Hotels in SF

San Francisco City Guide        - Golden Gate Bridge        - Pier 39        - Fisherman Wharf            Wax Museum        - Alcatraz (Deserted prison)        - Coit Tower        - China Town        - Exploratorium        - Japan Town        - Twin Peak        - Golden Gate Park           Golden Gate Park Map           California Academy of Sciences            Tennis Court            Japanese Tea Garden            De Young Museum        - Buena Vista Park        - Cable Car        - Bart        - Powell Street        - Castro Street (Gay Neighborhood)        - Japan Town        - Union Square        - Hippie Neigbor        - Lincoln Park        - Russian Hill        - Nob Hill        - Pacific Heights        - Marina        - Cliff House        - Haight Ashbury(Hippie Neighborhood )        - Baker Beach (Nude Beach)        - Museum          De Young Museum(Golden Gate Park)          Palace of the Legion of Honor       San Francisco Museum of Modern Art          - George R. Moscon Convention Center         - Hall of Justice         - Golf Courses              Presidio Golf Course               Lincoln Park Golf Course            Golden Gate Park Municipal Golf Course          - Main Streets in SF                Market Street                Geary Street                Van Ness Avenue         - San Francisco Zoo (Fleischhacker Zoo)         -Steinhart Aquarium         - Lake Merced

San Francisco is generally a safe city for  travelers. During the day, business people  should encounter no problems in the financial district, and tourists can feel safe in the various tourist areas --Fisherman's Wharf, Chinatown, and North Beach.Nevertheless, travelers should be alert for pickpockets and purse  snatchers throughout the city, but especially in crowded tourist locations. Visitors should stay  within populated, well-lit entertainment and restaurant districts after dark.  Overview America’s favorite city sits at the edge of  the Western world, a position which lends even greater romantic currency  to its legend. Arguably the most beautiful, and certainly the most liberal city in the US, and one which has had  more platitudes heaped upon it than  any other, San Francisco is in serious danger of being cliched to death. But in the last twenty five years, the city has undergone a steady transition away from – or maybe out of – the  iconoclasm which made it famous, to  become a swanky, high-end town with  a palpable air of widespread affluence.  One by one the central neighborhoods  have been smartened up, with poorer families edged out into the suburbs, leaving only a couple of areas that could still be considered transitional. Interestingly, this gentrification is a    byproduct of the city’s willingness to  embrace all comers – the now wealthy  and influential gay and singles communities, and the peculiarly eccentric entrepreneurism that has flourished here, are at the root of the city’s steady growth.               For all the change, though, San Francisco remains a funky, individualistic, surprisingly small city  whose people pride themselves on being the cultured counterparts to their cousins in LA. San Franciscans like to think of themselves as less obsessed with money, less riddled with status than those in the south, but San Francisco has its own element of narcissism, rooted in the sheer physical aspect of the place. Downtown streets lean upward on impossible gradients to reveal stunning views of the city, the bay, and beyond. It’s a compact and approachable place, one of the few US centers in which you can comfortably survive without a car. This is not,  however, the California of monotonous blue skies and slothful warmth – thetemperatures rarely exceed the seventies, and even during summer  can drop much lower, when consistent   fogs blanket the hills and surrounding area.

     Sausalito
    Tiburon
    Oakland
            - Berkeley University
     Angel Island
    Napa Valley
    Yosemite National Park
    Hearst Castle   - the only castle in the States
    Los Angeles
    Orange County   - voted as one of the finest living city of the world
    San Diego
    Las Vegas
    Grand Canyon
    Outlets
    Residence Clubs & Apartments for Rent
    Recommended Restaurants
        -Luxury
        -inexpensive
 

    Car Rental (Nationwide Agencies)
        - Avis
        - Budget Rent a Car
        - Breezenet's Guide to Rental Cars
        - Dollar Rent a Car
        - Ford Rent-A-Car
        - Hertz
        - Payless Car Rental System Inc.
        - Thrifty Car Rental

Limousines and Shuttles
Taxi Services
Thai Restaurants in SF
SF Dining
 

    Language Schools in San Francisco

Berkeley University (Extension) --- recommended academy for those who not only want to study in the class but also want to do outdoor activities. The examples of activities are riding the bike across the Golden Gate Bridge, skiing in the ski resorts in Lake Tahoe, Bowling in the Cyberbowl in Japan Town, Halloween Night Party in a chosen famous bar of San Francisco, watching the opera ( the Phantom of the Opera) in San Francisco Theatre and etc.

