Business in San Fran

• Walk around Chinatown and just take it all in.
  
• Visit Coit tower.
  
• Get out to Alcatraz--touristy or not, it's still cool.
  
• Try some of the amazing food here.

Quick Tips:

The weather is so variable, you may need clothing for a few different climates.

Best Way To Get Around:

San Francisco was so easy to walk around, but because some neighborhoods are dangerous, you may want to call a cab or take a bus.

This is a cool, cool hotel. It is located near Union Square in a funky neighborhood near lots of Indian restaurants. The hotel's theme is art, and there is art displayed throughout the building. We missed the wine tastings, but they looked fun. The hotel plays a soundtrack of hip, electronic music. Riding up in the elevator to Lamb, I felt like I was in the coolest hotel on earth.

You won't be able to miss its lavendar street frontage. It's right on Post street, convenient to Union Square and Nob Hill. When you enter this cool oasis on Post Street, you are greeted by friendly staff that help you with your bags.

The rooms are small, with interesting decor. I didn't mind the size, because we had the best view of the city from our 8th floor room.

Location and Amenities The San Francisco Hilton is a huge, but impersonal hotel. Taking up a full city block, its location in Union Square is convenient for business travellers. No more than a few steps from one of the entrances, you have your pick of noodle shops and diners, as well as pharmacies. The hotel itself has a sushi restaurant, a snack bar, and a full service restaurant.

The Rooms The rooms vary significantly. Some rooms have a kitchenette and a balcony, while others are just the basics. My room had those windows you can't open, giving me a view onto other skyscrapers. One of my associates, however, scored a large room with a king-size bed, a kitchenette, and a balcony overlooking the pool. Conference Facilities Conference Facilities are where this hotel shines. We had three floors of conference rooms for the Remedy User Group I attended. The ballroom easily fit all of the attendants, plus video games and several buffet stations. The food was delicious and plentiful, the final banquet offering Chinese, Mexican, Italian, and American stations. Room Service The first night, I ordered room service. Room service sushi was delicious and delivered very quickly, even at 10pm.

Sushi Rika is decorated in a modern style, and has some modern sushi to boot. They excel in unusual and daring maki, such as the Tropical Delight or the Cherry Blossom roll. Both are salmon and avocado in an inside-out maki, drizzled with a mango-strawberry sauce.

I am a sushi snob, and try to eat at the best sushi places wherever I go. I will personally vouch for Sushi Rika as one of the better sushi places I've eaten at.

You can check out their menu at SushiRika.Com.

Borobodur is a small Indonesian restaurant near Hotel Cosmo on Post Street. Named after the famous Buddhist monument on the island of Java, the restaurant features Indonesian cuisine. You might be surprised then to see a dutch word, Rijsttafe, on the menu unless you know that the Dutch once colonized Indonesia. Rijsttafel (Dutch for "Rice Table") is a collection of small Indonesian dishes, reminding me of Dim Sum.

We ordered the Rijsttafel. However, our order must have gotten confused as we received something completely different. Seeing another table receive the Rijsttafel, we realized that we wouldn't have been able to have received the mystery dish instead, which eat it all. It was a lucky coincidence that it was still very delicious.

This restaurant is known by some for their seafood. Our dish was entirely vegetarian, so I imagine they have other vegetarian options as well.

The Asian Art museum had just re-opened in San Francisco when I visited. As it was raining, we opted to see this rather than the Japanese Cherry Blossom festival we had planned on.

The Asian Art museum feels small, but they pack a lot into the space they have. Still, I'd love to see what they could do with more space, as I'm sure they have a lot more art to show.

Currently, the main focus of the museum is on the development of Buddhism in Asian art. Beginning with the Vedic and Hindu art in India, we progress from India through Southeast Asia to China and Japan. It must have made quite an impact, because I still remember much of what I learned as I research my upcoming trip to Asia.

Even the most hardened traveler will enjoy Alcatraz. I know that my companion didn't want to go, but once we were there, she had a great time.

The boat ride is part of the tour, and it's a nice introduction to the San Francisco bay. If you take a late cruise, you'll see a beautiful sunset over the ocean.

Alcatraz was once burnt down, in the 60s. The main cell building is still intact, and this is where you'll pick up your self-guided tour. All around it are the burnt shells of other buildings, now inhabited by wildflowers and seabirds. The view from the island and the mix of nature and man-made structures is a photographer's dream.

The self-guided tour is quite interesting, peppered with voice recordings of actual inmates and guards. You can almost imagine yourself here, especially out in the "yard". Sit down on the stone bleachers, and imagine that you're locked in here for life, with the lights of San Francisco just on the horizon, forever tempting you.

Learning about the Indian occupation of Alcatraz Island shouldn't be missed, and you can catch a brief film on this topic near where the boat launches.

You take a blue and white ferry from Fisherman's wharf, and they do recommend that you reserve in advance. We did, which saved us the hassle of waiting in line. You can also go watch the sea lions off the pier while you wait for your boat.

I found Coit Tower quite by accident. I was walking in the North Beach neighborhood, and came upon a charming street lined with townhouses. I turned up the street and climbed to the top, and then walked up a small path to a major road. Across from the road, I could see a huge tower, with a path leading up the hill to it.

Atop the hill, there were tons of people. San Francisco has provided coin-operated binoculars. From here, you could walk around the hilltop and see most of the city: Alcatraz, Bay Bridge, Golden Gate Bridge, the skyline.

It is free to enter the base of the tower and view the frescoes that depict life in San Francisco. There was a fee to climb to the top. No matter, I had climbed quite enough to reach the tower and the view from the base is stunning enough, thank you.

There was a snack bar and some ice cream stands at the top of the hill for refreshments.