Within Europe there are many great examples of cities which will simply take your breath away such Rome and Paris, two places which attract tourists from all across the globe. One of the benefits enjoying city breaks is the cost and many people assume that beach holidays are cheaper but for travellers who know how to shop for a good deal this isn’t the case.

When it comes to accommodation, for example, there are is a much more options for choosing somewhere to stay and as a result it means there are much more competitive prices. If you do   good shopping around you could be heading to the nation’s capital fitting in with a modest budget when you consider the cheap hostels in London that are located in many great locations.

London is a great example of somewhere that isn’t as expensive as you may have anticipated and this is down to the fact that many attractions don’t cost. Walks through Hyde Park or along London Bridge will allow you to ‘see the sights’ as it were, but there are various monuments such as Nelsons Column and Buckingham Palace were you take plenty of pictures – especially if there are Beefeaters on duty!

Europe is blessed with many great cities that have very intriguing histories that are just waiting to be explored, so when you are contemplating a short break this year consider one of the city options available.

What to Do in San Francisco?

If you and a loved one decide to head to San Fran, as it is affectionately known, you will be spoiled for choice when deciding how to occupy your days. Whatever your preference you can be sure there will be something on offer to suit your style. Popular attractions and entertainments in the city include:

• Cable Car Tours: See the city in style from a traditional San Francisco cable car. Wind up and down the steep streets made famous by the movies and see the city in style  – a great choice for your first day, as this will help you get a feel for what is where.
• Alcatraz: While an island prison may not seem like the most romantic of locations, a tour of the prison offers paramours ample opportunity to cling to each other as they visit the spooky, and some say haunted, abandoned halls and cells. A trip to Alcatraz also offers a great opportunity to take a boat across the Bay – a wonderful experience come fog or fair-weather.
• Haight-Ashbury: Visit the heart of the hippy culture and walk the streets that were once pounded by such cultural icons as Janis Joplin and Jefferson Airplane. Chill in the local bars and soak up the vestiges of the free love vibe.
• Japanese Tea Garden, Golden Gate Park: A stunning example of Oriental landscaping set a short hop from the city centre – this is an undeniably romantic location for a stroll, picnic or even proposal.

Romantic Tours for Two

While the city of San Francisco is, in itself, easily accessible using the available public transport system, including the BART, buses and cable car system – if you want to uncover the city and surrounds in style then why not take advantage of one of the many companies offering cheap car rentals in the area. Popular drives for couples include:

• Lombard Street: If you fancy a driving tour of San Francisco itself then you have to take in Lombard Street, with its winding curves that are an instantly recognisable symbol of the city.
• Marin County via the Golden Gate: The iconic Golden Gate Bridge is a must see stop on any San Francisco tour, so head out of town over the bridge and enjoy a day in Marin County. Spots like Muir Beach are great for couples who want to soak up the California feel and simply enjoy each other’s company.
• Napa Valley: A day out in Napa is achievable during a stay in San Francisco – although those hoping to sample to local wares may wish to plan for an overnight stay. Visit the top class wineries and taste the local wines, or enjoy a gourmet lunch at one of the areas many excellent eateries.

Dating back to the 1800’s, Chinatown was originally settled by thousands of immigrants that flocked to California to escape China’s terrible economic conditions and get rich during the Gold Rush. These Chinese citizens brought their culture, customs, food and way of life with them. The whole area was rebuilt after the 1906 earthquake that demolished almost all of the wooden houses and shops. This time it was reconstructed specifically as a tourist attraction.

Visitors to this exotic part of San Francisco will find everything they can imagine when it comes to Chinese culture. There are several museums filled with beautiful works of art such as the Kee Fung Ng Gallery, with amazing sculptures, paintings and more. Other great places to visit include the Chinese Historical Society of America and the Chinese Culture Center.

For visitors looking to see how locals live, the Chinatown Marketplace on Stockton Street is lined with fruit and vegetable stalls and herb and tea shops.  There are also several alleys where you can find unique souvenirs as well as social clubs, including Ross Alley, where you’ll find the world famous Golden Gate Cookie Factory, Chinatown’s major fortune cookie factory. Plus, there are several special events throughout the year including the Chinese New Year Flower Fair and the Chinatown Night Market Fair.

And of course, nobody can visit San Francisco’s Chinatown and not try some genuine Chinese cuisine. The streets are lined with restaurants, from small Dim Sum snack shops like New Asia and Great Eastern, to elegant Chinese restaurants like The Empress of China. And as you walk down these streets several waiters will hand you flyers with their menus and encourage you to come inside.

From 1934 to 1963, Alcatraz was used as a maximum security federal government prison. Nowadays it is managed by the National Park service, which allows vacationers to visit the island and the prison, coming in by boatloads. These boats sail from Pier 33 on San Francisco Bay. It is highly recommended you buy your tickets way in advance, as this popular San Francisco attraction is usually packed and tourists make their reservations up to 90 days ahead.

