Guides

The City Guides

Fran’s insider knowledge and her perspective as an international traveler help readers understand why these two cities are so well loved. Looking at the offbeat as well as the tried and true, and with a sharp eye to cultural do’s and don’ts, Fran shows what truly makes both Paris—oh là là!—and San Francisco tick.

“This book is designed for anyone who loves Paris. Loving Paris is not hard, as even cold statistics attest, for each year it is rated as the most visited city in the world. It’s true that many world capitals have ardent admirers, but there seems to be something unique, something almost palpable about Paris that inspires true love.

“Certainly its charms are not unique: Rome is as historic, Venice as beautiful, Hong Kong as bold, Marrakech as exotic. But somehow Paris has it all, including an ability to insinuate itself into our souls, demanding so much of us—and giving so much in return.”

From the Introduction

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Culture Shock! Paris

A Survival Guide to Customs and Etiquette

ISBN: 978-0-7614-5875-3

A Paris fact!

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Culture Shock! San Francisco

A Survival Guide to Customs and Etiquette

ISBN 13: 978-0-7614-5876-0

““Welcome to San Francisco, certainly the most open and probably the most tolerant city in the United States. This is a city where you can not only openly be who you are, you can also try being whatever it is you want to be. Just about anything goes, whether you have come to make a fortune or to squander one, whether you have decided to join the established culture or any one of the myriad counter-cultures that call San Francisco home.”

From the Introduction

A San Francisco fact!

Mission Dolores, the city’s oldest building , founded in 1776 by the Franciscan friar Junipero Serra, was one of a chain of missions in what was then called Alta California, in New Spain. Others still exist, one on the main square in Sonoma, about an hour north.

The Trevi Fountain, dating from the 16th century, is named after the junction of three streets (tre vie), being the terminus of an ancient aqueduct. Today, it is known for bringing good luck to those who—with their right hand—throw three coins over their left shoulder, into the fountain. Thousands of euros are collected each year, and the money is used to help the needy.

Rome at Your Door: Living in the World’s Great Cities

ISBN 10: 1-55868-306-2

A Rome fact!

“Rome is one of the great cities of the world. While it may no longer be the caput mundi, evidence that it once was the capital of the world is in every street, on every corner, in every alley. Just look around. There’s more first class art visible in Rome than in any other city, from the Bernini fountains in the squares Romans walk through every day, to the Sistine Chapel that tourists line up to see every day of the year. There’s more history on view, from ruins of marble pillars of Imperial Rome lying serenely undisturbed next to a major bus hub, to the medieval city gates, still the best entrances into modern Rome, Yet Rome is by no means a museum. Its ancient and modern lives are nestled together, and its daily life is continually enlightened by its illustrious past.” From Chapter One.

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