Month: August 2009

Walking Tours give Unique View of San Francisco History

If your boots were made for walking, then a walking tour of one of San Francisco’s many fascinating neighborhoods or districts may be the perfect activity for you while visiting San Francisco. Even if you aren’t all that into walking but enjoy learning about an area and the things that make that area unique, this is the tour for you.

Combining education and entertainment with physical activity is a great way to trick your body into getting out, getting a little sun, and having a lot of fun. The best thing about these tours for me is the fact that they are free. Don’t get me wrong, I love learning about the history of the areas I visit. Even more than that, I love hearing about the great and quirky people that made the history; but I have to admit, I love doing things that provide entertainment and don’t cost a great deal of money. A donation is recommended and I can honestly appreciate that much more than an overpriced amusement park ride (or worse paying that much just to walk through the gate and never actually riding a ride).

Not all walking tours of San Francisco are free, but the ones that are led by the San Francisco city guides are. You really should check them out at some point during your visit. They offer a great selection of walking tours each and every day that will appeal to a very diverse audience. In fact, there are tours that are geared towards specific groups of people so if you are with your family, it might be a good idea to allow each member of your family to select at least one of these walking tours that is of interest to him or her. That way, everyone is motivated to sit through the selections of the other in anticipation of the trip he or she selected.

The tours typically begin in easy to identify and very public places and most of them even meet near access to public transportation in order to accommodate visitors coming from other areas of the city. The tours go to great lengths to avoid being overly strenuous but the Streets of San Francisco are not always accommodating, as they are well known for their steep hills. I think taking one of the walking tours early in the day is a great way to start the day. You get to get a little fresh air, a little exercise, and you are enjoying these things before the day gets too terribly warm. Not to mention the fact that starting your day off with something that is fun and free is a really good way to start your day.

If you are among the really brave, you might want to try one of the many ‘Ghost Walking Tours’ that are available. There are ghost walks of City Hall and the Palace. If you prefer something a little mellower, there are plenty of walks from which to choose. Some of the more popular walks are the Golden Gate Bridge walking tour (this tour provides great insight into the mind of the man who dared to dream of this bridge and tells the story of what it took to build this bridge it is very much a tour worth taking if you have any love for the many great bridges of the world), the Ferry Building walking tour (recently renovated, this building was once of major importance to San Francisco, it has now been replaced by roads and bridges but remains an important component in the history of this great city), and the Coit Tower Murals walking tour (the tour allows peeks at murals that aren’t always opened to the public as well as a glimpse into the murals that depict famous scenes from the 1930’s).

While visiting San Francisco, there are few better ways to completely enjoy your trip than taking one of the many walking tours available in the city. Finding one of the many free walking tours is even better. You will not only get a unique insight into the city or for the icon you are touring, but you will also get a much better view than if you were simply driving by.

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Attending Sporting Events on Your Italy Vacation

Sports and Italians go together like spaghetti and meatballs! The most popular sports are soccer, rugby and cycling. Winter sports are also very popular during that season. Italians are serious spectators and fierce competitors. During your Italy vacation you may decide to look up which sporting events are going on that you may be able to attend. You will definitely experience Italy culture and the passion that they bring to competition.

With soccer the passion is very understandable because Italy has won the World Cup 4 times and is actually the current title holder after the 2006 World Cup Series. With their 4 total wins they hold the record of being the second most successful team since the championship began and are second only to Brazil. If you are a sports fan you may be interested in seeing a match during your Italy vacation. Select Italy is a company that will allow you to experience this. They can arrange tickets for you to see Series A and Series B games in some of the major cities in Italy. You can request a specific city on their website and they have staff who will confirm pricing and other details with you after they receive your request.