There is plenty to see and learn once on the island. One of the best history lessons you’ll ever listen to is the award-winning Alcatraz audio tour, which is available for people from all over the world in 8 languages: English, Spanish, French, Italian, German, Dutch, Japanese and Mandarin. The audio tour is available year round and seven days a week. There’s also a guided tour that tells the story of the Indian occupation of Alcatraz Island and the prison, which includes short films and memorabilia. The prison’s gift shop is a great place to get your loved ones and friends an interesting souvenir.

However, for a more in-depth look at the history of the prison, visitors can choose to take the Alcatraz Night Tour. This tour starts after the day visitors leave and takes participants through the dimly lit rooms and halls of Alcatraz. The self-guided tour includes headphones that play stories of the prison, often told by ex-prisoners, as well as sound effects for different parts of the tour that can be rather scary.

With all that exertion, you are bound to want a cool refreshing drink and what better way to assuage your thirst than take a trip to Napa valley. America’s very own winery that gives Tuscany and the Champagne Valley a run for their money, Napa is known to produce some of the most delicious and robust wines this side of the Pacific. Priced at nearly half of their European counterparts, the wines from the region make wonderful gift items or can just be taken along to enjoy a quiet somber evenings spent watching the weary sun immersing itself in the San Francisco Bay.

A tour up the Tank Hill should be next on the list; named for the old water tank perched on its top in the 1800s, the hill offers a panoramic view of the city. Reaching the summit to enjoy the breath taking view that lies below is well worth the hike. The added bonus is that you can also enjoy a tour of Cole Valley on the way. The area offers numerous opportunities for fine dining and shopping to keep you occupied through the day.

The city certainly has no dearth of attractions; as a matter of fact, most tourists are in a quandary trying to decide on where to begin their adventure. The first place that comes to mind is the Alcatraz, once a federal penitentiary that housed infamous inmates like Al Capone, today the tiny islands nestled in San Francisco Bay is a national Park. Visitors can take a self-guided tour of the former correctional facility.

Fisherman’s wharf: While the wharf may seem to be an unlikely tourist attraction, its medley of restaurants and retail establishments have a lot to offer. The principle attraction in the area is the Pier 39 which boasts of an astounding 110 shops and numerous restaurants. On your way to the wharf, you can drop by the other attractions of the city like the Ripley’s Museum, the AT&T Park and the Maritime National Historical Museum.

While in the area, you should certainly visit Chinatown, San Francisco’s very own tribute to its Chinese inhabitants. The neighborhood is a fantastic place to enjoy authentic Chinese delicacies served out of tiny, family run restaurants and to shop for jade jewelry

In the 1800’s, when nothing more than a long stretch of sand dunes, people called John McLaren crazy when he said he would turn this area into a lovely landscaped park. Today, we can enjoy the results of the determined Scottish man that designed the amazing park’s layout and features. 

Golden Gate Park houses two of San Francisco’s best museums: the California Academy of Sciences and the De Young Art Museum. The California Academy of Sciences has everything from an aquarium to a planetarium, while the De Young Museum exhibits the best of local art.

Golden Gate Park  is also home to the breath-taking Japanese Tea Garden and the Conservatory of Flowers, both of which are some of the most photographed and visited attractions in town. The Japanese Tea Garden is a wonderful sample of Japanese garden design that is perfect for a peaceful walk and a cup of tea. The Conservatory of Flowers resembles a white jewel box and includes a beautiful tropical area, a water lily garden and a collection of potted plants.

The Golden Gate Park is also home to the San Francisco Botanical Garden which takes up 55 acres of the park and houses over 7000 different species of flora. It is a wonderful place to enjoy a quiet afternoon surrounded by nature or discover many exotic plants on a guided tour. You can even go fishing at Golden Gate Park’s Stow Lake. The park’s largest lake, amateur and professional fishermen come to relax and have fun while catching some fish. The lake is also open for people who want to enjoy a peaceful boat ride. You can rent paddle or rowboats.

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Travel Tips — By Louis Wertz on October 27, 2010 at 10:43 pm

Had a few too many glasses of California chardonnay? Those fresh oysters, hot chocolate and sourdough bread not getting along inside? Need a toilet pronto? You’ve come to the best place. (The best place in Australia, however, is a hundred times as good: the Aussie federal government keeps an up to date map of the more than 14,000 public restrooms around the country available online.)

1. The easiest place to find a “public” bathroom in the Bay Area is in the lobby of any hotel. These bathrooms are usually tucked away out of sight of the front door, hidden from the undesirables who might really stink them up. But if you’re canny and clean, you’ll have no trouble slipping past the front desk without so much as a “donde esta el baño?”