    Department Stores
          Macy
         The Cannerry

- historic peach cannery transformed into a romantic marketplace with cafes, restaurants, and one-of-a-kind shops within a three-level brick labyrinth.

          Pier 39  - local map, attractions, dining, shopping, sea lions and more.

Stonestown Galleria - plan your shopping trip from  work or home when you search for sales, products, or gift ideas for any occasion.
Ghirardelli Square- enter to win chocolate and get information on fine dining, cafes, bars, live entertainment, and the world famous soda fountain at this historic San Francisco landmark.
San Francisco Centre - plan your shopping trip from work or home when you search for sales, products, or gift ideas for any occasion.
Splendora

San Francisco Newspapers
        San Francisco Examiner
        San Francisco Chronicle
         SF Gate

San Francisco Municipal Railway

    Transit Information Numbers

        AC TRANSIT                                                (510) 839-2882
        BART - OAKLAND                                        (510) 465-2278
        BART - SAN FRANCISCO                           (415) 788-2278
        CALTRAIN                                                    (800) 558-8661
        CONTRA COSTA CTY CONNECTION      (510) 676-7500
       GOLDEN GATE TRANSIT                          (415) 332-6600
        GREYHOUND / TRAILWAYS                    (415) 558-6789
        MUNI-SAN FRANCISCO                             (415) 673-6864
        SAMTRANS                                                 (800) 660-4287
        SANTA CLARA CTY TRANSIT                  (408) 287-4210

Information with rough explanation
        - Golden Gate Bridge
                .Golden Gate Bridge, Highway and Transportation District
        - Pier 39
        - Fisherman Wharf
           Wax Museum
        - Alcatraz - Deserted prison

Blue & Gold Ferry from Pier 41(415/773-1188 for information or415/705-5555 for tickets). Exhibits and tours  of the famous island vividly recount the prison's legacy, highlighting the lives of  some of its more colorful inmates. Tours  $17.75.

       - Coit Tower
       - China Town
       - Exploratorium
       - Japan Town
       - Twin Peak
       - Golden Gate Park
            Golden Gate Park Map
            California Academy of Sciences

- museum exhibits, research, lectures, courses, books, symposia, and expeditions about the wonders and value of the natural world.

             Tennis Court
             Japanese Tea Garden
             De Young Museum
        - Buena Vista Park
        - Cable Car
        - Bart
        - Powell Street
        - Castro Street (Gay Neighborhood)
        - Japan Town
        - Union Square
        - Hippie Neigbor
        - Lincoln Park
        - Russian Hill
        - Nob Hill
        - Pacific Heights
        - Marina
        - Cliff House
        - Haight Ashbury (Hippie Neighborhood )
        - Baker Beach (Nude Beach)

Off of Lincoln Blvd in the Presidio, part of theGolden Gate National Recreation Area(415/556-0560). Beautiful stretch of sandalong the western edge of the Presidio, with picturesque views of the Golden Gate Bridge and Marin County.

        - Museum
          De Young Museum in Golden Gate Park
          Palace of the Legion of Honor  (in Lincoln Park)

94111 (415/863-3330). Tues & Thurs-Sun 9.30am-5pm, Wed 9:30am-9pm. San Francisco’s best fine art museum, in an elegant building beautifully situated overlooking the bay. $7.

