Christmas Day in San Francisco

Visitors to San Francisco during the holiday season often wonder what to do on Christmas Day. Many attractions are closed, but there's still much to do if you're not unwrapping presents with your family.

Walk across the Golden Gate Bridge, San Francisco's number 1 tourist attraction. The walkway is open from sunrise to sunset.

See Lombard Street, the "Crookedest Street in the World." Visitors flock to Lombard Street to see its gardens and curves. Don't forget that two blocks away is the steepest street in San Francisco - Filbert Street.

Explore Muir Woods, where you can see the Coastal Redwoods - the tallest trees in the world. The park is located about 40 minutes north of San Francisco, across the Golden Gate Bridge.

Visit The Contemporary Jewish Museum, which not only is open on Christmas Day but does not charge admission. Current exhibits include "Houdini:  Art and Magic" and "Black Sabbath:  The Secret Musical History of Black-Jewish Relations." The museum will be open from 11:00 a.m. until 4:00 p.m. on Christmas Day.

Ride the cable cars. Travel over Nob Hill on America's first moving National Historic Landmark.

Eat. Many restaurants are open on Christmas Day, including a good number in Chinatown.

Take in a movie. Most movie theaters open around noon. If you are planning to go late in the afternoon or early in the evening, be prepared for crowds.

As you can see, there are a number of things to do on Christmas Day. So there's no need to spend the day in your hotel room.

One thing, you will not be able to do on Christmas, and New Year's, Day is take a tour with Blue Heron Custom Tours and Travel.  We'll be closed on both December 25 and January 1 but will be open on all other days during the holiday season.

Happy Holidays from Rick at Blue Heron Custom Tours and Travel.

Northern California Lighthouses

The November edition of "Rick's Tips" covers lighthouses along the California coast, from Sonoma County to the Oregon border.  You can see this issue by clicking here.  The previous issue of "Rick's Tips" was about lighthouses between Monterey and Marin Counties.  The August 2011 issue can be seen if you click here.  

Combined, these two issues provide a good overview of lighthouses worth visiting along the Northern California coast.  If you would like to take a private, custom tour that includes visits to some of these lighthouses, contact Blue Heron Custom Tours and Travel at (866) 326-4237 (toll free) or Rick@BlueHeronTours.com. 

Best Restaurants in San Francisco - 2011/2012

The new Zagat San Francisco Bay Area Restaurants 2012 and The Michelin Guide San Francisco, Bay Area, and Wine Country Restaurants 2012 were recently released. So it's time for Blue Heron's annual summary of the critics' choices for the best restaurants in San Francisco and the Bay Area.

Zagat's list of the five most popular restaurants includes Gary Danko, Boulevard, Slanted Door, French Laundry (Yountville, Napa Valley), and Chez Panisse (Berkeley). The top rated overall are Gary Danko and French Laundry with 29 points. Cyrus, Manressa (Los Gatos), Aubergine (Carmel), The Restaurant at Meadowood (near St. Helena, Napa Valley), Acquerello, Sushi Ran (Sausalito), Kiss Seafood, Chez Panisse (Berkeley), La Folie, and Massa's received 28 points. (All restaurants are in San Francisco unless otherwise noted).

Once again, Michelin awarded three stars to the French Laundry (Yountville, Napa Valley) and The Restaurant at Meadowood (near St. Helena, Napa Valley).  As in 2011, two stars were awarded to Cyrus (Healdsburg, Sonoma County), Coi (San Francisco), and Manresa (Los Gatos). However, three new restaurants received two stars this year:  Benu, (San Francisco), Saison (San Francisco), and Baumé (Palo Alto). Thirty-nine restaurants in the Bay Area received one star.

The "San Francisco Chronicle" awards four stars to the top restaurants. Current recipients are Chez Panisse (Berkeley), Cyrus (Healdsburg, Sonoma County), Manresa (Los Gatos), French Laundry (Yountville, Napa Valley), The Restaurant at Meadowood (near St. Helena, Napa Valley), Coi (San Francisco) and La Folie (San Francisco).

Come to San Francisco and you'll have a chance to pick your favorite. Be sure to make your reservations well in advance as these top restaurants frequently fill up two months in advance. If you wait until the last minute, you may not be able to get a table or may have to dine at 5:30 or 10:00 p.m.

If you want to see last year's summary, click here.