Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
19
Tips
C onvention Info
The San Francisco Convention & Visitors Bureau publishes a summary list of
major conventions and trade shows on its website, www.sfvisitor.org/convention.
It's wise to check it out before you cement your travel dates, just to find out if
you're likely to be competing with your orthodontist or attorney for a hotel room.
during w eekdays when ev eryone else is at
work. On the weekends, folks from the sur-
rounding ar eas make their way into to wn
for shopping and theater. San Francisco is a
delight after Thanksgiving, as Union Square
puts up a massiv e Christmas tr ee and sur-
rounding stores dress themselves up in fes-
tive decorations. In November, Chinatown
merchants hold a night market fair at Ports-
mouth S quare on S aturdays until 11pm,
and shoppers hav e a field day finishing up
their holiday shopping.
In December, some hotels, such as the
Ritz-Carlton, hold childr en's holiday teas,
and an outdoor ice skating rink opens at
the E mbarcadero Center . The S an F ran-
cisco B allet dusts off
The Nutcracker
and
the American Conser vatory Theater gives
Scrooge nightmar es in its annual per for-
mances of
A Christmas C arol.
The air is
crisp, the temperatures cool. You won't go
home with a tan, but you can have quite a
bit of fun.
Spring
sees a full calendar of meetings
at the M oscone Conv ention Center, but,
as in the fall, hotel rooms become available
for leisure travelers on the w eekends. San
Francisco w eather is best in late spring,
and Golden Gate Park is particularly beau-
tiful at that time, with trees budding in the
Strybing Arbor etum and the cherr y tr ees
blossoming in the Japanese Tea Garden.
For up-to-the-minute w eather r eports,
log onto www.sfgate.com/weather.
2
San Francisco's Average Temperatures (°F/°C) and Rainfall (in.)
Jan
Feb
Mar
Apr
May June July
Aug
Sept
Oct
Nov
Dec
Temp (°F)
58/46 61/49 62/49 65/50 65/51 68/53 68/54 69/56
71/56 70/55 64/51 59/47
Temp (°C)
14/8
16/9 17/9 18/10 18/11 20/12 20/12 21/13
22/13 21/13 18/11
15/8
Rainfall (in.)
4.7
4.2 3.4
1.3
.5
.13 .04
.3
11.2
3
3
3.2
KIDS' FAVORITE SAN FRANCISCO EVENTS
If you have any flexibility in scheduling your trip, some events, such as the Chinese
New Year Parade, are so special that it might be w orth tweaking your dates to fit
them in. I t's also fun t o discover that an ev ent or per formance just happens t o be
slated during your visit. You can peruse a calendar of ev ents published by the Con-
vention and Visitors Bureau at w ww.onlyinsanfrancisco.com/calendar. I n addition,
you can subscribe t o www.gocitykids.com, which off ers a w eekly e -mail calendar,
and also has a calendar y ou can search by date, with information and phone num-
bers for all events listed.
Things change, so if y our heart is set on par ticipating in any events listed below,
phone or check the sponsoring organization's website for dates and times.
J
ANUARY
Anniversary of the S ea Lions' Arrival
at PIER 39.
Sure, you can watch these
pinnipeds loll ar ound, sunbathe, and
bark at one another most of the y ear,
but January is the month they arrived at
PIER 39. (They came for the herring in
1990.) Toward the middle of the
