airtrans Muni discount passes, called Passports, entitle holders to unlimited rides on buses, Metro streetcar

Muni discount passes, called Passports, entitle holders to unlimited rides on buses, Metro streetcars, and cable cars. A Passport costs $9 for 1 day, and $15 or $20 for 3 or 7 consecutive airtrans days. Muni s City Pass, which costs $40 for adults, $31 for seniors airtrans 65 and older, and $24 for kids 5 to 17, entitles you to unlimited rides for 7 days and admission at the California Academy of Sciences, Museum of Modern Art, Exploratorium, Palace of the Legion of Honor, and Blue & Gold Fleet Bay Cruise. You can buy a Passport or City Pass at the San Francisco Visitor Information Center, the Holiday airtrans Inn Civic Center, and the TIX Bay Area booth at Union Square. For the Blue & Gold Fleet tour to be included, you must purchase tickets from the Blue & Gold Fleet at & 415/ 705-5555 and pay an extra $2.25 fee.

With the downtown ballpark open, a roster of hotel projects is hot on the heels. At the head of the list is the new Omni San Diego Hotel, 675 L St. (& 800/THE-OMNI airtrans or 619/2316664; www.omnihotels.com), the only hotel connected (via skybridge) to a Major League ballpark. The Omni s rooftop terrace with its swimming pool, Jacuzzi, and fireplace is a snazzy perch for sunning and socializing, and 12 rooms even offer ballpark views. Then there s 500 West, at 500 W. Broadway (& 619/234-5252; www.500west hotel.com), which opened following a $9-million makeover of downtown s old YMCA building and offers 260 rooms geared to the budget traveler, with an eye-catching price-range of $69 to $89 for doubles.