The Place for Government Per Diem Rate Hotels

City Overview

There are many reasons why San Francisco continuously rates as one of the most liveable cities in the USA. For starters, its residents retain a relationship between materialism and money on the one hand and cutting-edge thought and progressive politics on the other.

This dualism in San Francisco is played out in all facets of society: from eating, drinking and socialising, to art and design, music and culture, landscape and architecture. The reward for unleashing this creative and freethinking beast on everyday activity is a dynamic lifestyle on par with New York and streets ahead of most other cities in the country. Hotels are plentiful, including a wide choice offering government per diem rates and federal per diem rates.

San Francisco is fortuitously positioned between the ocean and Sierra Nevada mountains to the east and west and redwood forests and the California desert to the north and south. On San Francisco's doorstep, the Bay, which fits neatly between the Golden Gate Bridge and the Bay Bridge, is not only tantalisingly beautiful, it's home to 14 small islands, including Alcatraz.

Not far away, the glorious vineyards of the Napa and Sonoma wine regions ensure weekend escapes are part of the San Francisco experience. The city has a mild year-round climate but it should not be confused with hot and sunny Southern California.

When the fog and cold sets in, as it often does in San Francisco, locals head indoors, to jazz venues, cozy restaurants, wine bars and old-school breweries to talk life, love, politics and people. Though steadfast in its bright future, the city's past is always remembered with a collective nod.

Tolerance for all ways of life is perhaps what buoys San Francisco most today, and what inevitably makes it an unforgettable destination for people from all walks of life.

Getting Around

Airports

San Francisco International Airport (SFO)
Tel: (650) 821 8211.
Website: www.flysfo.com  

San Francisco International Airport is situated 20km (13 miles) south of the city, off Routes 101 and 280.

Airportfacilities: These include banks, ATMs, bureaux de change and numerous bars and restaurants, gift and speciality shopping, including duty-free outlets. Six public information booths are on site. An AirTrain takes passengers to nine airport stations and to car hire operators, including Alamo, Avis, Budget, Dollar, Hertz, Enterprise, NationalandThrifty. San Francisco International houses the world's first, fully accredited art museum in an airport, and in the international terminal boasts an aviation library and the Louis A Turpin Aviation Museum. A business centre, located in the AirportTravelAgency (tel: (650) 877 0422), provides fax services, airline tickets, luggage storage, shipping boxes and hotel reservations. A number of airline lounges are available for frequent flyer cardholders. Self-serve conference and business facilities are available at PowerPoint, in the G-side of the International terminal.

Transporttothecity: Shuttles, buses, taxis and limousines are all readily available. AmericanAirporterShuttle (tel: (415) 202 0733) provides a 24-hour, door-to-door service. Other 24-hour services are Lorrie's Shuttles (tel: (415) 334 9000; website www.sfovan.com) and Super Shuttle (tel: 1 800 258 3826; website: www.supershuttle.com). Taxis are metered and the fare to the downtown and Fisherman's Wharf area ranges from US$35-45. SanMateoCountyTransit aka SamTrans (tel: 1 800 660 4287; website: www.samtrans.com) runs bus services to the Transbay Terminal at Mission Street. Journey times vary between 25 minutes and 45 minutes, depending on traffic.

Public transportation leaves from the blue zone on the airport's lower level. BayAreaRapidTransit (BART) (tel: (415) 989 2278; website: www.bart.gov) now operates public transport from the airport on the International Departure/Ticketing level to downtown and other areas. The cost is based on the distance travelled. Trains run from early morning until evening, with the last train at 2346 nightly. Visit www.511.org to create a custom itinerary on San Francisco Bay Area's public transportation.

Oakland International Airport (OAK)
Tel: (510) 563 3300.
Website: www.flyoakland.com  

Oakland International Airport is located across the Bay, 32km (20 miles) from downtown San Francisco. Oakland receives mainly domestic flights (although some international flights arrive here), and may be a less expensive gateway to the Bay Area.

Airportfacilities: Facilities include banks, ATMs, Internet access, travel insurance, duty-free, currency exchange and food outlets. Car hire is available from Alamo, Avis, Budget, Dollar, Enterprise, Fox, Hertz, National and Thrifty.

Transporttothecity: About three dozen shuttle services operate door-to-door from Oakland Airport to surrounding areas. ACTransit (tel: (510) 817 1717; website: www.flyoakland.com/ac_transit.shtml) operates the TransBayExpress, providing a 24-hour service between Oakland International and the TransBay Terminal at Mission Street and First Street in San Francisco. Buses depart at the front of both terminals. ACTransit's bus 50 connects the airport to the Alameda/OaklandFerry (tel: (510) 522 3300), which runs services to San Francisco's ferry terminal and Pier 41, at Fisherman's Wharf. Numerous shuttles include BayporterExpress (tel: (415) 467 1800 or 1 877 467 1800; website: www.bayporter.com). Journey times vary between 30 minutes and 60 minutes, depending on traffic. An AirBART shuttle provides services between Oakland International and the Bay Area Rapid Transit - BART (tel: (510) 465 2278; website: www.bart.gov) train station, for trips into San Francisco. The AirportExpress also goes to Sonoma and Marin Counties (tel: 1 800 327 2024; www.airportexpressinc.com). Last pickup is midnight.

