Podcast: the extraordinary life of Aboriginal storyteller Francis Firebrace

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.

Following is our regular summary of the latest travel news and best frequent traveler promotions reviewed during the past week.

How much should you expect to spend to visit each of the largest 100 U.S. cities?

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.

The Christmas travel season is upon us. While perhaps not as narrow and intense as the Thanksgiving holiday, Christmas is nevertheless an extremely busy time of year at airports across the country. In addition to an influx of travelers, late December is infamous for throwing weather curveballs that can further snarl already maxed-out airline operations.

Wondering which airports are most likely to put you behind schedule during the busy summer travel season? If you’re flying to the Boston, Chicago, New York, or San Francisco areas this summer—or even worse, connecting to another flight there—be especially wary.

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.

“Best airport” rankings aren’t typically the most helpful in terms of travel planning: If I want to go to Boston, I’m not going to head for Las Vegas instead because its airport is better. But those best airport lists do come in handy in two cases—when you have a choice of airport for your connecting flight, and when you can choose between multiple airports within a single metro area.

Ever wonder how much of your life you’ve wasted sitting around at the airport? Financebuzz.com compiled a list of the worst delay-prone U.S. airports of 2018, with overall delay times displayed in the collective amount of years they’ve added up to for travelers overall. And the results are not encouraging: Rankings are based on a composite of total passengers, percentage of flights delayed, and the average length of delay for the top 25 airports.

They say misery loves company, right? There will be plenty of company, at least, on the nation’s highways (and airways) this week, as an estimated 55 million travelers embark on Thanksgiving travel.

In a single lifetime, no traveler could ever be done exploring America. Even if you relegated yourself to just roaming the nation’s cities—setting aside the 50 states’ vast open, unincorporated spaces—there would still always be more to see.

It might be too late to do anything other than just arrive as early as possible—but when it comes to fast-approaching Thanksgiving travel, try to avoid flying through Chicago (O’Hare), Atlanta, and San Francisco’s airports.