A Working Woman's Tips On Vacations

Tag-Archive for "San Francisco"

How To Save Money On Your San Francisco Trip Author: Kim Mar 03

You may leave your heart in San Francisco, but you don’t have to leave your life savings here too. Here are some ideas to keep the cost of your San Francisco trip under control.

1. Shop Around for Airfare: Check fares for all three area airports: San Francisco (SFO), Oakland (OAK) and San Jose (SJC). Oakland is closer to the city than San Jose, but you can get transportation into San Francisco from either one.

2. Don’t Rent a Car: San Francisco is a small city (49 square miles) and most of the tourist attractions are located in about a third of it.

Parking is hard to find and driving in the city traffic can ruin the best of moods. To make matters worse, many of the centrally located hotels charge for parking.

Use public transportation, walk and take taxis instead.

3. Stay at Cheap Hotels In San Francisco: I sometimes feel like finding good, nice Hotels In San Francisco for the lowest possible rate is more difficult than getting a Ph. D. in Chemistry. If you feel equally overwhelmed by the process, San Francisco Hotels.com can help you find a cheap hotel at the lowest possible rate.

San Francisco.com offers a wide selection of San Francisco Hotels ranging from 2 star to 5 star hotels, from luxury to budget, and from a chic boutique to a familiar chain at the lowest possible rate.

4. Get a Discount Admission Card: The CityPass includes a seven-day Muni Pass for unlimited rides on cable cars, light rail and city buses. You also get admission to various attractions, and a San Francisco Bay Cruise.

5. Free Attractions: You can’t get much cheaper than this. Some of the things you can see for free include Chinatown, Fisherman’s Wharf, the Golden Gate Bridge, and Golden Gate Park. City Guides tours are always free.

Category: Save Money On Vacations | Tags: airfare, budget, cheap hotels, discount admission card, free attractions, life savings, Oakland, rent a car, San Francisco, San Francisco trip, San Jose | Comments off

California For City Lovers Author: Kim Feb 04

If you’re a city-lover who likes museums, shopping, culture and great cuisine, California’s got ‘em. You know the city names already: San Diego, San Francisco, Los Angeles. Each has its special personality.Many city-lovers also enjoy the arts, so be sure to click on through to California for Culture-Lovers to find out more.

We figure most shoppers can find their way to the local mall on their own, but you might want to also check out our California shopping guide to learn about some of the most interesting local shopping areas.

San Diego

Though San Diego may not spring to your lips when someone mentions great California cuisine, this southernmost of California cities has some truly great restaurants. more…

Category: USA | Tags: city lovers, culture, gamblers, great cuisine, Las Vegas, Los Angeles, museums, Napa Valley, New York City, San Diego, San Francisco, shopping, Union Square, wine country | Comments off

Buy Cheap DVDs Online: Explore San Francisco – In Stock On 18, January 2008 Author: Kim Jan 18

Finally, an entertaining travel guide !!! Not only did this DVD thoroughly help me plan my family reunion/trip to San Francisco, but I ended up buying another copy for my parents as a souvenir AFTER the reunion as well, so they could have a special DVD memento of the city they grew up in.

And of course, they absolutely loved it. The camera-work of this film is brilliant! I was so impressed by the amazing shots, incredible color, and such a great original score.

This DVD really makes San Francisco come alive right before your eyes. Also, there is a special bonus slide-show near the end that shows unbelievably powerful photos of the San Francisco Earthquake of 1906.

It is really something to marvel at how this city has not only stood the test of time through such catastrophe, but has become an even more amazing and inspiring U.S. city.

Explore San Francisco. Explore San Francisco is a unique visual tour of the city of San Francisco captured from land, sea, and air. Our three guides (a sports car driver, a speedboat captain and a helicopter pilot) take you on an enthralling trek that reveals one panoramic splendor after another.

Come and enjoy a ride in their dynamic vehicles and you’ll discover the city in a whole new way! These cinematic tour guides offer perspectives of 16 of San Francisco’s finest landmarks: the Bay Bridge, SBC Park, Yerba Buena Park, the Ferry Building, Civic Center, Chinatown, North Beach, Coit Tower, Pier 39, Alcatraz, Lombard Street, Alamo Square, the Palace of Fine Arts, Haight Ashbury, Golden Gate Park and the Golden Gate Bridge.

Learn about the city with expert commentary that enhances the thrilling experience of Explore San Francisco. You’ll gain a true sense of the city’s breadth and beauty as the helicopter skims over the landscape and the sports car cruises its streets.

Venture into the Bay in a high-speed motorboat for an indelible memory of all the gifts the city has to offer. Explore San Francisco is your magic carpet ride to historical places, cultural places, fun places and places you want to see simply because they’re breathtaking.

This DVD includes an original score, high-energy transitional map sequences between locations, and exciting footage of the vehicles themselves. And as a bonus, Explore San Francisco contains a photo slideshow of the city as well as a visual featurette about the 1906 San Francisco earthquake.

Explore San Francisco is a valuable souvenir for those who have visited or ever dream of visiting one of America’s most inspiringly beautiful cities.

Category: Buy Cheap DVDs Online | Tags: amazing shots, cheap DVDs, city, enthralling trek, Explore San Francisco, family reunion, helicopter pilot, powerful photos, San Francisco, slide-show, tour guides, travel guide, trip | Comments off

Most Popular Tourist Attractions & Activities In San Francisco Author: Kim Dec 14

This list includes the most popular tourist attractions and activities in San Francisco based on a survey done several years ago by the Convention and Visitors Bureau.