ApproximateflighttimestoSanFrancisco: From London is 11 hours; from New York is 5 hours 30 minutes; from Los Angeles is 1 hour 20 minutes; from Toronto is 5 hours 20 minutes and from Sydney is 14 hours 30 minutes.

Trains

Amtrak (tel: 1 800 872 7245; website: www.amtrak.com) is the national railway provider, operating a regular and timely service. Two Amtrak terminals are situated across the Bay, in Oakland. The newer station is located in Jack London Square, 245 Second Street (tel: (510) 238 4322). A second station, situated at 5885 Horton Street, Emeryville (tel: (510) 450 1081), is where most trains arrive and depart from. Emeryville has a bus service into San Francisco. Facilities include free unattended parking in the station car park and a newspaper stand. An Amtrak ticket and baggage centre is located at 101 The Embarcadero at Mission Street, Pier 2.

Rail Services
The Coast Starlight travels north from Los Angeles to Seattle, with a stop in the Bay Area (journey time - 12 hours to Los Angeles and 23 hours to Seattle). The California Zephyr route travels from the Bay Area to Chicago via Reno, Salt Lake City and Denver (journey time to Chicago - 56 hours).

CalTrain (tel: 1 800 660 4287; website: www.caltrain.com), a regional train, serves Palo Alto, San Jose and many other small cities from the station at Fourth Street and King Street. These stop at 22nd Street and Pennsylvania Avenue.

Transport
A shuttle transports passengers between the two East Bay Amtrak stations and the Ferry Building and CalTrain station in San Francisco.

By Road

The minimum driving age in California (as in the rest of the USA) is 16 years and cars drive on the right. All valid national licences are acceptable, but an International Driving Permit (IDP) is preferred. US insurance is mandatory. National Interstate Highways can only be entered or exited at specific interchanges and have even numbers from east to west (I-8 near the Mexican border) and odd numbers from north to south.

Tolls on roads, bridges and tunnels are commonplace. Speed limits are typically 56kph (35mph) in cities and 113kph (70mph) on the Interstate, unless otherwise posted.

Drivers on the West Coast, however, tend to go faster. All occupants of the car must wear seat belts and passengers under 12 must be seated in the back. Drivers may turn right at a red light, if the way is clear. A flashing red traffic light is the same as a stop sign, which means that it is necessary to come to a full stop and proceed when safe.
The maximum legal alcohol to blood ratio for driving is 0.08% but California has strict drink-driving laws. You can be charged regardless of blood alcohol amount if the police can prove the alcohol affected your driving. Penalties may be given at 0.04%. The Zero Tolerance Law, stricter for drivers under 21 years of age, can revoke the licence of drivers with a blood-alcohol content of 0.01% for one year on the first offence. Driving and parking on steep hills may require special care.

The American Automobile Association - AAA (tel: 1 800 922 8228; website: www.aaa.com) provides information and may offer reciprocal benefits to members of automobile clubs in other countries. Also see www.caldrive.com for information.

Emergency breakdown services
AAA (tel: 1 800 222 4357 or AAA HELP).

Routes to the city
Major highways are Route 80, the transcontinental highway from the east via Salt Lake City, Interstate 5, stretching to Seattle in the north and San Diego in the south, and Route 101, the north-south thoroughfare. The scenic and meandering coastal road, Highway 1 or PCH (Pacific Coast Highway), has incomparable ocean views, but it also has many intersections and traffic lights, which make for a longer trip. Both Santa Cruz and Monterey are on Highway 1. From both cities, drivers can take this scenic route (Highway 1) or connect to Highway 17 for the Interstate 280 north, which cuts down driving time.

Coach services
Greyhound (tel: 1 800 231 2222; website: www.greyhound.com) provides the most extensive bus service throughout the USA. The station is the Transbay Terminal, 425 Mission Street, South of Market (tel: (415) 495 1569). Regular long-distance services include Los Angeles, Seattle and Lake Tahoe.

By Water

The Port of San Francisco (www.sfport.com) operates the 110-year-old Ferry Building on The Embarcadero, situated at the end of Market Street. The port is technically the 11km (7 miles) of San Francisco Bay waterfront, stretching from Hyde Street Pier in the north to India Basin in the south. It includes restaurants, promenades and the attractions of Fisherman's Wharf. The remodelled Ferry Building Marketplace celebrates food in all its forms.

Ferry services

The Ferry Building is a terminal that serves sightseeing boats and local and Marin County ferries. The Ferry Building, Pier 39 and Pier 41 are where the various ferries dock - many companies use several of the docks, depending on the routes served. Golden Gate Transit Ferry (tel: (415) 455 2000; www.goldengateferry.org) operates services to Marin County. Bay Crossings tour information centre (tel: (415) 362 0717; www.ferrybuildingmarketplace.com/bay_crossings.php) is located centrally in the Ferry Building. You can buy tickets at the ticket office behind the Ferry Building.

General Information

Location

California, USA.

Time zone

GMT - 8 (GMT - 7 from second Sunday in March to first Sunday in November).

Electricity

110 volts, 50Hz; two-pin plugs are standard.

Average January temperatures

11ºC (51ºF).

Average July temperatures

16ºC (60ºF).

