A SLICE OF J1 ADVICE – SAN FRANCISCO
INTRODUCTION
Dizzying cable-car drops...sumptuous California cuisine... vibrant street scenes...pulsating nightlife...the City by the Bay combines attitude and charm like no other place on earth. Whether you're feeling the love in Haight or slicing through the fog of the Golden Gate, this streetwise and stylish guide will show you why it's so easy to leave your heart in San Francisco.
The Golden Gate Bridge was completed in 1937 after four years and a mere $35 million.The 1.2mile structure is the second longest single suspension bridge in the world and contains two cables with enough steel wire (80,000 miles) to go around the equator three times.Alcatraz is Spanish for ‘pelican’.
TRANSPORTATION
San Francisco Airport is south of San Francisco. The airport can get quite busy because it also handles San Francisco’s domestic and international connections.But that makes getting to the airport and back easy. There’s a direct train servicefrom Millbrae to San Francisco with free buses running between Millbrae station and the airport. The first train goes at 5.00am and the last one leaves Millbrae station at 11.59pm. There are also airport buses – San Trans buses have direct
service to city centre. Amtrak do not have a station in the centre of San Francisco.The train stop at Jack London Square in Oakland but there is a free shuttle connection to San Francisco.
San Francisco Municipal Railway (MUNI) runs the city’s public transport. Buses,trolleybuses and cable cars are easy to use. Its $1.50 to use and you can buy tickets onboard. A weekly pass is $15.00. BART passes are also available, these act like a debit card, each journey you take is deducted from the value of the card. BART offer online reductions on these cards.If you want to head further than San Francisco cheap airlines, Amtrak and buses are fantastic. Greyhound run a cheap service from San Fran to Las Vegas for $58,if purchased 7 days in advance, the only draw back is that it can take a hellish 14-19 hrs dependent on connections! Amtrak also run a service, fares start at $75and go upwards and the journey takes about 13hrs minimum. Flying is an easier
and quicker option, www.orbitz.com offer a wide variety of flights with prices starting from $150 return in August or alternatively fly with Southwest Airlines from Oakland. It’s usually cheaper, very efficient and the airport is easy to get around.
SOCIAL SCENE
Take a trip to Alcatraz Island, in the middle of San Francisco Bay, oncehome of Al Capone and Robert Franklin Stroud (the ‘Birdman ofAlcatraz’).Check out the amazing views of the San Francisco skyline, Alcatraz and the Marin Headlands from the Golden gate Bridge but be careful – it can often sway 27 feet in high winds!
Check out Ripley’s Believe it Or Not Museum for ‘oddball, silly, weird and funny attractions’ that you can believe (or not!).
Visit Chinatown where hot spots include the over-hyped House of Nan king and its low-key neighbour, Chef Jig’s, both of which serve up cheap,hot, tasty food with no ambiance or service whatsoever.
"North Beach is great but if you can wade through the crowds of tourists, its gets even better. Situated in a valley between Russian and Telegraph Hills, North Beach was once home to most of the city's Italian residents. During the 1950s and early 1960s, North Beach was also home to San Francisco's infamous BeatniksGo wine tasting in Sonoma and Napa Valley, a beautiful day out but don’tforget to bring I.D.There’s so much going on all over San Francisco all summer – pick up SF weekly for the latest info, but check out:
Golden Gate Park any Sunday
Baseball game in Pac Bell Park
Pride Weekend (end of June)
Fireworks down the Wharf July 4th
Burning Man – If you have energy left at the end of the summer!
Don’t Miss!!
Cycle the Golden Gate Bridge
Take a boat trip in the bay
Latte in Café Trieste
Broadway on a Saturday night
Castro any night!
Haight Street Fair
The Bush Man!
Road Trip!!!! Yosemite, Tahoe, down the coast…
Baker Beach/Ocean Beach
Twisty Lombard Street
Burritos in Mission (yum!!)
Restaurants: If you’re looking for a real slice of American life head to Blondie’s
Pizza on Powel, North Beach has some great Mexican take-aways as does Mission. Lori’s and Chevy’s are your typical American Burger joints and the Irish bars do the full Irish brekkie for anyone who’s homesick!!
Bars: San Fran is strict when it comes to I.D. and the bouncers will usually insist on seeing a passport. Some of the Irish bars aren’t as strict once they hear the accent. If you want to see the Irish matches go to The Kezar opposite Golden Gate Park, they also show hurling and football matches. Other good Irish bars are Fiddler’s Green and Durty Nellies. Here are a number of other good bars to try out:
La Rocca’s – 957 Columbus Avenue
Kennedy’s – Columbus and Taylor (good drinking deals)
Fuse – Broadway and Kearney (Cocktails mmm!)
The Irish Bank – 10 Mark Lane, Union Square
Mad Dog in the Fog – 530 Haight St (Soccer matches here)
The Top – 422 Haight Street
Clubs: Some clubs will let you in if you’re over 18 but you can’t drink in them.
