Coit Tower

Coit Tower was built in Pioneer Park on top of Telegraph Hill in 1933 at the request of Lillie Hitchcock Coit. This beautiful tower is a great place to visit, or walk to, in San Francisco.

Coit Tower in San Francisco

This monument offers fantastic views of San Francisco including the Golden Gate Bridge, the San Francisco Maritime National Historic Park, Alcatraz, Pier 39, Angel Island, Treausre Island, the Bay Bridge, Russian Hill, the Finacial District, Lombard Street, and Nob Hill.

The Coit Tower took 5 years to build.

Because of heavy traffic in the area, the best way to get up to Coit Tower is to walk through the energetic streets of North Beach to Filbert Street.

The hill is one of the steepest short distances in San Francisco, but the street has steps to make the trek a little bit easier. For a break, pause halfway up and turn to the west to get a glimpse of the great view you will be seeing shortly.

Symbols of San Francisco

There are many symbols that remind people from all over the world of San Francisco. These symbols, although they can be cliche and touristy, are important because they represent San Francisco. Here are two symbols that are worth checking out.

1. The Golden Gate Bridge

• Connects the island of San Francisco to Marin County
• One of the longest suspensions in the United States
• The color of the bridge is actually a rust-orange, not gold

The Golden Gate Bridge

2. Cable Cars

• Was first made because horses could not go up and down the steep streets
• A day pass is $3.00
• There are three cable car routes in operation

Cable Car

Asia SF

Ten years ago two men opened this restaurant full of deliscious food and equally delicisous female performers. Actually, the performers are not technically women but “gender illusionists”.

Asia SF is a hip little restaurant located on Howard Street in San Francisco. The inside of the restaurant decorated in a modern fashion, including walls that change colors and a huge dance floor.

There are many reasons and occasions to go to Asia Sf. However, one of the more popular events is to celebrate bachelorette parties! Asia SF is aware that they are a popular destination point for this event and have made party packages to aid in the festivities even more.

The most basic package is $15 a person and includes a scavenger hunt, a round of shots, and discounts on other clubs in the area. The more pricier packages can go up to $45 a person and includes hotel pickup in a limo, scavenger hunt, VIP treatment, male stripper, a round of shots, and other favors that cost money.

Whether it is a bachelorette party or a night out with a friend, City Search says that Asia SF is “One of the top ten must do things in San Francisco.”

For more reviews on Asia SF check out these links:

Yelp

City Search

Travel Yahoo

10 Places to Leave Your Heart in San Francisco

1. Fisherman’s Wharf

• tourist spot
• novelties
• seafood

2. Union Square

• main drag
• downtown
• shopping

3. SOMA

• warehouses
• nightclubs
• leather bars

4. Mission

• “hipsters”
• cheap food and drink
• spanish flavor

5. Cow Hollow

• meat market
• “Frat” party
• upscale

6. North Beach

• italian food
• strip clubs
• fun atmosphere

7. Haight- Ashberry

• attitude
• hippies
• punk

8. Sunset

• family-friendly
• quaint shops
• ethinic diversity food

9. Castro

• Gay friendly
• fun shops
• art

10.  China Town

• food
• novelty shops
• culture

What Makes you go Broke and Leave Smelling Like Garlic?

Gilroy Premium Outlets

The answer to this question is The Gilroy Premium Outlets. The City of Gilroy is located at the most southern end of the South Bay and has a reputation for being the “Garlic Capitol of the World”. Although Gilroy does not make the most garlic, it does manufacture more garlic than any other place in the world.

Another attraction to Gilroy is the outdoor outlet mall located on 681 Leavesley Road, Gilroy CA 95020. The Gilroy Premium Outlets stretch over five blocks and have approximately 145 stores including apparel, shoe, luggage, accessories, jewelry, house ware, and food shops.

The Gilroy Outlets are open Monday through Saturday from 10:00am to 9:00pm and on Sundays from 10:00am to 6:00pm. The outlet is open most holidays and the hours are listed on the website.

In addition to the already cheap outlet prices, the shopping center has numerous sales and events throughout the year. They frequently update their website and list what stores are having what deals and at what time.

Lastly, after eating garlic food and shopping all day at the outlet, there are wineries surrounding the area that people go to in order to relax. After all, shopping in a mall that big is exhausting!

