Results tagged “San Francisco” from Intelligent Travel Blog

Traveler alumnus and Intelligent Travel blog founder Emily King is mildly obsessed with two things: San Francisco and food. Here, she shares her passions for both.

Life has pulled me to the Bay Area twice this past summer. As friends can attest, I left my heart there the first go round, and when I returned to retrieve it, it stole my stomach too. Oh, the food in San Francisco! After too many meals and too much money spent, I'm back home with an aching palate (and an unfriendly number on the scale). Should you find yourself in SF in the near future, here are my top 10 recommendations, broken down by category, after the jump. 

Airlines have been tacking on fees for almost everything these days, and we're as tired of being nickel-and-dimed as the next guy. But we were glad to hear that San Francisco's SFO airport is the first in the nation to provide on-site kiosks that will enable travelers to help cover the cost of their carbon footprint. The San Francisco Chronicle reports:

On Thursday [of last week], the Bay Area's largest airport unveiled three Climate Passport kiosks with touch screens that determine how many pounds of carbon dioxide a trip will produce, calculate the sum an environmentally conscious traveler should contribute to projects in San Francisco and California that help reduce greenhouse gases, then allow fliers to purchase certified carbon offsets.

A typical cross-country flight from SFO to Boston creates 1,999 pounds of carbon dioxide, and the suggested offset cost is $12.24. (The kiosks themselves cost the airport a whopping $190,000 to install.) The the funds collected from the kiosks, which are placed at the entrance to Terminal 3 and international terminals A and G, will go to the Garcia River Forest, a reforestation project in a heavily-logged region of Mendocino County, as well as the SFCarbon Fund, which will steer money to Dogpatch Biofuels, a bio-diesel fueling station in San Francisco.

While scientists still argue about the value of offsets (you can see a further discussion of that at National Geographic's Green Guide), many acknowledge that they're a worthwhile option for those who are also attempting to reduce their footprint in other ways. I think it's an interesting concept, and if anything, it gets travelers to think about the environmental impact of flying more often.

What's your take on the new kiosks in San Francisco?

This afternoon, I feel like I could easily spend several hours wandering through the galleries of SFMOMA. But alas, I live in Washington D.C. But wait! Late last year, they launched the ArtScope project, which allows you to search through the 3,500 items in their collection. It's a beautiful tool, and presents the works in a form that's almost as comtemplative as being in the museum itself. Check it out.

Read More: More and more museums are rolling out new tools to share their collections online. Know of another great tool? Tell us below.

Hey there, city fans! Today's city comes to us from Nancy Brown, who tells us why we should leave our hearts in San Francisco!

Want to see your city on IT? Complete our list of fill-in-the-blank questions, copy and paste the list into an e-mail, fill in your answers, and send your responses to IntelligentTravel@ngs.org. And if you're waiting for us to feature yours, fear not! We're attempting to post them as fast as we can (hint--it helps if you include links and photos!)

San Francisco is My City

The first place I take a visitor from out of town is Fisherman's Wharf.

When I crave dim sum I always go to Chinatown.

To escape people I head to Angel Island.

If I want to shop I go to Union Square.

If you come to my city, get your picture taken with the Golden Gate Bridge.

All through December we'll be showcasing the best of the holiday season in cities around the world. Today it's Christmastime in San Francisco and we've asked local experts for the essential ways to enjoy the winter's best. Visitors and locals alike come together to celebrate the holidays and the New Year, and we encourage you to share your own favorites with us in the comments below. You can find all of the cities we've already visited and stay up to day on the rest by bookmarking the series here.

Michael Thorburn, Concierge                                                                                                Mandarin Oriental, San Francisco

• There is a kind of magic that makes the holidays in San Francisco very special. Part of that spell comes from the many cultural programs that are offered during this time. Don't miss the San Francisco Ballet's Nutracker--the story is set in 1915 San Francisco; the San Francisco Symphony's holiday concerts--choral works, gospel, Broadway, and jazz; the Smuin Ballet's classical and contemporary dance, and Beach Blanket Babylon's holiday show with its social and political satire.

• For those who are missing snow and cold, the city has two skating rinks to enjoy. There is a new one in Union Square in the heart of many wonderful stores and boutiques - be sure to stroll past all of their creative window displays. The other rink is in Justin Hermann Plaza located near the Ferry Building where you can skate under the stars near the waterfront.  

• The Academy of Sciences has just opened, so plan a visit to the planetarium, aquarium, natural history museum, and tropical gardens all housed in a spectacular sustainable facility. You may not see Santa, but the albino alligator will give a seasonal grin.

• Dining is a holiday passion in San Francisco. Restaurants offer seasonal menus that are deliciously decadent. Cracked Dungeness crab is in season, and whether served at a restaurant or at home, it is always a treat.