Annual rainfall

559mm (22 inches).

Things to do

Sightseeing Overview

Regularly voted best city in the USA in national polls, San Francisco is a visual feast that offers something for every eye. The many hilltops and landmarks, such as the 55m- (180ft-) high Coit Tower, on Telegraph Hill, provide grand vistas of the Bay and the city. Works of art are on display in myriad museums. For the more contemporary tastes, the high-tech offerings of Yerba Buena Centre for the Arts, and the AT&TPark, home of baseball's San Francisco Giants, are yet another side to the city.

But it is where mankind and nature meets that this implausibly diverse city comes into its own. A visit to the Golden Gate Bridge, which used enough wire to go around the earth several times over and was hailed as impossible to build, is a must. Golden Gate Park covers 412 hectares (1,017 acres) and is the one of the largest manmade parks in the world, thanks to Scotsman John McLaren, the extraordinary gardener who tamed the sands of San Francisco and created the magnificent park.

Then there is Alcatraz, the stuff of legend, Grant Street, the city's oldest, running the length of Chinatown, Haight-Ashbury, which rekindles memories of Flower Power and the Beat Generation, and Fisherman's Wharf, at the edge of the Bay, offering hundreds of resident sea lions, cheap souvenirs and, always, something to eat. At the other end of The Embarcadero the landmark Ferry Building has become a foodie haven where visitors get an eyeful as well as a belly-full.

Tourist Information

San Francisco Visitor Information Centre
900 Market Street
Tel: (415) 391 2000.
Website: www.onlyinsanfrancisco.com  
Opening hours: Mon-Fri 0900-1700, Sat-Sun 0900-1500.

Passes

The San Francisco CityPass (website: www.citypass.com) allows admission to six attractions (the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art, Exploratorium or Asian Art Museum, Blue & Gold Fleet Bay Cruise, De Young/Legion of Honor and Aquarium of the Bay) and also includes a seven-day Muni & Cable Car Passport (see GettingAround). It is valid for nine days and can be purchased from the attractions on the day or online in advance.

Attractions

The Mission
The Mission, once linked to Mission Dolores (the city's oldest building, built by its Franciscan fathers in 1791), is a district of San Francisco where Central America's immigrants and bohemians rub shoulders with yuppies and dotcom workers. Here, better than anywhere, you can get a feel of the city's Spanish origins. Beautiful outdoor murals, often on social justice issues, signal the area as a vital hub of diversity and creative change. Valencia Street, a lesbian enclave, is a very desirable property area and boutiques and restaurants with a Latin flavour vie for cash with the drug dealers in neighbouring Dolores Park.

Mission Dolores
Dolores and 16th Street
Tel: (415) 621 8203.
Website: www.missiondolores.org  
Opening hours: Daily 0830-1500.
Free admission, charge for the audio tour.

Japantown
It may only be a few miles away but Japantown (bounded by Laguna Street, Geary Street, Post Street and Fillmore Street) could not be more different to the Mission. The city's growing Japanese population has a home here but the area also is a commercial centre. Walking up Geary Street or Post Street from Union Square brings the five-tier Peace Pagoda into view. The pagoda and the Japan Centre are the focal point of the community's cultural and business life, as well as the site of several seasonal festivals. Visitors can partake in a Japanese communal bath or one of the many massages offered at the essential Kabuki Springs and Spa. Tuesdays are mixed gender and swimming suits are required.
Laguna Street, Geary Street, Post Street and Fillmore Street

Japan Centre
1737 Post Street
Tel: (415) 922 6776.
Website: www.sfjapantown.org  
Opening hours: Daily 1000-2400.
Free admission.

Kabuki Springs and Spa
1750 Geary Boulevard (at Fillmore)
Tel: (415) 922 6000.
Website: www.kabukisprings.com
Opening hours: Daily 1000-2145.
Admission charge.

Other Museums
The Museum of the African Diaspora is located on ground level of the St Regis Hotel and Residences (website: www.moadsf.org). The Legion of Honor, in Lincoln Park, houses an impressive collection of 4,000 years of ancient and European art (website: www.famsf.org).

Restaurants

Gastronomic

Bocadillo
Tapas this far from the mother country has never tasted quite so authentic. This groovy Spanish restaurant and wine bar combines a trendy décor with a serious take on Spain's favourite eating style. Start the day with baked eggs chorizo and manchego cheese, lunch on bocadillos (bread rolls) filled with Serrano ham or Catalan sausage, or stop by for dinner and try quail caramelised with Moorish flavours or calamari with Romesco sauce.

710 Montgomery Street
Tel: (415) 982 2622.
Website: www.bocasf.com
Price: $$-$$$ 

Boulette's Larder
Seats in the Ferry Building can be scarce so if you happen to score one at the communal table inside Boulette's Larder, make the most of it. This homely cafe has shelves and counters stacked with homemade and local produce, and a bustling open kitchen where pots of all shapes and sizes indicate the level of food appreciation. After savouring Sunday brunch you'll forgive the staff for being a tad antsy.

