The first thing an auto insurance company looks at when offering you a quote is your driving history. Have a spotless one, and you’ll definitely get a better rate than a guy who has a glovebox full of tickets.
The insurance companies also considers the sort of car you drive, including its sticker price, the cost to repair the vehicle, replacement value, safety features, and how well it will withstand an accident. The lower the cost of claims for a vehicle, the lower the rates, and therefore the easier it is to get insured.
Here is a list of the top ten least expensive vehicles to insure, that have a sticker price of less than $50k, according to the Highway Loss Data Institute (HLDI):
1. Oldsmobile Silhouette
2. Pontiac Montana
3. Saturn L Series Wagon
4. Chrysler PT Cruiser
5. Saturn L Series Sedan
6. Chevrolet Venture
7. Chevrolet Astro
8. Saturn Vue
9. Jeep Wrangler
10. Oldsmobile Bravada
Theme hotel rooms are a fun way to add a twist to your next vacation. With a little research, you can find hotel rooms decked out in any number of motifs. From romantic fantasies to family friendly, theme hotel rooms are a popular way to create a very memorable trip.
To find a theme room, do a quick Internet search and consult online travel sites or guidebooks from your local bookstore. You can also find customer reviews for many hotels online. Many travelers find it extremely helpful to read about the experiences of people who have stayed at the hotels they are considering booking.
Some of the most popular theme hotel rooms are centered on romance. For instance, most hotels have special honeymoon suites that are reserved for newly married couples or vacationing lovebirds. These special rooms often come with deluxe amenities such as plush beds with top of the line linens, matching his and her bathrobes, Jacuzzi tubs, complimentary champagne and toasting flutes, fresh flowers, turn down service and even breakfast in bed.
If you’re looking for a fun experience, some hotels and motels offer wacky touches like heart-shaped beds, black lights, and whirlpool tubs in the middle of the room. If you can dream it up, it’s probably out there.
For family fun, consider booking theme rooms that the kids will get a kick out of. You can find everything from hotel rooms decorated like pirate ships to rooms featuring favorite children’s cartoon characters.
If you’re traveling to a tropical resort location, you can probably find hotels that offer island themed rooms, adorned with wicker furniture, stuffed parrots and nautical artifacts. Many kids love staying in these rooms because it feels like more of an adventure, and parents love it because it keeps the children entertained and also educates them about their surroundings.
If you want to book a theme room, you might want to seek out hotels that also offer themed entertainment. Mom and dad can enjoy a relaxing day at the beach while the kids join a treasure hunt, participate in a dance contest, or enjoy some other organized activity.
John F. Kennedy Drive will take you to many of the park’s attractions: it is the entrance from the northwest corner. The nine hole pitch and putt golf course located a short distance inside the park is open every day. To get to the clubhouse, turn left at the first intersection of Kennedy Drive, after you leave the Great Highway.
The Chain of Lakes a series of three artificial lakes runs from north to south across the park near its western end. Largest of the three is North Lake ( north of Kennedy Drive) . are planted with camellias and Japanese Cherry trees. South Lake , smallest of the chain , hosts large numbers of wild ducks.
North of Kennedy Drive and just east of the Chain of Lakes, the fences of the Buffalo Paddock are so carefully concealed by artful landscaping that buffaloes within the enclosure will seem to roaming fully at large.
Anglers will find an ideal practicing spot at the Flycasting Pool south of the drive. The cement lined pool is divided into three sections- one for distance casting. another for accuracy and a third for practicing difficult overhead casts.
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San Fransisco covers a great deal of gratitude to the late John Mc Laren whose vision and perseverance in San Francisco’s early years turned more than 1,000 acres of rolling sand dunes into a park. Today Golden Gate Park is one of the most well known and greatest metropolitan parks of the world.
Park visitors benefit from an enlightened policy of operation: the park is meant to be used and enjoyed. You can walk , play, or picnic on the grass anywhere in the park except for the small plot of land surrounding Mc Laren’s statue in Rhododennron Dell. The bridle paths, equestrian field. and bicycle trails are all for public use.
