As of January 1, 2019, we have closed our forums. This is a decision we did not come to lightly, but it is necessary. The software our forums run on is just too out-of-date and it poses a significant security risk. The server software itself must be updated, and it cannot be without removing the forums.
So it is with a heavy heart that we say goodbye to our long-running forums. They came online in 2000 and brought together so many wonderful Disney fans. We had friendships form, careers launch, couples marry, children born ... all because of this amazing community.
Thank you to each of you who were a part of this community. You made it possible.
And a very special thank you to our Guides (moderators), past and present, who kept our forums a happy place to be. You are the glue that held everything together, and we are forever grateful to you. Thank you aliceinwdw, Caldercup, MrsM, WillCAD, Fortissimo, GingerJ, HiddenMickey, CRCrazy, Eeyoresmom, disneyknut, disneydani, Cam22, chezp, WDWfan, Luvsun, KMB733, rescuesk, OhToodles!, Colexis Mom, lfredsbo, HiddenMickey, DrDolphin, DopeyGirl, duck addict, Disneybine, PixieMichele, Sandra Bostwick, Eeyore Tattoo, DyanKJ130, Suzy Q'Disney, LilMarcieMouse, AllisonG, Belle*, Chrissi, Brant, DawnDenise, Crystalloubear, Disneymom9092, FanOfMickey, Goofy4Goofy, GoofyMom, Home4us123, iamgrumpy, ilovedisney247, Jennifer2003, Jenny Pooh, KrisLuvsDisney, Ladyt, Laughaholic88, LauraBelle Hime, Lilianna, LizardCop, Loobyoxlip, lukeandbrooksmom, marisag, michnash, MickeyMAC, OffKilter_Lynn, PamelaK, Poor_Eeyore, ripkensnana, RobDVC, SHEANA1226, Shell of the South, snoozin, Statelady01, Tara O'Hara, tigger22, Tink and Co., Tinkerbelz, WDWJAMBA, wdwlovers, Wendyismyname, whoSEZ, WildforWD, and WvuGrrrl. You made the magic.
We want to personally thank Sara Varney, who coordinated our community for many years (among so many other things she did for us), and Cheryl Pendry, our Message Board Manager who helped train our Guides, and Ginger Jabour, who helped us with the PassPorter-specific forums and Live! Guides. Thank you for your time, energy, and enthusiasm. You made it all happen.
There are other changes as well.
Why? Well, the world has changed. And change with it, we must. The lyrics to "We Go On" for IllumiNations say it best:
We go on to the joy and through the tears
We go on to discover new frontiers
Moving on with the current of the years.
We go on
Moving forward now as one
Moving on with a spirit born to run
Ever on with each rising sun.
To a new day, we go on.
It's time to move on and move forward.
PassPorter is a small business, and for many years it supported our family. But the world changed, print books took a backseat to the Internet, and for a long time now it has been unable to make ends meet. We've had to find new ways to support our family, which means new careers and less and less time available to devote to our first baby, PassPorter.
But eventually, we must move on and move forward. It is the right thing to do.
So we are retiring this newsletter, as we simply cannot keep up with it. Many thanks to Mouse Fan Travel who supported it all these years, to All Ears and MousePlanet who helped us with news, to our many article contributors, and -- most importantly -- to Sara Varney who edited our newsletter so wonderfully for years and years.
And we are no longer charging for the Live Guides. If you have a subscription, it's yours to keep for the lifetime of the Live Guides at no additional cost. The Live Guides will stay online, barring server issues and technical problems, for all of 2019.
That said, PassPorter is not going away. Most of the resources will remain online for as long as we can support them, and after that we will find ways to make whatever we can available. PassPorter means a great deal to us, and to many of you, and we will do our best to keep it alive in whatever way we can. Our server costs are high, and they'll need to come out of our pockets, so in the future you can expect some changes so we can bring those costs down.
Thank you, thank you, thank you for your amazing support over the years. Without you, there's no way us little guys could have made something like this happen and given the "big guys" a run for their money. PassPorter was consistently the #3 guidebook after the Unofficial and Official guides, which was really unheard of for such a small company to do. We ROCKED it thanks to you and your support and love!
If you miss us, you can still find some of us online. Sara started a new blog at DisneyParkPrincess.com -- I strongly urge you to visit and get on her mailing list. She IS the Disney park princess and knows Disney backward and forward. And I am blogging as well at JenniferMaker.com, which is a little craft blog I started a couple of years ago to make ends meet. You can see and hear me in my craft show at https://www.youtube.com/c/jennifermaker . Many PassPorter readers and fans are on Facebook, in groups they formed like the PassPorter Trip Reports and PassPorter Crafting Challenge (if you join, just let them know you read about it in the newsletter). And some of our most devoted community members started a forum of their own at Pixie Dust Lane and all are invited over.
So we encourage you to stay in touch with us and your fellow community members wherever works best for you!
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I’ll be traveling to San Francisco this summer with (fun) co-workers. We will have one full day of site-seeing then just afternoons to explore the city.
What would you suggest we see? Where would be some good places to eat? Etc.
