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 cup of coffee – or aperitif – at a charming, out of the way café.

Here’s my “Three to See” in San Francisco!

Crissy Field and Golden Gate Bridge

As soon as you catch sight of the iconic red-orange Golden Gate Bridge, stretching across to Marin County, you’ll be glad you made the trip to Crissy Field in the historic Presidio National Park, even if you just get out of the car for a few minutes and soak up the views.

Wind, rain or shine, the Bay is filled with sailors and surfers. The island of Alcatraz seems close enough to touch, the San Francisco skyline stretches out to your right, and the seaside town of Sausalito, which will look familiar from many appearances on TV and in movies, is just across the bay.

History and aviation buffs will be fascinated by Crissy Fields’ decommissioned hangers, and vintage photos of aircraft dating back to the earliest days of flight.

You can bring a picnic lunch, pick up sandwiches and drinks at the Crissy Field Center or get an organic snack at the cute – and aptly named — Warming Hut Café.

Just remember to bring an extra sweatshirt or two – even when the famous fog is away, it’s still one of the windiest places in the city.

The Exploratorium

Just a few steps away from Crissy Field, at the Palace of Fine Arts, you’ll find the Exploratorium, a family friendly “Museum of science, art and human perception.”  There are loads of interactive exhibits, and touching is encouraged – at last, a fun museum for the kids! In fact, it’s a hand-on learning environment for kids of all ages.

The museum is open Tuesday through Sunday from 10 am to 5 pm. Admission is $14 for adults, $11 for seniors, people with disabilities and youth ages 13-17, and $9 for each little one between 4-12. Under 3, get in free! Also, the admission is free the first Wednesday of every month, but plan to arrive early to beat the crowds.

The Exploratorium is also a part of the CityPass program, which is definitely worth considering if you plan to hit a few museums during your visit to SF:

The Ferry Building and Farmer’s Market

If you don’t have time to visit the Central Valley farms and Napa Valley vineyards, take an afternoon at the Ferry Building  at the base of Market Street in the heart of downtown San Francisco. Foodies in particular will enjoy this recently renovated emporium that celebrates the local culture of food.

Open storefronts display the best produce, wine, cheese, chocolate and aromatic oil olive from the region. You can sample cuisine prepared in styles from around the globe. And on Tuesdays and Saturdays a Farmer’s Market with dozens of stalls fills your senses with the sights and aromas of fruit, vegetables and flowers.

There’s no charge to stroll through the Ferry Building or Farmer’s Market, but be warned: your pocketbook will be tempted by gelato, fresh bread and gorgeous organic produce at every turn!

Cat Lincoln is a freelance writer and social media consultant based in San Francisco, where she and her husband are often mistaken for tourists because they always have such a good time. In addition to sharing her favorite travel tips on UpTake, she is a contributor to style and green sites including StyleList, GreenDaily, and Tonic News.  Cat is also the co-founder of humorous pop culture sites 40 Whatever and wishbone clover.

In her spare time Cat is an amateur photographer, and is always on the lookout for new and exciting restaurants, especially ones with good desserts.

Photo credit:  Cat Lincoln

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.

New York New York on the Las Vegas Strip

Here’s the list:

1. Times Square – New York City
2. Las Vegas Strip – Las Vegas, Nevada
3. National Mall & Memorial Parks – Washington DC
4. Faneuil Hall – Boston, Massachusetts
5. Disney World’s Magic Kingdom – Buena Vista, Florida
6. Disneyland Park – Anaheim, California
7. Fisherman’s Wharf/Golden Gate National Recreation Area – San Francisco, California
8. Niagara Falls – New York
9. Great Smoky Mountains National Park – Tennessee and North Carolina
10. Navy Pier – Chicago, Illinois

I’ve been to nine of the destinations on the list, although officially I was on the Canadian side of Niagara Falls.  Same falls, different perspective and country, so I’m counting it.

The only attraction on the list that I haven’t been to is the Great Smoky Mountains.  I haven’t traveled much in the south, so have missed many of the great spots in that part of the country.

How many of these attractions have you seen?

Photo credit:  personal collection

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. Ask your server to help steer you in the right direction for your taste preferences. Small plates work well for trying a new dish, so don’t be afraid to sample something that you’ve never had before. Chances are, however, that if you’re a regular you won’t be willing to let go of your favorites!

My favorites are the spicy dishes. Mmmmmmm!

Betelnut is located at 2030 Union Street (between Buchanan & Webster Streets) in San Francisco.

Do you have a matchbook collection?  I know lots of people have picked them up over the years, and still have them sitting in a box somewhere.  I invite all my readers to submit a matchbook photo for inclusion in a future Matchbook Monday.  Take a photo and send it to me.

