San Francisco has some great public art and one of my favorites are these statues on a bench just south of the main gate of Chinatown on Grant street. It is the classic see no evil, hear no evil, speak no evil. The way the statue was made it allows a space for people to sit in the middle of the three monkeys and so people do. What’s the best public art in your town?
The Richmond district of San Francisco is very easy to find on a map. It is the area just North of the large east-west swath of greenery that is Golden Gate Park and just south of the park-like Presidio. The Richmond is predominately a residential neighborhood that does not draw the tourist crowds because it is probably not as photogenic as other areas of the city. If I had to describe the Richmond in one word it would not be cute but it might be delicious.
The culinary heart of the Richmond district is Clement Ave which runs east and west just North of Geary street. While Clement may lack the beautiful facade of other neighborhoods like the Filmore it makes up for it with good food at very reasonable prices. As one friend expressed it, “when you live in Clement can’t afford to eat at home”.
I previously reviewed the very popular Burma Super restaurant where you will need to stand in line as much as an hour before the restaurant opens to get a table. But there are mind small restaurants in the Clement where you can get a good meal with less preparation or persistence. Directly across the street from Burma Super you can find Mai which offers inexpensive and good Vietnamese cuisine. We went to Mai on the recommendation of my friend Dan who recommended in particular the imperial rolls and the 5 spice chicken.
We loved the chicken also tried the hot and sour soup which has a very different taste than the chinese hot and sour soup that I am more familiar with. This spicy soup has tofu, pineapple and tomato and has a very fresh taste. Dan also recommended a Vietnamese sandwich place and Yum Soing for more expensive but great dim sum.
After dinner book lovers and browse for new or used books at one of the two Green Apple Book stores nearby (one for fiction and one for non-fiction). Clement and the Richmond may not draw a lot of tour buses but it is easy to see why so many people gladly call it home.
If you have trouble figuring out what to pack for a trip then have I got a hotel for you…
Check In at Germany’s First Naked Hotel
Clothes will be strictly forbidden on the premises of Germany’s first hotel for nudists, which will open shortly in the southwestern Black Forest region. Guests will be required to remove their clothes at the entrance and must be naked at all times while on the premises, according to the strict house rules that have already been posted on the Internet.
If you have a fear of flying after flight 332 got hit by birds and ended up landing in the Hudson, then one airport you might not want to fly out of is Sacramento.
Jet returns to Calif. airport after bird strike
A United Airlines flight bound for Chicago had to return to the Sacramento airport after hitting a bird during takeoff.
The Sacramento airport is in the Pacific flyway for migratory birds and reports more bird strikes annually than any other airport in the western United States.
If you got off a plane that filled with smoke because of a mechanical issue, would you get right on another one. The passengers on this plane did.
United jet with engine trouble lands in Maine
A United Airlines jet carrying 178 passengers and 11 crew members from London to Washington, D.C., has made an emergency landing in Maine because of mechanical problems.
More and more tourists are canceling trips or retirement plans to Mexico (my family included). If you are still going there are some good safety tips in this article.
Violence in Mexico: A Cause of Concern for Retirees Looking to Travel or Relocate
Mexico is the favorite travel destination for Americans and it’s also the most favored place outside the U.S. for retirees to relocate. The country’s warm climate, familiar culture, and low costs naturally attract retirees. Now, however, drug-related violence and–to a lesser extent–Mexico’s own recessionary pressures have made parts of Mexico dangerous. The U.S. State Department renewed its Mexico travel alert last month. Requests are escalating for more protection by U.S. border troops. Visits to major travel sites, such as Fodor’s, reveal rising traveler concerns and travel cancellations.
The U.S. has named a number of new Historic Landmarks including President Lincoln’s Cottage and San Francisco’s Bay, Angel Island Immigration Station. Read more:
Other articles that caught my eye:
Yahoo has published an article saying which sites in the U.S. attract the most visitors. It was not surprising that DIsney has two sites on the list but I was surprised that San Francisco’s Fisherman’s wharf was on the list.
America’s top 10 tourist attractions
1. Times Square, New York City
2. The Las Vegas Strip, Nev.
3. National Mall and Memorial Parks, Washington, D.C.
4. Faneuil Hall Marketplace, Boston
5. Disney World’s Magic Kingdom, Lake Buena Vista, Fla.
6. Disneyland Park, Anaheim, Calif.
7. Fisherman’s Wharf/Golden Gate National Recreation Area, San Francisco
8. Niagara Falls, N.Y.
9. Great Smoky Mountains National Park, Tenn./N.C.
10. Navy Pier, Chicago
And speaking of most visited, The Daily Green had an article listing the op 10 most trafficked U.S. National Parks.
The 10 Must-See National Parks
1. The Smokies
2. The Grand Canyon
3. Yosemite
4. Yellowstone
5. Olympic
6. The Colorado Rockies
7. Zion
8. The Grand Tetons
9. Cuyahoga Valley
10. Acadia
And yet another list from the UK Telegraph:
20 stupid questions asked by tourists
My favorites were:
“In what month is the May Day demonstration?”
“Why on earth did they build Windsor Castle on the flight path of Heathrow?”
“Can you tell me who performs at the circus in Piccadilly?”
And speaking of stupid people doing stupid things…
Tourist falls from St. Pete Beach hotel balcony
ST. PETE BEACH — He wanted to show a woman afraid of heights that it was safe to lean over a sixth-floor hotel balcony.
Instead, David Senior, 26, of Joliet, Ill., fell four stories onto a second-floor concrete ledge Tuesday night.
David survived and was flown to Bayfront Medical Center, where he was in fair condition Wednesday, a hospital spokeswoman said. The family asked that no other information be released.
And speaking of things you don’t want to happen on your vacation…
Jetliner’s tail slams into runway during takeoff
MELBOURNE, Australia - An Emirates jetliner carrying more than 225 people slammed its tail into the runway as it took off from Australia, sending smoke into the cabin and forcing the pilot to make an emergency landing, officials said Saturday.
No one was hurt, but passengers described being terrified after learning something was wrong soon after the Airbus A340 took off from the southern city of Melbourne about 10:30 p.m. Friday, bound for Dubai.
Other articles that caught my eye:
In Travel to San Francisco (episode 159) of the Amateur Traveler I interviewed to Richard Miller of the SparkleTack podcast (about San Francisco history) about San Francisco. Richard guided us in a driving/walking tour from west to east. We started at lands end and ended up near fisherman’s wharf while talking about the sites and history of many of the places in between. This very long blog post is a transcript of that interview.
Copyright 2009 by Chris Christensen
