On the west coast of the USA and that little bit closer to home, we arrived in San Francisco and were able to ditch the beanies and one layer as the sun came out to play for a bit and we had temps over 10 degrees! For Jane, Mell and Dion this was their first SF experience, for us it was a second visit and as lively as we remembered. With similarities to Sydney and its harbour side location and extensive food offerings, its a city that is easy to love and while not as large and loud as NYC, it packs an equally impressive punch.
Planning our activities around the unpredictable San Fran weather we hit the harbour for a seafood lunch and a view of the bridge. Pier 39 on the bay is part of the Fisherman’s Wharf area and as we all only had one day together in SF we made it count and splashed out on a seafood lunch of oysters, crab cakes, prawns and the famous clam chowder in the sourdough cob. From the end of the pier we could see Alcatraz Island and the Golden Gate off in the distance, but up close we had the sea lions that have made the area home, and they know how to work a crowd.
With Mell and Dion leaving us here for a week of no kids and margaritas in Mexico, it was just the three of us now with three days to go exploring, and our hotel was perfectly located in the middle of Union Square (a.k.a. the shopping district!). Of course riding a cable car was on the agenda, and Jane spent an afternoon out on Alcatraz which we all agree is a must-do if you are ever in this city. The history of the island is told through the stories of inmates and guards, and the views of the city and bay are pretty hard to beat.
This city is notorious for the wet weather that sweeps in off the San Francisco Bay, and on day two our good weather luck ran out. We didn’t allow it to change our plans completely and spent many happy hours eating and drinking in cafes, bars and restaurants, though when pounding the pavements became too miserable in the rain Koz graciously retired to the hotel and the girls hit the department stores for exercise of a different kind.
Thankfully the weather gods were on our side on our final day as we collected a car to start the drive south to LA and we cruised across the Golden Gate bridge, a first for all three of us. After the obligatory bridge photo shoot we stopped in the cute seaside village of Sausalito where we fuelled up on carbs in an American diner (old school style with bar stools alongside the cooking area) before hitting the road for the next leg of our adventure. Thanks for the memories San Fran, you delivered again!
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