When you pull into town, stop by the California Welcome Center at Pier 39 to get pointed in the right direction.

Hop a bus to Golden Gate Park to visit the just-rebuilt de Young Museum . The art collection is magnificent, but even if you don’t want to buy a ticket to the galleries, you can get on the elevator to the ninth-floor observatory. Through floor-to-ceiling windows, take in a view across the park to the Golden Gate Bridge and the green sward of the Marin Headlands beyond. This is also a good chance to get your bearings on the Inner Richmond, just beyond the edge of the park, where you’re headed next.

From the de Young, make your way out of the park and north on 10th Avenue to Clement Street. Arrive in time for lunch at the Singapore Malaysian Restaurant, where you can celebrate the neighborhood’s ethnic diversity with plates of authentic roti, satay, and other Indonesian, Malay, and Chinese dishes.

After lunch, browse the wonderful collection of Japanese-made action figures at Heroes Club —everything from Spiderman to the cast of Planet of the Apes.

Fungi? Dried chrysanthemums? You’ll find interesting cultural eye-candy of all types and scents along the aisles of the enormous Richmond New May Wah Supermarket.

Get your literary fix at one of the city’s legendary bookstores—Green Apple Books and Music , a destination for bookworms all over the Bay Area.

Enough time has probably passed to justify eating again. Stop by Toy Boat Dessert Cafe for its signature Affogato Float, a scoop of French vanilla ice cream swimming in fresh espresso and topped with homemade whipped cream.

Continue north toward the Presidio, strolling picturesque Lake Street lined with its sprawling Victorian homes along the way.  Head into the Presidio. Follow the trails, filled with locals biking and walking, down to the Presidio Social Club for dinner—perhaps cracked crab, grilled steaks, or pork with oyster hash?
—www.visitcalifornia.com

Thunderstorms were predicted to hit San Francisco the evening of the 100th Bay To Breakers Race, and to continue throughout the next day. The impulse to cancel jabbed at my psyche. The will, the curiosity, and the need to perform what I had trained for months to do, squelched the most unwelcome argument. Our brains are a funny thing. They can be our greatest motivators, our best cheerleaders, and our worst enemies. When training for a run, or any fitness regimen in general, the brain tells us at first all of the reasons why we shouldn’t do something. Why it’s easier to sit on the couch and chomp on a doughnut. How dare we change, how dare we dream, how dare we run with costumed freaks and naked people. At these times, we must let the mechanical part of our brain take over, and order our bodies to follow. There were days of training where I stop talking to myself, and simply lace my shoes, pull my hair back, and turn on the treadmill, letting nary a thought creep into my mind. Eat your rice, clean your bowl. So the old Zen saying goes.

I trained for weeks, sweating and groaning on the treadmill as my middle and pinky toes burned underneath me, and my knees felt so rickety I was sure leg braces were a part of my near future. Some people say humans were biologically made to run for miles everyday, chasing and hunting down their food. I must be a descendant of fat bottomed aliens who lived off the fruit of the land. As soon as I get up, a body part starts hurting. But I was determined to run this race on my birthday, resigned to perhaps walking a bulk of the course. With a maximum endurance strength of seven and a half miles two weeks before the race, I was going to get out onto the street and do the best I could. When I pictured running, I pictured grimacing faces, flying droplets of sweat, clenched fists, and feet pounding in a hard core beat on the pavement.

The night before, we ate at a popular restaurant called The Slanted Door, and my running mates and I loaded up on glass noodles with Dungeness crab and lamb chops with an exotic orange sauce. Diners were jovial and plentiful, laughing softly at their tables. They wore skinny jeans, scarves with a myriad of colors ties multiple times around their necks, and boots so high it seemed their legs would buckle under them any minute. When they pushed open the glass doors of the restaurant, it seemed as if they would take off as a group and fly into the blue sky dotted with clouds that hung over the Bay Bridge. The diners held a quiet aura of elegance, and to me, this momentum of peace was nerve-wracking. I wondered to myself if I blended in with my own skinny jeans and healed black boots, or if they knew I was a fraud raised to disapprove of individuality, yet fighting those feelings of disapproval in every moment of my existence. How could I have known that the mood of the evening was an absolute indication of what was to come at the race tomorrow.