1 Ferry Building
Tel: (415) 399 1155.
Website: www.bouletteslarder.com
Price $$-$$$

Boulevard
Located in the 1889 belle époque Audiffred Building, Boulevard is the brainchild of award-winning designer Pat Kuleto and noted San Francisco chef Nancy Oakes. The kitchen is in the centre of the restaurant and counter seating allows guests to watch the chefs whip up West Coast-French cuisine. Local specialities include Dungeness crab salad and seared Sonoma foie gras. Advance dinner reservations are essential.

1 Mission Street, Embarcadero South
Tel: (415) 543 6084.
Website: www.boulevardrestaurant.com  
Price: $$$-$$$$

Gary Danko
Guests to Gary Danko's Relais & Chateau restaurant book months in advance. The James Beard award-winning chef focuses on French, Mediterranean and regional American cooking, using seasonal ingredients, free-range meats and local artisan cheese. Dishes might include lobster salad with apple, jicama, celery root and marinated citrus followed by pancetta-wrapped frog legs with sunchoke puree, potato and lentils. Set menus are available, as are seasonal tasting menus with wine pairings.

800 North Point, Fisherman's Wharf
Tel: (415) 749 2060.
Website: www.garydanko.com  
Price: $$$$

Millennium
Those who believe that vegetarian cuisine cannot be classy or inspiring have not been to Millennium. Take, for example, the ‘rawvioli', in which sage-scented cashew and pine-nut cheese is stuffed between Chiogga beet ravioli sheets and served with sundried tomato and olive tapenade, Fuyu persimmon and arugula salad. The restaurant is open and airy and the wine list features organic, vegan and biodynamic wines. Reservations recommended.

580 Geary Street, Savoy Hotel, Civic Centre
Tel: (415) 345 3900.
Website: www.millenniumrestaurant.com  
Price: $$$-$$$$

One Market
One Market is in the perfect locale for an establishment that specialises in fresh seafood. The menu includes a sea urchin omelette, Maine lobster ‘sangria' for two, a rack of veal with oyster mushrooms, along with plenty of fish courses. Its dessert selection includes a caramel-roasted stack of cinnamon-butter cake topped with warm peach sauce and buttermilk ice cream. The décor is elegant and diners enjoy a 90-degree waterfront view.

1 Market Street, Embarcadero South
Tel: (415) 777 5577.
Website: www.onemarket.com  
Price: $$-$$$$

Business

Aqua
Ultra pricey Aqua, never a stranger to the corporate credit card, has gone to even higher acclaim under chef Laurent Manrique. The upscale seafood restaurant has been consistently credited with offering one of the city's finest meals. A Gascon chef, Manrique serves up signature dishes such as tartare of ahi tuna with Moroccan spices, lemon confit and fresh herbs. The professional service, decadent desserts and wine list are legendary.

252 California Street, Financial District
Tel: (415) 956 9662.
Website: www.aqua-sf.com  
Price: $$$$

Café Claude
You can find a touch of Paris at Café Claude, a tiny bistro in the French Quarter where guests sit under colourful umbrellas outside or inside on cosy banquettes. French prints and large exotic posters adorn the walls. A full-length mirrored bar reflects a modern Parisian atmosphere; while French wait staff serve favourites such as a trio of patés or onion soup gratinée. Jazz musicians play Thursday to Saturday evenings.

7 Claude Lane, Financial District
Tel: (415) 392 3505.
Website: www.cafeclaude.com
Price: $$-$$$

The Dining Room at The Ritz-Carlton
The Dining Room offers seasonal modern French cuisine with a Japanese influence in a formal, elegant, candlelit setting. Chef Ron Siegel and sommelier Stéphane Lacroix have put together constantly evolving exquisite tasting menus available with wine pairings, featuring such delectable choices as sashimi, Maine lobster, squab breast and veal tenderloin. Dinners begin with champagne and end with artisan cheese and desserts. Dinner only. Closed Sunday and Monday.

The Ritz-Carlton, 600 Stockton Street, Nob Hill
Tel: (415) 773 6198.
Website: www.ritzcarltondiningroom.com
Price: $$$$

Trendy

Greens
A popular vegetarian restaurant, Greens enjoys a steady clientele of non-vegetarians and vegetarians. Housed in a former US military warehouse, with enchanting Bay views, the restaurant's high ceiling and wood interior complement its unique setting. Lunch might include a deep-dish pie of winter vegetables with a parmesan potato crust. Dinner selections might include Mesquite grilled vegetable brochettes and marinated tofu. There is also a takeaway menu.

Building A, Fort Mason, Marina
Tel: (415) 771 6222.
Website: www.greensrestaurant.com  
Price: $$$-$$$$

Mexico DF
San Francisco is famous for its Mexican cuisine and Mexico DF has taken the regional fare, not to mention margaritas, to a whole new level. Chef and Mexico City native David Rosales has conjured up a high-end menu of small and large plates including a trio of tasty guacamoles, octopus and diver scallop cerviche and the unforgettable house speciality, carnitas with guacamole, corn tortillas and salsa del molcahete.

139 Steuart Street, Embarcadero
Tel: (415) 808 1048.
Website: www.mex-df.com
Price: $$$

Oola
This French-influenced California bistro in popular SoMa has sophisticated sex appeal, with its exposed brick walls, reclaimed timber, soaring ceilings and candlelight. Swedish-born owner and chef Ola Fendert uses local ingredients in favourites such as pear and Roquefort salad and chicken and foie gras ravioli. The bar serves 10 different wines by the glass and the kitchen is open Tuesday to Saturday until 0100, making it a theatre crowd favourite.