Photo credit:  personal collection

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 HUGE, so order accordingly.

DiMaggio’s is located at 601 Union Street in San Francisco.

Image credit:  personal collection

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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 I got a few good tips that will a good place to start.

In addition to the sessions, there was also plenty of opportunity for extra-curricular activities, including shopping in the Union Square area of the city (Macy’s, Gucci, Louis Vuitton), a walk down to the Nordstrom Center, and looking for a computer store located in the city (my laptop died).

Evenings were spent singing and carrying on at the nearby Irish pub, Lefty’s O’Doul’s.  

Great people, great friends, great times!

Now I’m back – and back to blogging!

Photo credit:  flickr

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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 extra charge, and is available for your use as a tour guide.  There is no set tour, take whatever pace you’d like, choosing the attractions that you want to stop and see.  Bustle through the city or take it all in at a leisurely pace, it’s all up to you.  The GoCar will do about 35 miles per hour, and can get into smaller areas where I typical tour bus or van can’t.

The rental is by the hour or the day, and is $44 for the first hour, $34 for the second hour, and $24 per hour after that.  There is a maximum charge of five hours.  Time is billed in increments of 15 minutes, rounded down, so you never have to pay for time that you don’t use.  You must be over 18 years of age to rent a GoCar, and have a valid license and insurance. 

In San Francisco, GoCars can be found in Union Square and Fisherman’s Wharf.  Although walk ups can sometimes be accommodated, reserve online  so that you won’t be disappointed.

I’ll be making plans to be in San Francisco sometime over the next couple of months, and plan on checking out GoCar.  On a lovely California day, it sounds like a fun way to tour the city.

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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 a fun little shop ““ Church Street Apothecary.  Not surprisingly, it’s located on Church Street:  1767 Church Street (Church & 30th), and you’ll know you’re at the right place when you see the neon green cross above the door.

Inside Church Street Apothecary you’ll find a brightly lit, well-organized space, stocked with lots of high quality products.  There are some old-fashioned homeopathic remedies, great bath and beauty products, and lots of fun gift ideas.  You’ll find the usual and unusual alike, and if you’re at all like me, you’ll find yourself browsing each and every one of the old apothecary styled wooded shelves.  It can easily take an hour or two.

Some things that caught my eye:  Old fashioned candy (remember Beeman’s and Black Jack gum?), Claus Porto Ilyria Bar Soap (I love good smelling soaps), and the Jill Bliss stationery products.

If you can’t get to the store in person, Church Street Apothecary also has an online store.  It’s not as much fun as going there in person, though.

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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 miss the Golden Dragon.  It is over 200 feet in length, and takes a crew of over 100 people to carry and parade the dragon throughout the streets.

The San Francisco Chinese New Year Parade started back in the 1860’s as a way for the Chinese community to share their culture with those unfamiliar with it.  Combining the Chinese culture with a strictly American tradition ““ a parade ““ it was an effort to become part of a new culture while maintain the traditions of a lifetime.

In 1959, the Chinese Chamber of Commerce took over the responsibility and direction of the Parade, moving it to the evening and making it a torchlight parade.  The Parade and accompanying two-week festival has grown to become the largest celebration of Asian culture outside of Asia.

Reserved bleacher seating for this year’s parade has already sold out, so you’ll have to find a spot along the parade route to view the festivities.  The streets will be more crowded the closer you get to Chinatown.  Or, watch from the comfort of your home or hotel room on KTVU/Fox 2, or KTSF, Channel 28 (Chinese broadcast).  The parade lasts about two and a half hours.

I’ve been in the San Francisco area for most weekends the past couple months.  However, this weekend I’ll be in a different part of the country and will be missing the parade.  If anyone gets some great photos, please let me know!

Photo credit:  flickr

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The American Institute of Architects announced the results of its annual poll and named the top 150 favorite structures across the United States. 

Here are the Top Ten on the list:

1. Empire State Building
2. The White House
3. Washington National Cathedral
4. Thomas Jefferson Memorial
5. Golden Gate Bridge
6. U.S. Capitol
7. Lincoln Memorial
8. Biltmore Estates
9. Chrysler Building
10. Vietnam Veterans Memorial

As I browsed through the list, I noticed that although I have visited 59 of the buildings on the list, I have only written about a handful.  Those that I have written about include:  Empire State Building  (1), Lincoln Memorial (7), Washington Monument (12), Supreme Court (15), Rockefeller Center (56), TransAmerica Pyramid (61), Corning Museum of Glass (136), and MoMA (146).

You can get the full list of 150 at the AIA 150 website.  AIA member architects provided the nominations, and voting was conducted via a Harris Interactive poll.

How many of these buildings have you seen?

Photo credit:  wikimedia

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