The Streets of San Francisco

Advantages: saves money, time, hassle
Disadvantages: some confusion over the Alcatraz tour

...If anyone is thinking of visiting San Francisco then I have a tip which will save you money in an otherwise expensive city and help you do the things tourists want to do as easily as possible. My tip is that you buy a Citypass ticket at the first tourist attraction listed below. This ticket gives you unlimited city travel by bus, streetcar or the famous cablecars for 7 consecutive days from the date of first use as well as admission to 5 main attractions including Alcatraz. Another major feature is that there is no further time wasted waiting in queues to buy more tickets. The other attractions included on the ticket are: the Exploratorium, the California Academy of Sciences, the Palace of the Legion of Honor, and the SF Museum of Modern Art. There are a number of points to bear in mind when buying a Citypass and using it...

docrt 24.03.2001 · Read review
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Review of San Francisco (California)

San Francisco's Crookedist Street.

Advantages: Lombard Street is a Beautiful sight to behold
Disadvantages: You can only drive down it. Try walking UP!!!

...Lombard Street has got to be San Francisco's craziest Street. It is great to walk up, if you have the muscles to do it, but even funnier walking back down. This street is famous world wide being known for its twists and turns. Down either side are planted masses of beautiful flowers. Hydrangers mostly. Always kept neat and tidy, the street is not just for show, cars drive down it all the time. They do not permit drivers to drive up the hill though. Whoever invented Lombard Street, must have had a great imagination to devise a way of driving or walking up and down one of the steepest hills of all the seven, that SanFrancisco is built on. There are quite a few trees and one special one right at the bottom of the hill is sometimes used by street vendors to hang their produce up on. The days that I was their a young girl...

elinor.z 04.12.2006 · Read review
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Review of Lombard Street

Quick tour of San Francisco!

Advantages: Got to see alot in a short space of time
Disadvantages: Slightly expensive. Mostly on the bus

...Gray Line San Francisco Sightseeing This Gray Line San Francisco sightseeing tour lasts approximately three and half-hours. It will take you around different sights and areas of interest in San Francisco. They depart daily at 9.15am, 11.15am and 2.15pm. It costs in American dollars $44 (adult), $22 (child) and $42 (seniors over 60). To give you an idea of the current exchange rate 1 United States Dollar is equal to approximately 0.61 British pounds. We booked out tour in out hotel, which included a transfer bus to our tour. The tour started in Fisherman's Wharf, which we drove through seeing the unique little restaurants, which was buzzing with people. Then we drove through Chinatown and the financial district. A short stop at Mission Dolores was next where we stopped for food. It was a Catholic mission church, which you...

DeniseKelly40 19.07.2009 · Read review
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Review of San Francisco (Gray Line City Tour)

The Dakota hotel: cheap hotel in the heart of San Francisco

Advantages: Cheap, clean and location, location, location!
Disadvantages: old-fashioned, elevator from hell

...In 2007-2008 I lived in San Francisco for work for 4.5 months. The first two week I spent in the Dakota Hotel, in search for a spot of my own. Dakota hotel caught my eye for a number of reasons: the price and the location. Normally, you'd have to rob a bank or two to stay in a hotel in the heart of San Francisco for two weeks. Luckily, Dakota offered an attractive rate for long-term stays. I thought it would certainly be worth a look, given it's excellent location. Location You see, location is undoubtedly one of Dakto Hotels strongest points. This hotel is situated on 606 Post Street, approximately 2 blocks from Union Square. In the street itself, there are a number of restaurants and a small supermarket. The hotel is on the edge of what are considered to be the good neighbourhoods in San Francisco. Two blocks down, you...

hetvuurtje 19.04.2009 · Read review
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Review of The Dakota, San Francisco

Hitchcock's San Francisco Hideaway

Advantages: Excellent value for money, great location
Disadvantages: Old fashioned style

...Just got back from a lovely holiday in San Francisco where we stayed at the York Hotel at 940 Sutter Street, just 4 blocks from the central Union Square area and only 2 blocks from the major transport stops at Powell Street. History: Built in the 1920s, the hotel still has many of its original features, including Bakerlite electrical fittings and ceramic solid baths. It also has a history. If you're a Hitchcock film fan you'll love the fact that Vertigo was filmed here and you will spot the square white hotel staircase used in the film as James Stewart suffers an attack of Vertigo. Also perseved are two of the rooms associated with the film (rooms 301 and 501, also referred to as the Vertigo Room and the Kim Novak room respectively) both of which can be rented for an additional cost and contain posters and photos taken from...

piano123 11.03.2007 · Read review
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Review of York Hotel, San Francisco

