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United Airlines Flights from Chicago (ORD) to San Francisco (SFO)
Orbitz is pleased to offer airline tickets on United Airlines, which operates 9 regularly scheduled daily non-stop flights from Chicago (ORD) to San Francisco (SFO), departing between 7:00am and 8:05pm. Generally, a movie is offered on this route. The average travel time from Chicago, IL to San Francisco, CA is 4 hours and 45 minutes.
During your San Francisco vacation, don't miss these great establishments and attractions:
Aquarium of the Bay
The latest major addition to Fisherman's Wharf is Aquarium of the Bay, a $38-million, 1-million-gallon marine attraction filled with sharks, stingrays, and more. A moving footpath transports visitors through clear acrylic tunnels. The aquarium ultimately is not a destination in itself, but it's a good place to take the kids if you're in the neighborhood.
Lombard Street
Known (erroneously) as the "crookedest street in the world," this whimsically winding block of Lombard Street draws thousands of visitors each year (much to the chagrin of neighborhood residents, most of whom would prefer to block off the street to tourists). The angle of the street is so steep that the road has to snake back and forth to make a descent possible. The brick-lined street zigzags around the residences' bright flower gardens, which explode with color during warmer months. This short stretch of Lombard Street is one-way, downhill, and fun to drive. Take the curves slowly and in low gear, and expect a wait during the weekend. Save your film for the bottom where, if you're lucky, you can find a parking space and take a few snapshots of the silly spectacle. You can also take staircases (without curves) up or down on either side of the street. In truth, most locals don't understand what the fuss is all about. I'm guessing the draw is the combination of a classic, unusually steep San Francisco street and a great photo op. FYI: Vermont Street, between 20th and 22nd streets in Potrero Hill, is even more crooked, but not nearly as picturesque.
Cable Cars
Although they may not be San Francisco's most practical means of transportation, cable cars are certainly the best loved and are a must-experience when visiting the city. Designated official historic landmarks by the National Park Service in 1964, they clank up and down the city's steep hills like mobile museum pieces, tirelessly hauling thousands of tourists each day to nowhere in particular.London-born engineer Andrew Hallidie invented San Francisco's cable cars in 1869. He got the idea by serendipity. As the story goes, Hallidie was watching a team of overworked horses haul a heavily laden carriage up a steep San Francisco slope. As he watched, one horse slipped and the car rolled back, dragging the other tired beasts with it. At that moment, Hallidie resolved that he would invent a mechanical contraption to replace such horses, and just 4 years later, in 1873, the first cable car made its maiden run from the top of Clay Street. Promptly ridiculed as "Hallidie's Folly," the cars were slow to gain acceptance. One early onlooker voiced the general opinion by exclaiming, "I don't believe it -- the damned thing works!"Even today, many visitors have difficulty believing that these vehicles, which have no engines, actually work. The cars, each weighing about 6 tons, run along a steel cable, enclosed under the street in a center rail. You can't see the cable unless you peer straight down into the crack, but you'll hear its characteristic clickity-clanking sound whenever you're nearby. The cars move when the gripper (not the driver) pulls back a lever that closes a pincerlike "grip" on the cable. The speed of the car, therefore, is determined by the speed of the cable, which is a constant 9 1/2 mph -- never more, never less.The two types of cable cars in use hold a maximum of 90 and 100 passengers, and the limits are rigidly enforced. The best views are from the outer running boards, where you have to hold on tightly when taking curves.Hallidie's cable cars have been imitated and used throughout the world, but all have been replaced by more efficient means of transportation. San Francisco planned to do so, too, but the proposal met with so much opposition that the cable cars' perpetuation was actually written into the city charter in 1955. The mandate cannot be revoked without the approval of a majority of the city's voters -- a distant and doubtful prospect.San Francisco's three existing cable car lines form the world's only surviving system of cable cars, which you can experience for yourself should you choose to wait in the endless boarding line (up to a 2-hr. wait in summer).
Make your reservations for discount hotel rooms in the
San Francisco area, including:
Hotel Diva
The Diva is the prima donna of San Francisco's affordable modern hotels. A showbiz darling when it opened in 1985, the sleek, ultramodern Diva won "Best Hotel Design" from Interiors magazine. A profusion of curvaceous glass, marble, and steel marks the Euro-tech lobby; the minimalist rooms, spotless and neat, are softened with utterly fashionable "Italian modern" furnishings of monochromatic colors, silver, and wood. Enormous headboards are made of polished stainless steel meant to evoke the bow of a ship. Personally, I find the hotel a little on the cold side (figuratively speaking). But toys and services abound, and fitness and business centers complete the package. Insider tip: Reserve one of the rooms ending in 09 because they have extralarge bathrooms with vanity mirrors and makeup tables. The downside is that these rooms have views that make you want to keep the chic curtains closed.
Hotel Del Sol
The cheeriest motel in town is located just 2 blocks off the Marina District's bustling section of Lombard. Three-level Hotel del Sol is all about festive flair and luxury touches. The sunshine theme extends from the Miami Beach-style use of vibrant color, as in the yellow, red, orange, and blue exterior, to the heated courtyard pool, which beckons the youngish clientele as they head for their cars parked (for free!) in cabana-like spaces. (The great pool with pool toys can keep the tots busy all day.) Fair-weather fun doesn't stop at the front door of the hotel, which boasts 57 spacious rooms with equally cheery interior decor (read: loud and very colorful) as well as unexpected extras like CD players, Aveda products, and tips on the town's happenings and shopping meccas. Sorry, smokers: You'll have to step outside to puff.
The Palace Hotel
The original 1875 Palace was one of the world's largest and most luxurious hotels, and every time you walk through the doors, you'll be reminded how incredibly majestic old luxury really is. Rebuilt after the 1906 quake, and most recently renovated in 2002 (guest rooms only), its most spectacular attributes remain the regal lobby and the Garden Court, a San Francisco landmark restaurant that was restored to its original 1909 grandeur. A double row of massive Italian-marble Ionic columns flank the court, and 10 huge chandeliers dangle above. The real heart-stopper, however, is the 80,000-pane stained-glass ceiling (good special effects made Mike Douglas look like he fell through it in the movie The Game). Regrettably, the rooms aren't quite as grand. But they're vastly improved and emulate yesteryear's refinement with mahogany four-poster beds, warm gold paint and upholstery, and tasteful artwork.The Garden Court is famous for its $75 brunch on special holidays and a scaled-down version on regular weekends. Maxfield's Restaurant, a traditional San Francisco grill, serves lunch and dinner. Kyo-ya, an authentic Japanese restaurant, is highly regarded; and The Pied Piper Bar is named after the $2.5-million Maxfield Parrish mural that dominates the room.
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