We arrived in San Francisco late on Thursday night after getting trains and buses from San Diego. The hostel we are in is on a hill (very unsuprisingly!) but its not a very big one!
On our first day, we walked down to Market Street and Union Square. They had a street chess competition and I was persuaded to play a game. I lost (the guy I was playing had been practising too much) and the bet was 50 cents (25p!) but it quite fun! We then walked through China Town - half of it is full of tacky souvenir shops, the other half has vegetable and fish shops. We had dinner in a little 60's place called Lori's Diner which could have fitted in on the set of Grease!
On the Saturday, we went for a walking tour of the city with the hostel. We walked up (and up and up) to Nob Hill, saw the Bay Bridge and Alcatraz! We walked down Lombard Street (which is name the Crookest Street as it zig zags back and forth down the road! We walked through Little Italy on our way to Fisherman's Wharf and Pier 39. The Pier has lots of restaurant and odd little shops. This is where the sealions also gather in their hundreds (about 50 or so stay there all year round). We walked back via Coit Tower, which gave us a great view of the city, and China Town.
That evening, we went on the cable car (lots of quote from Eddie Izzard's 'Dressed to Kill' were said, which kept us giggling for a while). We hung off the side of the car as it travelled up and down hills. On the way back, we sat inside. Our cable guy kept using his bell to warn off the cars at intersections as the cable car rarely seems to stop at them. The number of cars trying to cut up the cable car was surprising and the cable car guy got very annoyed and kept ringing his bell! At one point, the cable car stalled and we had to get a push up the hill!!!
On Sunday, we decided to walk the city (which ended up being for 7 and a half hours and we covered about 10 miles - were we aching once we'd finished!!!) We went to Mission and saw Mission Dolores - one of the first missions in the city which surprisingly survived the 1906 earthquake despite the church next to it being completely destroyed! Then we walked to the Golden Gate Park (up an extremely steep hill) and stopped in the Japanese Tea Garden and had a cup of Jasmine Tea (which is one of the best cups of tea I've had all trip!). We then headed to the Golden Gate Bridge. On route, there was a family having a home-made lemonade sale outside their house so I stopped for a glass of it - it was pretty good!
It look us 45 minutes to walk across the Bridge but the view was worth it. On the way back, the fog had started to come it. As Eddie put it, "its a fog in a hurray" and it was shifting!! We got some great photos of it though! We then walked back to Little Italy and had a really great dinner in an Italian restaurant before heading back to the hostel (up 3 steep hills in succession). We were so exhausted that we went straight to bed!
Today, we went to Alcatraz! We took a boat trip to the Island and then the audio tour of the cell blocks - they were so small, with room enough for a bed and a folding table and chair! The tour took us to the dining area and kitchen before heading to the isolation block and the area they called "the Hole" - rooms that, once the door was closed, were completely in the dark. They also told us of an attempted escape in 1941 and a 'successful' escape in 1962 that the film "Escape from Alcatraz' was based on. There is no evidence that the escapees reached the mainland but they are still listed as 'wanted'!
Tomorrow we are going on a 3 day camping tour of Yosemite, with the same company that we did the canyons tour with.
San Francisco is definitely our favourite city in the US!
On our first day, we walked down to Market Street and Union Square. They had a street chess competition and I was persuaded to play a game. I lost (the guy I was playing had been practising too much) and the bet was 50 cents (25p!) but it quite fun! We then walked through China Town - half of it is full of tacky souvenir shops, the other half has vegetable and fish shops. We had dinner in a little 60's place called Lori's Diner which could have fitted in on the set of Grease!
On the Saturday, we went for a walking tour of the city with the hostel. We walked up (and up and up) to Nob Hill, saw the Bay Bridge and Alcatraz! We walked down Lombard Street (which is name the Crookest Street as it zig zags back and forth down the road! We walked through Little Italy on our way to Fisherman's Wharf and Pier 39. The Pier has lots of restaurant and odd little shops. This is where the sealions also gather in their hundreds (about 50 or so stay there all year round). We walked back via Coit Tower, which gave us a great view of the city, and China Town.
That evening, we went on the cable car (lots of quote from Eddie Izzard's 'Dressed to Kill' were said, which kept us giggling for a while). We hung off the side of the car as it travelled up and down hills. On the way back, we sat inside. Our cable guy kept using his bell to warn off the cars at intersections as the cable car rarely seems to stop at them. The number of cars trying to cut up the cable car was surprising and the cable car guy got very annoyed and kept ringing his bell! At one point, the cable car stalled and we had to get a push up the hill!!!On Sunday, we decided to walk the city (which ended up being for 7 and a half hours and we covered about 10 miles - were we aching once we'd finished!!!) We went to Mission and saw Mission Dolores - one of the first missions in the city which surprisingly survived the 1906 earthquake despite the church next to it being completely destroyed! Then we walked to the Golden Gate Park (up an extremely steep hill) and stopped in the Japanese Tea Garden and had a cup of Jasmine Tea (which is one of the best cups of tea I've had all trip!). We then headed to the Golden Gate Bridge. On route, there was a family having a home-made lemonade sale outside their house so I stopped for a glass of it - it was pretty good!It look us 45 minutes to walk across the Bridge but the view was worth it. On the way back, the fog had started to come it. As Eddie put it, "its a fog in a hurray" and it was shifting!! We got some great photos of it though! We then walked back to Little Italy and had a really great dinner in an Italian restaurant before heading back to the hostel (up 3 steep hills in succession). We were so exhausted that we went straight to bed!
Today, we went to Alcatraz! We took a boat trip to the Island and then the audio tour of the cell blocks - they were so small, with room enough for a bed and a folding table and chair! The tour took us to the dining area and kitchen before heading to the isolation block and the area they called "the Hole" - rooms that, once the door was closed, were completely in the dark. They also told us of an attempted escape in 1941 and a 'successful' escape in 1962 that the film "Escape from Alcatraz' was based on. There is no evidence that the escapees reached the mainland but they are still listed as 'wanted'!Tomorrow we are going on a 3 day camping tour of Yosemite, with the same company that we did the canyons tour with.
San Francisco is definitely our favourite city in the US!
2 comments:
first time on your pink site and loving its pinkness, maybe saracens could go with the same colouring...
see you in NZ (I hope!)
Hello Hello!
thanks for the continuing reminders that you are abroad, travelling the globe with time on your hands, seeing glorious sights and I am still in watford!!!
Only kidding, great to hear that you are both loving the US of A. A weird and wonderful place for sure.
Only one question> Where are all the photos???? If I am going to go green with envy I want to see you having a great time as well as hearing about it.
Take it easy hun and travel well.
Love to you both
Mark H
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