If you're going to San Francisco, be sure to celebrate the Grateful Dead

San Francisco, the US capital of counterculture, is celebrating 60 years of iconic local band The Grateful Dead. 

The city is celebrating the band's profound influence on San Francisco and American culture with months of special events, concerts, exhibitions, and tributes citywide.

The celebration will reach a zenith August 1-3, when Dead & Company - a re-incarnation of the Grateful Dead that formed after the group's 2015 Fare Thee Well shows - headlines three nights of performances at Golden Gate Park's Polo Field, supported by tribute bands playing throughout San Francisco and City Hall and other landmarks illuminated in tie-dye.

The Haight-Ashbury quarter, the Grateful Dead's home during the transformative 1960s, will again become the colourful heart of festivities.

“From Haight-Ashbury to the Excelsior District where Jerry Garcia grew up, the Grateful Dead's influence is integral to our city's cultural fabric," said San Francisco Mayor Daniel Lurie. 

"Sixty years later, we proudly honour their legacy through concerts, community events, and celebrations, reflecting San Francisco's enduring spirit of creativity, connection, and musical innovation.”

Formed in San Francisco in 1965, the Grateful Dead helped redefine rock music with improvised performances blending rock, jazz, and blues. The band's legendary concerts drew devoted fans, creating a global community of “Deadheads” bonded by shared musical experiences.

The 60th-anniversary festivities include Dead & Company at Golden Gate Park with Grateful Dead band members Mickey Hart, and Bobby Weir, joined by John Mayer, Jeff Chimenti, Oteil Burbridge and Jay Lane. See deadandcompany.com for details.

The free, annual Jerry Day concert on August 2 commemorates band leader Jerry Garcia's 82nd birthday - he died of a heart attack in 1995 - and the 60th anniversary of the Grateful Dead at the Jerry Garcia Amphitheater in McLaren Park. 

A commemorative “Jerry Garcia Street” sign will be unveiled at Harrington Street, Garcia's childhood neighbourhood, on August 1 at 11am.

Haight-Ashbury merchants are hosting celebrations on June 21, July 19 and August 16, featuring live music, art showcases, special promotions, and vibrant street activities 

At the annual Haight-Ashbury Street Fair on September 7 will showcase performances, art, community spirit, and a line-up of musicians. 

From October 29-November 23, Magic Theatre premieres a musical exploration of Garcia's early years in the Mission District.

Find more information on these and other events celebrating the Grateful Dead's 60th Anniversary here at sftravel.com.

Are US travellers ready to embrace fast trains?

Inter-city trains have never been a big thing in the US. High-speed rail links are almost non-existent as Americans traditionally prefer to travel point to point in their gas-guzzling cars.

But now the US Administration has approved $US3 billion in funding from its Bipartisan Infrastructure fund for the Brightline West high-speed rail project.

This plans to connect Las Vegas to Southern California and is scheduled for completion in time for the Los Angeles Olympics in 2028. It projects journeys would take 2 hours, 15 minutes. 

It will become the first true high-speed rail system in the US, Travel Mole reports.

“The dream of American high-speed rail is about to become reality,” said Ray LaHood Co-Chair of the U.S. High-Speed Rail Coalition, a former US Secretary of Transportation.

“We greatly appreciate the commitment of the Biden Administration, our Coalition members and many others who have worked hard to spark America’s high-speed rail revolution,” LaHood said.

Andy Kunz, CEO of US High Speed Rail said: “Electrified bullet trains will transform the nation’s transportation system, reducing congestion and helping end our dependency on fossil fuels.

“This investment by the Biden Administration represents a milestone in advancing our progress.”

The new route is part of a planned West Coast Corridor connecting Las Vegas, Los Angeles and San Francisco.

Other high-speed rail lines planned for the future include in Texas and a cross border connection from Vancouver in Canada to Portland and Seattle.

The Las Vegas project is not government run but a private-public partnership led by Brightline, a Florida-based company that runs a successful commuter line within that state. including Orlando, Fort Lauderdale and Miami.

San Francisco wants you

The San Francisco Travel Association has launched its largest-ever global campaign.

The Always San Francisco marketing campaign is primarily targeting international tourists to the city, Travel Mole reports.

The multi-million dollar campaign will include TV ads aimed at leisure travellers in key markets.