860 Folsom Street, South of Market (SOMA)
Tel: (415) 995 2061.
Website: www.oola-sf.com  
Price: $$$

Rose's Café
The sister property of North Beach's famed Rose Pistola restaurant, Rose's Café is open for breakfast, lunch and dinner. Its Californian-Italian kitchen dishes up sourdough breads, hearty pastas, such as fusilli tossed with anchovies, broccoli and chillies, and seafood dishes, such as roasted mussels or grilled salmon. The casual cafe setting is a great place for a cappuccino. The patio is heated when weather permits.

2298 Union Street, Cow Hollow
Tel: (415) 775 2200.
Website: www.rosescafesf.com
Price: $$-$$$

Budget

House of Nanking
San Francisco's Chinatown is bursting with eateries, but this is king among them. Owner and chef Peter Fang has perfected the Chinese art of serving an array of delicious dishes in the shortest possible time. For the real deal, sidestep the menu. Instead, ask the for the house specialities then watch as dishes such as shrimp cakes, pork egg rolls and salt and pepper mushrooms arrive at the table. Bookings essential.

919 Kearny Street
Tel: (415) 421 1429.
Price: $-$$

Los Hermanos
Some of the best Mexican food can be found in small, unadorned diners where the locals line up in droves. The food at Los Hermanos (‘The Brothers') definitely fits that bill. The beef burrito is an unpretentious blend of sautéed beef, rice, beans and salsa, with optional cheese, guacamole and sour cream. Located in the trendy shopping district of Marina, this place also does take away. Unlicensed.

2026 Chestnut Street, Marina
Tel: (415) 921 5790.
Price: $

Pyramid Ale House, Brewery and Restaurant
A trip to historic Berkeley on the east of the Bay is mandatory. Home to one of California's popular breweries, the Pyramid Ale House features a classic assortment of West Coast draughts, including Pyramid's own wheaten ale and Northwest-style Hefeweizen. Seasonal brews are also available. The cuisine is standard American - nachos with jack and cheddar cheese, salsa and sour cream followed by baby back ribs.

901 Gilman Street, Berkeley, East Bay
Tel: (510) 528 9880.
Website: www.pyramidbrew.com  
Price: $

Steps of Rome Caffe
The light-hearted atmosphere and late-night opening hours are not the only factors that attract locals and tourists to Steps of Rome. The Italian restaurant is known for its great espresso coffee and authentic Italian menu including a line-up of thin-crust oven-baked pizzas, grilled panini, pastas and salads. The quattro formaggi pizza with mozzarella, Gorgonzola, Swiss & Parmesan cheese is top notch.

348 Columbus Avenue, North Beach
Tel: (415) 397 0435.
Website: www.stepsofrome.com
Price: $-$$

Ti Couz
This little French find, named for the Breton expression for ‘old house', serves savoury buckwheat dinner crepes and delicious sweet ones for dessert. Diners can't go wrong with the thin ham and gruyere cheese crepe, folded Brittany-style into a square. For dessert, a lighter batter creates wispy, thin crepes with fillings such as Nutella and orange caramel. French hard cider is the beverage of choice at this very popular spot.

3108 16th Street, Mission District
Tel: (415) 252 7373.
Price: $$

Personal Recommendations

Salt House
This self-styled contemporary tavern is set in a stunning 1930s printing press warehouse and features exposed brick walls, hardwood floors and high ceilings. The rustic ambience is mirrored in a menu of comfort food (suckling pig with lentils and roasted garlic) and autumnal offerings (Bellewhether Farms ricotta with pears and walnuts), and complemented by a bountiful new- and old-world wine list available by the glass.

545 Mission Street
Tel: (415) 543 8900.
Website: www.salthousesf.com
Price: $$$-$$$$

Night Life

San Francisco pulsates with creative decadence. Restaurants and bars fill up early and stay open late. With more than 2,000 places to buy a drink, you never go thirsty. Such a huge diversity of bars makes any rule of thumb over dress codes, opening hours, cover charges and behaviour obsolete and it is best to check with individual establishments, if in doubt. Generally, however, attitude makes way for a more laid-back scene and, like all of California, smoking is not permitted. For the most part, anything goes, not least in the proliferation of gay clubs, many of which are so popular they are in danger of turning straight.

Dance spots regularly change names and identities and the club scene is in a constant state of flux but the music, from piano bar smooth to house and acid jazz and back again, keeps on playing. Many clubs charge an entrance fee but trendy coffee bars and record shops distribute fliers and invitation cards that get you in free, or at a discount, if you arrive early. To drink, you will need to be at least 21 years old and carrying identification. Generally, restaurants, nightclubs and bars are licensed till 0200.

Some districts (most often those with a young and thrusting street culture) offer many nightlife options. These include Downtown, South of Market (SoMa) and Castro. To find the action, it may be worth consulting a current copy of the SFBayGuardian or the SFWeekly (free papers widely available in newspaper boxes throughout the city).

