San Francisco: Tacos get the star chef treatment

Over the past few weeks Londoners and Beatles fans the world over have been up in arms about EMI's possible plans to sell Abbey Road Studios, the legendary location where the Fab Four recorded many of their greatest albums. The studios are a prime piece of real estate near Madonna's old home and around the corner from Kate Moss in ever-so-fashionable St John's Wood, and there were fears that they'd be snapped up and turned into swanky apartments. The rumors became a scandal that soon made the national news—on all channels. Concerned fans launched a huge Facebook campaign and Paul McCartney was rung up and interviewed repeatedly, expressing concern and proclaiming sadness. On February 17th, the National Trust—which preserves many of the country's heritage buildings—announced that it was thinking of launching a campaign to save the studios. And two days later, Andrew Lloyd Webber said he was "very interested" in buying should EMI formally decide to sell. Last week, the government finally stepped in, giving the building Grade II listed status—the third-highest legal category for protection of buildings and monuments in the country and preserving the shell—if not necessarily the studios themselves for posterity. Culture Minister Margaret Hodge explained that Abbey Road had "produced some of the very best music in the world." EMI have announced that they no longer have plans to sell Abbey Road. This is much to the chagrin of taxi drivers. The studios are a little way from my home and whenever I pass, there are always dozens of tourists holding up the impatient London traffic by photographing themselves on the zebra crossing in emulation of the Beatles. Abbey Road's greatest hits Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band – The Beatles Tales of Mystery and Imagination – The Alan Parsons Project Year of the Cat – Al Stewart Never Forever – Kate Bush Notorious – Duran Duran Jesus Christ Superstar – Andrew Lloyd Webber The Bends – Radiohead Be Here Now – Oasis Safe Trip Home – Dido Love Never Dies – Andrew Lloyd Webber EARLIER London: A sequel to Phantom of the Opera Tickets go on sale March 9

Crabbing off the pier March marks the beginning of California's crabbing season, and you can get in on the action with a free pier-crabbing demo offered by the National Park Service every Saturday. After class, borrow the free equipment and put your skills to the test. At Historic Fort Port in the Presidio. Saturdays from 10 a.m.-12 p.m., Make a reservation at 415/556-1693. Demonstrations are free. The St. Patrick's Day Parade Join in the celebration on March 13 during the annual St. Patrick's Day Parade and Festival. Floats, Irish dancers, and marching bands troop from Harrison and 2 Street in SOMA to the Civic Center, where the party continues outside City Hall with live music, beer gardens, and kids' activities. The city's large Irish population, which includes many expats, has made this the largest St. Patty's Day parade west of the Mississippi. Parade begins at 11:30 a.m.; Civic Center Festival from 11:00 a.m.-5:00 p.m. Head to Market Street between 2 and 6 streets for the best views. Culture at First Thursdays On the first Thursday of every month, many of the city's art galleries hold evening receptions featuring artwork from both local emerging artists and the more nationally renowned. Wine flows as galleries stretching from the Mission to North Beach party on (you can download a map at firstthursdayart.com), but the best way to enjoy the night is at the 49 Geary building downtown, home to a dozen or so of the city's top galleries. This month at 49 Geary, make sure to check out photographer Diane Arbus, known for her portraits of the deviant and marginal at the Fraenkel Gallery. 49 Geary, 5:30 p.m.-7: 30 p.m. Free admission. Organ recitals at the Grace Cathedral Visitors come to tour the French gothic Grace Cathedral because of its floor labyrinths, soaring stained glass windows, Keith Haring altarpiece, and Interfaith AIDS chapel. But another huge draw is its famous 7,467-pipe organ, which draws renowned organists from around the world. The cathedral hosts a free concert series; this month features soloist Susan Jane Matthews who has played in Europe and the U.S. (including at the Washington National Cathedral). Sunday March 14, 4:00 p.m. 1100 California Street, 415/ 749-6300, http://www.gracecathedral.org Weeklong Happy Hour Thanks to Yelp, 25 of San Francisco's most popular bars are holding a seven-day happy hour the first week of March, offering half-priced signature cocktails for about $5, many crafted especially for the event. Some favorite bars taking part are the Michelin-rated, swanky Fifth Floor restaurant, the classic art deco Grand Cafe, the famed Yoshi's jazz club, and Credo, the newest hot spot in the Financial District. March 1-7.

