Last Thursday night I got to feel like a little kid again, but with big kid advantages. Full of excitement I attended my first-ever Nightlife event at California Academy of Sciences. With minimal expectations, I headed for Golden Gate Park to take part in 'Sharktoberfest'.

Every Thursday evening, the museum hosts an adult-only festivity influenced by a different environmental or scientific theme. And last week's theme happened to be Sharktoberfest. There was a live German band decked out in ledderhosen, Berlin-style ping pong, a pop-up beer garden, and great cocktails. I can't deny my love for cocktails so I went for the Farallon Collins - a delicious blend of vodka, fresh canteloupe, house-made ginger shrub, local honey and fresh mint. The night was off to a good start.

But cocktails aside, the real celebration of the evening was in honor of sharks. Here in Northern California during October local conservancy groups adopt the theme 'Sharktober' to raise awareness that sharks are endangered and the health of our ocean is suffering because of that.

In addition to shark education, all of the regular Cal Academy exhibitions were open for exploration, as they always are. With cocktail in hand, I came nose-to-nose with creatures at the aquariam, took a virtual safari through Africa in the natural history museum, and excited my senses in the all-too-real earthquake exhibit. Others journeyed through the stunning 4-story rain forest and others were entertained by digital imagery in the planetarium.  

With food and drink options, live music, and tons of activities, Nightlife is the perfect way to spend a Thursday evening with friends. I left feeling happy and proud of the new things I learned. I didn't feel like I was being educated, it just naturally happened, in the most fun way possible.  

INTERESTED IN VISITING CAL ACADEMY? Ask your front desk about discounted tickets. 

Can you feel it? The sun is setting later, the weather is getting warmer (in the limits of San Francisco weather of course) and the flora and fauna is reclaiming its wonderful colors.You are feeling an urge for sun on your skin and BBQs with friends. Spring is finally here and it means it is time for you to go out, smell the perfume of flowers and enjoy the beauty of San Francisco.

There are many ways to get your springtime flower rush; one of them is the Macy’s Flower Show. We are very lucky, as San Francisco is one of the few cities where Macy’s is having it’s Flower Show and even luckier as our hotels are located in the heart of Union Square just steps away.

From March 24^th to April 7^th they will be having their yearly Flower Show. If you have never had the chance to see it, you should not miss the occasion...and it's a great excuse to shop. The entire store will be transformed in a poetic garden and this year should be very colorful as the theme will be South East Asia. It’s free, so go and have a peek at this wonderful ephemeral work of art. 

Another great place to celebrate Spring, is in Japantown (at Post and Buchanan). I am personally fond of this area of San Francisco, as it offers you a nice change of scenery and during Spring the Cherry Blossom festival is in full effect. 

In front of the Japan Center (where you can find everything Japanese, from Hello Kiity goodies to Japanese tea pots) are some delicate Japanese Cherry trees or Sakuras. As soon as the trees start blossoming you can see flocks of young couples taking wedding pictures in front of their beauty. The Sakuras are very important in Japanese culture as the flowers are a symbol of ephemeral beauty. All over Japan the blossoming of these trees is monitored and celebrated. A great way of discovering part of the traditions surrounding the blossoming of the Cherry trees is going to the Cherry Blossom Festival to see all the great exhibits they have to offer.

The festival lasts just over two weeks with the main celebration being held on April 13^th and 14^th and April 20^th and 21^st,  with the Grand Parade happening on the last day. Between the pink flowery trees and the beautiful traditional costumes, it’s a great to expereicne a unique culture.

Of course your tour of blooming San Francisco would not be complete without a stop at the Conservatory of Flowers and the De Young Museum in Golden Gate Park. The Conservatoty is a beautiful piece of Victorian Architecture built in 1878 and is the oldest wood and glass conservatory in North America. Each of the Conservatory’s galleries focus on a different tropical niche, but if you want to learn more about indigenous plants visit there special exhibit running through April 14th: Boomtown: Barbary Coast at the Conservatory of flowers. This exhibit will take you back to 1848 and will give you a good idea of what San Francisco vegetation looked like at the time.  

From there you must go to the DeYoung's Bouquets to Art exhibition, held from March 19th to March 23rd the museum celebrates the return of spring with this annual event. 125 Bay Area designers show their personalities through their floral creations. Make sure to bring your cameras, as the musuem allows you to take pictures at this exhibit. 

Now that you are done with your visits don’t forget to take a walk in Golden Gate Park, enjoy the warm sun and the smell of Eucalyptus, while purposefully getting lost in the beauty.

 Come spend a week-end with us in San Francisco and take your time to smell the roses. 

Tired of running around Union Square, full with these crazy shoppers? Why not take a leisurely stroll through quiet Golden Gate Park to Ocean Beach, watch the dogs run around, frolicking in the crashing waves. And maybe catch a beautiful sunset at the west end of San Francisco?

There are beautiful restaurants & bars along the oceanfront like The Cliff House, Beach Chalet and also some tiny Java Café’s where the local surfers go to have a coffee or hot chocolate to warm up after a day in the cold waters. These restaurants and cafes help set the tone of historic San Francisco. These buildings with such rich architecture paint the perfect nostalgic picture and often send you into a time warp.

If you are more of an indoor person, Golden Gate Park has 2 awesome museums: the Academy of Sciences and the DeYoung Museum which offer galleries, an aquarium, rainforest, planetarium and various other activities for the single traveler or family.

Get out of bustling Union Square and into the quieter area of San Francisco: The Golden Gate Park!