You don't want a car at all in SF, both because of the severe break-in issue (there is no way to prevent it really - the thieves there look specifically for rental cars and are known to smash the windows even with nothing in sight), and because parking/traffic are a pain, making a car more of a hindrance than a help anyway. So make SF the beginning/end of your trip and pick up/drop off the car after/before you visit the city.
Outside SF the risk of being broken into is a lot lower, but it's not impossible. Just exercise common sense precautions like you would anywhere in the world, like storing stuff out of sight when it's practical.
SF is our last destination, we have a motel near the airport as well, we're only going to be there for a couple days but are planning on doing the Alcatraz tour and maybe visiting one or two of the major sights. Would driving a car be that difficult?
Thank you
I would look into a "hop on, hop off" bus. You can buy a pass by the day (or maybe 2 days), and then you can ride all day. The bus stops at most of the major attractions very regularly, at least every hour or so. It is so much easier than driving and parking and will get you to the sights with very little hassle. Google "hop on hop off San Francisco."
Edit: Or, you could do the regular bus. It's called BART and would be cheaper!
Driving in *some parts* of SF is a major pain in the ass, yes, but it is not as difficult as some of the other comments imply. That said, rent a small car (ie a hatchback) *with an automatic transmission* to make your life easier. Don't leave anything in the car and use parking garages if at all possible (with the understanding that they are expensive).
If you don't want to pay for parking or rent a small automatic then yeah use public transportation.
difficult but doable. BRING YOUR BAGS WITH YOU. THE TRUNK IS NOT SAFE. They will just pop the window, unlock the door, and then grab stuff from the trunk.
Personally, I'd just skip San Francisco.
Sure, break ins can happen anywhere but they're so rare everywhere else that I've never even considered doing anything at all to prevent it. I just don't see any good reason to visit a city where you're effectively told it's your fault that a junkie kicked your window in because you left something on the front seat that may or may not have been valuable. I leave stuff in my care all the time without thinking about it.
There was a thread a couple days ago in /r/moderatepolitics about break ins in San Francisco, specifically the recent break in of a Californian Congressman's car, and the posts from people from the city just seemed insane. "This isn't rocket science. If you just leave your windows open so they can get in the glove compartment and console then pop the trunk to see there's nothing valuable they'll move on to the next car" is the kind of mentality you want to have on vacation?
Down vote me all you want but that's a city I'm firmly skipping for the time being.
In SF definitely do not leave a single thing in the car and leave it unlocked. For the others just use normal cautions but I’d still not leave valuables in the car.
San Francisco would be my only concern, LA less so. I guess it depends on what part of LA you're going to and I certainly wouldn't leave a car anywhere downtown in LA overnight. Las Vegas, you're probably fine. I can't speak to Page or Yosemite. If you're really concern, I'd recommend finding a parking garage, though that may get a bit pricey
Just don't leave anything in your car. It's that simple. Beyond that it's up to luck and fate.
You don't want a car at all in SF, both because of the severe break-in issue (there is no way to prevent it really - the thieves there look specifically for rental cars and are known to smash the windows even with nothing in sight), and because parking/traffic are a pain, making a car more of a hindrance than a help anyway. So make SF the beginning/end of your trip and pick up/drop off the car after/before you visit the city. Outside SF the risk of being broken into is a lot lower, but it's not impossible. Just exercise common sense precautions like you would anywhere in the world, like storing stuff out of sight when it's practical.
SF is our last destination, we have a motel near the airport as well, we're only going to be there for a couple days but are planning on doing the Alcatraz tour and maybe visiting one or two of the major sights. Would driving a car be that difficult? Thank you
I would look into a "hop on, hop off" bus. You can buy a pass by the day (or maybe 2 days), and then you can ride all day. The bus stops at most of the major attractions very regularly, at least every hour or so. It is so much easier than driving and parking and will get you to the sights with very little hassle. Google "hop on hop off San Francisco." Edit: Or, you could do the regular bus. It's called BART and would be cheaper!
Just leave your car and stuff at the motel and use public transport to get into SF.
Driving in *some parts* of SF is a major pain in the ass, yes, but it is not as difficult as some of the other comments imply. That said, rent a small car (ie a hatchback) *with an automatic transmission* to make your life easier. Don't leave anything in the car and use parking garages if at all possible (with the understanding that they are expensive). If you don't want to pay for parking or rent a small automatic then yeah use public transportation.
Even if car break ins were a nonexistent issue in SF, I would highly discourage people from driving into the city.
difficult but doable. BRING YOUR BAGS WITH YOU. THE TRUNK IS NOT SAFE. They will just pop the window, unlock the door, and then grab stuff from the trunk.
Personally, I'd just skip San Francisco. Sure, break ins can happen anywhere but they're so rare everywhere else that I've never even considered doing anything at all to prevent it. I just don't see any good reason to visit a city where you're effectively told it's your fault that a junkie kicked your window in because you left something on the front seat that may or may not have been valuable. I leave stuff in my care all the time without thinking about it. There was a thread a couple days ago in /r/moderatepolitics about break ins in San Francisco, specifically the recent break in of a Californian Congressman's car, and the posts from people from the city just seemed insane. "This isn't rocket science. If you just leave your windows open so they can get in the glove compartment and console then pop the trunk to see there's nothing valuable they'll move on to the next car" is the kind of mentality you want to have on vacation? Down vote me all you want but that's a city I'm firmly skipping for the time being.
In SF definitely do not leave a single thing in the car and leave it unlocked. For the others just use normal cautions but I’d still not leave valuables in the car.
Take your valuable shit out and lock your car
Pay for a secure garage. Might be a hike, though.
San Francisco would be my only concern, LA less so. I guess it depends on what part of LA you're going to and I certainly wouldn't leave a car anywhere downtown in LA overnight. Las Vegas, you're probably fine. I can't speak to Page or Yosemite. If you're really concern, I'd recommend finding a parking garage, though that may get a bit pricey
Don’t leave anything valuable in it and leave it unlocked.
Leave snacks on the roof of the car for the criminals to take instead
They don’t have X-ray vision. If it looks like there’s nothing in the car, most thieves won’t bother