Experience the Unique Culture of San Francisco

Located on the USA's Pacific Coast, the city of San Francisco is one great big melting pot full of people from all walks of life. As a result, the city has developed and nurtured its own unique and highly colourful cultural identity. This hugely influential city has been largely responsible for changing attitudes and cultures throughout the world; and where San Francisco leads, the rest of the world follows - eventually!

Being sited on the San Andreas Fault, one of Earth's most active tectonic plates, means that the residents of San Francisco continually live with the threat of earthquakes and this has certainly affected their attitude to risk. Almost entirely destroyed by a massive earthquake in 1906, a large tremor devastated the city most recently in 1989, although with minimal fatalities. As a result the residents of San Francisco have developed a uniquely different approach to life, living under the daily threat of obliteration by earthquake but ensuring that, in the meantime, their days are lived to the full.

Each year the people of San Francisco enjoy hosting many street carnivals and festivals, the most famous being the world's largest Gay Pride parade, which takes place each September. Others include the Chinese New Year parade in February and the LoveFest held in late summer. The former has developed as a result of San Francisco's Chinese community, and the city is home to one of North America's largest and oldest Chinatowns. Established in the 1850s, it continues to be a massive tourist draw and has also featured in many popular TV series and films.

As well as unique culture, the city also boasts equally unique landmarks. The iconic Golden Gate Bridge that joins the city to the rest of Northern California is a true engineering marvel that overlooks the infamous island of Alcatraz, once considered the USA's most secure prison. The Coit Tower sits proudly atop Telegraph Hill and is one of the city's more noticeable landmarks, alongside the Tranamerica Pyramid - the tallest skyscraper in the city.

Other San Francisco tourist hot-spots include Fisherman's Wharf, looking out to the Island of Alcatraz. Fisherman's Wharf features a fantastic selection of restaurants and shops and is the departure point for the tour of Alcatraz prison, which now serves as a tourist attraction devoid of any dangerous criminals! And one hot-spot is totally unique: Lombard Street is a street like no other in the world, bedecked in flowers and winding its way up the side of a hill in a series of hairpins that slows the traffic to a complete crawl.

To make sure you get the best out of a trip to San Francisco aim to book into a hotel in the Union Square district, as it is very central for all the city attractions and a hub for the legendary Street Cars. And remember to book your hotel in San Francisco early if you're going during any of the major festivals or parades, as they soon fill up!

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Shopping Experience at San Francisco

Shopping experience at San Francisco is blissful with full of unique shops in very interesting areas of the city. You may be looking for the best gourmet food or may be hunting for the hottest new fashion trends; San Francisco is one stylish city to shop. From the preferred tourist Fisherman's Wharf shops to the elite Union Square designer stores; San Francisco is a great place for shopping for every type of shopper.

Take a trip down to the piers of Fisherman's Wharf and explore yourself in to the world of shopping. Start at Ghirardelli Square where you would find the best waterfront shopping experience along with mind-blowing restaurants and live entertainments at the Fountain and West Plazas. From here you will also experience other popular waterfront shopping complexes.

PIER 39 is a multi-level shopping mall catering to all Fishermen's Wharf shoppers. This is the busiest of the waterfront complexes and PIER 39 welcomes over 11 million visitors to over 100 specialty stores onsite. This complex also has 10 bay view restaurants, which allows shoppers to rest and enjoy the incredible views from the pier. Another important highlight of the pier is the opportunity to have a look and photograph California sea lions as they sun bathe on floating docks.

Another attractive place for shopping is The Cannery, it has been designed in an old, European styled piazzas. Explore this Fisherman's Wharf waterfront complex's shops, its ceramics studio and great fine restaurants. You have live entertainment in Jazz Club Nouveau or The Cannery's preferred Green Room Comedy Club. Famous street performers are also often found milling around The Cannery Grounds making this area a very great shopping experience for the whole family.

Move on to the Ferry Building Marketplace in the Embarcadero and experience some of the world's greatest gourmet food here. Breads, cheeses, chocolates and more are all available with this stylish, contemporary marketplace. Round up your shopping experience with an outstanding late lunch at the San Francisco restaurants. The marketplace is even more crowded during weekends. During the weekends the outdoor Farmers' Market opens up their market and welcomes shoppers to taste the finest Northern California fruits, vegetables, breads, chocolates and many more. The best plants, fresh flowers and amazing gifts are all available at the Farmers' Market.