Not near a hotel? San Francisco is also home to self-cleaning single user public bathroom stalls, which usually require a small fee for their use. The condition of these little water closets varies widely… using one or not usually comes down to how badly you have to go. The green boxes contain a metal toilet, a sink and a mirror, and usually a very slippery floor, since the whole thing was just hosed down after the last tinkler tinkled. Prices range from $0.50 to $2, usually only payable in coins. Warning: don’t bring your magazine. The door automatically opens after twenty minutes!

Inside your run of the mill self-cleaning public restroom.

The outside of said public restroom.

Finally, if neither of these options presents itself, there is always the handy coffee shop or café bathroom. Since they are not public, these are usually “reserved for customers only.” So buy something! A cookie, hard boiled egg or small coffee won’t cost you more than $2. Or, if you just spent your last buck on the glass of wine that put you in desperation mode, give them the “if you don’t give me the key, I just might pee on your floor” face. It almost always works.

2. The Bay Area is very cosmopolitan. As such, our bathrooms often go by many more worldly names: yes, that WC does contain a toilet. You could see a sign pointing the way to the restroom, loo, commode, or comfort station. If its called the ladies’ room, it might even have a sofa in it. More likely; it just doesn’t have urinals. (Don’t know what a urinal is?)

3. If the toilet flushes itself when you stand up, don’t worry, it was probably designed to do that. If you need to flush it again, there is usually a little black button on the wall (near the blinking red light) that you can push. If not, well, as the article linked above notes, you’re pretty much screwed.

Tags: bathroom, commode, hygiene, latrinalia, san francisco, toilet, Travel Tips

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What’s New — By Louis Wertz on October 15, 2010 at 10:07 pm

This year’s Blog Action Day topic is water: that simple yet enigmatic life-sustaining substance that covers more than 70% of the earth’s surface. San Francisco is a city defined by water, literally. Surrounded on three sides by the salty stuff, it is the tale of the City’s fresh water that stands out on this day of global water action.

Hetch Hetchy Valley in 1908

San Francisco is a city defined by water, literally. The City by the Bay is, after all, bounded on three sides by salt water. After the Gold Rush of 1849, which saw San Francisco’s population grow by more than two orders of magnitude in less than a year (from 1000 in 1848 to 25,000 by late 1849), the city was already feeling a pinch on its fresh water resources. Speculators in the 1850s bought water rights or land with springs in the wilderness surrounding San Francisco and transported water on horseback, then carriage, and finally boats across the bay, all to cash a pretty penny upon its sale in San Francisco. Civic leaders were wary that a large company or two could amass control of so much water they could hold the city hostage. As early as the 1870s, city fathers were pushing for development of reservoirs in the Sierra Nevada mountains to supply a municipal water company. Nothing was done.

Hetch Hetchy Reservoir with Kolana Rock

Then in 1906, more than half of San Francisco burned to the ground following the Great Earthquake, and the remaining city residents realized another important use for water. Even before the quake, city fathers had proposed the grand and immense Hetch Hetchy Valley along the Tuolumne River, 200 miles to the east and just north of Yosemite Valley, as the site for a great reservoir that would quench all of San Francisco’s water needs. When the plan became public, John Muir and the newly formed Sierra Club led a massive mobilization of conservationists around the country in protest. Just as well damn the people’s cathedrals for water tanks as damn the Hetch Hetchy Valley, John Muir proclaimed. The battle for Hetch Hetchy, as it would come to be called, lasted nearly 7 years, but in the end, San Francisco got its dam and reservoir. John Muir died a year later, but the battle for Hetch Hetchy had immortalized him as the father of the environmentalist movement in America.

O’Shaughnessy Dam

Since 1923, upon completion of the O’Shaughnessy Dam at the mouth of Hetch Hetchy Valley, along with an immense system of pipes and pumps, San Francisco began receiving its drinking water directly from the Sierra Nevada, mere miles from the glaciers that are its source. The battle for Hetch Hetchy continues today, with groups of outspoken environmentalists continually calling for the dam’s removal and the restoration of “Yosemite’s Twin.”

Drink some San Francisco tap water on your visit to the city; think of the spectacular lengths San Francisco went to to provide it, and how those great lengths helped start the environmental movement.

San Franciscans are lucky. California may have a “water crisis,” but its nothing like what nearly a billion people on earth face daily. Those people don’t have access to clean safe drinking water. This leads to more than 42,000 deaths per week, of which 90% are children 5 and under. Read more about global water issues, other blogs about water, and Blog Action Day, at Blog Action at change.org.

Check out other NileGuide destination blog posts in celebration of Blog Action Day: NYC

Tags: “Blog Action Day”, “hetch hetchy”, “O’Shaughnessy Dam”, environmental, global, muir, water

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