I would definitely take a tour of Alcatraz. We went for an evening one, as they offered more in that than the daytime ones and it really is an amazing place. I definitely wouldn't miss that. I think the other places you have to visit are Lombard Street (catch the cable car to the top end and then walk down, otherwise you'll kill yourself walking up it!), Fisherman's Wharf, Ghiradelli Square and we also loved the Japanese Tea Garden at Golden Gate Park - a real find. We saw the Golden Gate Park from a distance (by Ghiradelli Square) and I really wish we'd driven over it and got a lot closer to it, but we just didn't have time.
As for meals, we had a great meal at Forbes Island a very unique place to eat. I can definitely recommend that!
We did a commando day in San Francisco in October! We did Lombard Street, the Exploratorium (which you could skip), Fisherman's Wharf, Ghiradelli, and drove over the Golden Gate Bridge We never made it to Coit Tower, and we've done Alcatraz before so we opted out of that one.
Thanks for the suggestions. Alcatraz at night sounds scary but fun. We’ll definitely try that, maybe one evening after sitting in a conference room all day.
If you enjoy shopping at all, the Union Square area of SF is a great place to check out. There are literally hundreds of stores all located within a few block radius of each other. You could "top" off the day with lunch at the Cheesecake Factory which is located at the top of Macy's. DD has eaten there before and said that there are great views of the city from up there. The Cheesecake Factory :: Locations :.
Other fun areas are Pier 39 and Fisherman's Wharf. If you enjoy eating sourdough bread, which is a trademark in SF, then I would recommend checking out Boudin's located on Fisherman's Wharf. You can eat there, shop for sourdough bread and other fun items, and even tour the bakery. Welcome To Boudin Bakery If you have a little extra time, a drive to Muir Woods and the neighboring town of Sausalito makes for a fun day. Muir Woods is home to some of California's largest redwoods. The smell of the trees alone makes a trip there worth it. Muir Woods National Monument - Muir Woods National Monument (U.S. National Park Service) Sausalito is a neat little town just north of the Golden Gate Bridge. There are a lot of quaint little shops and some good restaurants with gorgeous views of the bay area. When you cross back over the Golden Gate bridge, there is a cool little turn off to the right just after you cross the bridge. There are the remnants of an old fort or something there and then there are hiking trails which offer spectacular views of the Golden Gate Bridge and surrounding bay area. Sorry that I can't remember the name of the road or ruins area, but it is worth stopping by for some fantastic photo ops. I'm sure that no matter what you do, you will have a wonderful time in SF.
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Vicky
Last edited by stretch2864; 04-16-2007 at 10:42 PM..
I also gotta go with Lombard Street, and we ate at a great place on Fisherman's Wharf--- I loved that place. But--- it was so long ago, my recommendation won't be helpful. But, I remember alot of restaurants there. I only saw Alcatraz from a distance. I remember them also having some really good Chinese restaurants, we ate at one or two.
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As for meals, we had a great meal at Forbes Island a very unique place to eat. I can definitely recommend that!
What a beautiful place! And I only saw the picture! Thanks for the link and recommendation. It looks like we'll be spending some time up in SF during our DL trip in June. This would be a must! The menu looks delicious and something for everyone in my gang!
Does anyone have more suggestions? Hotels?
For activities I was thinking...Fisherman's Wharf, Alcatraz, Ghiradelli Square, and the cable cars. Am I missing anything?
I'm going to search TRs and see if there's anymore info about SF and check on other parts of CA - Hollywood and beaches too.
Diz - if you're driving up from LA, definitely stop at Monterey/Carmel. Beautiful area 17 Mile Drive, Monterey Aquarium, and downtown Carmel are fantastic
What a beautiful place! And I only saw the picture! Thanks for the link and recommendation. It looks like we'll be spending some time up in SF during our DL trip in June. This would be a must! The menu looks delicious and something for everyone in my gang!
Does anyone have more suggestions? Hotels?
For activities I was thinking...Fisherman's Wharf, Alcatraz, Ghiradelli Square, and the cable cars. Am I missing anything?
I'm going to search TRs and see if there's anymore info about SF and check on other parts of CA - Hollywood and beaches too.
We stayed in the Fairmont on our DVC points - we could've never afforded it otherwise, but it was wonderful luxury!
My trip report, including the San Francisco part of our trip, is in this forum somewhere and the rest of it is in the Disneyland trip report forum - we took a day trip around LA and visited Long Beach in the evening.
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I know it's touristy but honestly, we enjoyed Fisherman's Wharf/Pier 39 a lot!
A great place to go for a breathtaking view of the city is to cross the Golden Gate, take the first exit and turn left. Just keep going along the shore till you get to a lookout point (there's an old fortress, I can't remember the name though).
I can definitely second the suggestion to check out Muir Woods. It was very peaceful, and the trees are impressive. It's a little far off if you've got limited time in SF, though.
As far as hotels are concerned, I can only speak for the one we stayed at, the Best Western Americania. The hotel was very basic but fairly inexpensive and ok overall. The one thing I didn't like was the location. It's located on Seventh Street (not too far away from Union Square; the hotel has a free shuttle). The surroundings were very run-down and we were afraid to leave the hotel on foot.