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Heading to San Francisco this summer? Everplaces guest blogger Nicole Murakami tells us about her recent trip to the golden gate city.
As the song goes, many return from San Francisco with a true understanding of “I left my heart in San Francisco” and it’s not hard to see why. Though I’m a true New Yorker (meaning I still think New York wins), San Francisco possesses a special charm.
The food
A foodie paradise, there are some restaurants that anyone traveling in San Francisco must see. First off and most importantly, there’s the In-N-Out Burger. You will never be able to have a serious conversation about burgers without being able to compare to an In-N-Out Burger, so be sure to find the only In-N-Out in San Francisco and order your burger “animal style”.
Afterwards work off the calories with a walk along the water to Pier 39 to see the sea lions (it’s not hard to find, as you’ll hear the lions from down the street).
Fast food aside, my favorite restaurant during the trip was State Bird Provisions. While it’s fairly hard to get reservations, they do reserve a certain number of seats for walk-ins and the trick is to wait in line before they open to get on the evenings waiting list.
This casual restaurant serves their food dim-sum style, making it feel as if you’re dining at a close friend’s house where they keep bringing delicious things for you to try. You will not be rushed and the server lingers with each table to help the diners choose their dishes; however I’d advise you to just say yes, and try everything!
Frances was another restaurant that I wanted to visit, and it did not disappoint. It’s a small elegant restaurant, that even though it’s fairly well known feels like a hidden neighborhood gem. The dishes are an unusual mixture of ingredients, resulting in creations like bacon beignets and chickpea fritters.
Nearby
While San Francisco is glorious in its own right, part of its wonder comes from being so close to natural treasures like Big Sur and Monterey. A day trip is definitely recommended, and provides a glimpse of why people love San Francisco so much. They have an amazing city, private beaches, trees taller than time and endless curving roads.
Take time to visit the many state parks in Big Sur, but be sure to book a hotel outside Big Sur for a much cheaper price. Montery is close by and while extremely crowded in the summer it is quiet during the winter months. I imagine that it’s beautiful throughout the year, as the town lies on the ocean’s edge.
Nicole Murakami is a digital strategist & Everplaces guest blogger living in New York. She loves social media, discovering new places and grilled cheese.
Collections are a great way to share your favourite places on Everplaces, or create mini-guides for visiting friends & family. Got a collection that you’d like to share with us? Send a mail to tom[at]everplaces.com.
Last night we had the pleasure of meeting Tony Wheeler, the founder of Lonely Planet. Tony is currently promoting his new book, Tony Wheeler’s Dark Lands, an account of traveling in the world’s least hospitable places, and if you’re lucky enough you might be able to meet him too.
On behalf of all the adventurous souls using Everplaces, we wanted to pick Tony’s brains and hear his thoughts on the next big off-the-beaten-track destination. A professional traveller for over 40 years and with over 150 countries under his belt, Tony has the finger on the pulse of the wild and unusual. And so, here it is:
Congo and Gorillas!
The border between Congo and Rwanda is one of the last places on the planet that you can see gorillas in their natural habitat, and deep inside the wild rainforests of Odzala-Kokoua National Park you can observe them in the splendor they call home.
“It is while walking and kayaking through the untouched Congo Basin, with parrots squawking, chimpanzees screeching, orchids lighting up the muggy greenery with vibrant pink hues, that you’re reminded of the real treat: of the privilege, in our crowded planet, of exploring such a beautiful, ancient virgin space” said The Telegraph’s Lisa Grainger after visiting.
Congo has a rough reputation so receives hardly any visitors, and you’ll encounter few foreigners, if any. Come to think of it, you probably won’t meet many locals either, since the country is sparsely populated and few chose to live in the humid tropical jungle area.
Sleep on the rim of an active volcano
While you’re in Congo, how about a hike up Mount Nyamulagira, in the Virunga National Park? This active volcano has recently been opened for treks and over night stays.
On the northern side of the volcano, you can watch lava spew out of the Earth directly from your camping group. It’s only 1.5 kilometers away from the action, but has been deemed safe by a volcanologist. Might want to sleep with your fingers crossed!
Image credits, in order of apperance: Michael Nichols of National Geographic, skyscrapercity.com, gocongo.com, enjoycongo.info
More reading:
Gorillas:http://www.telegraph.co.uk/travel/activityandadventure/9805478/The-Congo-Gorillas-in-the-wild.html
Volcano: http://edition.cnn.com/2011/11/28/business/drc-volcano-tourism
We met Tony at travel book shop Tranquebar: http://www.tranquebar.net/arrangementer
I ummed and aahed about whether it was ‘The Congo’ or plain 'Congo’. I ended up settling on this.