Roller skating as well is enjoyed in Golden Gate Park. On Sundays. the main road through the park;, John F. Kennedy Drive, is closed to autos, making a perfect skating throughfare. Additional areas in the park as well are closed to automobile access.
The M.H. Young and Asian Art museums. the Academy of Science, the concessions , the Arboretum, and the Conservatory close at night. Otherwise the park is generally open 24 hours a day.
The Cannery is similar to Ghardelli Square in some ways. Bounded by Beach, Leavenworth and Jefferson Streets, it was originally constructed in 1894 to house the Del Monte Fruit and Vegetable Cannery. Today the brick building with its concrete walkaways has been restored and refurbished.
The Cannery contains three levels of shopping and eating pleasures. You can buy an assortment of goods from contemporary household furnishings to primitive art objects. Other shops include such items as candles, fine foods and wine apparel , linens, flowers, books and pet supplies. If you not into shopping , or just want to rest- stop at one of the many outdoor cafes. You can enjoy a puppet or mime show- there may even be a “human jukebox” to entertain you.
Outside escalators and stairs provide access to different floors or you can take a glass enclosed elevator from the ground floor to the very top. From the third floor you can see Alcatraz Island, the Bay Bridge and Coit Tower.
On the west side of The Cannery is a plaza containing a small garden center, outside tables, and an oyster bar. Other restaurants feature Oriental , Thai, Mexican , French and English Food.
Just south and west of the National Maritime Museum , covers the block bounded by Beach, Larkin , North Point and Polk Streets. First a woolen works and later the Ghiradelli Chocolate Factory, this red-brick complex was remodeled and restored to contain an enticing miscellany of shops, art galleries and restaurants.
Ghiradelli Square includes a number of buildings ( with names such as Mustard , Cocoa and Chocolate) all of which are situated around this inviting plaza. The brick tower that marks the square was copied from one at the Chateau Blois in France. If you wish to rest, select one of the many benches that affords a view of the bay and boats.
Shops in the square contain imports from such places as Africa. the Netherlands (Holland) , Asia ( the Orient) , Finland (Scandinavia), and Freece/
Part of Ghiradelli’s charm lies in the outdoor cafes and in the ultimate variety of the food available here. For example you can watch thin crepes being made and sample them as well as Mexican , Chinese, Hungarian , Indian or Italian foods. At the Ghiradelli Chocolate Manufactory you can watch chocolate being made.
Once run down and neglected , San Francisco’s north waterfront has become a most popular and well known area. In its 22 block area the “North Waterfront” district faces the water and a melange of restaurants , most unusual museums , art and cultural galleries, exceptional specialty shops . small theaters and even a national recreational area.
Located here are the turn around points for two of the city’s cable car lines and the piers for bay area boats.
In the north waterfront district , you will see items ranging from painted seashells and postcards sold near Fisherman’s wharf to bronze turnbuckles at a ship chandlery , from zebra skins in an import ship to a choice 0f 200 cheeses on sale at The Cannery
The biggest and most famous retailers are all here , along with a rambling bazaar of housewares , antiques , foods ,jewellery and garden supplies. At the east end of the district is the Northpoint Shopping Center. Its street floor has a candymaker. a market , an ice cream parlor and several restaurantss.
At the west end of the district are Ghiradelli Square and The Cannery . A majority of north waterfront shops are open every day of the week.
San Fransisco’s Bohemia in the heart of the North Beach , comes alive at night. Fanning out from the intersection of Broadway and Columbus, North Beach becomes a lively mosaic of cabarets . small theaters , bistro’s and cappucino houses. Here the flavor of Italy mixes with some of the cities wildest nightlife.
Washington Square at Columbus and Union , is a perfect spot for a picnic lunch in the sun. The Church of Saints Peter and Paul is across Filbert Street from the square. Its two tall towers , illuminated at night, are visible from many sections of the city. The two statues in the square honor San Francisco’s firemen and Benjamin Franklin - a typically unusual San Francisco combination.