Good Sushi Away From the Bay?

It may be obvious that San Francisco has some of the tastiest and freshest fish around considering it is surrounded by an ocean full of them. But where do people go to get San Franciso worthy sushi when San Francisco itself is not an option? Here is a list of some of the best sushi restaurants in the East Bay.

Fish on Fire, Danville

Miraku, San Ramon

Kirala, Berkeley

Sushi House, Alameda

Mijori, Oakland

If there are any other great sushi places that I have missed be sure to let me know in the comment section of this blog!

All the Science You Need Under One Roof

The doors have finally re-opened on the long anticipated California Academy of Sciences museum. This building is the “only place on the planet with an aquarium, a planetarium, a natural history museum, and a 4-story rainforest all under one roof”. Located at the heart of San Francisco in Golden Gate Park, this building is not only the world’s greenest museum but has more than 40,000 live animals and scientists from around the world.

The Academy of Sciences is open Monday- Saturday from 9:30 am to 5:00 pm and on Sundays from 11:30 am to 5:00pm. There is a free day every third Wednesday of each month but the rest of the time admissions is not free. In fact this museum suggests that people buy their tickets or memberships well in advanced due to the huge success this place has had since its grand opening. Here is a list of all the ticket prices:

Adult- $24.95

Child (6 and under)- $0.00

Child (7 to 11)- $14.95

Youth (12 to 17)- $19.95

Student (18+, ID required)- $19.95

Senior (65+, ID required) $19.95

For more reviews on the California Academy of Sciences check out these sites:

Yelp

Trip Advisor

The New York Times

Plants Galore!

San Francisco Botanical Garden

If horticulture is an interest to you, be sure to go to San Francisco’s 70 acre Botanical Gardens. This “urban oasis of extraordinary beauty”  is located at 9th Avenue on Lincoln Way and has been entertaining plant and bug lovers since 1940.

In addition to giving tours and teaching people about different plants, the SF Botanical Garden sells rare plants to San Francisco residents. Sales only happen a few times a year but when they do there is always a huge crowd that comes to purchase the exotic plants.

The SF Botanical Garden is a not-for-profit organization that encourages and warmly accepts volunteers and donations to help keep the gardens alive. For more information on donating to the cause check out this link: SF Botanical Garden Support.

The gardens are open 365 days of the year and welcome guests to visit the park for free.

For more reviews on the San Francisco Botanical Gardens check out these sites:

Yelp

Trip Advisor

Top Restaurants in San Francisco

SFTravel.com has made it their duty to declare the best restaurants in San Francisco since 1998. Here is the list of all the winners from 1998 until 2007.

1998- Park Chow

1999- Universal Cafe

2000- Restaurant Gary Danko

2001- Fleur De Lys

2002- The Blue Plate

2003- Luna Park

2004- The Last Supper Club

2005- Restaurant Lulu

2006- Limon Restaurant

2007- Levende Lounge

Walnut Creek’s Famous “Crogans” Bar

MTV’s the Real World in Denver had a girl named Jenn from Martinez, California on the show. When reminiscing about home she told the rest of the cast that her “favorite place to go out at night is Crogans In Walnut Creek. Bay Area residents everywhere perked up at the mention of this popular Irish bar.

Located on Locust Street in downtown Walnut Creek, Crogans bar is close enough to BART that it is easy to get to from most cities in the Bay Area. It tends to draw a younger crowd consisting of college students and then a quite a few groups of older men.

The people who love this bar appreciate the fun atmosphere and tons of people who venture in on the weekends. The drinks are about $5.00 on average and they have been known to be pretty tasty. In addition to the bar there is a dance floor with plenty of room to get your groove on which people always do.

Inside Crogans Sports Bar and Grill

The drawbacks of this place include long lines to get in, rude staff members, and an high school reunion for all those who grew up in the area. The long wait to get in can not be helped because of the mass quantity of people who frequent Crogans but the rude staff members are a problem that should be fixed. In addition, there is a dress code that is strictly enforced so make sure to call ahead to find out if the clothes you are wearing are appropriate for this bar.

For more reviews on Crogans bar check out these sites:

Yelp

City Search

Boorah