You WILL be thrown out if they catch you with drink there. Popscene, which is a
little like Freakscene, runs these nights as does a club on 3rd and Harrison. Other
clubs in San Fran are:
Ten 15 – 1015 Folsom
End Up – 401 Sixth Street (after 2am)
The Top – 422 Haight Street
DNA Lounge – 375 11th Street
Bimbos 365 Club – 1025 Columbus
ACCOMMODATION
The majority of students this past summer lived in Berkeley. Most stayed in frat houses. Some of the many advantages of living in Berkeley are - the weather is much better there than in San Francisco, it is cheaper to pay rent in Berkeley(especially in the frat houses), there are lots of other J1ers there, so there areplenty of parties and opportunities to meet other students. The downside is
many students could not find employment in Berkeley and were forced to commute to San Francisco to work. Although the journey by BART is quite short,the service does not run all night. It closes at 12am.
Other students stayed in San Francisco, many in the Post Street Apartments.
Accommodation in the city although still expensive is easier to come by.
Some useful accommodation search engines include:
www.craigslist.com I know you are sick of hearing about it but this site really is
the best. It has EVERYTHING-accommodation, jobs, and nightlife.
http://www.rent.com/apartments/california/
http://www.thesublet.com this place has a section for summer sublets which is ideal.
http://www.sanfrancisco-lofts.com/
http://www.nobhillplace.com/rates.htm Very good neighbourhood, central and more expensive than most but what they don't tell you is that this apartment building is located on top of a hill that could rival Mt. Everest (just think how fityou'll be!)
http://www.therentalsource.com/ click on 'free rental listings’ has good picture tours of apartments.
http://www.vantaggiosuites.com/sf-turk.html
Security very good, place is clean. May have to share kitchen.
Also check out the classifieds in the local papers:
http://www.sfweekly.com
http://www.sfgate.com/chronicle/
Frat Houses in San Francisco:
Frats and Sororities in Berkley are definitely the best way to get cheap accommodation, frats especially as they are mixed and really cheap. Sorority’s accommodate females only and not all of them rent.
There are over 20 fraternities on the UC Berkeley campus that rent out rooms for the summer to both men and women. It is like co-ed fraternity living. While the campus is large, most frats are clustered together. Below are the names and numbers of the fraternities with main house phone numbers and street addresses. Average costs run about $500-$700 for a room for the summer. This
does not include food or use of a phone line.
If you are interested in finding room in one of the frats, call the main number listed and ask to speak to the person in charge of summer housing. They usually have their own phone number separate from the main house number.
Fraternity/Sorority: Phone: Address:
Acacia, 510-540-9368 2340 Piedmont Ave
Alpha Delta Phi, 510-540-9257 2422 Prospect/Channing
Alpha Epsilon Pi 510-486-9134 2430 Piedmont Ave
Alpha Gamma Omega 510-540-9133 2713 Haste
Alpha Sigma Phi 510-540-9611 2498 Piedmont
Alpha Tau Omega 510-540-9424 2327 Warring St.
Beta Theta Pi 510-540-9275 2728 Channing Way
Chi Phi 510-640-9345 2722 Durant Ave
Chi Psi 510-540-9213 2311 Piedmont/Durant
Delta Kappa Epsilon 510-540-9129 2302 Piedmont
Delta Sigma Phi 510-540-9656 2410 Warring
Delta Tau Delta 510-540-9410 2710 Durant/College
Delta Upsilon 510-540-9166 2425 Warring
Kappa Alpha Order 510-540-9091 2425 Piedmont
Kappa Delta Rho 510-540-9138 2739 Channing Way
Kappa Sigma 510-486-9986 2400 Warring
Lambda Chi Alpha 510-540-9784 2421 Prospect
Lambda Phi Epsilon 510-540-9066 2312 Warring/Channing
Phi Delta Theta 510-540-9036 2726 Channing Way
Phi Kappa Tau 510-540-9087 2335 Piedmont
Pi Alpha Phi 510-540-9178 2534 Warring
Pi Kappa Alpha 510-540-9203 2324 Piedmont Ave
Pi Kappa Phi 510-540-9138 2908 Channing
Pi Lambda Phi 510-540-9130 2727 Channing
Psi Upsilon 510-644-0454 2728 Haste St
Sigma Alpha Epsilon 510-540-9210 2722 Bancroft Way
Sigma Alpha Mu 510-540-9417 2714 Durant Ave
Sigma Chi 510-540-9148 2345 College
Sigma Nu 510-845-1892 2710 Bancroft
Sigma Phi Epsilon 510-540-9902 2395 Piedmont Ave
Sigma Pi 510-540-9681 2434 Warring St
Theta Chi 510-540-7244 2499 Piedmont
Theta Delta Chi 510-841-7829 2647 Durant
Theta Xi 510-848-6294 2639 Durant
Zeta Beta Tau 510-845-5292 2438 Warring St
Zeta Psi 510-540-9102 2728 Bancroft
Also www.uscfa.edu is great. Check out the off campus listings in the housing section. This is probably more useful when you get there but try it now and see if you can get anything.
