San Francisco Travel

Anybody who has been to Mexico can tell you that the burrito, which is now ubiquitous across America, is actually pretty hard to find south of the border.

That's because the delicious item, which is really a full Mexican meal plate rolled up in a tortilla, was actually invented here in California, and in San Francisco's Mission District to be more exact.

A hand held meal in-and-of-itself, the burrito has been the budget gourmand's mainstay for decades and many starving artist types live on burritos, as its by far the best bang for the buck in the city.

For the price of fast food, you can get a delicious home cooked style burrito instead - and I recommend you do on your next trip to San Francisco so I put together a list of the top Mexican Restaurants:

Top Mexican Restaurants in San Francisco

For more tips on doing San Francisco on the cheap yet still having the time of your life, check out my complete guide to San Francisco on a Budget.

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Ready for a wine tasting intensive that travels around the world in a single glass?

Then you are ready for Wine Riot, which comes to San Francisco on June 7th and 8th and revolves around learning about the many varietals, styles and trends in the realm of wine the best way possible: by tasting them.

The interactive wine tasting booths present the history and background of the individual wines and experts are on hand to explain the meaning of the many terms used in the wine world.

Held at the Concourse Exhibition Center in the SOMA area, Wine Riot will also feature food tastings from may of San Francisco's top restaurants.

Tickets to Wine Riot and more information about the event are available on the official website.

More Reasons to Come to SF this Summer:

San Francisco Pride - The Biggest LGBT Bash on Earth!

The Fillmore Jazz Festival - Streets full of free concerts!

Colombus Day in North Beach - Celebrate Everything Italian in the Little Italy of the West Coast!

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Running from May through October, the Yerba Buena Gardens Festival is the city's most action-packed free performance series.

Located just blocks from Union Square and across the street from the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art, the festival takes places in the lush Yerba Buena Gardens itself, a dynamic urban park, arts center and shopping complex all rolled into one.

For 2013 the line-up is as exciting as ever, with annual one day cultural festivals like Brazil in the Gardens (8/28) and the Native Contemporary Arts Fest(6/16) as well as performances from world renown acts like Lila Downs (9/15) and China's Red Panda Acrobats (7/26).

Some of San Francisco's best homeground talent will take the mainstage as well, including Lavay Smith and Her Red Hot Skillet Lickers (5/25), the Marcus Shelbey Orchestra (6/02) and the policatically poignant San Francisco Mime Troupe (8/04).

This is just a small sample of the amazing shows coming up this summer, all of them free, check the Online Schedule for the complete run down.

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Image Courtesy of the Yerba Buena Gardens Festival

Missed the Carnaval in Rio this year? Here your second chance:

San Francisco's Mission District explodes every Memorial Day weekend as it's street come alive with the rythms of South America and the Caribbean during the annual San Francisco Carnaval.

Join the fun on Harrison Street this year where six blocks will be completely closed to traffic to make way for huge live music stages, food vendors and crowds upon crowds of partiers.

On Sunday May 26th 2013, the giant San Francisco Carnaval Parade makes its way up 24th Street to Mission and then winds through the heart of the neighborhood for several hours.

A stunning visual treat, the parade features tons of dancers from local and visiting samba schools as well as live music floats, community organizations and loads of uniquely San Francisco-style fun.

Read: More Upcoming Festivals

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Image Courtesy of sfmission.com

Those visiting San Francisco this summer are in for an extra special treat: America's Cup!

The three-month long event will fill the San Francisco Bay with boats from all over the world and features races and other events almost every weekend.

Seating is available for all of the races in the Marina District and at Pier 39 as well as special on-water locations including chartered yachts and historic ships.

Many races will sell out ahead of time so purchase your tickets now at the Official Website.

Image Courtesy of America's Cup

Mother's Day, which falls on Sunday, May 12th this year, is an international holiday dedicated to honoring and celebrating the most important person in everyone's life: their Mom.

San Francisco offers many fun activities and special treats that are perfect for Mother's Day, here are a handfull of my top picks:

• Take a San Francisco Bay Cruise - Celebrate Mother's Day with a beautiful day out on the bay.

• Visit the Botanical Gardens - May is full of blooming flowers and sunny breaks in the fog, a perfect time to go to the city's largest garden.

• Have Lunch, or Brunch, on the Waterfront - A meal on the bay is a scenic way to celebrate the gift of life with your mother.

If Mother's Day gets rained out this year, use my list of Rainy Day Activities to make sure you still have the time of your life in San Francisco.

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We are having a beautiful spring here in San Francisco this year with temperatures hitting the high 70s and bright sunshine all day long.

So I put together a list of the top things to do in San Francisco when the weather is good, designed for visitors to use when they are planning a trip.

Of course, the weather in San Francisco is very fickle and it is impossible to actually plan your trip around sunny weather, even in the San Francisco summertime.

So I also put together a list of things to do in San Francisco on a rainy day, which really just focuses on museums and cultural activities instead of the outdoors.

The truth is there really is no bad time to visit San Francisco, and sunny weather happens year-round, but I also put together a guide to the San Francisco seasons and it's festivals, which are much more secure to build a vacation around then the weather.

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Photo by Ocean Malandra

Better known for it's jumping jazz and blues nightlife scene, the Fillmore District is also worth checking on on Saturday mornings when its neighborhood farmer's market is in full swing.

Besides direct from the farm organic fruits and veggies, flowers, eggs, honey and more, visitors will be treated to live jazz music performances by local bands and artists.

Taking place at the Fillmore Center Plaza from 9am to 1pm every Saturday of the year, the Fillmore Street Farmer's Market is a truly local scene that will delight visitors to the city as well.

Can't get enough jazz music? Come back to the Fillmore at night or visit the city during the fourth of July weekend for the Fillmore Street Jazz Festival!

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Image Courtesy of kennejima through Creative Commons.

Running from April through September, Union Square Live! is San Francisco's hottest free performance series.

Taking place in the heart of Union Square itself, the festival features everything from live music and dance performances to free theater, movies and even tango and salsa dance classes.

With over 70 free performances this year, Union Sqaure Live! is often an unexpected highlight of a trip to San Francisco as many tourists simply wander into an event randomly. But you can also check out the performance calendar ahead of time and plan ahead, here are my top picks for 2013:

• The Marcus Shelby Orchestra: The Bay Area jazz legend and his full orchestra rocks the square on June 2, not to be missed!

• Picklewater Free Circus: Family friendly fun takes over the square on July 21st, bring the kids!

• Dios de La Adrenalina: A colaboration of stilt walking groups from Colombia and the United States promises to be the sleeper highlight of the season, August 11th and 18th.

Hotels tend to fill up fast during the San Francisco Summer Season, check out our own Travel Center for prices and information.

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Image Courtesy of Union Square Live!

Planning a trip to San Francisco this year? Consider buying a travel guide book before you go!

Check out my New List, everything from the Lonely Planet guide to an insider guide to the stairway walks that lie hidden all over the city.

Guide books are not just for trip planning, anyone who plans on doing some exploration on thier own will benefit from a travel guide, as the easy to carry books fit right in your pocket and are usually full of neighborhood maps, info on museums and other sights as well as reccomendations on restaurants and nightlife.

I also put together a list of maps, for those that like to travel lighter, everything from laminated fold-up maps to highway and transit guides to the entire bay area.

Looking for more San Francisco merchandise? Check out my complete list of books, movies and other items that San Francisco lovers might be interested in.

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