Planning a city-break to Amsterdam? Everplaces teamster & Amsterdam native, Sophie describes her perfect day in the city with this awesome dawn to dusk Amsterdam collection.
My perfect day would be during spring or summer because the city feels alive and everyone is enjoying the sun on one of the many terraces, city beaches, in the parks or on their boats. If you can rent a bike for the duration of your stay, you really should as it’s the best way to explore the city. And if you really want to feel like a local you can rent a ‘sloep’ boat.
Local markets
If you are in Amsterdam on a Monday go (in the early morning) to the Noordermarkt Fleamarket, a small but very cool and hip flea market, where you can feel the real ‘Jordaan’ atmosphere. Next to the market there is a place called Winkel 43, where they serve some of the best Dutch apple pies.
If you’re in to markets, the famous IJhallen flea market is also recommended. Located on the cool NDSM werf, you need to take a ferry to get there but it’s worth the trip. The market is held on the first or second weekend of every month and is a great place for treasure-hunting. After strolling around, sit down and relax at cafe Noorderlicht or Pllek.
Urban areas
Westerpark is one of my favorites places to visit. This used to be the site of Amsterdam gasworks and there is always something special going on here and with markets, summer concerts, congresses and festivals, it’s a great place for young and old. There are a few restaurants, cafes, bars and a cinema too. In the summer everyone is having a picnic or having a bbq in the park. Definitely don’t miss this place when you’re in Amsterdam!
Panoramic views
Climb the Westertoren for a great view of the city. If you’re not into climbing (& who is?) but you want a good view of Amsterdam, go to Canvas at the 7th. Here you can relax and enjoy the view in the former canteen of Dutch Newspaper, Volkskrant.
Shopping streets
The best places to go shopping is off the main streets in The Nine Streets area. Here you’ll find lots of small boutiques in between the canals & spread over nine little streets. There is a great mix of art galleries, book stores, designer shops, furniture shops, antiques shops, vintages clothes, and a lot of cool and creative clothing stores.
Photo lovers
Amsterdam has a lot of interesting museums, and my personal favourite is photography museum Foam. A beautiful museum with eclectic exhibitions. It’s not too big and not too crowded, perfect in my opinion.
Coffee shops
To get the best coffee in town you have to go to Coffee Bru, a warm neighborhood cafe in Amsterdam Oost. They serve the best coffee and they have good breakfast, lunch and delicious cakes. And if you want to eat some really really good chocolate (who doesn’t?) go to Puccini Bomboni.
Crazy nights
End the night at one of these cool spots or go to both of them. Start at Hannekes Boom, a bar with a beach feeling and a lot of cool hangout spots outside - and for extra style points arrive by boat! If you don’t want to go home yet, try it’s sister-bar Bloemenbar. This bar is more centrally located and also has a fun crowd.
This post is part of the initiative “100 cities to home swap in before you die” from Knok.com. You can check out and save Sophie’s Amsterdam collection on Everplaces. Collections are a great way to share your favourite places on Everplaces, or create mini-guides for visiting friends & family.
Originally from the Netherlands, Sophie Mulder is a photographer & Everplaces guest blogger living in Copenhagen. She loves hunting for treasures, discovering new places and a good cup of coffee.
Surrounded by beautiful nature, Ljubljana is popular for skiing in the winter & walking, climbing and cycling in the summer. It was not without good reason that they shot scenes for the film The Chronicles of Narnia here.
Ljubljana, the capital city of Slovenia (with just 280,000 citizens) is one of the smallest capitals in Europe, but weight for weight is filled with things to see and do that will satisfy students, hipsters, art & culture lovers alike - not to mention it’s really easy to get around.
Uroš Čringoj is a local. He has created a great Everplaces collection of things to see in his wonderful city. Here are some highlights:
Perched on top of the hill, the castle is the symbol of the city, and for those without strong legs it can also be reached by the funicular railway.
Museum of Contemporary Art Metelkova
A beautiful museum with an extensive collection of work by Eastern European artists. The museum features often unseen art from behind the Iron Curtain as well as todays’ key works.
Drink, dine or dance the night away with beautiful views at one of the city’s most recognisable landmarks.
Located on the waterside, this market offers all kinds of locally produced food, fruit, vegetables, art and crafts. Open daily except Sundays.
The green heart of the city. Roughly five square kilometres criss-crossed by three grand horse chestnut tree-lined avenues.
Uros works for Ljubljana Tourism, a website for travelers visiting Ljubljana. Here you can find all you need to know about the sights worth seeing.
Everplaces for Business can turn your collections or content into beautiful branded travel guide apps. To have the right mobile guides ready for summer visit Everplaces Business new mini-site or get in touch.