Traveling
to San Francisco, California
Ever since gold was discovered
at Sutter's Mill in 1848, visitors from all over the world have flocked to San
Francisco. Today, it's still possible to find gold in the "City on the Bay" in
its numerous restaurants, beautiful neighborhoods, and world-class cultural
attractions. From the days of the gold rush to the advent of the Internet boom,
San Francisco has earned its reputation as a stylish, high-livin' town. Whether
you prefer to hob-nob on Nob Hill or rub elbows with Internet gurus in the
Mission, this posh peninsula offers infinite opportunities to spend a weekend
in style.
San Francisco Bay was the source of the
city's livelihood for a very long time, and it remains the key to the city to
this day. The Golden Gate
Bridge, a San Francisco icon, is 1.7 miles long and frames the Bay. The
Bridge is an architectural marvel, and is one of the longest suspension bridges
in the world. The two towers are purposely out of alignment in order to
compensate for the curvature of the earth. It's orange shape is beautiful to
behold, whether it is on a clear day, or peaking above the rolling fog of the
bay. Visitors should drive across it, take photographs of it, and enjoy this
national landmark.
Located around the Bay are
several remarkable beaches and parks. Golden Gate Park contains several
museums, gardens, and open spaces.
The Presidio, a 200 year
old Spanish Fort, is also a well-known Bay Area attraction.
San
Francisco hosts a number of national landmarks, from the famous Telegraph Hill
and old-fashioned trolley cars to the Golden Gate Bridge and Alcatraz, that
help make any trip special.
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Marriott San Francisco
Downtown
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The spectacular San Francisco Marriott is located in downtown San Francisco
adjacent to the Moscone Convention Center. Situated on Fourth Street between
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it now!
Marriott Walnut
Creek
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2.9 miles/4.6 Km from Fisherman's Wharf The Walnut Creek Marriott
offers deluxe accommodations and superior facilities in Contra Costa county
thirty miles northeast of downtown San Francisco. Book
it now!
Sheraton Fishermans
Wharf
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The Sheraton Fisherman's Wharf is a 529-room, contemporary hotel located in
heart of Fisherman's Wharf within walking distance of San Francisco Bay, Pier
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Hyatt at Fisherman's
Wharf
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The Hyatt At Fisherman's Wharf, a 5-story, 312-room full-service hotel,
located in the heart of famous Fisherman's Wharf, across from Powell and Mason
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Hilton
Concord
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1.2 miles/1.9 Km from Fisherman's Wharf The Hilton Concord is
located in the East Bay area of San Francisco/Oakland, just off I-680 and
Willow Pass Road, one mile west of downtown Concord. Catering Book
it now!
Best Western
Americania
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4.9 miles/7.8 Km from Golden Gate Bridge San Francisco is a city
of excitement and beauty, with the hustle and bustle of sightseeing and
business by day and the magic and glamour of dining and Book
it now!
Comfort Suites San
Francisco Airport
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The Comfort Suites is conveniently located off California Highway 101 at
Grand Avenue, a mere two miles N of San Francisco International Airport. The
hotel is just a few short miles from 3 COM/Candlestick Park, Cow Palace,
Downtown San Francisco, Fisherma Book
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Palace
Hotel
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One of the first grand hotels built in the United States, The Palace Hotel
has been a San Francisco landmark since 1875. Lavishly restored with loving
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it now!
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Sitting on 43 hills, and
surrounded on three sides by water, San Francisco is ideally located so that
almost every one of its streets ends or begins with a panoramic sea view. Some
call it The City By the Bay, but to most of its residents, it is known simply
as The City. Seldom has there been such a passion for preserving the
past with its colorful legends and architecture as there is in San Francisco.
Seven times, it has been rebuilt after fires and earthquakes; and seven times,
it has been carefully and lovingly restored. The city varies in
altitude from sea level to 929 feet because of its configuration. The combined
effect of the many hills, the Pacific Ocean, San Francisco Bay, and the Golden
Gate Bridge is stunning in its beauty and scope. Established in 1835
as a resting place along the trail and called Yerba Buena, the village had
fewer than 100 inhabitants for 13 years. The discovery of gold rapidly raised
that population figure to over 10,000. Only a handful made a fortune from gold,
but many stayed on to develop the city that became San Francisco.
Today San Francisco is an important industrial, tourist and financial center.