  San Francisco Museum of Modern Art (SFMOMA)

information about the collection, exhibitions, history,  public programs, services, and products; updated  bimonthly.

        - George R. Moscon Convention Center
        - Hall of Justice
        - Golf Courses
             Presidio Golf Course
              Lincoln Park Golf Course
              Golden Gate Park Municipal Golf Course
        - Main Streets in SF
               Market Street
               Geary Street
               Van Ness Avenue
        - San Francisco Zoo (Fleischhacker Zoo)

with over 1000 animals on a 65  acre site located next the Pacific Ocean.

      -Steinhart Aquarium

- oldest municipal aquarium in the U.S. containing one of the most diverse collections of  aquatic animals worldwide.

        - Lake Merced
 
 
 

Romantic San Francisco

                      The Romance Writers of America voted San
                      Francisco the most romantic city for 6 years in a row.
                      But what makes it romantic? I know what I think is
                      romantic, but I'm not sure what others think  Here are
                      some suggestions for places to do these things in San
                      Francisco, but some of these suggestions can (and
                      should) be done anywhere.

                      Romantic Things to Do

                      Buy a gift for no reason: If you're out of ideas, head
                      for a nice-looking store (like one of the department
                      stores at Union Square) and ask for help.

                      Watch the Sunset: There are lots of good places to
                      do this in San Francisco. Best of the Bay has an out of
                      the way suggestion, or arrange for sunset airplane
                      flight over the bay. The Marina provides a west-facing
                      view of the Golden Gate Bridge.

                      Get a massage: It's easy to feel romantic when
                      you're relaxed. The Ritz-Carlton hotel has a spa on the
                      premises.

                      Walk on the beach: If you're feeling adventurous,
                      there are several nude beaches in the area. If you'd
                      prefer to keep your clothes on at the beach, try Baker
                      Beach below the Presidio for a nice view of the
                      Golden Gate Bridge (albeit from the west), or Ocean
                      Beach near the Cliff House. Ocean Beach has a
                      west-facing view.

                      Listen to classical music: If classical music turns you
                      on, get tickets for the San Francisco Symphony or the
                      San Francisco Opera, or tune to a classical radio
                      station.

                      Buy flowers for no reason: Visit the San Francisco
                      Flower Mart and pick out a bunch yourself.
                      Spontaneously buy a bunch from a sidewalk vendor
                      (highly recommended). Order in advance for delivery
                      to your hotel from FTD or The Flower Shop.

                      Have dinner in a romantic restaurant: My favorite
                      is Spinnaker in Sausalito.Ask for a corner table (make
                      reservations, make a fuss about the location) and
                      watch the sky change color and the city lights come
                      on.Other restaurants that are recommended as
                      romantic include Alegrias, with food from Spain and
                      Flamenco guitar on the weekends and Greens, a
                      vegetarian restaurant with a good view of the Golden
                      Gate Bridge.A dinner cruise on the bay with dancing is
                      also a good idea.

                      Stay in a romantic hotel: Any of the Victorian B&Bs
                      in the city probably qualifies. For something different,
                      try East Brother Light Station, perched atop an island in
                      the Bay, or Dockside Boat & Breakfast, where you can
                      spend the night on a luxury yacht.

                      Shop for sexy undies: There are two custom corset
                      makers in the city: Dark Garden and Romantasy.
                      Romantasy also offers periodic seminars. Good
                      Vibrations, whose store has been called a San
                      Francisco landmark, also offers after hours seminars.
                      About.com's fashion guide has some tips for men
                      about buying lingerie your sweetie will love.

                      Resources

                      The Best Places to Kiss in Northern California : A
                      Romantic Travel Guide (4th Ed) by Stephanie Bell,
                      Elizabeth Janda (Contributor), Laura Kraemer, Miriam
                      Bulmer (Editor)

                      Romantic Days and Nights in San Francisco : Intimate
                      Escapes in the City by the Bay (Romantic Cities Series)
                      by Donna Peck