DK Travel : San Francisco

San Franciscans will, rather candidly, admit that they are the most fortunate people on earth, the occasional earthquake notwithstanding; and most visitors, after a few days of taking in the sights and sounds of this magnificent city, will agree. Ask anyone who has been here and they will tell you it’s their favorite US city. The geographical setting evokes so much emotional drama, the light seems clearer, the colors more vivid, the cultural diversity of the ethnic neighborhoods so captivating and inviting, that it’s a place almost everyone can fall in love with at first sight.

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China Town Kites

The thing about the global economy is that you can buy anything, anywhere. It makes it really difficult to find interesting, unique souvenirs.

Not so at family owned and operated China Town Kites! Browse their selection of hand painted kites: there are dragons, grasshoppers, goldfish, and turtles.

Personally I think they're too beautiful (and expensive) to risk flying. They make gorgeous decorations for a child's room though.

Even if you're not buying, this shop is an oasis in the bustle of China Town. Go in!
Columbus Motor Inn

If you can score one of the six 2-bedroom suites here, you're well on your way to San Francisco budget vacation nirvana.

The Columbus Motor Inn is a modest motel, but it's clean, cheap, and has a lot going for it. It's got free covered parking (totally unheard of in SF!). The location is within easy walking distance of North Beach, Chinatown, and Fisherman's Wharf.

Request a small fridge for just $5 a day, and stock up on the basics at either Trader Joe's or Safeway (both 2 block away). There's no on-site restaurant, but you do have in-room coffeemakers and a fruit bowl at reception.

Don't be discouraged by the location on busy Columbus Avenue, the suites are all at the back of the building.
Cycle across the Golden Gate Bridge

Rent some bikes and cycle across the Golden Gate Bridge. Really nice views of the city. Can get some sea food and then get the ferry back.
Cycling over the Golden Gate Bridge to Sausalito

Hire a bike from San Francisco Bay area and cycle along the sea front towards Golden Gate bridge. the views are amazing and the bridge is fantastic. Head in to Sausalito stop off for some lunch and head back on the ferry. A great day out!
Embarcadero Centre

Out the front of this shopping centre is a massive art installation, which is really impressive. The area also hosts a craft market and there's loads of delicatessens selling fresh food.
Fillmore Street

Fillmore Street is where the real San Frans hang out. The coolest shops, bars, cafes and restaurants can be found here - plus some very hip people. Everyone has posing pooches and the cafes seem to cater for them, as metal water bowls litter the pavement. There's a cool cinema, and when I was there, I was pleased to see it was showing a film by my favourite French Director - see photo. We spent most evenings hanging out here.
FISHERMAN'S WHARF

It is full of ENERGY. It is very colorful. It is like a meeting point of a lot of people from different countries and cultures. There is a SYNERGY everywhere. It must be in the list to visit. You will not regret. Believe it!
Four Seasons Hotel

This hotel brings the appeal of Four Seasons legendary service and luxury to the innovative capital of high tech. In the hub of Silicon Valley, ten minutes from Stanford University, this intimate hotel is the centrepiece of the new University Circle complex, and the gateway to Palo Alto’s most exclusive residential area. A landmark at the gateway to Palo Alto, Four Seasons Hotel Silicon Valley at East Palo Alto offers easy access to Bay Area business centres, and to some of the most scenic stretches of the California coast.
Google Inc.

"Google's mission is to organize the world's information and make it universally accessible and useful."

As a first step to fulfilling that mission, Google's founders Larry Page and Sergey Brin developed a new approach to online search that took root in a Stanford University dorm room and quickly spread to information seekers around the globe. Google is now widely recognized as the world's largest search engine -- an easy-to-use free service that usually returns relevant results in a fraction of a second.

Google's utility and ease of use have made it one of the world's best known brands almost entirely through word of mouth from satisfied users. As a business, Google generates revenue by providing advertisers with the opportunity to deliver measurable, cost-effective online advertising that is relevant to the information displayed on any given page.

"Googol" is the mathematical term for a 1 followed by 100 zeros. The term was coined by Milton Sirotta, nephew of American mathematician Edward Kasner, and was popularized in the book, "Mathematics and the Imagination" by Kasner and James Newman. Google's play on the term reflects the company's mission to organize the immense amount of information available on the web.

As a play on Google's name, its headquarters, in Mountain View, California, is referred to as "the Googleplex" — a googolplex being 1 followed by a googol of zeros, and the HQ being a complex of buildings.
handlery union square

fantastic hotel, with very friendly staff and the most comfiest beds iv ever had the pleasure of sleeping in, easily accessible to most places within san francisco