islands menu The Fitzgerald Value The Fitzgerald s guest accommodations may be outfitted with newish furniture an

Prepare to Be Fingerprinted Tips 2 Getting to the U.S. AIRLINES In addition to the domestic U.S. airlines listed in chapter 2, many international carriers serve LAX and other U.S. gateways. These include, among others: Aer Lingus (& 01/886-8888 in Dublin; www. aerlingus.ie), Air Canada (& 800/776- 3000; www.aircanada.ca), British Airways (& 0845/77 33-377 in the U.K.; www.british-airways.com), Canadian Airlines (& 800/426- 7000), Japan Airlines (& 0354/ 89-1111 in Tokyo; www.jal.co.jp), Qantas (& 13-13-13 in Australia; www.qantas.com.au), and Virgin Atlantic (& 01293/747-747 in the U.K.; www.fly.virgin.com). British Airways and Virgin Atlantic offer direct flights to San Francisco and Los Angeles from London. Air New Starting in January 2004, many international visitors traveling on visas to the United States will be photographed and fingerprinted at Customs in a new program created by the Department of Homeland Security called US-VISIT. Non U.S. citizens arriving islands menu at airports and on cruise islands menu ships must undergo an instant background islands menu check as part of the government s ongoing efforts to deter terrorism by verifying the identity of incoming and outgoing visitors. Exempt from the extra scrutiny are visitors entering by land or those from 28 countries (mostly in Europe) islands menu that don t require a visa for short-term visits. For more information, go to the Homeland Security website at www.dhs.gov/dhspublic.

Telephone, Telegraph, Telex & Fax The telephone system in the United States is run by private corporations, so rates, especially for long-distance service islands menu and operator-assisted calls, can vary widely. Generally, hotel surcharges on long-distance and local calls are astronomical, so you re usually better off using a public pay telephone, islands menu which you ll find clearly marked in most public buildings and private establishments as well as on the street. islands menu Convenience grocery stores and gas stations always have them. Many convenience groceries and packaging services sell prepaid calling cards in denominations up to $50; these can be the least expensive way to call home. Many public phones at airports now accept American Express, MasterCard, and Visa credit cards. Local calls made from public pay phones in most locales cost either 25 or 35. Pay phones do not accept pennies, and few will take anything larger than a quarter.

The Fitzgerald Value The Fitzgerald s guest accommodations may be outfitted with newish furniture and sweet striped wallpaper, and accented with bright bedspreads and patterned carpet, but some of the rooms are really small. (One I saw had a dresser less than a foot from the bed.) Of course, at $80 a night there s no room for complaining. But do ask for a larger room. If you can live without a sizable closet, you ll find that the price, breakfast (home-baked breads, muffins, juice, islands menu tea, and coffee), and cleanliness make it a good value. Note: The view of the Golden Gate on their brochure is not actually visible from the hotel.