SAN FRANCISCO CALIFORNIA
Population: 740,000 in the city and 6.5
million if the surrounding Bay area is included.
Location: at the northern end of a hilly
peninsula between the Pacific Ocean and San Francisco
Bay in northern California.
Elevation: Built on 43 hills; so elevation
varies from close to sea level to 929 feet
Area: 46 square miles
Languages: Less than half the population
was born in the US, and over 100 languages are spoken.
Newspapers and magazines are published in 31 different
languages.
Time Zone San Francisco is in the Pacific standard time
zone, which is 8 hours behind Greenwich mean time and
3 hours behind eastern time. For accurate time. 415-767-8900.
You
can visit San Francisco comfortably any time of year;
the climate is moderate, except for the occasional chill
that accompanies the rolling in of the fog. The temperature
seldom drops below 40°F, nor rises to 80°F.
It
is advisable to pack sweaters, jackets, and clothes
for layering because of year round variations in temperature.
Include shorts or cool cottons for summer and a bathing
suit, as most hotels have a pool. The city can be chilly
at any time of the year, especially in summer, when
the fog descends and stays for longer periods. Rainfall
amount is low year round, but humidity is often high
due to the fog.
Although
casual dress is the norm in California, men will need
a jacket and tie for many good restaurants in the evening,
and women will be more comfortable in something somewhat
dressy.
Earthquakes: Earthquakes are part of
life in California. Most of which cause little tremors
too small to notice.
Electricity
The
U.S. electrical standard is 110 volts-60 cycles AC.
Foreign visitors traveling with dual-voltage appliances
will not need a converter, but they will need a plug
adapter. The standard U.S. electrical outlet takes a
plug of two flat pins set parallel to one another.
Tipping
At
restaurants, a 15% tip is standard for waiters; up to
20% may be expected at more expensive establishments.
The same goes for taxi drivers, bartenders, and hairdressers.
Holidays:
New
Year's Day Jan. 1
Martin
Luther King, Jr., Day 3rd Mon. in Jan.
President's
Day 3rd Mon. in Feb.
Memorial
Day last Mon. in May;
Independence
Day July 4
Labor
Day 1st Mon. in Sept.
Thanksgiving
Day 4th Thurs. in Nov.
Christmas
Eve and Christmas Day Dec. 24 and 25
New
Year's Eve Dec. 31.
Area Code: The area code for San Francisco
is 415; for Oakland, Berkeley, and much of the East
Bay, 510; for the peninsula, 650.
Business Hours Most banks are open
Monday to Friday 9am to 3pm. Several stay open until
about 5pm at least 1 day a week. Many banks also have
ATMs for 24-hour banking
Most
stores are open Monday to Saturday from 10 or 11am to
at least 6pm, with shorter hours on Sunday. But there
are exceptions: Stores in Chinatown, Ghirardelli Square,
and Pier 39 stay open much later during the tourist
season, and large department stores, including Macy's
and Nordstrom, keep late hours.
Most
restaurants serve lunch from about 11:30am to 2:30pm
and dinner from 5:30 to 10pm. They sometimes serve later
on weekends. Nightclubs and bars are usually open daily
until 2am.
Emergencies: Dial tel. 911 for police,
an ambulance, or the fire department; no coins are needed
from a public phone
Post Office: There are many post offices
around the city. The closest to Union Square is inside
Macy's department store, 170 O'Farrell St. tel. 800-275-8777.
Transit Information: The San Francisco
Municipal Railway, or Muni, operates the city's cable
cars, buses, and Metro streetcars. For customer service,
call 415-673-6864 weekdays 7am to 5pm, weekends 9am
to 5pm.
Weather:
831-656-1725
Winter road condition information:
415-557-3755.
San Francisco International Airport :
415-761-0800, just south of the city, off U.S. 101.
Several domestic airlines serve the
Oakland Airport tel. 415-577-4000,
which is across the bay but not much farther away from
downtown San Francisco via I-880 and I-80, although
traffic on the Bay Bridge may at times make travel time
longer. Flying times: 6 hours from New York, 4 hours
from Chicago, and 1 hour from Los Angeles.
SFO International Terminal
The
expansion added:
18
new restaurants serving a wide variety of international
cuisine.
37
new retail stores.
A
$10 million permanent art collection.
An
11,000 square-foot Aviation Library and Museum.
3,200
new parking spaces.
A taxi ride from SFO to downtown is a bit costly. Airport
shuttles are inexpensive and efficient.
The SFO Airporter picks up passengers at baggage claim
lower level and serves selected downtown hotels. SuperShuttle
stops at the upper-level traffic islands and goes from
the airport to anywhere within the city limits of San
Francisco.
Inexpensive shuttles to the East Bay among them Bayporter
Express also depart from SFO's upper-level traffic islands;
To
drive to downtown San Francisco from the airport, take
U.S. 101 north to the Civic Center 9th Street, 7th Street,
or 4th Street exit. If you're headed to the Embarcadero
or Fisherman's Wharf, take I-280 north the exit is to
the right, just past 3Com Park and get off at the 4th
Street-King Street exit. King Street becomes the Embarcadero
a few blocks east of the exit. The Embarcadero winds
around the waterfront to Fisherman's Wharf.
