Celebrate Chinese New Year With Great Deals In San Francisco

No city outside of Asia celebrates Chinese New Year with such exuberance and fan fare as San Francisco.  (Over 600,000 firecrackers make quite an impression!)  The entire month of February is dotted with celebrations that culminate with the grand parade and community fair on February 27th.  2010 is the Year of the Tiger with New Years day falling on February 14th – Valentine’s Day.  (Boy did that other Tiger have bad timing- it’s definitely not his year!)  But for YOU, all the signs are pointing to a perfect year to visit San Francisco and take in the festivities for both Valentine’s Day and Chinese New Year.

Thanks to low cost carriers like Virgin America and JetBlue, air flights into San Francisco have never been more robust or lower priced.  (Currently $109 each way from NYC to SFO on Virgin America.) Couple that with the number of great promotional offers by hotels, and you have the makings of a wonderful mid-winter getaway.  Here’s a sampling of some terrific hotel offers we’ve found:

King George Hotel – $69 per night through April (some blackout dates apply) from Travel Zoo
Sheraton Fishermans Wharf – $109 per night through March 31st from Hotels.com
Hotel Niko (city center)  – $92 per night through April 15th from GetARoom.com
The Huntington Hotel (Chinatown) – $150 per night from Booking.com
Sir Francis Drake Hotel (Union Square) – $149 per night from Booking.com

Elderhostel Becomes Exploritas.com

After 35 years of offering exceptional education adventures to the 55+ market, Elderhostels is taking on a new persona and becoming Exploritas.  The not-for-profit educational tour company took a close look at their name and realized they no longer were exclusive to the senior market, and they rarely stayed in hostels.  Their new name more closely represents their product offerings – fascinating journeys for lifelong learners of all ages.

Exploritas offers indepth tours throughout all 50 States in America and to over 90 countries around the world.   Programs vary in length and topic, with selections including Days of Discovery, Adventures Afloat, Road Scolar, Intergenerational, Service Tours, Independent City Discoveries, For Women Only, and much, much more.  Check them out and get on their mailing list for future catalogs.

World’s Most Luscious Food Markets

Local food markets give a glimpse into the soul of a destination.  The crops that local farmers grow and the culinary creations that food artisans produce speak to the history of the location and the traditions of its citizens.  Nothing is more pleasing and engrossing than roaming among the stalls of a neighborhood farmer’s market or the grand food halls of a metropolitan city.  In China I was almost afraid to look (bugs on a stick?!), in Vancouver the smells and colors were dazzling, in Hawaii I found vegetables I had never seen before in my life, and the markets in Rome and Paris were sensuous.  Now that it’s harvest time around the world, don’t miss the opportunity to visit a luscious food market wherever you roam – here are some of the world’s favorites:

Americas
New York - Chelsea Market, a hub of foodie activity
San Francisco - Ferry Plaza Farmers Market, large Organics Markets, operates 3 times per week
New Orleans – Crescent City Farmers Market, Uptown and Downtown fabulous fruits
Seattle – Freemont Sunday Market – more than fruits & veggies – treasures of all description
Hawaii – Hawaii Farmers Markets Online, several gorgeous markets on every island
Vancouver – Granville Island Public Market, The ethnic diversity of Vancouver makes this market a sensory explosion
Mexico City - Mercado de la Merced, nirvana for chili pepper lovers – every color of the rainbow!

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