TRAVEL & ACCOMMODATIONS
Our Wedding Reception will be held at the Julia Morgan Ballroom, on the 15th Floor of the Merchants Exchange Building, located at 465 California Street in San Francisco's Financial District. We recommend that our guests reserve hotel rooms nearby, either in the Financial District or Union Square.
We have reserved a block of rooms at the hotels listed below, both of
which are within easy walking distance of the reception site. Please note that you will be given the rates specified below only if you book at least one month in advance of the wedding date (i.e. 8/22/07). San Francisco is an extremely popular travel destination, especially in the fall when we experience our best "summer" weather, so you may have difficulty securing a reasonable rate if not booked in advance. We therefore highly recommend that you make your travel arrangements as soon as possible.
HOTELS
The Omni San Francisco
Rate: $189 + tax
500 California Street
San Francisco, CA 94104
(415) 677-9494
www.omnihotels.com
* Located across the street from the reception site
RSVP: Please specify the “Nguyen/Mader Wedding”
1-800-THE-OMNI (843-6664) or reserve on-line:
Omni Webpage Link
Le Méridien San Francisco
Rate: $199 + tax
333 Battery Street
San Francisco, CA 94104
(415) 296-2900
www.starwoodhotels.com
* Located less than ½ block from the reception site
RSVP: Please specify the “Nguyen/Mader Wedding”
1-800-543-4300
For those who are looking for other hotel options in the area, we suggest www.sidestep.com or www.hotels.com.
AIRPORTS
San Francisco is accessible via both San Francisco International Airport (SFO) and Oakland International Airport (OAK). The major car rental companies have outlets at both SFO and OAK.
If you're not renting a car, you have three options to get into San Francisco from the airport: taxi, door-to-door shuttle, or BART (Bay Area Rapid Transit) train. Taxi fares for the ride downtown average $37 from SFO and $50 from OAK, depending on traffic. A door-to-door shuttle shared with other passengers (if you don't mind multiple stops) is approximately $15 from SFO and $25 from OAK.
BART (www.bart.gov) is the bay area commuter train, and is safe, reliable and has very low fares ($5.15 to $6.35 one-way). Connecting to BART from OAK requires a short 12-minute shuttle ride, AirBART, from the airport to the Coliseum/Oakland BART station ($3). From the Coliseum/Oakland station the trains to downtown San Francisco are well marked and take approximately 25 minutes ($3.35). BART connects directly to SFO and the ride downtown takes approximately 30 minutes ($5.15).
All hotels in the Financial District and Union Square are within moderate walking distance (or a very short taxi ride) of both the “Embarcadero” and “Powell” BART stations in downtown San Francisco.
GETTING AROUND
If possible, it is best to avoid driving in San Francisco, due to scarce parking and dense traffic. We highly recommend that those flying to San Francisco (who do not intend to travel outside of San Francisco to visit the wine country, etc.) do not rent a car and instead rely on taxis. Renting and driving a car in San Francisco can be very difficult and expensive for out-of-towners. In addition to the cost of the rental itself, San Francisco hotels generally charge $45 per night for parking. Street parking is almost always metered and difficult to find.
Taxis are relatively inexpensive and very reliable in San Francisco. Most taxis charge a use fee of $3.10 and $0.45 per tenth of a mile thereafter. For example, guests should be able to get from the Financial District and Union Square hotels to the wedding ceremony for approximately $12 to $15 one-way.
Anyway you decide to do it, we hope that you will be able to make a weekend of it and enjoy the beautiful sights of San Francisco.
If you have further questions, please contact Cindy and Christopher at cc@cindyandchristopher.com.
