Here’s a twofer. Celebrate Memorial Day weekend in San Francisco and be there as the city’s signature landmark turns three-quarters-of-a-century old.
Before you embark, here are a few money-saving tips, courtesy of frugal fashionista and bargain hunter Kendal Perez:
Eat twice a day, and make breakfast a real meal. One of the best bargains in town is Mama’s on Washington Square. The omelets are outrageously good, the breads and pastries fresh, and the jam homemade. Sufficiently sated, head out to see the town.
The least expensive way to do that is to buy a three-day Muni Passport for a paltry $21. That gives you access to Muni buses and trolleys. Something quicker? Ride BART trains.
As for the city’s mythic cable cares, see what makes them run. Visit the Cable Care Museum. Learn about the inventor, the technologies, the builders and the continuing efforts to save and rebuild the system.
Take a free, insightful tour of one of the city’s most powerful sites: the Coit Tower Murals. Created during the depths of the Great Depression by 25 of California’s most talented artists, these murals offer a window into the travails, and the resilience, of American workers.
Immerse yourself in the art and imagination of some of the folks who made San Francisco great. Spend a while at the Chinese Cultural Center. If your hotel is in or near Chinatown, make it a point to get up early in the morning and walk the area. That’s this reporter’s favorite SF experience. The food stores are just opening, the residents are going about their Tai chi exercise in the park, and the city – still shrouded in magical mist – is just beginning to wake up.
If you don’t end up leaving tour heart in San Francisco, you’d better see a doctor.
Story by Jerry Chandler
(Image: ground zero)
