San Francisco Getaway

San Fran is a great contrast to New York City. It's a prettier city, with magnificent views of the bay and hills that you don't find in New York. Cool summers and windy nights are also uniquely San Francisco.

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I usually drive when I get to San Fran, but parking can be expensive and a pain. Even for a New Yorker. There is no subway system or public transit that is as easy as NYC.

This hotel has a superb location because it is near Union Square and one block from the entrance of the Chinatown Gate. It is also not too far from the Moscone Convention Center. The staff was very friendly and efficient, and the hotel was classy and elegant. We also stayed at the Marriott during this trip and found this place to be much a more homey and a unique experience. The room is spacious, clean, and quiet, despite its downtown location.

Parking in San Francisco can really be expensive and hard to find. But at the Hotel Juliana, we found that the self-parking garage across the street is very convenient. It is about $8 from 7:00 PM to 8:00 AM in the morning, which is a pretty good deal. This is a good option if you are driving around and touring the Bay Area during the day. Extra time in this lot is only about $1.50 per hour extra.

For those of you who like to explore Chinatown and the great Chinese food places, Hotel Juliana is very convenient. We walked to Chinatown which is only one or two blocks away, and enjoyed a nice Chinese dinner at a place called R. J. Lounge at 631 Kearney St. Great shopping at Union Square is only a few minutes walk away.

Staying at the Hotel Vintage Court made my stay in San Francisco a unique and comfortable experience. This boutique hotel is a renovated old hotel, and it has a vineyard theme which makes it feel like a B&B at a winery. It''s not a place where all the rooms are identical. Each room is named after a winery, and I stayed in the Estancia Winery room with a king sized bed and green pillows in the shape of Hershey''s kisses. Wooden blinds were a nice feature, and there was a modern workdesk for the business traveler.

The Hotel Vintage Court has an excellent loation because it''s located just a few blocks from Union Square, where there are many shops. Many coffee shops and restaurants are located on Bush Street. The trolley also runs up the nearby steep streets to give your stay a uniquely San Francisco feeling.

Cheesecake Factories are famous for their huge portions and huge selection on their menu. This CF is located at the top of the Macy's in Union Square, so it's a great place to go after a busy day of shopping. There's outside seating on the balcony when it's warm and not too windy.

My favorite thing is the Chinese Orange Chicken, which I can never finish in one sitting. For dessert, try one of the 25 or more varieties of cheesecake!

This is my favorite restaurant in San Francisco's Chinatown, with tasty, authentic Chinese food at very reasonable prices. It's got an unusual name, but the menu does contain many spicy Hunan-style dishes. It was first recommended to me by the concierge at the upscale and fashionable W Hotel- even though this place is hardly luxurious or trendy.

The setting is unremarkable but clean and friendly, and the customers are both Chinese and non-Chinese. My favorite dish is the Orange Chicken which is well done because the orange-spicy flavor is not overdone. In addition, the stir fried seasonal vegatables are a good bet. I also like the Friend Spring Rolls as an appetizer because they are fresh and crispy.

After dinner, you can visit the touristy gift shops in Chinatown or a romantic walk along to Fisherman's Wharf.

I loved this friendly and small restautaunt located in an unlikely area of the city near Noe Valley. A quiet residential neighborhood near the theater district on Market Street.

The atmosphere was relaxed with unpretentious, natural-wood furniture and homey decorations. The Firely-logo etched mason jars served as candle holders, and that was another friendly touch.

The food was simple and delicious! They served free-range meats from the famous Niman Ranch. For appetizer, we had a crisp fried calimari with a delicate sweet and sour Napa Cabbage Slaw, and very fresh and tasty warm goat cheese salad. Both dishes were accompanied by champagne by the glass for a "special occasion" touch! My main dish was the Duck Confit with strawberry sauce. That duck was very crispy and tender. My date enjoyed a very unique Fried Risotto Cakes with tomato sauce and spinach. That was a simple and flavorful dish.

Dessert was a warm chocolate cake and a delicious strawberry torte with Ice Cream. A very welcome delcious meal.

Bill's place would be classified in the dining review vernacular as "neighborhood hamburger joint." Or in other words, a "place you take someone you are not trying to impress" or "spot for a burger with other guys who enjoy no-frills feeding time!" On a Saturday afternoon, you will find families enjoying the "comfort food" here.

This diner, I must say, makes a pretty good burger and milkshake. There is a long counter and formica topped tables which gives it a nice nostalgic feeling. Bill's place does stand out because it is located in a neighborhood with mostly ethnic food like Vietnamese, Chinese, Mexican, and Indian just down the street. So in a funny and unexpected way, Bill's Place, with it's classic 1950's diner menu and juicy burgers is the exotic food option in this Richmond District neighborhood! After I finished my huge Carl Payne's Cable Car Burger, I did feel strangely patriotic. But maybe it was just the neon U.S Flag in the front window.

You can read more about Bill's Place at their website located here.

What an incredible dining experience we enjoyed at Gary Danko. This place is named after the chef who is recognized as one of the best chefs in America. I live in New York City, and we often enjoy dining at the nicest places in Manhattan during special occasions. We found that Gary Danko is in every way just as good as the best places in Manhattan. Ally was very excited as soon as we walked into the dining room which had a simple and classy atmosphere. We had very high expectations, and we were not disappointed.

We each enjoyed the tasting menu, which meant we could choose an appetizer, a fish and seafood item, a meat item, and a dessert. The decision was extremely difficult, but I had evil melt-in-your-mouth seared foie gras with carmelized red onions for an appetizer. Ally enjoyed an amazing seared ahi tuna with avocado, nori, and a unique lemon-soy dressing. And that was just for starters!

Our time in dining paradise continued with the wonderfully juicy soy-glazed filet of beef with roasted eggplant-pepper marmalade. That was my main course, and Ally had the lemon herb duck breast with Rhubarb, spinach, and parmesan potatoes. For the first time in my life, I also ordered a cheese course, which brought to my taste buds a unique cheese called "mimolette", which is carrot-orange with a waxy and hard texture and tastes like a smoked carrot.

Dessert was a pleasure, and all I can remember is that Ally had a big smile on her face when she scooped into her Baked Chocolate Souffle with Two Sauces. Jeremy was our server, and he handled the dinner with plenty of smiles and excellent advice. A very warm touch that ended the dinner were the superb petite fours (small plate of treats and cookies) which had Happy Birthday written in Chocolate Icing on the plate and a single, tall pink candle for Ally. I did not pre-order any birthday special, but I think I may have casually mentioned it to the server during our dinner. So it was a delicious surprise, and even after the dinner we ate each piece from the plate!

The four course tasting menu is $64 dollars, but you will find this dining experience a very memorable San Francisco experience. The Gary Danko website is a superb one: www.garydanko.com

This is a wonderful course, and just about my favorite course in the world because it is reasonably priced, easy to find, fun to play, nice and hilly, and there are amazing views of the Gold Gate Bridge, the wide open Pacific Ocean, and the hills across the San Francisco Bay in Marin County. Walking is fun on this hilly course. Another bonus is that you get to tee off on a few holes right behind the Palace of the Legion of Honor museum, and the course winds around the museum grounds. You even get to see a statue or two!

This course has pretty rough greens, but that is to be expected given that it is a public course and there is lots of traffic here. It plays pretty quickly, even when walking, and it only took us about 4 hours to finish 18 holes. We found that a walk-on tee time during the day on a weekday is no problem. The players we met were very friendly and helpful. They had lots of local knowledge about this neighborhood course! You might find many foggy days here, but on a clear day the scenery is gorgeous, especially on the very famous 17th hole.