Around the Town of San Francisco

1. Union Square, one of the city’s three original parks, is now a public space atop a multi-level underground parking garage and ringed with elegant shops and hotels. The Powell cable car line begins about a block away, and the theatre district is nearby.

2. Cable Cars are often called San Francisco’s moving landmark.

3. Chinatown expresses what Western architects thought Chinese buildings should look like. There’s much here that’s created just for the tourist, but with our hints, you can get a glimpse of the “real” Chinatown in its alleys and shops.

4. Lombard, the “Crookedest” Street is neither the crookedest street in San Francisco nor the steepest, but it’s surely the best-known. The “crooked” section is the block below Hyde Street. No car to drive down? Take the cable car to Hyde and Lombard and walk.

5. Coit Tower, atop Telegraph Hill offers panoramic bay and city views, and a bit of San Francisco in the 1930s preserved in its murals.

On the Ocean and Bay of San Francisco

1. Sausalito, just across San Francisco Bay, has some of the best views OF San Francisco in the area. Take a ferry over, browse a few art galleries and have lunch or dinner at Spinnaker, one of my favorite area restaurants.

2. Cliff House, on Ocean Beach. has been a San Francisco standard since 1863, when the first Cliff House was built. Today’s version is the fourth restaurant to stand on this spot.

Category: USA | Tags: cable car, Chinatown, city views, Cliff House, panormic bay, popular tourist attractions, San Francisco, Sausalito, Union Square | Comments off

Buy Cheap DVDs Online: Explore San Francisco Author: Kim Dec 14

And of course, they absolutely loved it. The camera-work of this film is brilliant! I was so impressed by the amazing shots, incredible color, and such a great original score.

It is really something to marvel at how this city has not only stood the test of time through such catastrophe, but has become an even more amazing and inspiring U.S. city.

Explore San Francisco is a valuable souvenir for those who have visited or ever dream of visiting one of America’s most inspiringly beautiful cities.

Buy Cheap DVDs Online: Explore San Francisco – In Stock On 16, November 2007 Author: Kim Nov 16

And of course, they absolutely loved it. The camera-work of this film is brilliant! I was so impressed by the amazing shots, incredible color, and such a great original score.

It is really something to marvel at how this city has not only stood the test of time through such catastrophe, but has become an even more amazing and inspiring U.S. city.

Explore San Francisco is a valuable souvenir for those who have visited or ever dream of visiting one of America’s most inspiringly beautiful cities.

Category: Uncategorized | Tags: amazing shots, cheap DVDs, city, enthralling trek, Explore San Francisco, family reunion, helicopter pilot, powerful photos, San Francisco, slide-show, tour guides, travel guide, trip | Comments off

10 Ways To Be A Smart San Francisco Tourist Author: Kim Nov 15

To help you be a smarter San Francisco tourist, enjoy your trip more and spend less of your hard-earned money doing it, here are 10 ways to be a smart San Francisco tourist:

1. Know the Weather. Many a San Francisco tourist doesn’t realize how cold it can get here in summer, and dozens of sweatshirt shops thrive on their ignorance. Our guide to weather and what to expect can help you bring the right stuff.

2. Stay in the Right Place. The most convenient areas in the city for a tourist are Union Square and Fisherman’s Wharf. Van Ness and Lombard Street, areas many people ask about, are inconvenient and noisy, and it’s more likely you’ll need a car to get around.

3. Get a Hotel Bargain. If you’re willing to invest some time, you can get excellent rates on some of San Francisco’s best hotels. Our tips will show you how.

4. Don’t Rent a Car. San Francisco is small, and all the tourist sights are close together. Some hotels charge more than the price of a nice lunch just for parking, and snagging a spot on the street is impossible.

Pick a hotel in a convenient area (Union Square or Fisherman’s Wharf), use public transportation or taxis, and rent a car for just one day if you want to take a side trip.

5. Make Reservations for Alcatraz Island. Alcatraz tours fill up fast. Reserve ahead online, or go to the ticket office your first day to avoid disappointment.

6. Pick a Good Tour Guide. If you’re inclined to take guided tours, avoid the obvious choices. Their tours are canned, restrictive and sometimes their guides are just plain wrong.

Instead, take a free walking tour with City Guides or engage a small, local company to take you on a private tour. While the private tour costs more, when you take into account what you get for your money, it’s well worth it.

7. Life’s Too short to Eat Bad Food. You’re in a city that some think is the world’s best for food.

Don’t be a typical San Francisco tourist who settles for the tired, mediocre Fisherman’s Wharf restaurants or the even tireder garlic-laden dishes at Stinking Rose. Ask your hotel for suggestions, or stop a San Franciscan on the street and ask them where they eat.

8. Get on the Cable Car Faster. Don’t stand in the interminable line below Ghirardelli Square. Instead, head over to Mason and Bay Streets, where lines are much shorter. You’ll end up at Union Square on either line.

If you just want to ride for the fun of it, also avoid the lines at Powell and Market Streets and get on the California line where California Street intersects Market near the Ferry Building.

9. Get Behind the Facade. Don’t just stand there looking at the boats in Fisherman’s Wharf. Walk toward the water anywhere you can find an opening and see what the wharf is really like.

In Chinatown, resist the urge to shuffle down Grant Street and branch off onto the side streets and into the alleys. See if you can find the fortune cookie factory or the Tien Hou Temple.

10.Walk on the Golden Gate Bridge. Stopping at the parking lot overlook and not walking on the bridge is like looking at an ice cream sundae and not eating it. To get the true feel of this iconic landmark, stroll the sidewalk, even if you only go out a little way.

Category: USA | Tags: best hotels, excellent rates, hotel bargain, rent a car, San Francisco, summer, sweatshirt shops, tourist, weather | Comments off

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