If you would rather see something else while you are in Italy on vacation they can also arrange tickets for you to see anything from auto racing to basketball to tennis. Tickets obtained through this company will be up to 25% higher than their face value as the company adds on fees and processing costs for providing travelers with this great service. Select Italy may be contacted through their website at www.selectitaly.com/sports.php

If you are going to see a soccer match in Italy during your vacation you may be concerned about what you have heard about the dangers and sometimes violence at these events. Italians as you know are very competitive and passionate about their soccer. It is best to make sure that you either wear the colors of the Italian home team or something else that is not in line with the opposing team’s colors. Companies like Select Italy will advise you which colors to wear if you want to support the Italian team and which colors to stay away from depending on which match you want to see. Another thing to remember is that many of these Italian soccer matches have a designated area for their die-hard fans.

If a fight would break out it would be more likely to be between someone who sits in that designated area with someone who supports the opposing team. As a visitor you would probably feel most comfortable sitting in a neutral central location. Select Italy will not insure you or assume any liability for anything that may happen at any of these matches that they help you attend.

If you are interested in seeing sporting events when in Rome for your Italy vacation, you can always find out what is going on at the Flaminio Stadium. It was built for the 1960 Olympic Games in Italy and now has all kinds of sporting events going on from rugby to equestrian. It is very accessible from many hotels in Rome.

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Trains aren’t a lost art in San Francisco

One of the greatest things about visiting San Francisco is the close proximity to nearby attractions. You can stay in one city while visiting several. You can not only get the conveniences of being in the city, but the beauty of nature is not too far away from almost any point within the city. In fact, a short train ride will take you rather quickly to some nearby attractions that are definitely worth checking into.

One of the first train tours I’ll mention isn’t only a train tour but a bus and train tour. This tour goes from San Francisco to Yosemite Park. This trip requires transfers back and forth from bus to train but offers some beautiful scenery and the ability to enjoy it without the worry of driving, rest stops, and a need to simply stretch your legs. Sometimes a little inconvenience is worth a lot more convenience later in your trip. The train portion of the tour lasts about three hours and you get to spend three hours in Yosemite. For some it isn’t worth the hassle and for others it is just what the doctor ordered-time to rest and relax while on the way. This is by far the most complicated of the train tours heading out from San Francisco, at least the tours I will be discussing.

The second tour is to wine country. The beauty of these tours is the fact that you can enjoy your wine tasting experience without the worry of who’s going to drive. Everyone in your party can enjoy the outing equally. Even more than that however, is that many companies have made the train ride itself more the event than the wine tasting. With offerings such as 4 course meals and Murder Mystery Dinner Theatre for your enjoyment it is no wonder that this has become an event of choice for many San Francisco visitors. While this may be a more than moderately pricey option, it is well worth the expense. You can always cut costs elsewhere in San Francisco to make up for the expenditure.

Roaring Camp Railroads offers two train rides that are both equally appealing in vastly different ways. The first is a trip back in time. This is probably my favorite. On this trip you travel to the summit of Bear Mountain while hearing tales of Roaring Camp’s history. This train tour lasts a total of one hour and is a great deal of fun, especially for any little ones you may have with you. The second offering by Roaring Camp Railroads is the Beach Train, which will take you to the Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk. The round trip from Roaring Camp to Santa Cruz and back is about three hours and well worth every penny if you have a budding or future engineer among your young ones.

Perhaps the most magical of train tours is the Christmas Train Tour from Oakdale. This tour includes Santa, his elves, a little Christmas magic, and you can come in your jimmies. What more could you ask for? Well, I guess that depends on whether you made the naughty list or the nice list. This train ride is magic for everyone that partakes, young and old alike will enjoy the magic that only Christmas can bring.

Whether you are a big kid, a little kid, or somewhere in between, I’m willing to bet that the magic of a train ride hasn’t been completely lost over the years. In fact, I’m willing to bet if you allow yourself to really sit back and enjoy yourself, you will find that there really is something to be said about sitting back, relaxing, and enjoying the journey. I can think of few better ways to enjoy the journey as much as the destination.

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