Do you scratch your head and wonder how they schedule routine highway and bridge repairs?  I assumed that it would be a pro-active process,  with planning and timing designed to work around any peak travel times.  Clearly any major repairs are going to involve disruption, but I would think that the powers that be would want to minimize the amount of disruption caused to drivers.
In most cases, this means that repairs are going to happen over a weekend, when the disruption to commuters is minimized.  Okay, that makes sense.
But why, I am asking myself, would anyone schedule repairs to the …read more

I am pleased to introduce you to a fellow travel blogger, Cat Lincoln, who has generously offered to share a guest post about her city with us while I’m on vacation.
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I love sightseeing, but the pressure to hit a laundry list of attractions can make your vacation feel like a competition, or even worse, work! One tactic that helps me keep my “must see” list under control is to limit it to three destinations. List checkers like my husband still feel like they’ve “accomplished” something. And it gives dawdlers like me enough space on our itinerary to enjoy a second …read more

Forbes Magazine recently announced its list of America’s Top Ten Most Popular Tourist Attractions.
I know that the phrase “tourist attraction” can be a turn off to many people, but don’t let that label get in the way.  These are some sights worth seeing.
Here’s the list:

Times Square – New York City
Las Vegas Strip – Las Vegas, Nevada
National Mall & Memorial Parks – Washington DC
Faneuil Hall – Boston, Massachusetts
Disney World’s Magic Kingdom – Buena Vista, Florida
Disneyland Park – Anaheim, California
Fisherman’s Wharf/Golden Gate National Recreation Area – San Francisco, California
Niagara Falls – New York
Great Smoky Mountains National Park – Tennessee and North Carolina
Navy …read more

Today’s Matchbook Monday features Betelnut, a San Francisco restaurant featuring a Pan Asian fusion menu. It is located in the Cow Hollow section of the city.
The restaurant’s bar is a bit of a “scene” kind of place, and is often crowded. Don’t let that put you off trying the dining room, however, or the outdoor seating during the nice weather. The ambience and menu appeals to a wide variety of ages, and you’ll find the dining area full of patrons of varying ages.
Betelnut has an extensive menu, and it can be hard to make a decision. …read more

In San Francisco’s North Beach area (the Italian section of the city), you’ll find Joe DiMaggio’s Restaurant, today’s Matchbook Monday.
It’s a chophouse, with a club-ish kind of feel to it.  There are leather booths, dark wood, and photos of the Yankee Clipper on the wall.  It’s a bit of a throw back to the 50’s in its decor, and a kinder and gentler era of dining.
The bar is also a popular spot for a date night or meeting up with friends.
The menu features all the typical red meat fare, and you’ll also find Italian classics.  Warning, these portions are …read more

For the first time since I started blogging, I took a long weekend off.  Did you miss me?
The reason for my absence was a long weekend away – to attend BlogHer ‘08, held this year in San Francisco.
What great fun to see Christina, Kelly and Elizabeth again.  We all met last year at BlogHer ‘07 in Chicago, and we had even more fun this year.  And to meet Jody, Tracee and Kristen.
There were informative sessions, my favorite probably the one about photography.  I learned a lot, and while I’ll struggle to put much of it into practice, I think …read more

I’m headed to San Francisco later this week for a little fun with some of my blogging pals, and to attend BlogHer ‘08.
I met some great people last year at BlogHer (in Chicago), and can’t wait to see all of you again.  A big thanks to beauty blogger extraordinaire Christina Jones for convincing me to make the trip.
Pam and Kelly, looking forward to seeing you again, too!
If you’ll be at BlogHer in San Francisco, leave a comment below or send me an email directly.  I’d love to meet up!
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I’ve toured a city by car, bus, train, moped, bicycle, motorcycle, scooter, and on foot.  Each mode of touring offers different options and varying perspectives on a city.
Travelers in San Francisco and San Diego now have an additional choice on how to see the city — a GoCar.  The GoCar is a talking 3-wheeled vehicle that gives directions and tour commentary as you see the sights of the city.  And it speaks five different languages.
You can follow a standardized tour, deviate where you’d like, or just go off exploring on your own.  The GPS tour system is available at no …read more

I love wandering the streets of a city, never any specific direction in mind, just wandering up and down the streets, popping into any little shop or gallery that may catch my eye, stopping for a cup of coffee or a glass of wine when I get a little tired.
Wandering is a great way to get to know a city, not so much for a tourist point of view, but getting to know it as a resident.  Besides that, you get to discover some great little places.
A few months back, I was in the Upper Noe area and came across …read more

San Francisco’s Chinese New Year Parade, celebrating the Year of the Boar (Lunar Year 4705), will begin on Saturday, March 3rd at 5:30 pm.  The parade will start at 2nd & Market, ending in the heart of Chinatown.  This parade is one of the few remaining illuminated Parades in the country, and is consistently named as one of the Top Ten Parades in the World.
This year’s parade promised to be no less spectacular than years past, with over 100 entries that include floats, elaborate costumes, fierce lions, firecrackers, and the newly crowned Miss Chinatown and her court.   You won’t want to …read more