Always San Francisco features iconic locations including the Golden Gate Bridge and cable cars, as well as highlighting the city's vibrant neighbourhoods.

The marketing also includes cameo appearances by "famous" locals.

These are Lady Camden of RuPaul’s Drag Race fame, artist Sirron Norris and singer/songwriter Mae Powell.

The San Francisco Travel Association collaborated with local and San Francisco-connected musicians to reimagine Judy Garland’s rendition of the classic song San Francisco.

Lynn Bruni-Perkins, CMO of the San Francisco Travel Association said: “The result is a beautiful artistic collaboration true to San Francisco’s spirit.”

Digital campaigns will run in Australia, India, the Asia Pacific region, Europe, Canada, and Mexico.

“This is the largest campaign we have ever launched,” said Joe D’Alessandro, CEO and President, San Francisco Travel Association.

“Tourism is vital to the city’s economic recovery, and Always San Francisco is designed to drive increased visitation.”

Qantas returns to the City of Love

Qantas is gearing up for the resumption of its direct flights between Sydney and San Francisco.

The route has historic significance for the Australian flag carrier; back in 1959 it was serviced by Qantas' first jet aircraft: a Boeing 707.

Sydney and San Francisco were then linked via stopovers via both Nadi, Fiji,, and Honolulu.

​This followed the Lockheed Super Constellation, which operated Qantas' first trans-Pacific services to the United States five years earlier.

The flights resume on Monday, May 22, using Boeing 787-9 Dreamliners. It has been three years since Qantas flew between the two cities.  

Qantas flight QF73 will take off from Sydney taking off at 9:55pm every Monday, Thursday and Saturday.

On the return flight, QF74. departs San Francisco on the those same three days at 10:25pm.

A budget choice between Tokyo and San Francisco

Never heard of budget airline Zipair?

Neither had I - until a press release dropped this week.

Zipair is apparently a budget subsidiary of Japan Airlines (JAL), which launched shortly before the pandemic.

Zipair, which styles itself as ZIPAIR (a bit shouty guys) will launch flights from Tokyo's Narita Airport to San Francisco in June.

It plans five flights a week using Boeing 787 Dreamliners.

“We are excited to welcome ZIPAIR service at SFO this summer,” said airport director Ivar C. Satero.

“We thank ZIPAIR and are committed to making this new service a success.”

Zipair was established in 2018 and is based out of Narita. 

It has a network of six international routes including Singapore, Los Angeles and San José, California.

See https://www.zipair.net/en  
  

One trip you must take in San Francisco

 

If you are planning to visit the increasingly nutty United States, then San Francisco should be one of the cities on your travel agenda.

It is a visually spectacular city with a vibrant waterfront, dramatic views and a fascinating history.

Its many steep hills make it hard for walkers, but thankfully there are the city's iconic cable cars to spin you around with a minimum of fuss - although you may face a long wait to board at peak times.

The cable cars are recognised around the world over for the clanging of their bells, panoramic views, and thrilling descents down steep hills.

Taking a ride on a cable car should always be at the top of a visitors’ must-do San Francisco list, say the local tourism authority.

The cable car lines serve around seven million passengers per year

San Francisco celebrates 150 years of cable cars in August this year - and they are the world's last manually operated cable car system, traversing three routes across the city.

Of the 23 routes of yesteryear just three remain operational: two routes from downtown near Union Square to Fisherman's Wharf, and a third route along California Street.

The first successful cable-operated street train was the Clay Street Hill Railroad, which began operations on August 2, 1873

Today, San Francisco is one of the top tourism and meetings destinations in the US and received 21.9 million visitors in 2022. 

Make sure to check out Fisherman's Wharf, the Haight-Asbury district as well as the Golden Gate Bridge and Alcatraz. Golden Gate Park and Chinatown are worthy of some time and try to visit Oracle Park - one of the best baseball stadiums in the US, for a San Francisco Giants game.

Taking a ferry ride to Sausalito is a joy on a warm day - and the Napa Valley is a popular day trip destination. Be prepared to spend big bucks on your wine tasting experiences.

One word of warning: be self aware. I once stepped just the wrong side of the Tenderloin district and entered a scary world of street people and drug abusers.

Be sure to wear some flowers in your hair, and for details on the brighter side of San Francisco see https://www.sftravel.com/