San
Francisco is a beautiful city to visit. Its geographical diversity alone makes
it fun and it offers an arrangement of places to dine and shop with a landscape
and a vibe built around - amongst a host of other influences - China Town, Haight
Street hippies and the Beat poets of the 50s. It's also built up on a grid system,
so is accessible for a visitor and makes walking around the city an easy, and
culturally rich journey.
A prime first stop is Fisherman's
Wharf. From there, one can enjoy lovely views, the classic clam chowder San Francisco
is so known for, and sometimes sea lions sunning themselves on the dock. It's
also where you can catch a ferry to the notorious Alcatraz: the water-locked prison
on an island that housed such famous criminals as Al Capone. From there, you can
take a bus or walk to Haight Ashbury, which sits by the impressive Golden Gate
Park and was home to the hippy movement of the 60s and has its own tribal, eclectic
mix of young and old, vintage thrift stores and dive bars.
San
Francisco is also home to relatively exciting eating for far cheaper than restaurants
in New York or London. The city has a clearly discernable values system: food
is a priority for everyone here and there are corners of each community serving
traditional and well-priced dishes. Try Garlic Rose on Columbus Avenue in the
Italian quarter for some garlic-infused pasta dishes and pop into City Lights
Bookstore while you're there. A trek down China Town will offer up a vast supply
of sushi restaurants and Chinese cuisine.
For higher-end
fare, The Slanted Door, or Boulevard are good places to stop, but will definitely
require a reservation. If you can get in and make it to the other side of the
bay, Chez Panisse, famed Chef Alice Waters' restaurant where she birthed the concept
of 'slow food' is absolutely worth any hassle you may encounter. For less expensive
and more generic eats within the city, there is the brilliantly named Squat and
Gobble, as well as the oldest restaurant in San Francisco: the Tadich Grill, which
offers interesting ambiance, if not extraordinary food.
Finally,
a trip downtown to the Museum of Modern Art and the shops in Union Square would
make for a nice afternoon. All the shopping is neatly centralised in San Francisco
so you can easily make it to all the biggest department stores, which now include
a Bloomingdale's (one of only three on the west coast) in half a day or so. The
Museum of Modern Art has a respectable permanent collection and often exciting
exhibitions. Staying downtown is fun and affords lovely views from the top of
some hotels near Union Square, but often these are rather pricey.
For
cheap hotels, the Abigail hotel is a nice bet. It is in the civic center area,
about 2 BART stops from the Union Square area, where you get more bang for your
buck. It's also just as convenient transit-wise as Union Square. If you are set
on Union Square, the Baldwin hotel is a good way to go.
For flights
to USA, try cheapflights.co.uk
Management
& Design © NetPZ 