Bars:Bambuddah Lounge is the place to go for cocktails after a hard day on the tourist trail. Located in the swish retro Phoenix Hotel, Eddy Street and Larkin Street, it is unpredictably chic, with an interesting clientele and some of the best libations around. At the other end of the spectrum, the Redwood Room piano bar, at the Clift Hotel, 495 Geary Street, offers relaxation for the rich, with formal attire advised. The Bubble Lounge, Montgomery Street at Washington Street, offers sophistication with a choice of more than 300 champagnes and accompanying oysters, caviar and sushi. In the Castro Street area, there are around a dozen bars, including gay-friendly Café Flore, Market Street and Noe Street, which buzzes during the day, the Lexington Club, 19th Street at Valencia Street, for lesbians, and many others that provide solace until the early hours. Tonic, 2360 Polk Street, is a comfortably normal bar, popular with the occasional celebrity.

Clubs: DJs are hot property in San Francisco and at 1015 Folsom, 1015 Folsom Street (website: www.1015.com), even the uninitiated will understand their power. Music is loud enough to shake the foundations of both building and soul, with stunning lighting and some of the biggest names on the circuit. Local favourite, Club Six (website: www.clubsix1.com), at 60 Sixth Street, SoMa, draws a diverse crowd to its six dance spaces and lounges. John Lee Hooker's Boom Boom Room, Fillmore Street at Geary Street (website: www.boomboomblues.com), fills with a mixed age group, congregating for the genuine blues and boogie. The Endup, 401 Sixth Street (website: www.theendup.com), is a SoMa favourite and known for its friendliness, great dance music and delicious cocktails, while to see Mission District hipsters and hear electronic music you should head for 26 Mix, 26th Street and Mission. The gay scene finds plenty of well-oiled and muscled hunks on Saturday nights at Club Universe and on Sundays at Pleasuredome. Both have a home at Club Townsend, Townsend Street.

LiveMusic:Yoshi's, Embarcadero and Clay Street in Oakland (website: www.yoshis.com), is the Bay Area jazz venue known for getting the top acts. Slim's, 11th Street and Harrison Street (website: www.slims-sf.com), gets rock, blues, and world-music acts and is part owned by veteran guitarist Boz Scaggs. It doubles as a bar and concert hall and there is always a good view of the bands, many of which are more modern and alternative than you might expect. Bimbo's, Columbus Avenue at Chestnut Street (website: www.bimbos365club.com), covers a range of music, from punk to mellow solo artistes, in a retro setting that packs in the crowds. The Makeout Room, 3225 22nd Street (website: www.makeoutroom.com), has dancing to live music.

Shopping

San Francisco has many of the big names in shopping (Saks, Macy's, Neiman Marcus and Tiffany's) mostly clustered around Union Square, the centre of downtown spending. But it is the dozens of galleries and bookshops within an 800m (half-mile) radius of the square that provide the stimulus and respite to keep going. Unlike many other US cities, San Francisco has no specific indoor malls, opting instead for distinct shopping districts.

Markets
Specialist shops offer something for every taste, from Chocolate Heaven, Pier 39, with chocolates from around the world, and Sanrio, Stockton Street and Market Street, devoted entirely to Hello Kitty and friends, to Stormy Leather, Howard Street, SoMa, a fetish boutique owned and run by women, for the past 20 years.
Key areas

You'll find the more interesting items further afield. A walk through Chinatown can pay dividends, as discounted imported jewellery, clothing and objets d'art appear down Grant Avenue, every few yards. Where else could one find pieces of priceless 17th-century vases, which were smashed during the Cultural Revolution, converted into US$10 jewellery boxes? Or watch workers seal your fate at Golden Gate Fortune Cookies Co., 56 Ross Alley, a small fortune-cookie-making factory? For a counter-culture neighbourhood, The Haight has gone somewhat commercial. But past the GAP, at the Haight-Ashbury intersection, you can find folk art, music, and vintage clothing shops.
 
There is a more intellectual vibe in North Beach where Beat poet Lawrence Ferlinghetti's City Lights Bookstore, 261 Columbus Avenue, stays open until midnight. Here, you'll also find made-in-San Francisco boutique designer shops. Al from Al's Attire in Grant Street has a penchant for elaborate shirts and coats made from his own coveted collection of vintage material.
 
Currently in vogue, Ghirardelli Square, a former chocolate factory located at 900 North Point Street, and Cow Hollow, to the north of the exclusive Pacific Heights, are both off the beaten track but worth making the effort. Tiny Hayes Valley, west of the Civic Centre, has a stretch of funky local art galleries and stylish clothing boutiques, for one-of-a-kind items, plus an astonishing array of top-notch restaurants and hip nightspots. Pacific Heights, particularly along Fillmore Street and Sacramento Street, has a similar yet slightly more upscale feel, with many modern houseware and high-end gift shops.

For souvenirs of the edible variety, don't neglect The Ferry Building, on Embarcadero at Market Street (see Key Attractions).
Discount stores, like Marshall's on Market Street, do exist. Designer names like Burberry, Calvin Klein and Wilkes Bashford vie for attention with Chanel and Armani in Union Square, the heartbeat of the high-end shopping district flanked by the Financial District on one side and the Theatre District on another. Just two blocks away at the Westfield San Francisco Shopping Centre on Market Street, Nordstrom occupies the top five floors of this nine-level collection of 90 merchants connected by spiral escalators.
Shopping hours

Opening hours vary widely - many shops are open well into the evening and most are open at least some hours on Sunday.
Tax information

San Francisco adds an 8.5% non-refundable sales tax on every item.