As I peeked out of the curtains the next morning, the sky was glorious with puffy white clouds and rays of sunshine. I slathered on a handful of sunscreen and belted a provisions belt around my waist, the attached plastic bottles filled with an energy drink. On my head I secured a San Francisco Giants hat to show my city spirit. I took a last glance in the mirror at my meaty body, wishing I had the courage to carry off the Wonder Woman costume I had envisioned myself wearing, but remembering the waitress on Halloween at a local cafe in my hometown who wore the said garb, and spent the entire time her hands were free of plates yanking up the sagging red and gold bodice. My mother’s face appeared before me again. Naked people, she intoned with disapproval.

I gazed out the window of my hotel room, and saw a parade of participants heading towards their designated starting points. From my vantage point, I could see a clown in full dress, red wig and striped suit, and a big painted smile. How better to start the race, then to receive a visual welcome from a childhood memory such as the circus. I safety pinned my bib number to my shirt, and headed downstairs.

Disks of an unidentifiable matter flew in a haphazard vertical pattern above the packed crowd in the street, as people cheered and called out to their friends as they herded themselves into the pre-designated corrals from which they were to start the race. A naked man, covered only by a bandanna wrapped around the black hair on his head, clutched the sides of his body and shivered, as he looked around presumably for his friends. Strangely enough, his nudity was not the threat I was originally apprehensive of. Instead, it enforced the vulnerability of every person running the race. It is a beautiful society we live in, where a lone, small boned man can stand naked in the street amongst a crowd energized by caffeine and energy drinks, and not be bothered by anyone.

There was a sense of return to childhood in the manner of people of all ages, from the Winnie the Pooh and Elmo costumes to the flowing skirts and princess tiaras. For perhaps the only day out of the entire year, people of all gender, creed, nationality and disposition, could perform an activity side by side and enjoy it.

As I walked towards Corral C, a light object came down and hit me on the head. I looked down at my feet. The object was a tortilla. For a millisecond, the memories of a childhood growing up in a small town filled with supremacists of varying degrees, I felt a sting as if I were the target of a racist joke. I looked about me again, at the crowd, a beautiful Seurat like vision of multi-colored dots making a myriad of faces, and shook the feeling off.

Entering the race felt like boarding an amusement park ride. There was an awning with a digital clock display, and a hamper with a sign that read Clothing. Only in an altruistic city like San Francisco is the shedding of clothing an ingénue idea to collect garments for the poor. My feet began to move, step after step, and increase in speed. Running at full speed beside me was a tall fellow in a wig and full rock star/robot regalia. His eyes were shaded by reflective aviator sunglasses, and his face was covered with full make up, lined lips with cheeks covered in bright pink. The long, flowing wig upon his face flew behind him like a cape, the crimped locks light as feathers upon the wind. I gave him a respectful “woot, woot,” and continued on.

A hill rose before me, covered with a wave of people. I pressed on upwards, as bands played on the sidewalks, people hanging out of their homes toasted the runners with drinks in hand, and an emcee’s voice carried over the loudspeakers, encouraging the participants up the steep hill. “That’s it,” a woman said as I reached the top. “That’s the worst of it.” I looked down and saw a gorgeous, sloping incline, and felt I had sprouted wings.

The miles began to tick by, and as I entered Golden Gate Park, I saw this city I had lived near for all of my life through different eyes. Dark clouds poured a most welcome, light mist upon my face, for sweat was coursing down the bodies of even those running completely naked. As I ran past the seventh mile marker, which was the last, a cheeky bystander held up a sign which read Way to Go! Only Eight Miles Left!