By Train
Amtrak: 800-872-7245 trains-the Zephyr,
from Chicago via Denver, and the Coast Starlight, traveling
between Los Angeles and Seattle-stop in Emeryville 5885
Landregan St. and Oakland 245 2nd St. in Jack London
Sq.. Shuttle buses connect the Emeryville station and
San Francisco's Ferry Building 30 Embarcadero at the
foot of Market St.
Driving a Car in the City: Driving
in San Francisco can be a challenge because of the hills,
the one-way streets, and the traffic. Remember to curb
your wheels when parking on hills.
Exploring
the city involves navigating a maze of one-way streets
and restricted parking zones. Cable cars, buses, and
trolleys can take you to or near most attractions. If
you plan to visit distant outlying areas which are not
accessible by subway, it is best to ret a car for the
length of such trips, and plan to walk or use public
transportation in the city of San Francisco and environs.
Buses-Trolley Buses:
Muni's
buses and trolley buses run all over The City in frequent
intervals usually every five to 20 minutes. Each route
has a number and a name, i.e. 5-Fulton, 24-Divisadero,
42-Downtown Loop, which are prominently displayed on
the front and side of the bus, along with the route's
destination. Some routes, such as 38L-Geary Limited
or 14L-Mission Limited, make only limited stops along
their routes. Others, such as 9X-San Bruno Express or
31AX-Balboa "A" Express, operate nonstop from
downtown to the outer regions of The City. For more
clarity on Muni service, purchase a Muni map.
Historic Streetcars Trams:
You
can travel back in time on the distinctive collection
of historic streetcars.. Each car is painted in its
original colors designating its origin in Boston, Chicago,
Milan, or some other city in the world. These beautiful
streetcars run along the center of Market Street from
the Transbay Terminal in downtown to the Castro District.
They are collectively known as line F-Market.
Metro:
Beginning
downtown at Embarcadero Station, the Muni Metro's five
underground streetcar lines J-Church, K-Ingleside, L-Taraval,
M-Ocean View and N-Judah take you under Market Street
to various points of interest in the western and southwestern
regions of The City. The J and N lines branch off after
Van Ness station and operate on the surface, and the
K, L and M continue underground to West Portal Station
before splitting into their own separate surface lines.
In the subway section of the system, J and N cars are
often coupled together, as are K, L and M cars.
Because
of ongoing repairs, the Metro currently closes every
evening at 10 pm. Shuttle bus service is available until
12:30 am on the K, L, M and N lines, and the F-Market
historic streetcar service is extended during this time
to cover the J line. Board F-Market streetcars and shuttle
buses at the island stops on Market Street.
Call
for current fare schedule.
Please
have the exact fare ready when you board; Metro fare
gates do not accept any dollar bills.
Transfers:
A two-part transfer slip is provided when you pay your
fare on buses, streetcars and Metro lines. This transfer
allows you to transfer two more times to any bus, streetcar
or Metro line. No transfers are given or accepted on
cable cars; single fares must be paid each time you
board.
Hours Of Operation:
Monday-Friday
5:30 am-12:30 am
Saturday
6 am-12:30 am
Sunday
7:30 am-12:30 am
Limited
late night service is also offered on some lines.
Muni
offers three discount transit passes, subject to availability.
All can be purchased at the Visitor Information Center
at 900 Market Street, downstairs from the Powell-Market
cable car terminal
The
Muni Passports include the cable cars, Muni buses, Muni
Metro and the F-Market streetcars. You can travel anywhere
within San Francisco with the Passport. In addition,
you will receive savings on your entrance fees at most
city museums and many city attractions when you show
the Muni Passport. One, three and seven day passports
are available.
Subway
BART,
or Bay Area Rapid Transit ( 650-992-2278) provides efficient
transportation to Oakland, Berkeley, Concord, Richmond,
Fremont, Colma, and Martinez and other points. Trains
also travel south from San Francisco as far as Daly
City and Colma. Fares are low.
Taxi
Whenever
possible, avoid using taxis. Rates are high, and it
is almost impossible to hail a passing cab, especially
on weekends. If you must use one, either phone or use
the nearest hotel taxi stand.
Cable Cars:
There
are three cable car routes in San Francisco. Two of
these routes, the Powell-Hyde and the Powell-Mason,
begin at the corner of Powell and Market Streets, and
run north-south to and from Nob Hill and Fisherman's
Wharf. At Fisherman's Wharf, you can board the Powell-Hyde
line at Hyde and Beach Streets and the Powell-Mason
line at Bay and Taylor Streets. The third line is the
California line running east-west on California Street
between Market Street and Van Ness Avenue, serving the
Financial District, Chinatown and Nob Hill. This line
tends to be the least crowded. The transfer point for
all three lines is at Powell and California Streets.
Cable cars can be boarded at any designated stop along
the route. However, during the busy summer months, it
is a good idea to wait at the terminal, as the cable
cars usually fill up at the beginning of the line. There
may be a 45- to 60-minute wait during the summer
