Vacations Blog

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.

Golf is said to be the game of kings, but if you’re on a broke budget, finding ways to get your lovely walk spoiled with a round of golf can be harder than marrying into the monarchy.  Here are some ways you can practice your stroke that won’t leave you broke.

Community Courses – Many towns have community courses that are much more inexpensive than the local club and don’t require monthly membership.  Even my hometown of Redlands has a community course!  They might have a limited number of holes or not be the best course, but it’ll get you swinging that 9 iron again!

Driving Ranges – If all you need to do is keep in shape so as not to embarrass yourself for the yearly company golf tourmaent, hit your local driving range.  You can frequently find a place where you can hit a whole bucket of balls for $5-$10.  Plus- no walking!

Be Schmoozed – Many companies and charity organizations want your business and your money.  Play hard-to-get and you could easily find yourself sitting in a two-person golf cart with them picking up the green fees.  Be nice though, don’t hang them out to dry if they’ve picked up the tab, listen to their pitch.

Join a Club – Ok, so country clubs were once the prerogatives of WASPS around the would, but now they’re social organizations that many people can afford to belong to.  Get the kids some pool time, your wife some tennis lessons and yourself a discounted green fee.  Check around to see which nearby town’s club will be in your budget.

Expense it – If you’re good enough not to embarrass yourself, take clients golfing or get yourself sponsored in a charity tournament for a chance to write off your green fee.  Take these opportunities to golf such great places as Pebble Beach and PGA course close to home.

Take a class – Many pro courses and community colleges offer reasonably priced group classes that include course time during class and discounts during non-class time as part of their cost.  Remember, the larger the class, the cheaper the fee will be. Bonus- your stroke will improve as well!

So don’t let the pinch in your pocketbook interrupt your smooth follow-through with your swing.  Tee up!

* Thanks to  Shayan (USA) for the great photo!

Ok, so you’re all a little bit broke, otherwise you’d hop a plane to Las Vegas or New York and relive Sex in the City with your three best friends.  That doesn’t mean you can’t have loads of girlie time and thrill in the fun of hanging out with your posse.  Here’s the secret – go to a local hostel!

Remember sleepovers when you were little?  Remember how you’d stay up all night, sleep in late, make breakfast and giggle all the time?  Remember how much fun they were?  Local hostels are GREAT places for grownup sleepovers.

Yes, you used hostels when you backpacked EuropWritee after you graduated college.  Perhaps you even used them when you studied abroad in South America during grad school.  You may have thought you out-grew such bohemian places once you got a steady paycheck and learned to enjoy the privacy of a hotel room.  It’s time to take another look at them.

Hostels have seen a revitalization recently, including more and more springing up right here in the United States as tourism to the US becomes more popular with foreign students.  So, choose a nice place, such as Huntington Beach, where there are good restaurants, things to do, and miles of beach and book one of the local hostels for you and your friends.  The benefit of hostelling with the girls is that its not only cheap, but it is also just fine to squabble over bunk beds, cook your own breakfast and walk around the entire establishment in your PJs.  It’s a chance to return to your younger days and enjoy giggling with your best buds.

* Thanks to jetzenpolis for the great photo of a Chicago hostel!

This is a shot of Odin, a six year old tiger at Six Flags Marine World Africa.  Unlike most cats, Odin loves to swim.  This shot was taken by my ten year old daughter during her visit to the park.  Odin is about ten feet long, was taught to swim by his trainer and by watching another tiger.  He is gulping a chunk of raw meat tossed in the water in this photo, that is called motivation–tiger style.

This “Local’s Perspective” on New Orleans comes from Chris Marz. Chris is a long-time resident of New Orleans that now lives in the Dallas area. I loved reading about all there is to do in this decadent and colorful city. It was heartening to hear of the hard work being done to rebuild from Katrina. I also enjoyed Chris’s list of tasty restaurants to visit. New Orleans does food well and I am drooling over the thought of dinner at Galatoire’s or a muffaletta from Central Grocery! Enjoy!

1. Give five adjectives that you would use to describe the “feel” of New Orleans and its residents?

Warm, fun-loving, laid-back, welcoming, and food-loving

2. What is your favorite neighborhood/area of New Orleans?

French Quarter, Garden District, Lakeview, Uptown – each neighborhood is unique.  Be sure to go past the French Quarter in touring New Orleans

3. Which cuisine do you think New Orleans does best? What is the runner-up?(feel free to share your favorite restaurant)

Creole (not Cajun); Runner up: seafood; Favorite restaurant:  Liuzza’s on the Track

4. What is the best free thing to do?

People watch in the French Quarter (Best “almost” free: ride the streetcar uptown and then back to downtown)

5. What is your favorite type of entertainment?

Street festivals with food and music (these occur almost every weekend)

6. List the best family friendly activity.

Audubon Park (zoo), the Aquarium, Insectarium,  or riverboat cruise to Chalmette

7. What spot would you send a couple, looking for a romantic weekend?

The Column Hotel

8. Describe the perfect day…one that captures what your area/city is all about–  In three sentences or less.

An early morning walk/run through the French Quarter followed by breakfast at Café du Monde; lunch at Liuzza’s on the Track (even better, if the Fairgrounds racetrack is open) If not, a trip to New Orleans Museum of Art (wonderful Faberge exhibit).  Late in the afternoon, a drink on the front porch of the Column Hotel.  Dinner at Arnaud’s, Brennan’s, Broussard’s or Galatoire’s.  Nightcap at Lafitte’s Hideaway (one of the oldest buildings in the French Quarter) or the Carousel Bar at the Hotel Monteleone.

9. Tell us about a place that you love to go whether it is in the guidebooks or not.

Get a muffaletta from Central Grocery and eat on the levee, overlooking the river. Take the streetcar to the ferry landing and ride the ferry to Old Algiers.  Walk through Old Algiers and see old homes and Blaine Kern’s Mardi Gras World.  I would also recommend a drive through Lakeview to see how hard New Orleanians are working to recover from Katrina and how far they still have to go  There are good seafood restaurants in the area as well.

10. What question did we not ask that we should have (and answer it, of course!)?

“Should I take one of the buggy tours of the French Quarter?”

Yes, but don’t believe a word they tell you.  Look for the National Park tour offerered for free, if you are interested in learning the history of the city.

“Do you have to pay a lot of money to eat good food?”

NO NO NO.  If there is a line or the place is crowded, chances are the food is good.

If you’re planning a trip, check out flights to New Orleans.

Would you like to share your hometown with UpTake visitors? Send us an e-mail or comment on this post and then maybe you can be our next “local expert”!