Not really a beach at all , the area traces its name to the 1850’s , when a finger of the bay extended inland and the neighborhood was a sunny shore between the Telegraph and Russian hill.s
Here in the center of the Italian community, are Italian bakeries, shops and delis as well as kitchen specialty stores. In the pasty shops, you fill find rum babas, marizipan and cylindrical cannolis filled with sweetened ricotta cheese and glaceed fruits.
The bakeries or bread shops , offer long loaves of sweet and sourdough French breads and penettone , a round sweet, Italian bread filled with raisins and glaceed fruits.
Kitchen specialty shops sell noodle machines machines, cheese graters, caffe expresso machines, ravoli rolling sticks. baking irons for pizzele and cialidi cookies , copper polenta pots and round bottom pans for zabaglione.
Excellent meals are served in the restaurants of North Beach. Beside the well known establishments look for modest , unassuming little one serving savory specialities.
For many years a flourishing colony of painters ,writers and craftsman has had its headquarters in the North Beach area. Once a year , usually around June , these artists display their crafts in a street bazaar that draws thousands to look or to buy.
Boat tours offer striking views of San Fransisco from the water. For a sightseeing tour of the bay , go aboard one of the of the trim ships of the Red and White Fleet , leaving Pier 43 1/2 near Fisherman’s wharf , or the Blue and Gold Fleet leaving from Pier 39′2 west marina. Their routes extend from the Golden gate Bridge . past the “rock” ( Alcatraz) and Treasure Island, under the Bay Bridge and along the waterfront.
From shipboard you will be able to see the city of San Fransisco as a dramatic rim around the bay. North lie the gentle hills of Marin County, and to the east Oakland and Berkeley spread out along the shore and up to the hills. It gets chilly on the bay so make sure to take along warm clothing.
Aquatic Park is now part of the Golden Gate National Recreation Area. Its ship-shaped National Maritime Museum houses an extensive collection of ship models, nautical artifacts, photographs and paintings. The most pleasant way to reach the museum is by the Powell and Hyde Street cable car; the turntable is just south of the museum.
Most of the National Maritime Museum’s historic ships and located at the Hyde Street Pier
Restaurants elsewhere along the north waterfront are not easily categorized - however if you are looking for Italian , Japanese , Mexican or American food you can find it here.
About 2 blocks east along the wharf is the the berth of the Balclutha , a regal three masted sailing ship. Refurbished and restored , she looks like what she once was - a Scottish built , square rigged boat that plied the seas between the 1880′2 and 1920’s and logged 17 Cape Horn doublings. Though presentently berthed at pier 43, the Balclutha is part of the fleet of the National Maritime museum at the foot of Polk Street in Aquatic Park.
Fisherman’s Wharf - (Jones and Jefferson Streets) is world-famous combination of tourist attractions, side-walk seafood stalls, steaming cauldrons and seafood restaurants.
Jefferson Street is one vast open air fish market where you will see oceans of steaming crabs and mountains of sourdough bread. Try a “walkway” seafood cocktail sold in disposable containers. Beyond the seafood concession counters , activity centers around the fishing boats coming in with their catches. At the foot of Jones and Leavenworth fisherman hoist crates of fish to the pier.
At the seafood restaurants , specialties include fresh crab ( during the season, early November to mid June or July) cracked and served cold with lemon and mayonaise. crab Louis, the classic wharf salad served with naise, San Fransisco sourdough bread, cioppino, the heroic shellfish stew that you eat with your fingers.
For thousands who come to the city, a San Fransisco visit calls for a meal or meals at Fisherman’s Wharf. The view is one of the attractions. If you get a window table , then below you are the bobbing fishing boats. In the distance loom the tall orange red towers of the Golden Gate Bridge and beyond them purple Martin hills.