The white caps of the Pacific Ocean were now visible. I sprinted into a run as I made the turn towards the finish line, not wanting to get there faster than anyone, but to make my personal goal of finishing the best it could be. I had not a time in mind, but I had come this far, and I knew that finishing strong was how I wanted this race to end. My baseball cap blew off from the force of the mighty sea winds, and I grabbed it in my fist and continued dashing towards the line. As I crossed, I threw my hands up in the air and formed a peace sign.

Men dressed in drag, throes of people without clothes, so called normal couples, and beautifully fit twenty something year olds milled about on the other side of the finish line. The endorphins of running seemed to be coursing through the air, as smiles were plentiful and the brisk chill from the ocean was as cleansing to the lungs as a cold shower is to the body. A wagon with a sign asking for support for a local school sold pupusas, a thick corn tortilla stuffed with cheese and pork, and a delicacy from my father’s country. To me, the sign was truly a welcome wagon. I had not only completed my first race, but crossed over to a new way of seeing the people I share this world with.

If we exist on a macrocosmic level as well as a microcosmic level, the San Francisco Bay to Breakers race is one place where these points of existence gel. We are all humans, running in the same vein of time in which we are blessed to exist. Some will stagnate, some will dare to stop and force against the stream of people, shouting rules and curses upon those who are there to flow, who are not hurting anyone. Some will continue on, energized by the others who share their presence, who press on towards the same positive goal, and no matter when they cross the finish line, it is these people who have truly won the race.
About this Author

Liz R. Newman, Author of An Affinity for Shadows

Article Source: http: //EzineArticles.com/6838180

There is a large variety of hotels in the Bay city area that offer a range of amenities. Those on a budget will like San Francisco for the basic B&B accommodation. If you are on a business trip or travelling with your family try the cheap boutique hotels. San Francisco is also home to some of very nice art deco hotels that blend old world charm with modern design. First, decide what you want to do, and then choose a hotel nearby that best suits your travel budget.

The most loved place here is the Fisherman’s Wharf, that features the popular Pier 39, known for its shopping and restaurants that serve some very nice and fresh seafood. The long stretch of street vendors and quirky shops are a draw for tourists. You will come across street performers playing music and CD sellers as well. Many tourists enjoy renting a boat and going off fishing from Pier 39, for a unique experience. If you take a ferry you can go and see the beautiful Marin County.Those near the Union Square can get here by the cable car.

You can book at the Heritage Marina if you are on a budget, or try The Mosser.

Heritage Marina Hotel 65 is a two star hotel located on VanNess and Filbert. Enjoy complimentary breakfast, take a swim in the outdoor heated swimming pool, shoot pool,dine at the in-house Little Joe’s Italian Restaurant and Sports Bar. The facility has a state of the art Business Center, that can accommodate all your communication needs. Modern, stylish decor, sumptuous interiors, walls adorned with contemporary artworks give space a luscious feel. Browse trendy shops at Union Street just a block away, listen to classical symphonies at the Opera House, watch plays at the Theatre District or make discoveries at the Museum of Modern Art.

Located one block from the chic neighborhood of Nob Hill, The Mosser is an outstanding destination for your San Francisco trip. Restored Victorian era touches are seamed with contemporary design flawlessly. Molded high ceilings, marble floors, mahogany wood touches and English styled chandeliers add glamor to space. There is a warmth and charm that makes staying at this San Francisco hotel an unforgettable experience.

The interior design has art deco touches and is very tastefully done. The only thing is that there are no ensuite wash rooms. But for a small price, this spot is very desirable due to its prime location.
The in-house Annabelle’s Bar & Bistro is a trendy spot and a favorite for locals and visitors alike.

From here you can walk down to Moscone Convention Center, San Francisco Museum of Modern Art, Yerba Buena Gardens, Sony Metreon and the Powell Street Cable Car line to Fisherman’s Wharf. Home comforts include Ceiling fans, in-room voice mail and two line telephones.