Fashionable and stylish people would prefer traveling downtown to Union Square to shop all the fashionable shops, which makes this area top in San Francisco. Huge departmental stores, designer stores and variety of other high end specialty shops make this shopper's shopping area. Shoppers hunting for antiques, vintage clothing and unique items would desire to visit Chinatown, Haight Ashbury and SoMa. These neighborhoods are home to few hidden San Francisco shopping gem. Whether you are looking for newest and greatest original fashion trends or looking for a more classic look, San Francisco has all the shops you would ever want.

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A Step-by-Step Guide to a Good Van Rental Experience

Finding a good van rental deal through the maze of different companies and services competing for your attention these days can be hard. Between online bargain sites and all the different car rental companies out there, it can be difficult to make a final decision. So this is why I decided to list a few tips that will help you find the best deal ever on your next van rental.

Ok, the first thing you need to do is narrow your choices to at least 3 or 4 different car rental companies that suit your needs and wants. You can do this on the internet or by going through your phonebook. Look at their inventory of vehicles and see if they have a wide array of vans and/or SUVs at their disposition.

The next thing you're going to do is call the different agencies and ask for information such as special offers, pick up location, drop off arrangements, hotel partnerships and discounts, extra charges, insurance or any other info that will make the rental process easier and cheaper for you.

Now, you'll need to choose you're pick up point. Make sure you know how your rental company works as far as pick up goes. Some companies will send a driver to pick you up. Some will pay for the cab ride to the pick up location. But some companies will ask you to cover the transportation fees yourself. So make sure you choose a pick up location close to home so you won't have to pay too much for transportation.

Make sure you know exactly what type of vehicle you need. If you need a larger vehicle, you can go for a minivan, SUV or a full-size van. Companies usually charge more for bigger vehicles, so make sure you take that into consideration before you book. Once you have all the facts you need, it's time to make a reservation. Some companies will include the reservation fees in the price, but some won't. Make sure you know beforehand so you don't have an unpleasant surprise.

So there you have it. Make sure you ask for a lot of information before you choose a company, don't be afraid to ask questions and check into all the hidden fees that might be related to the rental before you make a choice. If you follow these instructions, your van rental experience should be a breeze.

This article is sponsored by United Van Rentals ( http://www.UnitedVanRentals.com ), a passenger van rental company located in Orange County, California.

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Oakland Hotels, CA - Providing Inimitable Experience of Lodging

Oakland is the eighth-largest city of California located on San Francisco Bay. This is one of the best tourist destinations of California offering something for the people of all ages. Some of the most popular places of interest in Oakland include - in Paramount Theater, Fox Theater, Oakland Zoo, Jack London Square, Chabot Space and Science Center, Lake Merritt and Chinatown etc. With all these amazing tourist attractions, this beautiful city attracts thousands visitors all year round.

While here, you need not trouble much about accommodation; it doesn't matter whether you are on vacation or for some business meeting. There are many cheap to luxury hotels in Oakland offering both lodging types.

Luxury Hotels -this beautiful city houses number of luxury hotels in Oakland offering excellent services and world class accommodation to its guest. Some of the finest Oakland luxury hotels include - Waterfront Plaza Hotel - Oakland California, Berkeley City Club, Hilton Oakland Airport, Holiday Inn Oakland Airport, and Courtyard by Marriott Oakland Airport etc.

Courtyard by Marriott Oakland Airport - this is one of the best three star hotels of Oakland offering fantastic services and accommodation near airport at best rates. This airport hotel has many great features including - indoor spa tub, fitness center, restaurant, and bar.

Cheap Hotels - if you are with tight budget and want to reduce your tour expenditure then you must stay into any of cheap hotels of the city. There are many full service cheap hotels in Oakland offering comfort of luxury hotels at affordable rates. Some of the best known cheap hotels in the city include - Extended Stay Deluxe Oakland - Alameda Airport, Holiday Inn Express Hotel & Suites Oakland-Airport, Econo Lodge Inn and Suites Oakland Airport, San Leandro Marina Inn and Hampton Inn & Suites Oakland Airport-Alameda etc.

Hampton Inn & Suites Oakland Airport-Alameda - this is one of the finest cheap hotels located at 1700 Harbor Bay Parkway. This budget hotel of Oakland offers top class services with some superb features like - fitness facility at cheap rates. Whether you want to stay in the center of the city or elsewhere, you can find affordable hotels anywhere in Oakland.

Downtown Hotels - the city center has many big and small hotels but some of the best ones to stay in are - Marriott Oakland City Center, Washington Inn, Courtyard Oakland Downtown and the Clarion Hotel Downtown Oakland City Center etc.

Clarion Hotel Downtown Oakland City Center - this is indeed your home away from home during your visit to Oakland. Whether you are traveling for business or for pleasure, this is the best lodging option for you. The hotel offers countless features, an outstanding location with easy access to the Oakland Convention Center

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