San Francisco Neighborhoods

So now that you have found a nice place to stay, I am sure you will want to begin seeing the sights, do a little shopping or experiencing a different culture. Well, San Francisco is the place to be.

Each neighborhood has it's own distinct characteristics. For example, Chinatown, which most have heard of, is 18 square blocks of shops, restaurants and history. As you enter through the Dragon Gate at the corner of Bush and Grant Streets, you are walking into one of North America's largest Chinese communities. The Dragon Gate was a gift from the Republic of China in 1969.

You can stop by the Golden Gate Fortune Cookie Company, 56 Ross Alley and see how fortune cookies are made. The Chinese Cultural Center has a gallery of Chinese art and offers two walking tours - Heritage Walk and a Culinary/Luncheon Walk. Traveling through Chinatown by foot is definitely the way to go. Your senses will be captivated by the sights, smells and sounds. Short and sweet, Chinatown is exotic, crowded and has lots of open markets.

The Mission District, is San Francisco's Latino neighborhood. Location: Mission street between 16th and 24th Streets. Mission Dolores is the oldest structure in San Francisco. Two blocks away at 18th and 24th is Dolores Park, a palm tree studded Spanish flavor park. The heart of the Mission District is 24th street, a collection of authentic restaurants, Mexican bakeries, produce markets, specialty shops and murals. Short and sweet: cheap food and drink

How about a trip back to the 60's? Try Upper Haight, Haight and Ashbury. This stretch of shops was the center of the 60's hippie movement. Despite the fact that Gen X stores, such as The GAP and Ben & Jerry's, have moved in, the neighborhood still retains it's hippie culture and is dotted with Victorian homes, bookstores, and funky clothing shops. Short and sweet: peace, love and history

On of the most notable tourism spots in San Francisco would have to be Fisherman's Wharf. Located at Embarcadero and Taylor, Pier 39, this is a very popular spot for visitors. The family of Sea Lions makes for great entertainment as do all the shops, museums and family fun. Don't forget the street entertainment, this area is noted for the locals providing a little entertainment, San Francisco style. If you manage an early morning walk, you will see fishermen at work, as this is still a working wharf that sells tons of fish and shellfish. As for entertainment, Ripley's Believe It or Not! Museum, The Red and White Fleet, The Wax Museum and the Aquarium are all located on the wharf. The Red and White Fleet offers bay tours aboard their fleet of ships, including a sunset tour. There are also a wide variety of restaurants on the wharf with just about every type of cuisine you can imagine. Short and sweet: Family entertainment, seafood and tourists.

In Japantown, located on Geary, you will find a large array of shops, restaurants, sushi bars and spas. On many weekends, especially during the spring Cherry Blossom Festival, you will see traditional Japanese music and dance performances, flower arranging and martial arts presentations. Short and sweet: sushi, entertainment and spas.

San Francisco Places to Stay

I have found some more unique and reasonable hotels that could be of interest to some of you. Their links are listed in the San Francisco list to the right.

The Red Victorian is a very interesting bed and breakfast located in the Haight Ashbury district. The hotel is dedicated to peaceful world travelers. The Golden Gate Park is virtually in the backyard and the area is well know for its history from the 60's Summer of Love. Each room is uniquely decorated and honors nature.

The Mosser Victorian, located in the Union Square shopping district, was opened in 1913 as the Keystone Hotel. In 1981, Charles W. Mosser purchased the hotel and after a multi-million dollar renovation, renamed it The Mosser. A deluxe room with two twin beds runs around $199.

The Marina Hotel is located on the famous Lombard Street. The hotel has "family" rooms that include a kitchen for convenience. Each room is decorated to reflect the historic 1930's hotel. There are flower boxes at the windows to reflect the European Cottage charm. A quaint courtyard covered in fuchsias and bougainvillea and paved in cobblestone embraces guests each morning. They also provide a dog friendly suite for those traveling with pets.

The Marina Inn is within walking distance of Fisherman's Wharf, Union Street and Ghiradelli Square. Located in the historic Marina district which features stately, colorful homes and pretty courtyard gardens. Complimentary continental breakfast is included in the reasonable room rates.

Another option is a bed and breakfast. Bed & Breakfast San Francisco, http://www.bbsf.com/, is a bed and breakfast reservations service for San Francisco and Northern California. They offer rooms in a variety of settings, from beautiful Victorians to charming cottages and usually at better prices than a hotel or motel.

San Francisco being the tourism and business center that it is, there is a large variety of places to stay. I have only listed ideas I found interesting and reasonable. If price is not an option and you want to be treated like royalty, try The Fairmont San Francisco, Campton Place San Francisco, Clift Hotel or The Parc 55 Hotel, just to name a few.

Sweet dreams.

I left my heart in San Francisco...............

Corny, I know, but oh so true and for those of you who have been there, ya know what I mean. From the minute you lay your eyes on that Golden Gate Bridge you know you are in a special place. Then you see the houses, the hills, Fisherman's Wharf, Chinatown, Alamo Square with it's painted ladies, and it is confirmed.