Article Source: http: //EzineArticles.com/6664042

San Francisco Museum of Modern Art

As the name suggests, this museum is dedicated to modern and contemporary art. It was designed by renowned artist Mario Botta. If you wish to explore 20th century art, consider visiting this museum. The extensive collection in the museum features more than 26,000 works of photography, design, architecture, sculpture, media art and painting. You can take a closer look at the magnificent works of famous artists such as Ansel Adams, Jackson Pollock and Andy Warhol. Another highlight of the museum is Artists Gallery. It was founded in 1978. It features temporary art collections of amateur as well as established artists from North California.

California Academy of Sciences

This museum was established in 1853. Besides being one of the oldest, this museum is also among the largest museums of natural history in the world. This museum is located in the Golden Gate Park. The museum conducts research in several fields such as botany, marine biology zoology, mamma-logy and anthropology. While enjoying holidays in San Francisco, you should visit the museum on Thursdays to be a part of the special event known as NightLife. But remember, the show is open only for people above the age of 21. The event starts at 1800 hrs and ends at 2200 hrs. Alcoholic beverages and snacks are served during the event. Most of the times, this event is themed.

The California Palace of the Legion of Honor

Colloquially, this fine art museum is known as Legion of Honor. If you are really an art lover, visiting this museum is a must. While walking around the museum, you would come across vast collection of European and Ancient art. Some of artworks exhibited in the museum are as old as 6,000 years. The European art collection mainly consists of French art. Artwork that marks the European art in the museum is the sculpture made by well-known artist Auguste Rodin. Other artists whose artworks are exhibited in the museum are Gainsborough, Rembrandt, Picasso and Rubens. This museum is famous around the world for its magnificent collection of ancient art. There are 1,400 objects in the ancient art collection featuring pottery, sculpture, painting and decorative art.
About this Author

Mariya Moore is an independent travel consultant who writes holidays information for most popular destinations like San Francisco Holidays, Lisbon Holidays and New York Holidays.

Article Source: http: //EzineArticles.com/6466998

PARODY: Any similarity to any persons or events is strictly coincidental and meant as satire. Brangham is a construction expert and a parady when she went out to finally look at the projects and see the lack of progress.

Note: Apologies for camera shakiness and darkness of video. But sit back, relax, and enjoy the music. Also: Video has recently been re-uploaded due to an error. Notable Moments: Rowan comes up to inform Baiyon that they’re a little too loud for the next door restaurant @9:30; Rowan begins to join Baiyon for co-op play @12:00; Actual duo performance @12:40; Rowan sets up for dual-wielding performance @18:30; Rowan’s solo performance with 2 Move controllers @19:00. At a rather last-minute and tiny PixelJunk 4am launch event at San Francisco’s Harlot, Baiyon, the man behind 4am and it’s music as well as the music for PJ Eden, performed live in front of the small audience there. Also joining him half way and performing on his own, dual-wielding even, was Rowan, lead designer of the game at Q-Games. What is PixelJunk 4am? It’s the lastest from the PixelJunk series of games on the PS3 that uses the PlayStation Move controller. It’s not so much a ‘game’, more so a musical experience. There are no objectives, no points, no scoring: Just a canvas to mix together beats of your own. You can even ‘perform’ live online to an audience of other PlayStation Network users. Those without the game can even download a free application to view others play live. pixeljunk.jp PixelJunk 4am releases on the PS3 via PSN on May 15th.

Airport play areas are a great way to have children exercise away any nervousness they may feel before a long flight. By doing this you will be able to manage your delay easier and keep your traveling group happy.

Before your trip, ensure that you have photocopied each of your most important travel documents. Place different copies of your documents in several locations so that you cannot lose everything at once. You might also entrust a relative with copies, which you can collect if your originals are stolen or lost.

Let you children know about the security procedures at the airport. You want to explain what will happen before arriving at the airport; however, make sure not to make it seem like a bad thing. Keep your child close when you go through security. Help to ease their fears by sending a familiar adult through first, showing them how it works.

You can book all of your travel plans for your vacation in one place if you do it online. You can plan your trip on a travel site with little effort. At these sites you have the ability to book hotels, rental cars and flights from one location. You can easily access reviews and photos of hotels for quick comparison. Travel sites also offer great deals for planning your trip, including discounts for last minute travel.

