All posts filed under: budget vacation

San Francisco: Some of the Best Patio Seating

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The other day I had lunch at Yumma’s on Irving Street, and after ordering our falafel wraps, my friend suggested we sit outside in their patio – which I had no idea they had. (I hadn’t eaten there for years). But it got me thinking about all of the wonderful tourists heading to this fair city which I call home, and so I decided to add a list from here and there of some of the best patio seating in San Francisco: 4505 Burgers & BBQ (705 Divisadero St.) The patio at 4505 Burgers & BBQ may seem a little unconventional  (it’s a converted parking lot), but that’s what gives it San Francisco charm. If the patio alone won’t get you there, then the mouthwatering burgers and ribs should. All Good Pizza (1605 Jerrod Ave) A pizza truck turned brick oven is doling out delicious pies in a parking lot in the Bayview that’s making people line up. Enjoy them at the covered picnic benches. Arlequin Cafe (384 Hayes St.) Walk into Arlequin’s back patio and …

Travel: San Francisco’s Finest Bars

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I sometimes forget that I live in one of the most amazing cities on the planet, and that we too have the best of restaurants, and bars to add to your must-try list when you come hang out in my fair city. Now, although I have sampled  on a personal level a handful or so of these pubs, and planned many company happy hours around town, with the venue always being a different bar, I have to say this list of ‘Ten San Francisco bars where the cocktails are so good’ has sparked my curiosity to venture out a bit further then the norm. See for yourself what I mean 🙂  

Travel: Planning Stages Have Officially Begun

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I can’t believe it’s already Spring break and thoughts of graduation, weddings, and family vacations are in full swing. Now, although I did all my traveling in the month of March this year, I still yearn for another trip late September or early October. One of the biggest concern when I was in England was the effects Britexit would have on travelers, even the issues in the US were a concern to those abroad considering coming to America for their holidays. Although I listened to the news, read reports and discussed such concerns over coffee and dinner with those I met up with in Europe, I decided not to allow of it to discourage me – about traveling anyway. But just in case you are having these sort of discussions in your households, and/or having trouble pinpointing where to go, then perhaps these articles I’ve found here and there could help. If not, then pass them on to someone who it can:

Final Thoughts From My Holiday Abroad

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I took a flight from London Heathrow on Sunday, leaving my heart behind for so many reasons. I have to say too many to list here. But most of all for the wonderful time I had with a good friend of mine, touring England, Scotland and a little of France – Paris to be exact. Three weeks ago, I was beside myself, looking very forward to the trip she and I planned – considering we’d both been travel agents in the past, we spend a few weeks beforehand strategizing on how we wanted the trip to flow with minimal stress and maximum enjoyment. Now that the holiday is over, I realize that the time away from home was much-needed for me, so that I can return refreshed and recharged enough to deal with all the ups and downs that life has in store for us in 2017. One of the most important things I decided upon, while talking to my friend throughout the trip, is that, instead of focusing only on the bad that happens …

Travel: Day 3 – Cotswolds

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When I was in my late teens I happened to be walking past a street artist at an art festival who had on display photographs or lithographs of the Cotswolds. I stopped and talked to this man for about an hour, mostly discussions about his style of capturing art, and a little about the time he lived in the region. He was an American, and I ended up buying four framed pictures at fifteen US dollars a piece of the most beautiful cottages and street scenes I have ever seen since my days of marveling over perfectly bound European children’s fairytale books. Since then I told myself I would someday go to  ‘Cotswolds’, thinking it was a town. Until this year when I got serious about traveling through the English countryside did I learn that the Cotswolds is not a specific town but rather a number of counties in south central England, in Gloucestershire and Oxfordshire. That the beauty of the area is its rolling hills, medieval villages, churches and homes built of region specific yellow …

Travel: Day 2 – Bath, Somerset, England

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After my numerous heart attacks, and white knuckles and the urge to throw up at every roundabout craziness known to  (most of) the world as driving on the wrong side of the road, plus  in our case, through the winding countryside roads in rain and high wind getting to Bath from Stratford-Upon-Avon, we finally arrived at ten in the morning and parked our car in the paid parking lot – hoping to grab breakfast and then sightsee about the town. My friend who lives in the ‘said town’ two hours from Stratford, was irritated to say the least, since this was the first time she drove outside of her comfort zone in rain and wind. Let it be known she is a temporary transplant from US to UK. Also note here that the last time I was in Bath was twenty years ago. So you can imagine my surprise seeing a town transformed into a modern version of what I had seen several decades ago. The first change was the added  boutiques and shops along …