San Francisco - Alison Bing [241]
San Jose 408
Santa Cruz 831
Wine Country 707
Local calls from a pay phone usually start at 50¢. Hotel telephones will often add heavy surcharges. Toll-free numbers start with 800 or 888, while phone numbers beginning with 900 usually incur high fees.
Cell Phones
Most US cell phones besides the iPhone operate on CDMA, not the European standard GSM – make sure you check compatibility with your phone service provider. Most North American travelers can use their mobiles in San Francisco and the Bay Area, but should check with the carrier about roaming charges.
Operator Services
International operator (00)
Local directory (411)
Long-distance directory information (1 + area code + 555-1212)
Operator (0)
Toll-free number information (800-555-1212)
Phonecards
For international calls from a public pay phone, it’s a good idea to use a phone card, available at most corner markets and drug stores. Otherwise, when you dial 0, you’re at the mercy of the international carrier who covers that pay phone.
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TIME
San Francisco is on Pacific Standard Time, three hours behind the East Coast’s Eastern Standard Time and eight hours behind Greenwich Mean Time (GMT). In the summer, there’s Summer Time in Britain and Daylight Saving Time in the United States, so the eight-hour difference is maintained.
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TOILETS
Downtown, clean toilets and baby-changing tables can be found in the Westfield San Francisco Centre and in Macy’s Click here. In the area around the Civic Center, the San Francisco Main Library has rest rooms, as do public library branches and parks throughout the city. Otherwise, try the green coin-operated sidewalk kiosk commodes, which cost 25¢ and can be found in North Beach, Fisherman’s Wharf, the Financial District and the Tenderloin. The Haight-Ashbury and Mission District are woefully lacking in public toilets, and you may have to buy a coffee or a beer to gain access to locked bathrooms.
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TOURIST INFORMATION
The helpful, centrally located San Francisco Visitor Information Center (Map; 415-391-2000, events hotline 415-391-2001; www.onlyinsanfrancisco.com; lower level, Hallidie Plaza, Market & Powell Sts; 9am-5pm Mon-Fri, to 3pm Sat & Sun, closed Sun Nov-Apr; & Powell St) provides practical information for tourists, publishes glossy tourist-oriented booklets and runs a 24-hour events hotline.
For further tourist information, check out the following websites:
Lonely Planet (www.lonelyplanet.com)
SFGate.com (www.sfgate.com)
SFist (http://sfist.com)
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TRAVELERS WITH DISABILITIES
All Bay Area transit companies offer travel discounts for the disabled, and wheelchair accessible service. Muni’s Street & Transit Map (www.sfmta.com) details which bus routes and streetcar stops are wheelchair friendly. The San Francisco Bay Area Regional Transit Guide (http://tripplanner.transit.511.org) covers accessibility for people with disabilities. Major car-rental companies can usually supply hand-controlled vehicles with one or two days’ notice.
For further information about wheelchair accessibility on public transit and in hotels and other facilities, contact the Independent Living Resource Center of San Francisco ( 415-543-6222; www.ilrcsf.org; 9am-4:30pm Mon-Thu, to 4pm Fri).
For visually impaired people, major intersections emit a chirping signal to indicate when it is safe to cross the street. For the hearing impaired, many local TV stations include subtitles.
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VISAS
The USA Visa Waiver Program (VWP) allows nationals from 27 countries to enter the US without a visa, provided they are carrying a machine-readable passport. Citizens of VWP countries need to register with the government online (http://esta.cbp.dhs.gov/) three days before their visit. The registration is valid for two years.
If you do not have a machine-readable passport, you must obtain a visa to enter the USA, even if you come from one of the VWP countries. In addition, if your passport