Latest News

A Beginner’s Guide to Naming Your San Francisco Oddities

jessica — Wed, 20 Aug 2014 23:32:59 +0000

If You Go

Stay at one of our three San Francisco hostels.

San Francisco is a city that's famously full of instantly recognizable landmarks: from the Golden Gate Bridge to the Transamerica Pyramid, it’s easy for visitors to match many of our skyline’s star features with their guidebook descriptions. But for every Coit Tower or Alcatraz Island, there’s also an eye-catching oddity whose name might not spring so easily to mind.

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History, Architecture

Artists in Residence: Lacey at HI-Point Reyes

jessica — Wed, 13 Aug 2014 16:39:54 +0000

If You Go

Stay at HI-Point Reyes, the only accommodation within the boundaries of the Point Reyes National Seashore. Then, Tweet us your own photos of the area @HIUSANorCal.

From National Park land to downtown streetscapes, hillside perches to coastal lighthouses, HI hostels are located in some of the most beautiful settings Northern California has to offer. So perhaps it's not surprising that so many staff members across our hostel network are talented (and prolific) artists: they've got a lot of inspiration to work with!

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Outdoor, Hiking, Wildlife, Arts, photography

Jumpstart Your Travel Fitness Routine in SF

jessica — Wed, 06 Aug 2014 16:29:17 +0000

If You Go

Stay at one of our three San Francisco hostels.

Travel and exercise don't always go together – we get it. Between pub crawls, restaurant check lists, museum visits, and endless photo stops, we can all let fitness fall by the wayside while we try to experience everything else a new city has to offer.

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Outdoor, yoga

8 Ways to Catch Full Moon Fever in Northern California

jessica — Wed, 30 Jul 2014 18:29:16 +0000

Northern California's beautiful in any light, but it's hard to beat the glow of a great big silvery moon for ambience. This August, the moon will reach the closest point in its orbit of the Earth, giving us the eye-popping spectacle of an extra-large "super moon." Not in our lovely neck of the woods on August 10th this year?

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Hiking, Outdoor, History

Two Perfect Days at Point Reyes

jessica — Wed, 23 Jul 2014 22:39:09 +0000

If You Go

Stay at HI-Point Reyes, the only accommodation within the boundaries of Point Reyes National Seashore.

An escape to the middle of nowhere always sounds great. Until, that is, you get there and suddenly realize: there's nothing to do.

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point reyes, Point Reyes Station, Hiking, Outdoor, Volunteering, Food + Drink

Streets of San Francisco: Trends Meet Traditions on Valencia Street

jessica — Wed, 16 Jul 2014 22:26:35 +0000

If You Go

Stay at one of our three San Francisco Hostels

The epicenter of all things trendy, beautiful, and delicious in San Francisco's hip Mission District, Valencia Street is more than just a thoroughfare: it's a melting pot. To the East of Valencia lies the old-school Mission neighborhood, where authentic taquerias are packed in several to a block and storefronts blast contemporary Mexican music. To the West, apartment rental prices soar, gourmet grocery stores thrive, and techies work on their tans in Dolores Park.

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streets of san francisco, Shopping, Food + Drink

The Former Lives of our Hostels

jessica — Wed, 09 Jul 2014 20:42:50 +0000

Sometimes, a hostel is just a hostel. But when it comes to HI-USA's Northern California properties, sometimes a hostel is a trip back in time. From Marin to Montara, San Francisco to Sacramento, our hostels' walls have stories to tell.

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History

Big Names, Big Art: How to See SF's Most Famous Murals for Free

jessica — Wed, 02 Jul 2014 21:57:24 +0000

If You Go

Stay at one of our three San Francisco hostels.

There's art, seemingly, just about everywhere you look in San Francisco: from the Legion of Honor, MOMA, and the DeYoung Museum, to the large-scale street art of the Mission District, this city, you might say, was made to get the creative juices flowing.

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Arts, History

Stranger than Fiction: A Literary Walking Tour of SF

jessica — Wed, 25 Jun 2014 18:26:04 +0000

If You Go

Stay at one of our three San Francisco hostels, and check out a map of all the sites mentioned in this story.

Since the early days of the Gold Rush, San Francisco's given rise to an impressive cast of authors, poets, and literary game-changers. Some were born here; many made conscious decisions to relocate to the famously freethinking city; others simply took a liking to the place while passing through. But regardless of where they came from or how long they stayed, they all left their marks on the city in one way or another.

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History, walking tours, stranger than fiction

Get a Taste of California Wine Country Without a Car

jessica — Wed, 18 Jun 2014 21:51:21 +0000

If You Go

Stay at one of our three San Francisco hostels.

Location

Check out a map of all the places mentioned in this story.

Robert Louis Stevenson called it "bottled poetry." Ben Franklin called it "proof that God loves us and loves to see us happy." But in here Northern California, we just call good wine "a way of life." The region immediately surrounding San Francisco is blessed with endless rows of lush vineyards, innumerable wineries, and plenty of friendly folks ready to share their knowledge of local viticulture with visitors.

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day trips, budget travel, Food + Drink