The first time I saw San Francisco, one of my friends from the Navy that I was stationed with up in Vallejo, asked me to go with her into the city. I grew up in a small, very small town. This would be the first time I had been in a city, unchaperoned, and as an adult. I fell in love. Not just with San Francisco, but with the whole city scene. The people, the buildings, the traffic. Wow, it was just like in the movies. I vowed then that I would return to this city and live someday. That day has yet to come, but I have plans.


San Francisco will be the third stop on my train trip and I will be here for 4 days. Enough time to see the major sites, do a little wine country side trip and enjoy some of the delicious food this city has to offer.

In regards to the train, it does not go into San Francisco, it stops in Emeryville. but there is bus service over to San Francisco, with stops at The Ferry Building, Financial District, Fisherman's Wharf, Convention Center, Caltrain Station and the Shopping Center on Market Street. So depending on where your hotel is located, decide the closest stop and add this to your train reservation. It will cost a little more but not much. You could also catch BART from the Ashby Street Station, that would be less than $5 but you would need to take a taxi to the BART station, too far to walk with suitcases and such.

Hotel selection is very important. Although the city has great transportation, if you are close to many of the areas you wish to visit, walking in this city is always fun. Some of the unique, practical and reasonable hotels I have found are the San Remo with rooms from $80/night, The Fitzgerald Hotel Union Square with rooms from $99 and the Edward II Inn and Suites with rooms from $109. These are just a few and the links I have listed for San Francisco will help you in your pursuit of the perfect room for you.

If you are going to stay for 5 days or more, why not rent an apartment. http://www.vrbo.com/ list several places you can rent for a week and get the most out of "living" in the city. Make sure you read reviews of the neighborhoods, though, so that you are sure you want to stay there. Every neighborhood in San Francisco is unique and has it's pluses and minuses, research is your best ally in your search.

Truckee will grab your heart

Nestled away in the Sierra Nevada mountains, among the pines, is a small town called Truckee. I first experienced Truckee back in 1977. I was driving from Illinois to Mare Island, California and my "A" school with the U.S. Navy. After crossing the hot desert of Nevada and realizing that I did not have to report for another day, I took the exit off of IH 80 and drove into Truckee. My first thoughts were, what a step back in time. It made me think of the old Western towns of the TV shows I watched growing up. I kept driving and on my right was the Gateway Motel, cabins set in a semi circle around a drive way. Some were duplexes and some were singles. I pulled in, rented a room and drove back up town for dinner and a stroll. I stopped into a bar/restaurant to have a quick bite and there were signs indicating bullet holes in the ceiling that had been placed there by local celebrities. It was so peaceful and since it was not ski season, quiet without a lot of tourist.
Now I am sure that in the 25+ years since I have been there, Truckee has grown up a lot but I hope that some of the Old West charm has remained. And in doing some research, I believe it has.
I have opted for a stay over in Truckee off the train trip. The train arrives approx 1:04 p.m. and leaves the next day at 1:04 pm. I want to stop and see just what Truckee is like 31 years later. In my search of the Internet, I see they have a winery, Truckee River Winery, that makes limited quantities of wine and is only open by appointment, 530-587-4626.
For entertainment there is golf, fly fishing, hiking, biking, etc. Whitewater Rafting on the Truckee River is supplied by Tributary Whitewater Tours,http://www.whitewatertours.com/. And, of course, Lake Tahoe is just south of Truckee. They have lake tours and casinos. Donner Memorial State Park remembers the ill-fated story of the Donner Party in 1846. Information on emigrant history, the transcontinental railroad, lumber and ice harvesting can be found in the museum located in the park.

Truckee is that little side journey into a different way of life that will remove your stress, enhance your senses and relax your worries away.

Denver, The Mile High City

It has been many years since I visited Denver, in fact, way too many to count. I remember visiting the Denver Mint but that is about it. We were on our way to Colorado Springs. So I have done a little research and came up with a few ideas for our stopover in Denver.

On the banks of the Cherry Creek is the Four Mile Historic Park. Here you can visit the oldest house in Denver which was once a wayside inn and stage stop. They also have antique farm equipment and animals. 12 acre park with guided tours, Wednesday concerts in the summertime and a little something for all ages.

If you feel the need for exercise, you can rent a bike at the Cherry Creek Bike Rack. They rent bikes for $25 - 4 hours and less, $35 - over 4 hours up to 24 hours/overnight and Denver Bike Tours offers customized tours of Denver and the surrounding area. You can cycle to wineries, cruise through quaint towns and enjoy all the beautiful nature that Colorado has to offer. Or take off on your own, Denver offers one of the largest bike trail systems in the nation, boasting 850 miles of off road paved trails in Metro Denver.

How about kayaking down the South Platte River? Denver has more than 17 miles of kayak chutes along this river and kayaks can be rented at Confluence Park.

The Downtown Visitor Information Center offers free downtown walking tours starting at 9:30 on Thursday and Saturday, June - August. Learn about the history of Denver from it's beginning as a mining and railroad town, to the many men and women who founded Denver and Colorado and made it what it is today.

