San Francisco , General info:
8/10

Founded in 1776. San Francisco lies at the northern tip of a peninsula in the Western US State of California. It is part of the much larger San Francisco Bay Area. The Bay Area has a population of approximately 7.2 million people. San Francisco is famous for his step rolling hills and mediterranean climate. It is one of the most visited cities in the US.

San Francisco , Don't miss:
9/10

Golden Gate Bridge, Alacatraz Island, cable cars, Coit Tower, Chinatown, Golden Gate Park, Alamo Square, Palace of Fine Arts,Union Square, as well as some of its beautiful neighborhoods such as Russian Hill, Nob Hill, North Beach, Pacific Heights, SOMA and the Mission District.

San Francisco , Food:
10/10

San Francisco is renowned for its restaurants. "The City" as it is called by locals has some of the best Asian and Californian Cuisine around. It also has large variety of other kinds of ethnic food.

San Francisco , Hotels:
10/10

There are beautiful hotels everywhere in the city. Some of the more famous (and expensive) are: The Fairmount, Ritz Carlton, The Mark Hopkins Intercontental, The Palace, Standford Court, The Huntington and Hotel Nikko.

San Francisco , Safety:
7/10

Like most large American cities some neighborhoods are safer than others. If you stick to the main tourist areas you should be quite safe. Just be careful in the Tenderloin at night.

Stafford, Staffordshire , Cheap stuff:
1/10

The local market survives - just, given the competition it faces (see above). In the markey one may buy artfully camouflaged poor-quality fruit and veg (that's produce), dodgy electrical goods, replacement hoses for old washing machines and, an exciting addition to the local retail experience, Polish foodstuffs.

Stafford, Staffordshire , Different stuff:
5/10

Stafford has in recent years become home to a large number of mostly young people from eastern Europe. They are quiet, polite, hardworking, healthy and attractive, and perform sterling service in local shops and farms. This failure to blend in with the locals has caused some comment. Mostly appreciative.

Stafford, Staffordshire , Don't miss:
6/10

Um. The open-air Shakespeare at the castle at the end of June is fun. Unless it rains. The park alongside the river has been replanted and developed and is rather pretty in the summer. Unless it's flooded.

Stafford, Staffordshire , Food:
2/10

Don't ask. There are no decent restaurants in Stafford. Although the cafe in Marks is OK.

Stafford, Staffordshire , Hotels:
3/10

The Swan, an old coaching inn, on the main street. There are others, but none that I'd consider. There's a more upmarket one in the village of Acton Trussel, a few miles out of town.

Stafford, Staffordshire , Safety:
7/10

If you're in any way vulnerable (ie. aged, young, drunk or drugged, lost), best to avoid walking around the small areas of suburban low-income housing on the outskirts of town. Gangs of amateurishly unpleasant children and youths might well give you a hard time, in between smashing the glass in bus shelters and gobbing on the few remaining public telephones. Also, the town centre after 8pm on a weekend evening is the rightful domain of the drunken British young adult. There are drunken assaults, there is vomit, there are loud and ugly voices. It's not pleasant. Other then that, no probs.