SFTX 2008 Logistics
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Logistics

Planes

It's best to fly into San Francisco (SFO) or Oakland (Oak). San Jose has the next closest airport and is an hour away. Jetblue and Southwest Airlines both fly into Oakland and have reasonable prices. From the San Francisco and Oakland airports, you can easily reach BART (the Bay Area's "subway").

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Trains (and buses)

The Bay Area has many public transit options, some more convenient than others. Here are the relevant ones. Explore their websites for maps and schedules. Refer to the SFTX schedule to get addresses and maps of the SFTX venues.

Trip Planner will tell you how to get from one place to another using the transit options described below. If you want to use public transit, start with this site and plan ahead!

BART, the Bay Area's "subway," will take you around the East Bay (Berkeley and Oakland), around SF, and in between. Unfortunately, it closes down around 1am, reopens between 4 and 6am, and has limited routes. However, several SFTX venues are close to BART stations. The Finnish Hall and the picnic venue are within walking distance of the North Berkeley BART Station. You can also use BART to reach bus routes that will take you to any venue.

AC Transit operates buses in Berkeley. Some routes run all night - but plan ahead if you want to use this option.

Muni operates buses, cable cars, and streetcars in San Francisco. Some routes run all night - but plan ahead if you want to use this option.

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Automobiles

While public transit is cheap and desirable, it's not always the most convenient. Renting a car at the airport and sharing with friends is a good option. The SFTX schedule is arranged so that all Thursday, Friday and Saturday events take place in Berkeley and all Wednesday and Sunday events take place in San Francisco. This should minimize cross-Bay travel during the day, which can be time-consuming. If you are crossing the Bay Bridge during the day, allow yourself extra time. Traffic can be especially difficult on weekend afternoons and on Friday and Saturday nights between 5 and 9pm.

Street parking is available at all SFTX venues, but allow yourself a few extra minutes to find it, especially for events taking place in SF. If you are staying with a host and renting a car, ask the host about parking restrictions in their neighborhood, since many residential areas require permits.

Cabs are also an option. You can usually find a cab near a BART station. Or you can call one for a pick-up from a venue:
San Francisco taxi companies
Berkeley taxi companies

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Sleeping

Whether or not you plan to sleep during SFTX, you'll probably at least want a place to shower. Many options can be found on Hotels.com, Expedia, etc. Just make sure that you know where the hotel is and how much driving you'll have to do. Here are a few more specifics that may help.

Berkeley

These hotels are in Berkeley close to SFTX venues (the Finnish Hall and the Beat):
Holiday Inn Express
Rodeway Inn
Best Western - (510) 849-1121
Golden Bear Inn

The Mission/Portrero

In San Francisco, all of the SFTX venues are near the Mission and Portrero neighborhoods (see http://www.rent-sf.com/neighborhoods.htm for an overview of SF neighborhoods). These neighborhoods (especially the Mission) are full of restaurants, bars, interesting people, public transit options, and fruit stands. Unfortunately, there are not a lot of reputable and affordable hotels available in that neighborhood. Most are either sketchy dives or fancy B&Bs.

Civic Center

The Civic Center area is just northeast of the Mission. There are many, more affordable hotels here; however, there are also some sketchy areas. Here are some options:
Travelodge -- This hotel is in a safe area and is quite close to the Mission and another nice neighborhood, Hayes Valley.
Best Western -- This hotel is in a fairly safe area, but is not close to public transit, so you may need a car.
Howard Johnson -- This hotel is in a fairly safe area, but is not close to public transit, so you may need a car.

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Downtown/SOMA/Union Square/Financial District

These neighborhoods are near Market between 6th and 1st Streets. It is generally convenient to reach BART on Market Street. However, it also more expensive, on average. Your best bet here is to check out Expedia or Hotels.com and look for hotels claiming to be in the areas above. Many hotels are available near Union Square and can vary wildly in price. You may be able to find a good deal on smaller hotels here. However, be careful of areas too far west or northwest of Union Square, which gets into a pretty seedy neighborhood.

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You many also want to check out hostels in SF (http://www.hostels.com/en/us.ca.sf.html).

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Eating

= late night (or as late as it gets around here)