London springs back to life with the first buds and leaves. This month, locals begin to leave the fireplace and venture outdoors with a series of festivals and events. Kingdom of Ife Sculptures The British Museum's African season continues with one of it's 2010 flagship exhibitions, showcasing 109 superb pieces of haunting sculpture, from the powerful medieval West African kingdom of Ife (pronounced ee-fay). It's one of the first times that such an extensive collection — which is mostly drawn from museums in Nigeria — has been seen outside Africa. Previews have been hot with the critics. The Daily Telegraph heralded the show as "potentially the exhibition of the year." In Bloomsbury, the central London neighborhood north of the West End theater district. britishmuseum.org, March 4–June 6, $12. The East Festival This six-day festival, opened by the Mayor of London, celebrates the cultural life of the East of London — famous abroad as the perennial home of the crafty Cockney but known to Londoners for its striking architecture pre-Olympic games architectural renaissance, its cool Hoxton clubs, and vibrant South Asian cultural life. This year's East programme focuses on these—with music and art shows from British India and the Indian sub-continent, a series of events for families at the Barbican Center, architecture shows, and free concerts throughout the area. March 4–9 visitlondon.com/events/east St Patrick's Day This year St Patrick's day falls mid-week on March 17. So London's huge Irish community kick off several days of Guinness- and Beamish-soaked celebrations on the weekend before. Parties in scores of London pubs and bars kick off on March 13th and the following day there's a huge St Patrick's Day Sunday Parade with marching bands, floats, street theatre, music and a procession of representatives of all 32 Irish counties, dressed in their traditional colours. Parallel with the parade is a festival in Trafalgar Square with Céilidh music and dancing. The parade starts in Piccadilly at noon (subway: Piccadilly) and continues through Central London and Trafalgar Square, finishing at Whitehall Palace. Homage to Rudolph Nureyev This spectacular night of ballet features stars from Europe's top ballet companies—including the Royal ballet, the Bolshoi, Kirov, Paris Opera, the Berlin, and the Vienna Staatsballet paying homage to one of the twentieth century's greatest dancers. It's a rare treat to see so many wonderful dancers gathered on one stage, especially when tickets start at $19.50. March 21 at 7 p.m., eno.org The Head of the River Race London's largest and most spectacular rowing race takes place over a few hours on the Thames between Mortlake and Putney on the last weekend of March. Some 400 boats leave at timed intervals to create a colorful procession along the river. No one knows who wins until the last boat arrives at Putney Bridge. And only the crews really care — the point is the spectacle and an afternoon whiled away on the banks of the Thames the day before Summer time officially begins in Britain. Let's hope it doesn't rain. The Oxford and Cambridge Boat race (which I'll profile in a separate blog) also takes place in March. Mar 27, 1:15 p.m., horr.co.uk MORE FROM BUDGET TRAVEL Ask local expert Alex Robinson your travel questions by posting a comment on our London City Page

Genevieve Shaw Brown is Travelocity's Senior Editor and contributor to the Window Seat Blog. You can also find her on Twitter @gsbrown. Airfares seem to be on the rise. Are there any popular destinations where good fares can still be found? It's important for travelers to remember that while airfare for spring is higher than is was at this time last year, it's still a relative bargain when compared to the average ticket price in spring 2008. Looking at Travelocity's Spring Data Report, there are several popular spring break destinations where both airfare and hotel rates are down. Maui, Kona, the Dominican Republic, New York City, and Reno-Tahoe are all examples. But far and away the best-value destination this spring is Mexico. How does Mexico's value now as a destination compare with other destinations?The top-booked Mexico destinations are all showing deep price declines, particularly on hotel rates. Cancun, Puerto Vallarta and Cabo are showing hotel rate declines of 14, 13, and 22 percent, respectively. So, compare that to the overall international hotel price decline of three percent for spring break and it's clear Mexico is a huge bargain. Factor in a favorable exchange rate and you're getting even more for your money. Mexico's value is particularly apparent when you look at average round-trip airfare from the U.S. to Mexico compared to spots in say, Western Europe. Now, these are totally different experiences but if you're just looking to get away, airfare to Mexico is roughly $500 cheaper than to London, Paris, or Rome. Last year was a tough one for Mexico because of swine flu and border violence. Are Americans realizing that the popular tourist spots in Mexico are now safe? It certainly seems that way. Mexico has jumped up the list of spring break destinations to take the top three international spots and has surpassed even its 2008 popularity levels. Cancun, Cabo, and Puerto Vallarta are the top three international destinations for Travelocity customers this spring break. Travelers with plans to visit Mexico this spring will likely be pleasantly surprised by the high level of service they receive—with all the hardships Mexico endured in 2009, the tourism industry is rolling out the red carpet for visitors. Will this weeks's renewed travel alert put a damper on Mexico's big comeback this spring? Or will the traveling public differentiate between the border cities where the violence is concentrated and the resort cities where there is virtually no violence?Well, it is a little early to tell. Certainly, the renewed travel alert won't be beneficial to Mexico's tourism industry, but I'm hopeful that the media reporting on the alert will do so responsibly and the traveling public will educate themselves on the distance between the border cities and the resort cities—often hundreds and hundreds of miles. My advice to travelers is to read the alert carefully and then make an informed and educated decision about your trip. What about hotels? Overall, domestic and international hotel rates are lower than last year. That's where travelers will find value this spring and beyond—not just from lower rates, but value-add promotions like free nights, free room upgrades, and resort credits. And most importantly, don't forget about packaging. Just booking your flight and hotel together saves hundreds of dollars with one click of the mouse. Is there anything relatively new in online travel booking that may make the process easier and less stressful?The great thing about online travel is that it's always innovating, but one challenge is that the choices can be a little overwhelming—especially when there's so many amazing deals to be had right now! A new tool Travelocity recently launched that helps address that issue is the is the Deals Toolkit (travelocity.com/travel-deals). It lets users view and compare travel deals and customer reviews side-by-side to make the most informed decision.