Recommended Hotel: The Moser
Why: Best Rates, Complimentary Airport Shuttle
There are sixteen hotels near the Powell Street BART station in the heart of San Francisco, but we’d start by looking at just three, Hotel Fusion, Hotel Zetta, and The Mosser. All three are boutique hotels with rates averaging $200 or below. The brand name hotels in the area like the Marriott and Hilton average well over $200 per night. The Mosser is the cheapest at just $130 per night and offers a complimentary shuttle to the airport. The main drawback to The Mosser is the small rooms, but if you’re mostly planning to sightsee and just sleep in the hotel, this shouldn’t be a problem. All three hotels have an on-site restaurant and valet parking for a daily fee. The Mosser and Hotel Zetta both offer breakfast for purchase, while the Hotel Fusion does not have a breakfast option. The Marriott and Westin also have on-site restaurants, breakfast for purchase, and valet parking, but parking is more expensive and you’ll have to pay for WiFi in your room whereas it’s free at all three boutique choices. Given the boutique options are less expensive and all the options are clean and located near BART, we recommend The Mosser.
Neighborhood Vibe: Powell Street is a North-South thoroughfare taking you from Market Street through to Fisherman’s Wharf in the heart of San Francisco. This area is filled with young professionals and singles with dogs. It’s very expensive to live in this area and nearby areas in downtown San Francisco, so many people live in small apartments with roommates. Families tend to move into the suburbs. However, tourists with families love this part of San Francisco. 
Getting Around: Public transit is fantastic in this area. It’s less than a half-hour BART ride from SFO, and a mere 20 minutes from Oakland Airport. You can get around the city centre easily via BART, MUNI buses, cable car, and Uber. 
Things to Do: You can hop on a bus or cable car from the Powell Street Station or walk to Chinatown, the largest Chinatown outside of Asia and the oldest in North America for excellent food and shopping. The famous Dragon gate at Grant Avenue and Bush Street is where it all starts. Grant Avenue mostly offers cheap and kitschy plastic Buddhas and other souvenirs. If you want something more authentic, try Waverly Place, which runs parallel to Grant Avenue and Stockton Street, between Washington and Sacramento streets. It is the nexus of temples in Chinatown, including Tien Hau. Chinatown boasts the oldest Dim Sum Tea house in America, the Hang Ah Tea Room, and Golden Gate Fortune Cookie Factory, where just two women churn out 20,000 cookies each day. 