Events

Chinese New Year
February
Largest night-time illuminated parade in North America.
Chinatown
Website: www.sanfranciscochinatown.com

CAAM's San Francisco International Asian American Film Festival
March
Features over 130 films and videos from around the globe.
Castro and Kabuki Theatres
Website: www.asianamericanmedia.org

San Francisco Jazz Spring Season
March-June
Palace of Fine Arts Theatre and other venues
Website: www.sfjazz.org

San Francisco International Film Festival
April-May
More than 200 films and videos showcased.
Castro Theatre and other venues
Website: www.sffs.org

The Yerba Buena Gardens Festival
May-October
Features more than 100 free events, including classical, jazz and world music; theatre; traditional and contemporary dance; children's and family programmes.
Website: www.ybgf.org

Carnaval
May
San Francisco's version of Mardi Gras.
Mission District
Website: www.carnavalsf.com

International Arts Festival
May-June
Various Mission District venues
Website: www.sfiaf.org

North Beach Festival
June
The city's oldest street fair.
North Beach
Website: www.sfnorthbeach.org/festival

Escape from Alcatraz Triathlon
June
An icy cold 2.4km (1.5-mile) swim from Alcatraz Island to the San Francisco shoreline, a 29km (18-mile) hilly bike ride through the Presidio and a 13km (8-mile) trail run through the Golden Gate National Recreation Area.
Website: www.escapefromalcatraztriathlon.com

San Francisco's Dine About Town
June
The annual prix-fixe promotion of more than 100 restaurants.
Website: www.onlyinsanfrancisco.com

San Francisco Jazz Festival
June and October
One of the biggest and best around, with stars from all over the world.
Various outdoor venues
San Francisco

Outside Lands Music & Arts Festival
August
More than 40 artists and groups including Radiohead, Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers, and Jack Johnson.
Golden Gate Park
Website: www.sfoutsidelands.com

San Francisco Fringe Festival
September
Theatre performances.
Various downtown venues
Website: www.sffringe.org

Blues Festival
September
Great Meadow above Fort Mason
Website: www.sfblues.com

San Francisco International Dragon Boat Festival
October
Nearly 100 dragon boats and 2,500 paddlers from across North America race the 500m (550yd) course.
Treasure Island
Website: www.sfdragonboat.com

Litquake
October
The West Coast's largest independent literary festival with readings, panels, and events all week long, culminating in the notorious Lit Crawl.
Various venues
Website: www.litquake.org 

History & Culture

The cultural life of San Francisco is as diverse as the different cultures that reside here. In the Mission, the art is on the walls with colourful murals covering historical moments and major personalities in Latin history. In the Civic Centre, it streams melodically from purpose-built buildings dedicated to the pursuit of music. SoMa (the district south of Market Street) is home to important museums and some of the most exciting visual art in the world, while Union Square is theatreland.

Acid rock was born in the LSD days of the 1960s and played to the hippie generation, by bands like Jefferson Airplane and The Grateful Dead, while, in 1967, the Summer of Love crystallised this new cultural consciousness. Today, the city continues to provide a home to artists of all description, reflecting the breadth of cultural diversity. Its status as a pioneer has settled down, as many of the ideas that earlier generations fought for (such as gay rights in the 1970s) are now more accepted. But there remains a rich tradition of alternative theatre, as well as successful mainstream offerings.

TixBayArea, on Powell Street in Union Square (tel: (415) 430 1140; website: www.theatrebayarea.org), provides full-price advance tickets as well as half-price day-of-performance tickets (in person and online) for a range of events.

SFBayGuardian (website: www.sfbg.com), the SFWeekly (website: www.sfweekly.com) and the biweekly BayAreaReporter (website: www.ebar.com) all provide listings and information on the city's cultural activities. (The first two are free papers widely available in newspaper boxes throughout the city.)

Music: San Franciscans love music. Concerts of the Grammy-Award winning San Francisco Symphony, led by acclaimed conductor Michael Tilson Thomas, are often sold out. Performances are held at the ultra-modern Davies Symphony Hall, 201 Van Ness Avenue (tel: (415) 864 6000; website: www.sfsymphony.org). The full-length glass windows overlook the restored City Hall, like Washington DC's Capitol Building, only with a gilt dome 12m (40ft) taller.

The San Francisco Opera (tel: (415) 864 3330; website: www.sfopera.com) has established itself as one of the world's great opera companies, re-invigorated by director David Gockley. Its home is the War Memorial Opera House, 301 Van Ness Avenue, a gorgeous building dating from 1932. The season is September to January and June to July. Same-day tickets, mostly for standing room only, are usually available.

