West Coast Gem: A Refined Guide to San Francisco

This article was originally posted on The Vancouver Sun and was written by Andrew McCredie.

Okay, first thing I learned here is never, I mean never, refer to it as 'Frisco.'

City by the Bay, no problem. The Paris of the West, sure. Even Baghdad by the Bay passes muster. But not Frisco, as I discovered on a number of occasions when uttering the F-word to the locals during a recent weekend getaway to San Fran. Who knew?

Second thing I discovered, much to my relief, is that despite not a theme park to be seen, a well-earned reputation for all things romantic, and a counter-culture history not exactly suited for young minds, San Francisco is a great place for kids.

This was my first time visiting the cosmopolitan city with children in tow, and before landing at San Francisco airport on Friday morning - less than two hours flight time from YVR - I was a bit concerned that my nine-and 11-year old, though well-travelled, might not appreciate our three-day visit to this Vancouver-esque city.

As it turned out, the entire weekend was spent doing kid-friendly activities, and a dizzying 60 hours later while thumbing through a well-worn tourist guide awaiting our flight back to YVR on Sunday, I realized we could have spent another few before exhausting the preteen "things to do list."

They're not official sister cities, but Vancouver and San Francisco have much in common.

There's that over-arching West Coast vibe, from the tolerant and friendly populace to the wide variety and high quality of the food.

There's the climate (insert rain joke here) and the geography.

Read more...