National Park are moving closer to the cities , and there is no better example than Golden Gate National Recreation Area. The country’s largest urban park , sprawls over 35,0000 acres of land and water encompassing such historic areas as Fort Point , Alcatraz and the Cliff House.
The park is divided into two main areas , San Fransisco and Martin Country. On the Martin side are miles of open terrain studded with coves, beaches and cliffs.
Along the San Fransisco shoreline, from Fort Fusnston to Aquatic Park. You can hike, picnic , tour a prision, board a schooner, or just enjoy the view. Here are some of the park’s attractions:
1) Fort Funston. A city’s southwest corner: overlooks the Pacific Ocean. Loop trail offers hiker’s spectactular view
2) Ocean Beach: four mile sandy shoreline is a dramatic place to hike. Unsafe for swimming
3) Cliff House : venerable San Fransisco landmark offers view of Martin coast. Offshore , view Seal Rocks , home of sea lions and birds
4) Baker Beach: At northwest shore of Presidio facing the Golden Gate beach is a good place for hiking and fishing , swimming is unsafe
5) Fort Point National Historic Site: built in 1861, fort huddles beneath the Golden Gate Bridge. Excellent example of Civil War fortifications.
6) Crissy Field: Walk San Fransisco’s shoreline between Fort Point and Fort Mason along the Golden Gate Promenade
7) Fort Mason: an old army post, Fort Mason has lawns gardens , picnic areas, grand bay views.
Aquatic Park : National Martime Museum is here. Lagoon provides swimming for the hardy, curved pier is an excellent place to fish. Historic ships berth at Hyde Street pier.
9) Alcatraz : guided tours trace the 22 acre island ’s history from fort to Federal prison.
The largest Asian community outside the Orient, San Fransisco’s Chinatown covers about 30 blocks and is roughly bordered by Kearny, Mason and Bush Streets and Broadway. It is best to arrive in Chinatown on foot or by public transportation, for the area is highly congested by traffic.
Grant Avenue is the main street where for 8 blocks between Bush and Columbus , visitors are guaranteed a delightfully unusual walk. You can get there from either the financial district, Union Square or Knob Hill. Remember that if you on top of a hill, that your walk will be down several steep blocks. The California Street cable car will put you smack dab in the middle of Chinatown.One of the most colorful approaches to Chinatown is a walk down Sacremento to Grant. You will see peaked pagoda style rooftops and bright colored balconies in the foreground and the bay and bridge beyond. Along Grant Avenue is the tourist’s Chinatown- curio shops, import shops and eateries.To get a glimpse of the “inside” prowl up and down some of the streets and explore the side alleys that parallel Grant. Scattered around gift shops and restaurants are stores and markets with exotic smells and sounds.In the early morning, Friday through Sunday, Stockton Street between Washington and Broadway becomes a throbbing open air market. Truck farmers in sidewalk stalls sell anything from squacking ducks to chickens.
Between California and Pine in St. mary’s Square, a quiet little park with Benjamino Bufano’s striking marble and steel statue of China’s one time president, Sun Yat-sen. Beneath the park , is an underground garage : entrances are on Kearny, Pine and California.
Old St. Mary’s Church , a San Fransisco landmark since 1954, stands at Grant and California. The gothic structure was built entirely of granite rock from China and brick brought around Cape Horn from New England.
How do you change waterfront property into a revitalized urban landscape ? Take 51 acres of land add $ 150 million , and come up with the Golden Gateway Center. In the late 1950’s the San Fransisco Redevelopment Agency did just that. Bounded by Clay by Clay, Battery and Jackson Streets, the former produce marketplace blossomed into a slick urban center of apartments , townhouses , offices and parks.
From the heart of the center, the dark glassed diagonally braced Alcoa building rises dramatically. The 2 block square Maritime Plaza, an elevated park, provides a place to stroll and relax. Here pedestrian bridges serve as elevated park,provides a place to stroll and relax. Here pedestrian bridges serve as elevated passageways to all sections of the center.