When packing before a trip, think about choosing dark clothes, especially for dresses and slacks. Stains, wrinkles, and other signs of travel-related wear are less visible against darker fabrics. If you desire a more festive appearance, pair your dark clothing with some bright scarves, jewelry, or shoes.

You can roll your clothes when packing to make everything fit easier and prevent wrinkles. You will save some space in your luggage by rolling your clothes. Once at you vacation spot, you will be able to unroll your clothes and fold them before putting them in drawers. Doing this can reduce the luggage that you need on your trip.

As was discussed in the introduction to this article, traveling is a lot of fun but the planning part can be rather difficult. But, you can make planning a trip easier if you know how. Use this article’s tips to help you make the most of your travel experience.

Traveling as well as writing articles are actually the writer’s two most favorite things to the do in the entire world. Or possibly traveling and consuming foreign food. Actually, travel and picture taking of exotic countries. Let’s basically say travel plus anything at all actually works for me.

Chapter 13/13 – The Final The final episode of the TBS Road Trip takes us to San Francisco Bay, the Golden Gate Bridge, Russian Hill, Alcatraz and various other sights around San Francisco. The journey ends with a big bang folks, two intense weeks filled with crazy flying, an armed robbery. tons of junk food and very little sleep. Hope to see you in a different country very soon! Share this video and the others around, it really helps us grow and we appreciate the support. Special thanks to: ImmersionRC – www.immersionrc.com Watch all the other “Team BlackSheep USA Road Trip” chapters too www.youtube.com www.team-blacksheep.com http edit: www.aufmschlau.ch http music: Access Denied – Black Ayra Recordings www.beatport.com www.facebook.com FPV shop: www.team-blacksheep.com FPV info: www.fpvlab.com special thanks to HobbyKing – www.hobbyking.com GoPro – http Burton – burton.com

This is the first Estasi installed in the valley with many more to be installed!!!! This video shows the machine working with Grenache, Zinfandel and Syrah with great results.

Consider packing multiple use clothing when going on a trip. For example, sport coats and footwear can be mixed and matched with many outfits. This will limit the number of things you must take along on your trip.

The E-tracking option is available on some travel sites, and can be very helpful. Use it to keep up with the least expensive way to travel. You will get an alert by email if the flight you want or have already booked has dropped in price.

If you are a visitor to foreign cities, keep your eyes open for thieves that might be dressed as law enforcement or government personnel. You must not give anyone your original passport; it may be gone for good if you do. If someone demands that you go to an office, walk. Don’t ride with someone you don’t know.

If you are going to vacation at a National Park you should get a National Park season pass. They cost $50 and are good for all the parks for one year.

Make sure to brush your dogs before departing on any long car trips. This reduces shedding and protects your seats and upholstery. Don’t forget to pack the essentials needed to properly care for your dog while you are away.

When traveling, make sure all your contact information, including your name, address and phone number are visible in your luggage. By doing this, your luggage will always have your information on it, even if the external tag gets detached. If your luggage ever escapes your sight and gets lost, this can identify your property and provide information on where to return your luggage.

Make sure you are prepared to take care of yourself, even on longer flights. Bring anything you need to keep yourself entertained and comfortable. Also, consider bringing your own snacks to guarantee you will have something to eat that you like.

When you travel, you always need to keep up with your belongings. Tuck your purse under your arm. Also avoid pocketbooks which are easily opened by others on a busy street or subway. These are but a few tips to consider when shopping for a safe bag for your travels.

By using these tips, you can travel smarter and have a smooth journey. Regardless of your final destination, you will enjoy your trip so much more knowing you have done everything you can to ensure a smooth and pleasurable trip.

Two of my favorite things are traveling plus writing.. Or perhaps it is traveling and enjoying international food. Or maybe traveling and taking snapshots of foreign nationalities. Travel in addition to anything works best.