How to get your hippie on in San Francisco

Autonomous cars have come a long way since Google's self-driving car project started back in 2009. 

When San Francisco is in a period of transition, which it often is, it’s the foundational places that ensure the city never strays too far from itself. The city is known for its pioneering spirit, be that modern tech innovations or progressive politics, but what keeps the engine running is the steady energy pulsing through old school places like John’s Grill, where the people of San Francisco have long come to dine.

Yesterday’s crash landing of Emirates flight EK521 in Dubai generated a flood of images of panicked travelers, loaded down with their carry-on bags, fleeing the burning B777-300. The headline of Bloomberg’s coverage of the incident said it all: “Crashing, Burning Planes Don’t Stop Passengers From Grabbing Their Luggage.”

What to wear in San Francisco can be a bit of a conundrum: The city’s weather changes quickly, so definitely bring layers and be prepared to go from glorious sunshine to chilly ocean winds and fog—and back again—over the course of a day.

The winner of the Super Bowl usually says they’re going to Disney World. But even the Magic Kingdom would have a hard time competing with the pomp and circumstance in the Bay Area during the week leading up to this year’s big game.

As travel times between major metro areas go, the flying time between Los Angeles and San Francisco is about as short as it gets: less than an hour in the air, and a bit longer gate-to-gate. Getting to the airport probably takes longer than the flight itself.

Whether you’re arriving at an airport for the first time or at one that’s familiar, you may not know the lowest-cost way to get to your in-town destination. Even if you thought you knew, developments in ride-sharing regulations can change your best airport transportation options quickly, and without announcement.

Are you one of the expected 48.5 million Americans who will drive 50 miles or more over Thanksgiving 2018? You could face up to four times the normal driving times at peak hours, AAA warns. Drivers in or out of Boston, New York City, and San Francisco will face the worst congestion, and most other big cities will also see delays.

July 4, 2018, figures to be an Independence Day for the record books. It isn’t a noteworthy anniversary of our country’s independence (though we do turn a robust 242 this year); no, this year’s distinction is far more ignominious: Record-breaking traffic.

As we head into a new decade, let’s take some time to acknowledge the incredible events and momentous changes in the travel world since 2010.

Since the late 19th century, when San Francisco got its cable cars and pastel-hued Victorians, Levi Strauss and Ghirardelli Chocolate, it has been the envy of other cities. So the schadenfreude that has erupted recently over home prices and homelessness, street crime and empty office towers, is nothing new. Yes, this city has real problems, but the line at Powell and Market for the cable car, which turns 150 this year, is still long, and world-class restaurants still seem to open nightly. Boom-and-bust cycles have afflicted the City by the Bay since the Gold Rush, but as surely as the fog will roll through the spans of the Golden Gate Bridge this afternoon, San Francisco will rise again.

A United Airlines flight turned back to San Francisco International Airport because a passenger was said to be disruptive.