Leaving your heart in San Francisco - part 4 - just doing it · Saturday September 10, 2011 by colin newell
Quick summary – Thinking of visiting a great American city? San Francisco is a great choice for couples and families – and even individuals. In the previous 3 installments we covered aspects of planning and organizing your visit.
photo above – the city that loves its water. No visit to San Francisco is complete without spending some time on the water or over the water… Click on any photo to zoom in for a better view!
We got a City Pass to get all access to the MUNI, the street cars and the cable cars. Best dollars spent.
We reserved a spot on a 3 hour Grayline tour. They pick you up at your hotel.
We did not need to make a dinner reservation ahead of time because there are so many options. Now if you are doing a Wine country tour and want to dine at the French Laundry – you may need to reserve a few months ahead of time.
Photo above – Sourdough is part of San Francisco culture – check it out at Boudin Bakery
Andrea and I had some real goals and some special food and coffee targets and virtually all of those were achieved.
All of the coffee shops are either within walking distance of downtown or walking distance from the Market Street F Train. That is the street car line you will get familiar with if you visit San Francisco.
Getting to know the overall food scene of San Francisco when visiting for a week? It’s utterly impossible. Talk to friends who have been there or read some literate San Francisco food blogs and take your chances. We were staying on Nob hill in San Francisco and found some gems in the neighborhood – most or all of those based on tips we had received prior to arrival.
Photo above – Food and Wine culture in Yountville, Napa Valley. A quick moving lineup into the Bouchon Bakery
We found San Francisco to be a great family (and pet) friendly city with a bewildering menu of activities to please everyone – and it’s all very well organized. The only line ups you will encounter will be at the popular cable car stops – and since everyone must ride the cable cars, ride before 9:30AM or after 5:30PM.
Let me repeat: San Francisco is a child friendly place and so are ALL the attractions including the cable cars. The San Francisco cable cars are also stroller friendly so do not be shy. San Francisco cable car pilots (or driver engineers) are very well trained and appear to be excellent tour guides. In an average ride, there were upwards of 40 riders and the drivers always seemed to know who wanted to get off where and when.
For Andrea and I there were no hiccups – at any stage of the process. I do talk on this subject a lot and I do get the sense from lots of Canadians that would like to travel BUT… the overarching issue for them is, surprise surprise, airport security. I have not done a lot of air travel over the last ten years but it is usually a twice or thrice annual event for me. I just roll with it and never have any complaints about overly zealous TSA or border folks – they are just doing their jobs.
Wine touring? Plan ahead – reserve tastings if necessary – avoid parking lots full of limos and tour buses!
San Francisco is the kind of place you can spend a little or a lot – is up to you. And this axiom applies in all facets of the visit. The sky is the limit for hotels but you can find many boutique hotels for around $120/night (or less) on special via one of the many online booking agencies. San Francisco is getting hit by the recession like any other American (or global for that matter) city and deals abound.
The weather in San Francisco was unflinchingly cooperative but also pretty typical. Layering is the golden rule – and you won’t be shivering.
Will probably add some more to this last chapter on our first (in hopefully a series) of San Francisco visits. By all means, if you need any additional info or some clarification on any aspect of what I have written about San Francisco, please send me an email – I respond enthusiastically to all e-mail generally within 24 hours or less.
I hope this little series of articles have helped out those folks that are heading off to San Francisco. Andrea and I loved our week there – we were utterly amazed at how wonderful this city is and cannot wait to return. If you go, let us know how it works out for you!
Colin Newell is a Victoria area resident, food writer, pop culture and cafe culture maven – in the business of writing about trends in food and drink world since 1995 – His work has appeared on The Women’s Network, CBC, CTV and on CBS Television, CSI Las Vegas.
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Leaving your heart in San Francisco - part 3 - arrival orientation · Saturday September 3, 2011 by colin newell
When you land at San Francisco International airport (assuming you land there and not at Oakland [which is a viable alternative]) – you have a handful of transportation options for getting downtown to your hotel:
Taxi – There are a row of legit cabs waiting to take you downtown to your hotel. Cost is around $30. For $20 more or so you can get a limo… but why? Travel time: 20 – 30 minutes – generally closer to the lower number. Cabs travel at the speed limit on the Freeway so do not be alarmed when you are zooming along at 70mph in a Prius!
