San Francisco - Alison Bing [238]
Clinics
American College of Traditional Chinese Medicine (Map; 415-282-7600; www.actcm.edu; 455 Arkansas St; 8:30am-9pm Mon-Thu, 9am-5:30pm Sat; 22) Acupuncture, herbal remedies and other traditional Chinese medical treatments.
Haight Ashbury Free Clinic (Map; 415-746-1950; 558 Clayton St; call for appointment; 6, 7, 24, 66, 71, N) Services offered by appointment only, but once you’re in, a doctor will see you for free and will offer advice if further medical attention is needed.
Lyon-Martin Women’s Health Services (Map; 415-565-7667; www.lyon-martin.org; Suite 201, 1748 Market St; 11am-7pm Mon & Wed, 9am-5pm Tue & Fri, noon-5pm Thu; 6, 7, 66, 71, F) Relatively affordable health services are available at this women’s clinic; lesbian-friendly.
Emergency Rooms
Davies Medical Center (Map; 415-565-6000; Noe St; 24hr; 6, 7, 24, 71, J, N) Has 24-hour emergency services.
San Francisco General Hospital (Map; emergency room 415-206-8111, main hospital 415-206-8000; www.sfdph.org; 1001 Potrero Ave; 24hr; 9) Provides care to uninsured patients; no documentation required beyond ID.
University of California San Francisco Medical Center (Map; 415-476-1000; www.ucsfhealth.org; 505 Parnassus Ave; 24hr; 6, 7, 24, 71, J, N) At the vanguard of medical advances.
Pharmacies
Pharmaca (Map; 415-661-1216; www.pharmaca.com; 925 Cole St; 8am-8pm Mon-Fri, 9am-8pm Sat & Sun; 6, 43, N) Pharmacy plus naturopathic and alternative remedies, and weekend chair massage.
Walgreens (Map; 415-861-3136; www.walgreens.com; 498 Castro St at 18th St; 24hr; 24, 35, F, Castro St) Pharmacy and over-the-counter meds; dozens of locations citywide (see website).
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MONEY
US dollars are the only accepted currency in San Francisco, though barter is sometimes possible on Craigslist (http://sfbay.craigslist.org) and for under-12s at 826 Valencia. The dollar is divided into 100 cents, with coins of 1¢ (penny), 5¢ (nickel), 10¢ (dime), 25¢(quarter), the relatively rare 50¢ (half dollar), and the equally elusive one-dollar coin. Bills can be quite confusing to foreign visitors, because they are all the same size and color; get used to carefully checking the corners for amounts. They come in denominations of $1, $2, $5, $10, $20, $50 and $100.
Debit/credit cards are accepted widely, but bringing a combination of cash, cards and traveler’s checks is always wise. Though there are exchange bureaus located at airports Click here, the best rates are generally at banks in the city. For exchange rates, see the inside front cover, and get the latest rates at www.xe.com, a handy currency converter site. For more on costs and money, Click here.
American Express (Map; AmEx; 415-536-2600; www.americanexpress.com/travel; 455 Market St; 8:30am-5:30pm Mon-Fri, 9:30am-3:30pm Sat; 21, 71, F, J, K, L, M, N, T; & Embarcadero) Traveler’s checks are still a handy cash backup in case your ATM and credit cards inexplicably stop working; the shop exchanges money as well.
Bank of America (Map; 415-837-1394; www.bankamerica.com; downstairs, 1 Powell St; 9am-6pm Mon-Fri, to 2pm Sat; 5, 6, 7, 21, 31, 71 F, J, K, L, M, N; & Powell St) Though any bank can exchange currency, this branch of the Bank of America is the most centrally located and convenient.
ATMs
Most banks have ATM machines, which are open 24 hours a day, except in areas where street crime has proved a problem (such as near the BART stop at 16th and Mission Sts). For a nominal service charge, you can withdraw cash from an ATM using a credit card; check with your provider about applicable fees.
Credit Cards
Following is a list of phone numbers to report lost or stolen credit