Go Green!

Eco-tourism has become a popular trend among tourist and locals a like. Eco-tourism is concentrated on developing travel practices that are environmental conscious. Travelocity has a section of its website dedicated to hotels, transportation, and other travel related things that are concentrate on green practices. On the website you can browse a list of green hotels, rent a hybrid, and learn ways to offset your carbon footprint. 

When visiting San Francisco most travelers expect every possible aspect of their stay to be to be eco-friendly (hotel, restaurant, stores they shop in, attractions that they visit) If you are environmentally conscious or just looking for something fun to do you should stop by the California Academy of Science, its only the greenest museum in the world.Come on it has a living roof!

 

When planning for the California Academy of Sciences re-open in 2008, construction and design teams work diligently to make every possible aspect environmentally conscious. The construction processes may have destroyed the structure of the old building may be gone but it is still their in spirit. 90% of the destroyed building was broken down and recycled into the new Academy building. In side the new building benches and selves in the gift shop were made from fallen trees in Golden Gate Park.

After the re-opening day, The California Academy of Science didn’t stop advancing its green practice. The daily operations at the Academy concentrating on things that most people don’t even take into consideration. I wouldn’t notice the difference between a environmentally friend brochure and the general ones unless it was pointed out to me (which it was). The Academy staff thought of everything! –where things are purchased, material used to insulation, the ventilation system, energy usage, waste management. Being green is so important to the Academy that they have employees, the Green Team, that are responsible for solely focus on the green practices of the museum. The green practices that the California Academy of Sciences demonstrated earned them a double platinum LEED Certification!

The California Academy of Sciences has a variety of ticket options and events that you can take advantage of to experience the green kingdom – general admission, behind-the scenes, Nighlight, sleepover, and even birthday parties. My favorite part of the Academy is the Morrision Planetarium, its is the largest all- digital planetarium in the world. I literally felt like I was in space. You can experience the planetarium and so much more for your self for only $24.95 but make sure you have enough time to enjoy it all.

 

 

Take me out to the ballgame

San Francisco is packed with a variety of attractions - Educational museums, Fisherman Wharf, the Exploratorium, the Zoo, wax museums, the list goes on and on. My favorite attraction is At&t Park. The feeling I get when I sit down in my seat and take in the view, the excitement from each pitch and the energy from the crowd, I can never get enough. Others clearly share my love for the stadium because it is the top ticketed attraction in San Francisco. With the Giants success in the previous season they managed to sell out almost every home game- that's about 45,000 fans per game. But visitors come for more than just the ballgames - tours, concerts, corporate meetings, private parties, weddings, there isn't much the Giants Enterprise isn't willing to try. In 2007, the baseball field was transformed into a snow park (warning, the article linked is a little weak but it has additional information)  for a corporate party complete with an ice skating rink and hills for sledding.

Something that I appreciate that most may not even think about is the architectural genius that went into creating such a wonderful park. Originally, At&t park was suppose to be facing the opposite direction offering breath taking views of the city skyline to all those that visit. However, wind posed as a problem and the park was placed into its current position, giving birth to the idea of a splash hit. But precise planning didn't stop there. Given our geographical location and the Giants already having experience with one great earth quake in 1989 planning for strong earthquakes was crucial. The singular park that we envision is actually in five sections as a preventative measure for earthquake disaster. Between each section there is a gap that will allow the park to shift with an earthquake and not suffer damage. There are also sections of pipes (that are properly colored orange and black) that will all the pipping in the given section to shift and not burst.

If you are in the area or live near San Francisco and have never visited At&t park I recommend you go! You don't have to like baseball to appreciate a beautiful venue. Tour are offered almost everyday, rain or shine, during season or off-season. Go Giants!!

What San Francisco Means to Me

I’ve spent the majority of the beginning half of the semester contemplating why this topic is right for me. I am so passionate about San Francisco and how it is an iconic tourist destination, I feel that I must blog about it.  I am fifth generation born in San Francisco but unlike the ancestors before me, I was raised outside of the city. At times I feel naive to all that the city has to offer—the amazing array of food, variety of culture, and the iconic tourist attractions.  On top of that, I am an Hospitality and Tourism Management major so naturally I plan on using San Francisco’s tourist appeal to my advantage when pursuing a career.  

In this blog I plan on exploring both top tourist designations and also historic local know spots. I’ve started a list but it’s very rough
-  Pier 39 (how original…)

-  Sutro Baths

- Off the Grid 

 If you are reading this and have any place you recommend me checking out please comments, I would love suggestions.

Tourist Impact on San Francisco

 

Although tourist might get in our way when crossing the street and you really want to strangle them with their camera strap; they do help our local economy significantly. In 2010 travel in San Francisco produced 1.88 billion dollars in payroll, which supported 67,122 jobs--hotel staff, tour guides, bar tenders, waiters, cooks, and San Francisco Travel (where I found all the listed stats), to name a few. On an average day in 2010 a visitor spent about $22.84 and although locals may frown upon congestion caused by tourist, I find pride in knowing that so many invest time and money to visit this great city that I call my home. The 15.9 million visitors that traveled to SF in 2010 spent 8.3 billion dollars on local businesses. So the next time you want to honk at the tourist driving the opposite direction down a one way street think not of their stupidity but the size of their wallet.