Theatre: Shows range from Broadway productions on Geary Street to smaller, more alternative shows throughout the city. The Geary Theatre, 415 Geary Street (tel: (415) 749 2228; website: www.act-sf.org), opened in 1996 and is home to the American Conservatory Theatre (ACT), one of the nation's largest resident companies and a Tony Award winner. The Curran Theatre, 445 Geary Street (tel: (415) 551 2000; website: www.shnsf.com), hosts touring Broadway musicals, while Teatro Zinzanni, Pier 27-29, The Embarcadero (tel: (415) 438 2668; website: www.teatrozinzanni.org), blends cabaret, spectacle, music and dinner. 42nd Street Moon, 601 Van Ness Street, (tel: (415) 255 8207; website: www.42ndstmoon.org), prides itself on offbeat musicals.

Dance: Ballet has been part of San Franciscan life longer than in any other city in America. San Francisco Ballet (tel: (415) 865 2000; website: www.sfballet.org) is not only the oldest company (it started life in 1933), but also reputedly among the best. Performances take place at the War Memorial Opera House, 301 Van Ness Avenue, between February and May. There are a number of innovative dance troupes dotted around town. The Ethnic Dance Festival (tel: (415) 392 4400; website: www.worldartswest.org) takes place at the Palace of Fine Arts Theatre, Lyon Street, over four weekends in June.

Film: San Francisco has been the backdrop for innumerable well-known movies. Including StarWars, Shrek and IndianaJones. Its steep hills are favoured for car chases and the Bay, with the Golden Gate Bridge and Alcatraz in the distance, provides an unrivalled backdrop. Most famously, Steve McQueen starred in the 1960s classic Bullitt (1968). Chris Columbus filmed local resident Robin Williams in MrsDoubtfire (1993) and Sean Connery appeared in TheRock (1996). Jennifer Lopez filmed TheWeddingPlanner (2001) here, and Elizabeth Hurley came to the city to film Bedazzled (2001). Ang Lee's remake of Hulk (2003) was shot in San Francisco. The quirky BeingJohnMalkovich was filmed here in 1999, and UndertheTuscanSun, starring Diane Lane, was partially filmed in San Francisco in 2003. The 2004 wine-drenched comedy Sideways has stimulated tours following in the footsteps of this zany road trip in the Napa Valley.

The San Francisco International Film Festival (website: www.sffs.org) is held in April and May. Venues include Landmark's Clay Theatre, 2261 Fillmore Street (at Clay) (tel: (415) 267 4893; website: www.landmarktheatres.com), and Castro Theatre, Castro Street and Market Street (tel: (415) 621 6120; website: www.thecastrotheatre.com), which shows independent, art and foreign film, and has a Wurlitzer organ that plays before each showing.

LiteraryNotes: San Francisco has inspired literary comment almost since its inception. However, until the 1950s, it was mostly the odd epigram from wits like Mark Twain, who reckoned his coldest winter was a summer here, or Rudyard Kipling, who once called San Francisco 'a mad city - inhabited for the most part by perfectly insane people', or John Steinbeck, who described the city as a 'golden handcuff' without a key. Although William Saroyan did have this to say during the Great Depression: 'If you're alive, you can't be bored in San Francisco. If you're not alive, San Francisco will bring you to life.'

San Francisco has been at the vanguard of American consciousness ever since, peaking in the 1950s, thanks to Beat Generation writers Allen Ginsberg, Lawrence Ferlinghetti and Gary Snyder. Ferlinghetti, poet and publisher, was declared innocent of obscenity for publishing Ginsberg's Howl (1956), paving the way for an open and liberal cultural life in the city. Snyder, a Pulitzer Prize winner, was inspired by the cultural diversity and natural beauty of the place. But for many, it was the city's drug culture and political climate. Most famous of them all is Jack Kerouac, whose OnTheRoad (1957) spoke for a generation. The only survivor of the Beat Generation is Ferlinghetti, whose City Lights Bookstore, 261 Columbus Avenue, holds a reputation as one of the best places for buying cutting-edge and classical literature.

Ken Kesey, author of OneFlewOverTheCuckoo'sNest (1962), continued the outraging of American society, a decade later, fuelled by LSD. For Dylan Thomas, it was a city out of this world. 'You wouldn't think such a place as San Francisco could exist,' he proclaimed. Gay writer Armistead Maupin's success was founded on that of his newspaper column, which started in the SanFranciscoChronicle on 24 May 1976, and his understanding of his city's gay population. He went on to become a major modern storyteller, quirkily reflecting city life in a series of novels that began with TalesoftheCity (1978). Bay Area author Amy Tan wrote the popular JoyLuckClub (1994), which chronicles four generations of women in San Francisco. 'Sister Spit' success-story Michelle Tea won accolades for Valencia (2000), a story about young punk-rock lesbians in the Mission District.

Mystery writer James Calder has published three novels in the Bill Damon mystery series set in Silicon Valley while San Francisco's author Nadia Gordon writes a murder mystery series set in Sonoma and Napa Valley wine country. Local author Kirk Russell's crime mysteries are set in California. To coincide with the centenary of the 1906 San Francisco Earthquake, local author and screenwriter James Dalessandro wrote an epic novel entitled 1906, set in San Francisco on the eve of the great earthquake and fire of 1906.

In more modern times, SoMa (2007), the debut novel of author Kemble Scott, is a social satire centred on the characters of San Francisco's edgy South of Market (SoMa) neighborhood in the year's following the 2001 dot-com bust. Although fiction, the novel features real San Francisco locations - and hints at a true tale or two.

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