South of the Golden Gateway is architect John C. Portman’s ambitious Embaracedero Center. Hailed by one critic as :superbly conceived , fine in taste, and full of life, ” the center is a stunning success of multi- use urban development.
North of Market Street , impressive office buildings shade the narrow slot that is Montgomery Street, heart of San Fransisco’s business and financial district. Here and spreading into the nearby streets are the banking , brokerage and insurance firms that are a part of the Wall Street of the West. Here also are the general offices of many of the West’s largest business organizations.
The heart of the financial district is the Pacific Coast Stock Exchange ( Pine and Sansome streets) where business begins at 6 a.m. to coincide with the hours of the New York Stock Exchange. One block west of the Stock Exchange is the Bank of America Building, headquarters for the world’s largest bank. The 770 foot high. 52 story structure, with its bronze tinted bay windowed facade covers most of California , Pine , Kearney and Montgomery block. From the Carnellian Room of the 51?nd floor, you will see a magnificent view of San Francisco City and the Bay Area.
The 853 foot high Transamerica Pyramid at Montgomery, Washington and Clay street projects its unique shape the ever changing San Fransisco skyline.
Another skyscraper, the Wells Fargo Building at 44 Montgomery Street, rises 43 stories - 561 feet. On the 18?th floor of this unusual glass and steel structure is Montgomery Lane, where a collection of diverse shops cater to employees. Visitors are welcome during the day. Just below the main lobby a restaurant displaying early California artifacts from the Wells Fargo History Room. The History Room at 420 Montgomery highlights photographs, documents and monuments from the Gold Rush days to the 1906 earthquake. The collection includes a circa 1860 stage coach that ran from San Fransisco to the Santa Cruz Mountains. Visiting hours are banking days from 10 a.m. tp 3 p.m.
The Bank of California’s Collection of Money in the American West , finest of its kind in the country , features pioneer gold quarts , gold and silver ingots , privately minted gold coins and currency from the West. Open during banking hours from 10 A.M. tp 3 P.M. it is located on the lower level of 400 California Street.
For browsing and shopping in the downtown area , Union Square makes a more than ideal starting point. You can park your car in a cavernous garage beneath the square..
Stop first at the square itself. On a nice day, its benches will be lined with people relaxing in the sun or feeding the hundreds of pigeons that swirl around and congregate around the feet of anyone offering them a handout. On the sidewalks street artists will be displaying their wares.
Union Square is a hub of activity, hosting fashion shows. rallies and concerts. In spring , Rhodedendron days are celebrated - huge tubes of the of the colorful plants are placed throughout the square. A summer highlight is the Cable Car Bell Ringing Contest. In the center of the square stands a 97 foot granite monument commemorating Admiral Dewey’s victory at Manila Bay during the Spanish-American war.
The fashionable St. Francis Hotel is on the west side of the square , across Powell Street. Many visiting dignitaries stop here - if you see a foreign flag displayed above the entrance , you can assume that it is honoring a very important guest from that country. You will also enjoy browsing through some of the hotel shops. For a good skyline views , ride the tower elevators to the top.
Post, Stockton and Geary streets also border the square. The Children’s Foundation in the plaza of the Hyatt on Union Square deserves a stop. Designed by Ruth Asawa , who also designed the fountain in Ghirardelli Square and Buchanan Mall in Japantown, it takes a whimsical look at the city’s history.
Around Union Square and spreading south toward Market and east toward Kearny Street are some of San Fransisco’s fashionable shops.
On the east side of the square across Stockton is Maiden Lane, a 2 bloc tree lined alley transformed from its bawdy past into a street of intriguing and exotic shops. Of particular interest is a building designed by Frank Lloyd Wright , with an unusual yellow brick front and an interior circular ramp : it houses a boutique.
Aquatic Park : National Martime Museum is here. Lagoon provides swimming for the hardy, curved pier is an excellent place to fish. Historic ships berth at Hyde Street pier.