Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
6. SMOKING
California law makes smoking in any enclosed public place illegal - and that includes
bars. Smelling cigarette smoke or even seeing someone smoking here is so rare as
to be almost non-existent. If you must light up, there are back patios at some clubs
where smoking is allowed, and some hotels offer smoking rooms.
7. PANHANDLERS, PETTY CRIME AND MUGGING
San Francisco does have more than its share of homeless people, and many of them
do resort to begging. For the most part, they are merely annoying, not dangerous.
However, pick-pocketing and purse- and camera-snatching do exist, and it's also
true that certain areas should be avoided after dark. However, normal attentiveness
should be sufficient.
8. BAD NEIGHBORHOODS
Even the seediest neighborhoods are pretty safe in broad daylight, but they, and
parks, should be sidestepped at night, when muggings are most likely to happen.
That said, there are very few areas that are really perilous within the city, but you
should always be cautious.
9. FORGETTING TO TIP
Restaurant waiting staff depend on their tips to make a living - the salary paid is
barely a tenth of what is needed to make ends meet. The usual gratuity is 15 per-
cent, though you can reduce it to 10 percent if the service was not to your liking. Taxi
drivers should be tipped about 15 percent, and hotel staff should receive $1 whenever
they provide any sort of service.
10. AGE RESTRICTIONS AND ID
If you're over 21 but look younger, carry an ID with you showing your age if you want
to try out some of the bars and clubs in town or want to drink alcohol in a restaurant
or a shop. You must be over 18 to buy cigarettes.
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