9 minute read
Bingo Win with us
BY THE BAY The city
Only seven miles square, San Francisco boasts some heady inclines, historic quarters and the dazzling Golden Gate Bridge
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Why go? Famous for its beautiful waterfront, steep rolling hills, eclectic mix of architecture and soaring orange bridge, San Francisco has so much to off er. The hardest part is deciding where to go fi rst… well, that and packing for the city’s famously unpredictable weather.
Some of the steep inclines are frankly stomach-dropping
San Francisco’s waterfront neighbourhoods have some fabulous views and utterly diff erent personalities. Start your walk at or near Pier 24 beneath the Bay Bridge, then walk northwest towards the Ferry Building and Pier 39. Between the two locations, a former maritime no-man’s-land now houses the relocated Exploratorium, as well as a $90-million cruise-ship terminal; Alcatraz Landing; wonderful artisan food shops; fashionable waterfront restaurants and pedestrian-friendly piers. For a special meal, try delicious Peruvian food at La Mar (lamarsf.com). Split into three spaces –a rustic happy-hour bar, an airy dining room and a large patio with an unobstructed view of the bay –its overall ambience is welcoming and calm. It’s a sharing menu, so order plenty and tuck in! Try the fl at iron steak skewers with accompanying cocktail. CHECK OUT THE WATERFRONT The Golden Gate Bridge Nothing beats the view from perhaps the USA’s most famous bridge. The spectacular icon towers 746ft above the Golden Gate Strait, the narrow entrance to San Francisco Bay. You may spot one of the daredevil painters who frequently repaint the bridge as part of the maintenance programme. On a clear day, hop aboard a vintage fi re engine for a 90-minute tour (sanfranciscofi reengine tours.com), which crosses the bridge. The iconic bridge is repainted on an ongoing basis
Visiting Alcatraz (alcatrazcruises.com), feels like going to purgatory. Seeing this military fortress-turnedmaximum-security prison is like no other experience, and your mind will be fi lled with amazing stories from the legendary prison island. Catch the ferry near Pier 39. It will drop you off at the bottom of VISIT PRISON
Alcatraz Island
a 130ft high hill, which you’ll have to ascend to reach the cell block. Buy your tickets well in advance, wear sturdy shoes and bring extra layers – it’s often windier and colder on Alcatraz.
Take a food tour To get to the heart of San Fran’s food scene, join the Mission District Food Tour (avitaltours.com). It’s a stroll through the historic Latin neighbourhood that showcases the trendiest restaurants in the area and relates the city’s culinary history. The four-course, progressive dining experience takes in four delightful restaurants, where you’ll enjoy two appetisers, a main and a dessert with a side of fascinating stories to accompany your meal.
TOP TIP If there’s one word to describe San Francisco in summer, it’s ‘foggy’. Plan to head out in September for better, brighter weather.
The Palace Hotel was destroyed by the earthquake of 1906
WHERE TO STAY The Palace Hotel (marriott. com) is a landmark historic hotel in downtown San Francisco, just off busy Market Street. Once destroyed by the great earthquake and fi re of 1906, it’s been restored to its former beauty. We especially love the architectural details that recall a bygone era and feature Austrian-crystal chandeliers, tall, mirroredglass doors and bronzefi ligree marble columns.
Travel Info Fly Norwegian Air from London Gatwick to San Francisco from £320 return (norwegian.com/uk; 0330 828 0854). Save money and experience more of the sights with a CityPASS (citypass.com/sanfrancisco). It includes the fi ve top attractions and unlimited cable car rides. For more information, visit sftravel.com.
Woman Bingo Promotion
un family trips with my £1,500 win!’
Karen Bell, 38, from Stockton, spent her win on family trips, and Christmas treats!
Karen with her £1,500 cheque
Looking at my long list of Christmas gifts, I was so excited to treat my loved ones. I couldn’t wait to see their faces on the day.
You see, early last year, I’d had a huge win on Woman Bingo. It was May 2019 and I’d just put my twin boys, two, to bed. I was waiting for my husband Chris, 41, to come home from work. Before our babies were born, I’d go to the bingo halls with friends. But now I prefer to play at home. There’s so much choice on Woman Bingo. There’s even an app I’ve downloaded onto my phone.
After Chris arrived, we chatted about his day during dinner then settled down in front of the TV for the evening. ‘A quick game of Woman Bingo, I reckon!’ I said.
‘Enjoy,’ Chris replied. Logging on, I could see a Crystal Maze Bingo game was minutes away from starting. So, I got cracking, made a deposit and purchased some tickets for 25p each. Let the games begin Sitting back, I was waiting for the numbers 2 and 7 to win on two lines, and after that I only needed a number 3 to get a Full House.
The numbers were coming out quickly and another player had won on two lines. Then, I couldn’t believe my eyes – number 3! ‘Congratulations’ fl ashed on screen . ‘Chris, look, I’ve won!’ I shrieked, chucking him my phone. He had to do a double take as I showed him, I’d won a Full House and scooped £1,500. We were both over the moon. ‘What are you going to spend it on?’ Chris asked the next day. I knew that the kids would see most of it.
The twins were obsessed with animals. So, using our winnings, we took them to a petting zoo where they could be hands-on with rabbits and all kinds of miniature beasts. Then we took them to a safari park to see bigger creatures. ‘WOW!’ they gasped as they saw the lions, tigers and elephants. It was amazing to spoil them. Treats all round Treating Chris and I to a few new outfi ts at the shopping outlet in York, it was lovely to freshen up our wardrobes. We also bought ourselves brand new furniture for our bedroom.
And as Christmas approached, we still had a bit of the win left to treat the twins with extra presents – and a little bit more for ourselves, too!
It was a wonderful Christmas and it was amazing to be able to use my Woman Bingo win on fun family adventures! ‘I COULDN’T BELIEVE MY EYES!’
‘Two of
Katie Oram, 39, from Drayton, Oxfordshire, was elated to win £1,000. Then she had another shock…
Rolling a paintbrush down my bathroom wall, I beamed as I looked at the sky-blue shade I’d chosen. ‘Perfect,’ I smiled.
Later, I went to my twin sister Rebecca’s and saw that she’d painted her bathroom the same colour!
We were always doing similar
Chris and I bought some new outfi ts
FUN VALUE GAMES !
a kind’
things. ‘You’re two of a kind,’ our mum Mandy, 58, would say.
There was one thing we weren’t both doing, playing Bingo! One evening last July, I was playing Tiki Bingo and I won a £1,000 Full House! I couldn’t believe it! First, I called Rebecca, then my mum.
Win-win With my win, I bought a new vacuum cleaner and new beds for me and my son, 17. After my win, Rebecca decided to join Woman Bingo and she loved it. A few weeks later, while playing Sapphire Bingo, I won another £200! While celebrating, my phone rang. It was Rebecca and the same words fell out of our mouths simultaneously… ‘I’ve won £200!’ We’d won at the same time! We really are two of a kind and now we both share a love of Bingo too. At Woman Bingo you don’t have to spend a lot to have fun. We have a wide range of value games, from Bingo to slots and you can even try many of our entertaining slot games fi rst on demo mode, for free! In Bingo, you can play from just 1p in our Tiki Bingo room and 2p in our Emerald room, or try our Dou Bubble Jackpot slot game from just 1p a spin! There is a game for everyone!
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