DL 2621 - CK
ReturningSunday, August 29:40am - VA 84 - super
1:00pm - DL 2780 - Niu
1:05pm - DL 2621 - CK
11:59pm - JB 276 - Jim +1Monday, August 38:04am - DL 4622 - VSM6:50pm - AA 209 - Soppy
Tuesday, August 41:00pm - UA 1754 - Meeple
Blue = OAK. All others SFO.
FAQWhen should I get there?The house will be open
Wednesday, July 29 through Monday, August 3. If you arrive before or leave after, there are a few DLers in the area you can arrange to stay with (or hotel, obviously).
What time should I arrive/leave?The biggest constraint is the BART timetable. The earliest trains leave at 4:20am and the latest trains drop off at ~1:20am, with even more limited times on Sundays. Give yourself at least an hour buffer on those times. BART is not renowned for being on time, though it's not terrible unless someone's committed suicide on the tracks or there's a riot in Oakland.
If absolutely necessary, I can drive. Accounting for traffic, it takes ~45-60 minutes to get to SFO, ~60-90 to get to SJC, and ~30 minutes to get to OAK. Less if it's the middle of the night, but I can't speed too much because cops set lots of speed traps around here.
What's the best airport to use?You have three options: San Francisco (SFO), Oakland (OAK), or San Jose (SJC). Oakland is the closest, SF hosts the most international flights, and San Jose is often slightly cheaper than either. Both Oakland and SF have BART service directly to the house. San Jose requires additional transportation like a taxi to the train station or a ride from one of the South Bay DLers or the like.
I recommend Oakland and San Francisco, in that order.
How do I get to the house from the airport? And back again?BART.
Here's a map.SJC is a whole 'nother animal. If you're flying into SJC, let me know so I can set something up for you.
From SFOFollow the signs to the AirTrain/BART. Get on the AirTrain - Red Or Blue Line and get off at the BART stop.
Once you've gone through the fare gates and down the stairs, you are looking for Richmond (before 8pm) or Pittsburg/Bay Point. Pittsburg/Bay Point is probably the only train leaving the airport. DO NOT take Fremont or Dublin/Pleasanton - they do not easily transfer to the right trains and you'll just end up backtracking.
Richmond train is direct! Just get off at El Cerrito Plaza. It'll take about an hour.
Pittsburg/Bay Point is not direct. You will need to listen for MacArthur station; it'll be after you go under the bay. You can also transfer at Balboa Park. Once there, you need to find a Richmond train. You may need to walk to another platform (down the stairs, across, up the stairs), but I believe Richmond is a timed transfer meaning it should be at the station and easy to find.
From OAKOnce you exit from baggage claim, you'll be able to walk across the traffic lanes and head up to the tower where you climb a bunch of stairs, walk over some platforms, yadda yadda. You'll need to buy a ticket before you get on anything. Pay your $8.95, ticket goes in and comes back out, get on the tram thingy. The "automated people mover" (their words) will take you from the airport to the BART. Do more fare gate things to get into the station proper.
Since it will dump you out at MacArthur, you should simply need to find a Richmond train.
Back to SFO/OAKGoing back to the airport is easy: Take a train going to SFO.
OAK you need whatever southbound train you can find (basically, just avoid the Richmond train). Get off at MacArthur and find your way back to the AirBART automated people mover which only goes to the airport so you can't possibly get lost.
What is BART?Bay
Area
Rapid
Transit. It's the local subway/train service connecting the East Bay and the Peninsula with San Francisco. It's extremely convenient. You'll probably only need it once or twice: trip to/from the airport and if you want to take a trip to SF. Note, because this can be confusing: if you have exact fare, the machine will not give you your ticket back once you've put it in the gate to exit. Just walk through the open gate.
The costs are based on station-to-station price points. The station closest to the house is
El Cerrito Plaza, which is only a couple blocks away.
One-way ticket price (no discounts unless you want to buy $50 worth of fare):
SFO <-> El Cerrito Plaza: $9.45
OAK <-> El Cerrito Plaza*: $8.95
Downtown SF** <-> El Cerrito Plaza: $4.15
* OAK has two pay-gates. This is the total cost for both.
** Downtown SF is several stations that all cost the same. This gets you to Union Square, the Ferry Building/Pier 1, etc. You need a bus for the rest of the city.Alternate transportation options for getting to where you want to go without a car or walking:Buses. Ferries. Cabs. Lyft/Uber/Sidecar.
BusesWe are very close to a "highway" (just a particularly busy thoroughfare). The bus you most likely will want for local service is the 72 (or 72M, 72R). This'll get you from El Cerrito to Berkeley and Oakland. If you wanted to, but I very much do not recommend, you could also go up toward Richmond.
There is also a bus that will take you to San Francisco! Two buses, I guess. It will take just under an hour. You take the 72 to Oakland then get on the F. Once you're in SF you'll probably need to the local SF transport to get to where you want to go, including Japantown.
Basically, if you want to do things in SF on the weekend, expect to be there most of the day.
Fares:
Local, $2.10/ride ($5/day if you ask for it when you pay)
Transbay, $4.20/ride
FerryGet to downtown Oakland (via BART or bus), walk down to the water, take a ferry. This'll also take a while.
Fare:
$6.40/trip
$1.50 short hop (Oakland to Alameda or Pier 1 to Pier 41)
Uber, Lyft, SidecarThe most direct, point-to-point trip. Hire a car! Expect to pay ~$30-35 per car. They can usually take 3ish people. There's also an option for a more expensive but bigger car.
