There are hotels which allow pets, there are some which are ‘pet friendly’, and then there are the hotels which really and truly make your four legged friends feel at home. And then there’s the Diva – a hotel in San Francisco’s Union Square, which redefines what being a pet friendly hotel means.

Let’s see. Does your hotel offer a complimentary one-hour VIP dog walking tour highlighting the city’s best parks and hippest fire hydrants? No? That’s one leg up for the Diva. How about a VOSS water and a designer dog bowl? This isn’t even a contest anymore, but I like flogging a dead horse, so here’s some more ‘pet-friendly’ aspects of the Diva – deluxe overnight accommodations; a super-soft sheep skin throw rug for a luxurious nights sleep; a personalized “Sexy Diva” dog tag; a Petco amenity box filled with a red paw print bandana, dog biscuits and treats and two flavors of dog food.

All of this is what comes with the ‘Every Doggie is a Diva Package’. For more details about this and other packages and for more details about the Diva hotel, call (800) 553-1900 or visit their website.

For the record, the Diva is part of the Personality Hotels Group, which runs seven boutique hotels bunched around Union Square in San Francisco. Each of these hotels has a unique and eclectic (and eccentric) character. The ‘Every Doggie is a Diva Package’ is available at four of these hotels – Hotel Diva, Hotel Metropolis, Hotel Union Square and Kensington Park Hotel.

Personally speaking, these seven dwarfs offer a much more enjoyable experience than what any of the big San Francisco hotels will provide. There’s a lot more to the Diva in addition to being hyper pet friendly, but that’s another post for another day.

Photo copyrights – Personality Hotels; Hotel Diva - 440 Geary Street San Francisco CA 94102; (415) 885-0200; www.hoteldiva.com/

Stuart Schuffman, aka Broke-Ass Stuart, is the author of the critically acclaimed book Broke-Ass Stuart’s Guide To Living Cheaply In San Francisco. Stuart has been busy the past year writing another ‘living cheaply’ guide – for New York.

He lived in NYC and tramped the streets, put up with friends, hunted down cheap eats and bars with happy hour drinks and free food, and in general, experienced how it feels to be ‘young, broke and beautiful’ in the Big Apple. The book is due out in November. I asked him a few questions which might help you out if you’re stuck in a bad spot in NYC. Even if you have no such problems, follow his tips and your New York vacations will be memorable, to say the least. Read More »

Millions of people visit San Francisco for the Victorian houses, cable car rides and fantastic food.  Millions of others come to see the engineering marvel that is the Golden Gate Bridge.  Here are a few tips from someone who has lived in the Bay Area for twenty years:

1. Best run to the bridge: Start at Crissey Field and run to the end of the path. It is flat, runs right along the bay and you end up directly underneath the bridge, right where the bay meets the ocean. Usually a few surfers and windsurfers are doing their thin, too–very California, I think.  It is only a few miles.  You can do it.  If not, walk it and stop at  for a cup of hot chocolate.

2.  Best walk:  Park near the bridge and walk to the middle of the bridge, look out, look up and look down for views. Dress warmly, there is always a brisk breeze.

3. Best bike:  Rent a bike anywhere in the city, ride across the bridge and then down a long hill into Sausalito, have lunch, see the shops and take the ferry back to the city  to the bike rental shop.  Be forewarned in the summer the ferry is swamped with bikes.  Be the last one on the ferry and be the first one off it or just go into traveler zen mode and zone out until everyone else has unloaded.

4.  Best drive:  Skip the vantage point just after the bridge ends.  It is crowded and hard to park. Instead, take the Alexander Avenue exit (that is the second left after the bridge) turn left at the stop, go under the freeway and take a right into the Golden Gate National Recreation Area (aka the headlands.) Drive to the top and look back at the bridge. There will be parking, fewer people and spectacular views. You can continue on to see more of the area if you wish.  A great drive.

Don’t just take pictures, go out on the bridge to enjoy the beauty of its design and a great view of the bay are.

From guest blogger Marsha Takeda-Morrison of Sweatpantsmom

Just because our country’s in a recession doesn’t mean you can’t afford to go on that Girls’ Getaway you’ve been planning. You’ll just have to make some, uh, adjustments. For example, maybe you used to splurge on a four-day cruise on a private yacht where you’d sip Cristal out of a Manolo, but now you might just have to settle for a four-minute putt on the Balboa Island Ferry to pick up a Coke.

Here are some other ideas for you to stretch those pennies:

Before: Napa Valley Wine Train Tour, where an elegant rail car takes you through the scenic majestic wine region while enjoying gourmet meals and expensive vintages.

Now: Los Angeles wine tour, where you and your gal pals pile into your van and enjoy a five-hour tour of all the BevMo’s within a forty-mile radius. Crash at a local hotel, where you’ve only paid for two guests and then snuck-in your other three friends. Proceed to ‘sample’ all the varietals you’ve purchased straight out of the bottle. Splurge and split that $10 can of Pringles from the minibar.

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Before: “Sex And The City” weekend in New York City. Make like Carrie and her friends and take the city by storm: Designer boutiques during the day, fine dining and dancing at night. Stay at the posh Carlyle Hotel, featured in the movie.

Now: “Knocked Up” weekend in L.A. Drive by the Wilshire Boulevard offices of E! Entertainment, which is where Katherine Heigl’s character worked. Then head to the dive-y Del’s Saloon in Santa Monica to enjoy a couple of brewskies and to see where scenes from the movie were filmed. Then head on over to your brother’s friend’s house to play video games and pass the bong around, just like Seth Rogan and his pals did in the movie! Remember to bring along a condom so life doesn’t end up imitating art.

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Before: A spa getaway at La Quinta where you and your BFFs would enjoy pampering massages, spa cuisine and luxurious rooms.

Now: Head to the beach, where you and your posse can frolic in the healing waters of the Pacific. (Be on the lookout for signs of raw-sewage spills.) Take a barefoot walk in the sand for an instant pedicure! Save on meals by packing your own sandwiches and share a twelve-pack of water from Trader Joes.

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Before: Three-day shopping extravaganza to Fashion Island in Newport Beach. At night, rest your Bloomingdales-weary body at a nearby swanky hotel.

Now: Split the gas three ways for a trip out to the Outlets in Cabazon. Go ahead and have lunch in the food court, but remember to bring along the other half of that six-pack from Trader Joes so you don’t have to part with $2 for water. Sorry, you can’t afford a hotel, but if one of your girlfriends agrees to host a sleepover you can stay up all night admiring each other’s new purses.