San Franscisco
San Francisco is surely one of those "must see" places - stay awhile, come back often. Natural beauty notwithstanding, it’s attitude more than latitude that has made San Francisco the "world's gay and lesbian capital." From the arrival of Alice B. Toklas in 1877, San Francisco has been coming out of the closet and marking a number of "firsts" in LGBT history. The Castro, Armisted Maupin, Folsom St Fair, Harvey Milk, The Aids Quilt, SoMa are all names with which the gay and lesbian visitor to San Francisco will associate. But dominant as it has been in the acceptance worldwide of our lifestyle, there is much more to San Francisco as a destination.
Did you now that the Rainbow flag was designed here by Gilbert Baker, a self described 'geeky kid from Kansas' who arrived in the city in 1970? In 2003 Baker was recently able to create the world's longest Rainbow Flag, restored to its original eight colours, to celebrate the flag's silver anniversary. The Rainbow25 Sea-to-Sea Flag was 1.25 miles long and was unfurled in Key West, FL on June 15, 2003. Just a little of the LGBT history that makes San Francisco the centre of gay activity in the United States today. Now there are year round festivals galore and a great nightlife to compliment your stay here. Pride takes place in June each year and is a definitely worth a visit.
From grand, sweeping
views to neighbourhood colour and character, from
glimpses of history to world-class dining and
shopping - San Francisco is home to a little bit of
everything.
Hire a bike and cycle
over the Golden Gate Bridge, take brunch at the Top
of the Mark restaurant for a stunning view of the
City and Bay, enjoy a self guided audio tour of
Alcatraz prison, cruise the Bay to pretty Suasilito,
boggle at the shear tackiness of Fisherman’s Wharf,
take a guided walking tour through The Castro, ride
the cable cars or more usefully the F-line vintage
tram cars which connect the major points of
interest. And that’s not to mention the many museums
and historic buildings that dominate this City by
the Bay.
If you tire of all this, you can still shop ‘till
you drop at Macy’s, FAO Schwartz and a host of chain
stores at prices which make you wish you had a
larger free luggage allowance for the flight home.
All the properties, we feature are well located for
getting around the City. You won’t need a car and
the new BART extension from the airport makes it
quick and easy to get into the City (full
instructions given with your holiday documents).
The MUNI public transport system is fast and
frequent and transfer tickets and day passes make it
cheap to use. There are easy pick-up locations for
Alamo Car Rental in the downtown area for your
onward holiday and cars can be returned direct to
the Airport for added convenience.
San Francisco is a great destination for your
holiday or can be added to a longer itinerary taking
in more great sites of Gay America.
You can book a huge range of hotel in San Francisco and throughout the U.S by using our instant availability website JustAccommodation.com