Hostels:
HI – Fisherman’s wharf building 240 Fort Mason, San Francisco, CA 94123
Surrounded by beauty, HI Fisherman's Warf is located in a park setting and offers breathtaking views of Golden Gate Bridge, Sausalito & Alcatraz. Fisherman's Warf, Ghiradelli Square, Chinatown and North Beach are within walking distance. Museums, shops and restaurants are steps away in Lower Fort Mason. Breakfast included, limited parking.
www.norcalhostels.org
Phone: (415) 771 7277
HI – Downtown,
312 Mason Street, San Francisco, CA 94102
This hostel is in the middle of bustling Union Square, San Francisco's shopping, and theatre and gallery district. Right outside the door are a variety of the city's famous restaurants. Two blocks away are the world-famous cable cars, which will give you a breathtaking ride to Fisherman's Wharf and the Bay. a. 312 Mason Street
www.norcalhostels.org
Phone: (415) 788 5604
HI – City Center,
685 Ellis Street, San Francisco, CA 94109
www.norcalhostels.org
Phone: (415) 474 5721
Home Away International Hostel, 555 Haight Street, San Francisco, CA
Phone: (415) 864 4646
Adelaide Hostel, 5 Isadora Duncan Lane, san Francisco CA
Phone: (415) 552 8452
Green Tortoise Backpackers Guest-house(highly recommended!!!)
Best Location. Best Facilities. Best Parties! Free Internet. Free Breakfast. Free Sauna. Free linens. No curfew. Huge Kitchen. Giant common room with Pool table, Football, Piano, Stereo, cable TV, Bicycle rack and more. Under-bed lockers, mixed and women-only dorms, private rooms. Clean, Fun, Safe with real Travellers Only. Offer adventure bus tours all over the country.
a. 494 Broadway
p. (415) 834-1000
f. (415) 956-4900
$19-$22 for a dorm.
Pacific Trade winds Hostel:
Great hostel but small and books out quickly. Pacific Trade winds is a friendly, small, clean, and homelike place for Backpackers. Centrally located in a good neighbourhood, walking distance from bus and train stations, Fisherman's Wharf, nightlife, one block from cable cars and Chinatown. No Curfew, Lockout, Chores. Free: Internet, linens, tea/coffee, security lockers, kitchen use, luggage storage, help and smiles from our international staff. a. 680 Sacramento Street
p. (415) 433-7970
f. (415) 291-8801
Fort Mason International Hostel
162 bed hostel right on the S.F. bay in a park. This is one of S.F.'s best and most popular hostels.
Area rating=A+. Quiet hours at midnight
$19-$22 per night (as of March 2000)
Fort Mason's Building #240. Marina Blvd @ Laguna Street 771-7277
SF accom. Price guide
Average Prices:
Youth/Traveller hostels:
(some have max 3 wk stay) $17 p/night $120 weekly
Residential hotels: $200 p/room p/week
Roommate finding agency: $60 registration fee
Room in flat (sublet) $700 p/month
1 bedroom studio $1200 p/month
2 Bedroom apartment $2000 p/month
+ Deposit of 1 months rent
Subject to area and standard of apartment.
JOBS
Getting a job in San Francisco isn’t too difficult. A lot of you may actually want to have a job arranged before you go over, but many employers are reluctant to hire people without actually meeting them first! If you don’t have a job organised don’t panic.
The Campus Connection
San Francisco,
CA 94102
(415) 982-2211
Good places to look for a job once you get to the city include- Pier 39 – the most“touristy” place in San Francisco. They usually hire lots of J1 students each year. There are loads of restaurants, pizza places, coffee shops and stores. They look for seasonal staff so J1er’s are perfect!
Check it out at www.pier39.com
Also North beach and the Marina have loads of restaurants. San Franciscans love to eat out. And there are loads of shops on Market St. that hire sales staff for the summer. Plus many coffee shops and delis in the financial district.
Couple of pointers:
The best way to get a job is just to pound the pavements and hand out resumes
to anyone who will take them.
Resume is NEVER more than a page in length. Keep it short- just job history,
some personal, contact and educational details.
Get a contact phone number. It is possible to buy a phone card that has a
message box whereby employers can call up and leave you a message and you
can get back to them.
Get references this especially applies to serving
jobs. They usually won’t hire you unless you say you have some experience and
generally they will train you in anyway.
Do dress nicely when you are job hunting. First impressions really do count in
this case.
Remember that your visa does not allow you to work in any care taking role
ie. you cannot work as a nanny, in a nursing home or crèche.