Its financial district is often called Wall Street West. The city
port handles huge amounts of cargo annually and ranks among the top ten ports
in the world for passenger traffic. George R. Moscone Convention Center
occupies a city block between third and Fourth Streets and Howard and Folsom
Streets and is almost entirely built underground. Across the street, is the
Center for the Arts at the Yerba Buena Gardens, a visual and performing arts
complex. San Francisco has a world-class symphony orchestra, opera,
and ballet. Other not to be missed attractions are the San Francisco Maritime
Museum, the California Academy of Science, the Natural History Museum and the
Japanese Tea Garden. Restaurants and nightspots span the entire spectrum of
fine cuisine and the best in live music and dance. Sports are at the top of the
charts with everything from golf, surfing, fishing, skiing, basketball and
swimming to the unforgettable San Francisco 49ers and San Francisco Giants.
In recent years, San Francisco has consistently received the highest score
of any city in the United States in Conde Nast Traveler Magazine's Readers'
Choice Awards. San Francisco also scored highest in the world in the Restaurant
category and highest in the United States in the Environment Ambiance. The year
2000 marked the twelfth of thirteen years that San Francisco has been
designated Best City in the United States and the third year as the leader in
the Restaurants category. The Bay Area, extending from the suburban
communities north of Oakland and Berkeley south through the peninsula and the
San Jose area, is really one continuous mega city, with San Francisco as its
heart. A prominent feature of San Francisco is that beautifully
fluffy, chilly, wet, heavy, material called fog which makes the
city's weather so mysterious, exciting, and unpredictable. A rare combination
of water, wind, and topography creates Northern California's summer fog bank.
It lies off the coast, and rising air currents pull it in when the land heats
up. Held back by coastal mountains along a 600-mile front, the low clouds seek
out any passage they can find. The easiest access happens to be the slot where
the Pacific Ocean penetrates the continental wall: otherwise known as the
Golden Gate!
While in San Francisco, be sure to save time to visit
Fishermans Wharf. The wharf once bustled with Sicilian and Genoese
fishermen unloading their catches to sell. There is still a fishing fleet, but
the wharf is lined with more than a hundred seafood restaurants and steaming
crab pots as well as marine gear suppliers, and sidewalk performers. From there
its a short walk to Chinatown with its pagoda roofs; colorful lampposts,
and fascinating shops. The 853-foot Transamerica pyramid marks the heart of the
Financial District, as does Embarcadero Center. Nearby is the home of the new
San Francisco Giants baseball stadium, Pac Bell Park.
Fisherman's Wharf
Fisherman's Wharf and Pier 39 are national landmarks, offering breathtaking
views, fine restaurants and great shopping. Millions visit this part of San
Francisco each year to gaze across the piers, take in the local scene, and
enjoy the attractions of numerous restaurants and fun things to do.
Fisherman's Wharf
represents a modern San Francisco, but at a little slower pace. Visitors
love the neighborhood and take in the sight of regulars and other visitors. San
Francisco bay is beautiful from here!
Steinhart Aquarium is the oldest
municipal aquarium in America, featuring a wide selection of creatures from
both the Bay and the Pacific Ocean. Of course, no tour of the Bay would be
complete without mentioning
Alcatraz, America's
most famous prison, and now San Francisco's number one tourist attraction.
Moving away from the Bay, San Francisco only gets better. The city's
famous steep hills and trolley cars run back and forth between museums like the
Museum of the
Legion of Honor and attractions like the
San Francisco Zoo, which
houses over 1000 animals on 65 acres. The world-famous
San Francisco Opera is
also a perennial favorite among visitors, as are the city's numerous
restaurants. In fact, inhabitants of San Francisco spend more on dining out per
person than any city in America.
For a few lucky miners, San Francisco
in the 19th century was the gateway to an unforgettable experience. Today's
visitors to the Bay Area feel the same way.
California Wine
Country
The main shopping, hotel, and
theater district is at Union Square. A few blocks farther on, the formerly run
down factory district has been reborn as a cultural center with the Museum of
Modern Art as its centerpiece. Major galleries, museums and restaurants have
opened there, as well as Sonys Metreon theater complex. Yerba Buena
Gardens provides constant family entertainment year round with its ice rinks,
parks and childrens play areas.
It is wise to plan to spend a day
of relaxation in Golden Gate Park and to save another day for a quiet stroll
along Ocean Beach. A leisurely pace leaves time to enjoy exploring the city and
opens space for the unexpected, such as that park that looked to be five
minutes away on the map, but is actually at the top of a steep hill!
San Francisco is a city of beauty and dignity. It presents to the visitor a
banquet of sights, sounds, tastes and aromas to sample, to savor, and to
remember forever.
Book easily online
or call anytime: 1-888-254-0637, USA and Canada Toll Free +1 210-507-5997,
International. Give Promo Code 3712 when
calling. |