1 - 4 hour drives:
From my home, you can drive 1 - 4 hours to the following: beautiful beaches, skiing at Lake Tahoe, Yosemite National Park, Muir Woods National Park (redwoods), Mt. Diablo, Mt. Tamalpias, Sea World, Sacramento (state capitol), wine country, Monterey Acquarium and more. Spend a week in SF without a car; spend a second week and rent a car for travel to these nearby destinations.
I'll help you learn the City and Region:
I'm a native San Franciscan, and have lived in the Bay Area for 68 of my 72 years. At my house, you'll find maps, local walking tour guides, brochures, magazines and my own recommendations to help make your visit a memorable one. There is plenty of public transportation within 2 - 4 blocks of my house. You can get to almost anyplace in San Francisco in a maximum-45 minute ride, including: Golden Gate Park, ferry boat rides, downtown with its shopping, art galleries, theater, museums, restaurants and other sites. I also have recommendations for modestly priced restaurants to suit your taste. BART is the regional transit system that you can take from either Oakland or SF airport close to my house--within two blocks if you transfer to the 'J' streetcar. My associate and I will help you make this a trip to remember.
Some tourist advisories:
-- If you want to go to Alcatraz, make your reservations long before coming otherwise space may not be available.
-- Bring clothes you can wear in layers; it may be warm, cool or downright chilly and you can never predict which.
-- If you're traveling on a budget, it's easy to have delicious dinner in a nearby restaurant for $15 or less.