The narrative sounded familiar: retailers are fleeing, sidewalks are blocked by drug users, and the downtown core has yet to bounce back. As in Portland, these headline-grabbing scenarios are certainly present in San Francisco, but far from the whole story. A visitor is more likely to be put off by all the driverless cars (beta testing by local tech companies) than by any downtown drug scourge or urban decay. And as in Portland, there’s plenty to eat, see, and do for travelers, from families to transit geeks to foodie adventurers.

What to Do

With Kids: The one-two hit of Musée Mécanique and the Exploratorium is hard to beat: first freak them out with old coin-op arcade games and carnival machines in a warehouse at Fisherman’s Wharf, then provide a crash course in how they might create such things themselves at the Exploratorium, a very hands-on science center founded by J. Robert Oppenheimer’s younger brother Frank, a fellow physicist.

Without Kids: Heading to Fisherman’s Wharf for a boat ride can be the perfect couple hours during the day or evening. A handful of companies, including Red and White Fleet cruises, offer rides with up close and personal views of the Golden Gate Bridge and Alcatraz. If shopping is more your speed, head to Valencia Street in the Mission District for shops and eats. Get your streetwear fix at Huf and Nice Kicks, your next nylon crossbody from Baggu, and when you’ve run out of energy fuel up with tacos from nearby Taqueria El Buen Sabor or nitro ice cream at Smitten.

Where to Eat

With Kids: Sure, San Francisco is home to famed dim sum takeout windows and lauded bakeries like Tartine and Jane, but don’t be surprised if some people in your crew are most excited about the many locations of the Melt, a California-based fast-casual chain specializing in grilled cheese, mac and cheese, cheeseburgers, and other dairy bombs.

Without Kids: Make a resy at Kibatsu, a quaint sushi bar in the Lower Haight neighborhood, and gorge on nigiri until you’re satisfied. In the morning, head to Fillmore Bakeshop for a sweet pick me up (the raspberry custard croissant is top-notch) before heading to Gioia for a slice (or two) of pizza, where you can get sassy with the Julian, a kale-heavy slice with calabrese sausage, red onion, and pecorino.

Where to Stay (Affordably!)

A stay in San Francisco can easily be more affordable than in Seattle or Portland. For a cheap-eats base camp, the low-on-frills Royal Pacific Motor Inn sits on the edge of Chinatown right next to North Beach, San Francisco’s Little Italy. It’s also just around the corner from the legendary City Lights Booksellers and onetime Beat writers’ hangout Vesuvio. Grab some edible souvenirs a few blocks away at the Golden Gate Fortune Cookie Factory—just don’t crush them in your suitcase. 

Not quite a downtown person, but still want to be close by? Consider Japantown. The Kimpton Hotel Enso is a chic, yet affordable option that offers a traditional Japanese breakfast and complementary wine in the evening. The nearby Japan Center Malls complex is incredibly cool: a string of buildings filled with eateries, art, and a massive Kinokuniya bookstore. 

Getting There from Portland

Alaska and United both have nonstop flights from PDX to SFO (35–40 minutes from downtown on Bay Area Rapid Transit, a.k.a. BART), and Alaska and Southwest offer nonstops to Oakland (50 minutes from downtown on BART). The airport is right next to the Oakland Coliseum, so once you land you can catch an A’s game if the team hasn’t yet relocated to Las Vegas (sob)—plan ahead and show up in a shirt from the Last Dive Bar to blend in with the locals. A Clipper card (available for purchase at BART stops and elsewhere) can be used on BART as well as Muni, San Francisco’s in-town transit system. Kids ride Muni buses and trains for free, but everyone has to pay on the historic cable cars.

A ride on the Coast Starlight should be on every Oregonian’s bucket list. The Amtrak route departs Portland just after 2 p.m. and arrives in Oakland at Jack London Square just before 9 a.m. the next morning. Northbound, trains leave Oakland just after 9 p.m., cross the state line into Oregon around dawn, and arrive in Portland at 3:40 p.m. Coach seats recline enough that actual sleep happens, or you can splurge on a roomette or larger private room and stretch out.