Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
There is no Canadian consulate in
SF. The
embassy of Canada
is at
501 Pennsylvania Ave. NW, Washing-
ton, DC 20001
y
202/682-1740;
www.canadianembassy.org.
The
consulate of Ireland
is at 100 Pine
Street, San Francisco
y
415/392-
4214.
The
embassy of Ireland
is at
2234 Massachusetts Ave. NW,
Washington, DC 20008
y
202/462-
3939; www.irelandemb.org.
The
consulate of Japan
is at 50 Fremont
Street, Suite 2300, San Francisco
y
415/777-3533.
The
embassy of
Japan
is at 2520 Massachusetts Ave.
NW, Washington, DC 20008
y
202/
238-6700; www.embjapan.org.
The
consulate of New Zealand
is at
One Maritime Plaza, Suite 700, San
Francisco
y
415/399-1255.
The
embassy of New Zealand
is at 37
Observatory Circle NW, Washington,
DC 20008
y
202/328-4800; www.
nzemb.org.
The
consulate of the
U.K.
is at One Sansome Street, Suite
850, San Francisco
y
415/617-1300.
The
embassy of the U.K.
is at 3100
Massachusetts Ave. NW, Washington,
DC 20008
y
202/462-1340; www.
britainusa.com.
CREDIT CARDS
Credit cards are a
safe way to “carry” money, they pro-
vide a convenient record of all your
expenses, and they generally offer
good exchange rates. You can also
withdraw cash advances from your
credit cards at banks or ATMs, pro-
vided you know your PIN.
CUSTOMS
Visitors arriving by air,
no matter what the port of entry,
should cultivate patience and resig-
nation before setting foot on U.S.
soil. Getting through immigration
control can take as long as 2 hours
on some days, especially on sum-
mer weekends. People traveling by
air from Canada, Bermuda, and cer-
tain countries in the Caribbean can
sometimes clear Customs and Immi-
gration at the point of departure,
which is much quicker.
DENTISTS
If you have dental prob-
lems, a nationwide referral service
known as
1-800-DENTIST
y
800/
336-8478
will provide the name of a
nearby dentist or clinic.
DINING
Dining in SF, as in most of
California, is generally casual and a
jacket is rarely required, unless you
are at one of the most upscale
restaurants in town.
Restaurant
reservations:
Call the restaurant
directly or try the website
www.
opentable.com,
a free and conven-
ient way to make reservations online.
DOCTORS
See “Emergencies,”
below.
ELECTRICITY
Like Canada, the
United States uses 110 to120 volts
AC (60 cycles), compared to 220 to
240 volts AC (50 cycles) in most of
Europe, Australia, and New Zealand.
If your small appliances use 220 to
240 volts, you'll need a 110-volt
transformer and a plug adapter with
two flat parallel pins to operate them
here. Downward converters that
change 220 to 240 volts to 110
to120 volts are difficult to find in the
United States, so bring one with you.
EMBASSIES
See “Consulates &
Embassies,” above.
EMERGENCIES
Dial
y
911
for fire,
police, and ambulance. The
Poison
Control Center
can be reached at
y
800/222-1222
toll-free from any
phone. If you encounter serious
problems, contact
Traveler's Aid
International
y
202/546-1127;
www.travelersaid.org.
EVENT LISTINGS
See “Useful Web-
sites” box p 162.
HOLIDAYS
Banks, government
offices, post offices, and many
stores, restaurants, and museums
are closed on the following legal
national holidays: January 1 (New
Year's Day), the third Monday in Jan-
uary (Martin Luther King Jr. Day), the
third Monday in February (Presi-
dents' Day, Washington's Birthday),
the last Monday in May (Memorial
Day), July 4 (Independence Day), the
