They're actually about the same distance away from downtown San Francisco. Usually flying into Oakland is cheaper. Cheaper still is flying into San Jose, but realize that San Jose is over an hours drive from SF!

The taxi route is probably the easiest but most expensive ($25-$35). You can catch a bus to a BART station ($3-$5). There are also airport shuttles, which are cheaper ($10-$20) than taxis but take more time, that will take you directly to your hotel/motel.

For those extreme travellers, CalTrains will take you from San Jose to SF ($9).

bayarea.citysearch.com
www.bayarea.com

Yes, there are two - The Guardian and the SF Weekly. Both provide abundant information about the city (restaurants, venues, clubs, bars, theaters, etc.). Definitely pick one up at any of those newspaper bins found all around the city!