I Left My Heart In San Francisco

Advantages: Easy to use, comprehensive and sturdy
Disadvantages: Slightly heavy

...San Francisco is a wonderful city and before you go you really need to read up on this fantastic place. Before a recent trip I made sure to buy my handy Eyewitness Guide for San Francisco and Northern California. So, let's look at it! Cover: The book is laminated paper back that is VERY sturdy. The photographs and art work of San Francisco decorate the front and make it very inviting. The back gives a quick overview of what is in the book and more pictures and maps. On the inside cover you will find a map of San Francisco colour coded for the various areas and makes it easy to find the information in the book about specific areas. The areas are: Presidio Golden Gate Park and Land's End Haight Ashbury and the Mission Civic Center Pacific Heights and the Marina Chinatown and Nob Hill Fisherman's Wharf and North Beach...

ukusa 20.12.2004 · Read review
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Review of San Francisco

Pickwick Hotel, San Francisco

Advantages: Cheap, Convenient
Disadvantages: Prehaps too far from Fishermans Wharf if only a stop-over break?

...I stayed at the Pickwick with 3 friends in April 2007. It's a very pleasant hotel situated within walking distance of the cable car turnaround and Union Square, and can't be faulted for it's price given the fairly central location for shopping/business. It's probably about 20 minutes to Fishermans Wharf via cable car from here. The general area felt safe at night, it was very, very quiet in terms of people being around - probably due to the fact that most surrounding buildings were retail/office space. There were a few homeless people near the hotel, but having visited many cities on our US tour, it's pretty obvious that San Francisco is one of the worst hit places. It seems that someone wants a dollar every 50 yards in San Francisco. The room which we had was situated at the rear of the building away from the road, so was quiet...

draigcochport 24.06.2007 · Read review
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Review of The Pickwick, San Francisco

If you are going to San Francisco

Advantages: Location, value for money, free parking
Disadvantages: Noise

...Having a day to kill in San Francisco (lucky me!) before catching an early morning flight, I needed a hotel, and decided to stay in town rather than near the airport. I searched on Expedia and found the Francisco Bay Inn. One of the features I was looking for was free parking, and the Francisco Bay offers it. There were cheaper options, but not when you add $10-$20 to park your car. Expedia gave me a rate of £39, prepaid, and I took it. Another advantage of the Francisco Bay is its location. This is also a disadvantage. It is on Lombard Street, near the corner of Van Ness, within easy walking distance of Fisherman's Wharf and other attractions. However, Lombard is a major, six-lane thoroughfare, part of Highway 101 as it wends its way to the Golden Gate Bridge. This means constant traffic noise, right through the night. Earplugs are...

Quakerman 05.12.2004 · Read review
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Review of Francisco Bay Inn, San Francisco

The Westin St Francis Hotel. San Francisco

Advantages: Nice hotel
Disadvantages: Bad staff

...If you have heard the expression "Meet me by the clock" spoken by an American, it derives from the famous St Francis hotel in San Francisco with the huge Magenta grandfather clock in the foyer. It was built in 1904 and opened to much fan fare. It originally had just 2 tower blocks, providing luxorious accomodation to the rich and famous. It has since been extended with an extra front tower that matches the building as well as an ugly high rise tower block to the rear that does not fit in. Several famous guests have stayed there over the years and led to some controversy. During the 1920's Fatty Arbuckle stayed there. Friends with Charlie Chaplin and other Silent film performers, the larger than life man was accused of killing a young woman in his suite during a drunken party. It has also been the resting place of Robert...

andycharger 12.07.2001 · Read review
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Review of San Francisco (California)

Need a place to stay in San Francisco?

Advantages: Good value, comfortable, close to attractions, great location
Disadvantages: Basic, but not necessarily a disadvantage (see review)

...The Castle Inn is a small B&B/motel and one of the best kept accommodation secrets in San Francisco. My wife and I stayed there for our belated honeymoon for just over a week in April this year, encouraged by all the great reviews we had seen on various websites. Whilst it can't compete with the likes of the Sheratons and upper-end Holiday Inns in the luxury stakes, it has plenty of its own plus points setting it apart from the more well known hotels. The first thing you'll notice on arrival at the Castle Inn is its location - on Broadway in the Russian Hill district, it's set away from the main tourist hubs. Instead, you're right in with the locals and treated to a more natural SF, a world away from the city's most famous landmarks. Not that it's miles away from anywhere, mind - Chinatown, Fisherman's Wharf and Pier 39...

great_badir 12.10.2006 · Read review
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Review of Castle Inn, San Francisco