Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
290
20008 (
&
202/328-4800;
www .nz
embassy.com). N ew Z ealand consulates
are in Los Angeles and New York.
The embassy of the
United K ingdom
is at 3100 Massachusetts Ave. NW, Wash-
ington, DC 20008 (
&
202/588-6500;
www.britainusa.com). O ther B ritish con-
sulates ar e in A tlanta, Boston, Chicago,
Houston, Los Angeles, N ew York, S an
Francisco, and S eattle. I n S an F rancisco,
the consulate is at 1 Sansome St., Ste. 850
(
&
415/617-1300
).
EMERGENCIES
D ial
911
for police,
fire, or medical emergencies.
HOLIDAYS
Banks, go vernment offices,
post offices, and many stor es, restaurants,
and museums ar e closed on the follo wing
legal national holidays: J anuary 1 (N ew
Year's Day), the thir d Monday in J anuary
(Martin Luther King, Jr ., Day), the thir d
Monday in F ebruary (P residents' D ay),
the last Monday in May (Memorial Day),
July 4 (Independence Day), the first Mon-
day in September (Labor Day), the second
Monday in O ctober (Columbus D ay),
November 11 ( Veterans' D ay/Armistice
Day), the four th Thursday in N ovember
(Thanksgiving D ay), and D ecember 25
(Christmas). The Tuesday after the first
Monday in N ovember is E lection D ay, a
federal go vernment holiday in pr esiden-
tial-election years (held every 4 years, and
next in 2012).
HOSPITALS
San F rancisco G eneral
Hospital,
1001 Potrero Ave. (
&
415/206-
8000
), accepts uninsur ed emergency
patients, but the wait can be br utally long
and uncomfortable. If you have insurance,
head to
California Pacific Medical Cen-
ter
at 2333 B uchanan S t. at S acramento
Street (
&
415/600-6000
).
HOTLINES
The follo wing hotlines ar e
available in San Francisco:
Poison Control
Center
(
&
800/876-4766),
Rape C risis
Center
(
&
415/647-7273), and
Family
Service Agency
(
&
415/474-7310).
INFORMATION
The
San F rancisco
Visitor I nformation Center
is in the
lower level of H allidie Plaza, 900 M arket
St., at P owell S treet (
&
415/391-2000;
www.onlyinsanfrancisco.com).
INTERNET A CCESS
P erhaps because
everyone already has a computer here, San
Francisco has few Internet cafes. The clos-
est one to Union Square is
Cafe.com,
120
Mason St. near Eddy Street (
&
415/433-
4001
), open daily. Other options, without
the ambience, include
Copy Central,
110
Sutter St. at Montgomery Street (
&
415/
392-6470
), and
FedEx K inko's,
1967
Market S t., near G ough (
&
415/252-
0864
). I f y ou ar e staying in the M arina,
the closest FedEx Kinko's is on 3225 F ill-
more St. near Lombard Street (
&
415/441-
2995
). The
Main Library,
100 Larkin St.
at M cAllister S treet (
&
415/557-4400
),
also has a number of terminals you can use
for free. If you have your own computer,
several places offer wireless Internet access,
including some hotel lobbies and cafes like
the
G rove,
with locations on Chestnut
Street and Fillmore Street (see chapter 5).
INSURANCE
Although it's not required
of trav elers, health insurance is highly
recommended. M ost health insurance
policies co ver y ou if y ou get sick away
from home—but verify that you're covered
before y ou depar t, par ticularly if y ou're
insured by an HMO.
International visitors should note that
unlike many other countries, the U nited
States does not usually offer free or low-cost
medical care to its citizens or visitors. Doc-
tors and hospitals ar e expensiv e, and in
most cases will require advance payment or
proof of co verage befor e they r ender their
services. G ood policies will co ver the
costs of an accident, r epatriation, or death.
Packages such as
Europ A ssistance's
“Worldwide H ealthcare P lan”
ar e sold
by E uropean automobile clubs and trav el
agencies at attractiv e rates.
Worldwide