The bus ride would allow you to get a little overview tour of the city as you arrive, so the time may not be wasted. I'm not familiar with that particular shuttle, but it may not have passengers for all of its stops, so it may not need to stop at all of them. Thus the ride may be shorter than the scheduled 40 minutes. I think the schedule also allows for traffic congestion, which may or may not materialize.

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Trust God, love your neighbor, and never mistake opinion for truth.
-Mr. Toy

Reggie

But the bus driver spent a good 15 minutes fussing with tickets. Then she spent another 15 having detailed discussions with the surprising number of passengers who had no idea where they wanted to be dropped off. Finally, she disappeared into the train station, saying "I'll be back in a minute."

She was a pleasant woman. But we sat there for nearly an hour before the bus actually pulled out. We could have walked into San Francisco faster.

I'm sure the bus isn't always so slow. But don't rule out a taxi -- especially if you have lots of luggage and you're headed for a hotel. A helpful bus driver might drop you off at the nearest corner (if not right outside the front door). But an unhelpful one might simply drop you off at the "official" Amtrak stop, which could be several blocks from your destination.

Just ride the Amtrak bus on up to Pier 39. Don't worry about 40 minutes after going across the country. Look out the window for the colorful F-Line Streetcars en route up to Pier 39/Fisherman's Wharf. It's a neat Streetcar you may want to take on a later ride.

Save that taxi money so you and the fam can eat those fresh boiled-to-death-while-you-watch crabs up at the Wharf! Hope this helps.

-- -- The Chief

p.s. When you book your CZ bedrooms, if you pay for them, you can get all the $$ spent for your own Gue$t Reward$ account.