Shuttle van – Vans can make their way downtown to your hotel – they are around $17-19 per person – and take a bit longer doing the hotel milk run. Do the math. Want to save a few bucks, this is one way to go.
Rapid Transit – If you are traveling light and want a bit more adventure and keep a few more dollars in your pocket, take the BART. It is fast, clean and safe and will get you to a location near your hotel downtown within 30 minutes.
Photo left – have your Gold card handy if you are staying anywhere near Union Square shopping!
If you are arriving mid-day (always the best way to arrive), it gives you time to check in and start exploring your surroundings. We stayed on the very top of Nob Hill – which is a combination of nice hotels, luxury small homes, and by appearances, some international embassies – oh yea, and some great restaurants.
There are some primary centers of action in San Francisco; Union Square, Powell Station, Ferry Building, Embarcadero and Fisherman’s Wharf. Chances are you are going to be staying near one of these. One of those travel books I suggested talks about these neighborhoods.
We stayed in tony Nob Hill so it was “all downhill” from where we were staying. Literally. First thing we did was make our way to the Visitors Information Center (900 Market Street) to validate our City Pass – they are open til 5 PM sharp on weekdays so make sure you arrive a few minutes earlier like we did! And we got in. Last customers of the day!
First meal in San Francisco that afternoon: Sears Fine Food – nothing to do with the Sears chain of stores – that is their name – and they have been serving up gravity reliable grub since 1938. Old school and Blue Plate specials. And it’s the perfect comfortable place to have that first meal when you are feeling somewhat discombobulated from air travel. We became acquainted with The Nob Hill Cafe which had a very comfortable eating space and great menu. The pasta is great and we visited twice.
If you have come to San Francisco for some of the great coffee culture (Photo above left) you will not be let down. Most people who love coffee know that San Francisco is coming into its own – names that come to mind; Blue Bottle at the Ferry Building (a great attraction all by itself), Sight Glass – Four Barrel and Ritual, etc etc. More on these in the next installment.
Leaving your heart in San Francisco - part 2 - Planning · Friday September 2, 2011 by colin newell
There are a lot of places you can visit in Canada and America if you have 1 week to play with – or, heck, even 3 days.
And I think that San Francisco comes up as a primary choice a lot because of the multitude of things that are there to do.
As destinations go, San Francisco has sports, arts, culture, food, a multitude of cultural happenings. It has an incredible history – part of how the West was won, the Gold rush, the Earthquake, a rebuilding and architectural renaissance and an approach to city planning that should be the envy of any great city on planet Earth.
We picked it for a week for a variety of reasons. One of them is proximity. From Victoria, it is as little as a 2 hour flight away via American Airlines. We also had the option for some great accommodations at the Fairmont on Nob Hill.
The Fairmont survived the great Earthquake, has hosted every U.S. President since President Taft – how cool is that? The U.N. was chartered in 1945 at the Fairmont in San Francisco. Damaged by fire after the great earthquake, the Fairmont became one of many symbols of the city’s resilience. Opera singer Enrico Caruso, who was hold up at the Fairmont, calmed crowds of panicked folks by singing to them.
So. There is a ton of history in San Francisco – yes, lots of ghosts, but plenty of great energy and a myriad of diverse neighborhoods, all entirely trek worthy on foot or in combination with the transit system.
Music and art: We discovered that there was a wide variety of art and music things happening while we were there. Plan ahead for any number of shows or concerts – It was a coincidence that there were some important gallery events happening – so we lucked out.
OK – so here are the parts of the planning process that we felt were important.
Flights – Thankfully, Victoria and Vancouver have some great direct options for flights to San Francisco. We picked West Jet because we have had good experiences with them. They are reliable as heck and fun. And by flying West Jet we get around having to deal with Vancouver International Airport – for us, it gets a tad too hectic. When we go to Hawaii every year, we always fly out of Seattle because it is the superior airport (in our opinion).
Hotels – There are more sleeping options in San Francisco than you can possibly imagine. Narrowing options include Fodor’s, Frommer’s, Lonely Planet, Trip Adviser online and the like. Pick your location and price point and go. One of many San Francisco guide books will clue you in on possible centers of activity; Union Square, Nob Hill, Russian Hill, Fisherman’s Wharf, etc. They are all close to cable cars or transit – as are a dozen other neighborhoods. You need to get an advance sense of how the city is laid out and what you want to do with your time. Read and plan.