Let's don't forget the Denver U.S. Mint. All Mint tours are free and start on the hour 8:00 a.m. - 2:00 p.m., Monday through Friday (excluding federal holidays). Reservations are recommended and can be made through the U.S. Mint website, http://www.usmint.gov/mint_tours/index.cfm?action=StartReservation, or by calling 303-405-4761.

There are many many more things to see and do in Denver, best websites listed to the right.

Travel the US on an Amtrak Train

I love trains. Our system in the States is not exactly the best or most efficient but if you like train travel, what a wonderful way to go. It's not cheap especially if you get a sleeper which I highly recommend. The plus of the sleeper is that all of your meals are included and you get a place to lie down flat, in a secured area, for sleeping. You wouldn't want to spend all of your time in there, too small in most cases, and how would you meet other travelers if you bombarded yourself in that tiny compartment.

A trip I have planned out, although who knows if I will ever manage to take it, is a round robin from Chicago. Stopping in Denver, Truckee (Lake Tahoe), San Francisco, Portland, and Glacier National Park before returning home again. Amtrak offers a Multi City ticket and with discounts for AAA members, Veterans, Students etc, this saves quite a bit of money. The downside is that you can only do 4 segments of travel per ticket. For example, Chicago-Denver-Truckee-San Francisco-Vancouver, WA for a student and a veteran with sleepers on 3 legs of the trip runs $899.50 today. The next section of the trip, Vancouver-Glacier National Park-Chicago runs $687.40. Keep in mind that on your train time, all meals are taken care of with the sleeper car.

On the trip I have planned, I spend 2 days in Denver, 1 in Truckee, 4 in San Francisco , 1 in Vancouver, and 3 in Glacier National Park. Luckily I have friends in Denver and Vancouver that I can stay with, saving on hotels. Internet research will save me a bundle by reserving in advance for Truckee, San Francisco and Glacier National Park. Keeping in mind, however, that train travel in the US is ALWAYS LATE. This is due to the fact that Amtrak doesn't own the rail lines and uses them with the understanding that they give right of way to the freight trains who do. On the train that I have traveled, from San Antonio, Texas to Bloomington, Illinois, it is invariably late by 2 - 3 hours.

I should mention here that Amtrak offers rail passes to those who are NOT citizens of the United States. Those rates are published on their website, http://www.amtrak.com/.

Tomorrow I will cover the sites to be seen in each of the wonderful cities on this trip.

Sea World

So continuing on our Orlando trip, we went to Sea World which is part of the Discovery Cove ticket. I have been to Sea World San Antonio(TEXAS) several times and I have to say the one in Orlando is much nicer. They have many opportunities to feed and pet the display animals, i.e. dolphins and manta rays. We ate in a wonderful restaurant called Sharks Underwater Grill. You actually feel like you are in an aquarium having lunch. The food was fantastic and the pricing is moderate. The bar has small aquariums in the top. The main display contains sharks and Mahi Mahi. We were lucky because someone decided to take the dive in the shark cage to observe the sharks up close while we were dining. Interesting point, the Great White Shark cannot be kept in captivity, they usually die within 2 - 5 days.
In the entrance to the restaurant, they have a small pool with Tiger Shark, Manta Ray and Nurse sharks. One of the Tiger Shark had lain an egg which was pretty interesting. The attendant said that they were not sure yet if it was fertile.
Sea World also has two roller coasters, which my teenage son enjoyed, as well as a small kiddie type park with water activities.

Hello and Welcome

My friends are always asking me for ideas for vacations. And if someone mentions a place, I am always given as a reference for ideas. So, I thought, why not blog my findings. This information is on the Internet for everyone to see, but I thought I would put it all on one sight with links for information.
We just returned from a trip to Florida, Orlando, the ultimate family vacation. We had a great time but the highlight of our trip was Discovery Cove. This is an expensive adventure but well worth the money. Once you are through the entry everything is gratis, except for the pictures that the Discovery Cove photographers take of you during your stay at the park. The restaurant has an excellent menu for your lunch and the snack bars are conveniently located throughout the park for your use.
Since I had not been introduced to snorkeling at this time in my life, I found it difficult to train my brain to breath only through my mouth. They have fresh water pools and a "lazy" river void of fish and saltwater to help you learn to snorkel. So once I could convince my brain that it was OK to breathe through my mouth, it was actually very relaxing. I adopted a yoga type of technique of listening to my breath come in and go out through my mouth.
Now that I had
"mastered" snorkeling, it was time for the saltwater and the man made coral reef. There are several types of fish and manta ray to snorkel among, and they also have some sharks behind glass that you can swim up to and get a better look. Although I personally believe I could not do this in a natural setting this was lots of fun and gave me some confidence to try it someday.
Discovery Cove also has a pool dedicated to Manta Rays. It is shallow and you do not snorkel but they will come up to you and you can touch them. All in all the day was fabulous.
We opted for the boys, teens, to swim with the dolphins. This cost extra but both of them loved the experience and we bought great pictures of them with Natasha, their dolphin. You do not have to be a swimmer to experience the dolphins. Groups of 6 - 8 people and two or three trainers work together with the dolphin in a separate pool area of the park.
During our stay in Orlando we also visited Universal Studios, Sea World, and Daytona Beach, but those are for another day. Good night y'all.