Clothing – Do not be fooled by the California part of the equation. San Francisco is parked next to an ocean. As a result, it is often foggy and often cool (not not really cold) – a tour bus driver pointed out: “For every mile you drive inland from San Francisco Bay, the temperature goes up X degrees (I do not know the exact number…)
So it can be a pleasant 18 degrees in San Francisco and 27 to 29 degrees in Sonoma or Napa wine country. San Francisco is actually slightly warmer, on average, in September and October. The bottom line here is: layer!
You can start the day with fog and a cool breeze and by mid-morning, you are peeling down to a T-shirt and shorts only to put it all back on by 4 in the afternoon.
Coupons and passes – doing things in San Francisco can be a bit pricey when you start tackling the tourist things – that everyone does; street cars, cable cars, harbor tours, galleries and entertainment. I suggested the City Pass in the previous chapter – it is terrific value. Buy it. If you want to see Alcatraz (we didn’t, lots do…) you have to book that trip in advance. Failure to book in advance will result in disappointment. Get the 3-hour Grayline tour in advance as well. They pick you up at your hotel and drop you off pretty much anywhere.
Next chapter – Arriving!
Big Island Hawaii Travel Series Chapter 6 Condo · Monday March 21, 2011 by colin newell
We have been going to the Big Island of Hawaii for a few years now – and we have happily gotten into the rhythm of the Islands pretty quickly.
Our routine is pretty straightforward – we fly Alaska Airlines out of Victoria B.C. (via the Horizon Air partner) into Seattle-Tacoma (SEA). The departure is early (just after 6 AM) so it is an early rise. Our flight out of Seattle (to Hawaii) after a very brief flight from Victoria to Seattle is mid-morning putting us into Kona, Hawaii at around 1:30 PM local time. Grab the rental car and the first stop is Kona Brewing Company for a relaxing lunch and brew while we chill out from the flight.
From there we hop over to the Kona CostCo for a quick shop the cover the first week or essentials and anything we think we might need a supply of – generally we buy a bit too much but it all gets used. Because we are staying in a full featured condo, we have a full gourmet kitchen and access to an outdoor BBQ – so it is pretty much like home, so we shop accordingly.
Our Condo, no secret folks, is the Hale Kona Kai We have spent around 90 days there – and we are sold on it. We have heard expressions like “We have been to the Big Island a few times and stayed at a few different places – and when we find the Hale Kona Kai, we stopped looking…” Comments like that are gold and it’s not surprising – but it is how we feel. On our last visit we got to tour around 4 or 5 other units – they are all good but ours is the clear gem. You can look up Hale Kona Kai on TripAdvisor.com and you will find, year after year, that the Hale Kona Kai is the #1 most favorably rated condo on the Big Island of Hawaii – look it up.
Now there are lots of great places to stay on the Big Island – like I alluded to in a previous chapter – but we find that a good condo affords a level of freedom that is not really matched with any other style of accommodation; come and go as you please, eat out or cook in as you wish and the level of affordability is generally unmatched – they are simply cheaper than comparably sized hotel digs.
The Hale Kona Kai is also a smaller unit – so it is quieter and more intimate. It is also one of the few places hanging right over the water. Our unit is so close to the ocean, you can fish right off the balcony. The sea wall, in case you are wondering is around 12’ – and during the tragedy of the Japan tsunami, the ocean surge did not breach the Hale Kona Kai sea wall – like it did with some Alii Drive businesses.
The Hale Kona Kai is very popular with Canadians for some reason – that is not saying that you will not meet a diverse collection of folks… We did and during our last visit formed some life long friendships. During one afternoon as the sea side pool (yup, a sea side pool…) there was a couple from Calgary, a couple from Sooke and a family from Vancouver.
The Hale Kona Kai is on a quiet side street (waterside) that includes the World class restaurant Huggos – and The Royal Kona featuring Don the Beachcomber – home of the Worlds first (and arguably best) Mai Tai!
The Hale Kona Kai is a 7 minute walk from an ABC Store – but then again so is virtually everything in Hawaii! The main Kona village in Kailua Bay (on Alii Drive) starts 6 minutes away on foot and the heart of the village is a good 15-20 minutes to town center. In the next chapter, we will start talking about food and drink!
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