GOLDEN GATE BRIDGE & CRISSY FIELD, CA

The Golden Gate Bridge is a really nice landmark to see. It was a 15 minute bus ride from our hotel. Since we had purchased a 3-day bus pass we rode the bus everywhere. In retrospect I'm glad that we had because all of the must see places were really spread apart. 

At the bridge there many places to take great pictures of the orange Steel Beauty. It wasn't a very foggy day so we were excited. However, in about 2 hours we saw the fog rolling from the Pacific Ocean. 

It was really neat to see the model of the suspension bridge as well as the cool facts about its steel frame. 

We then took a walk to the half way point to appreciate its magnitude and take some cool photos. 

Although there are several police officers patrolling the bridge on foot and bicycle, I learned from one of the officers that the suicide rate is consistent from year to year. He said that it comes in spurts. It's a 27 story jump and majority of the attempts are successful. Most of the bridge has a 10 ft fence except at the center. 

I saw many rode bikers on the bridge and secretly wished I could ride the full length. Maybe one day if we return to visit again. 

From the bridge we strolled down to Crissy Field, a 0.5 mile walk along the bay. There were many beautiful flowers in full bloom along the way. At Crissy Field there was a cafe and a gift shop. The kids got a souvenir and I got a book on Alcatrez escape files. 

We then walked back to the bus stop and rode up to Golden Gate Park. 

A WALK TO THE PARK, WAIKIKI BEACH, OAHU

THE SAN FRANCISCO, CA EXPERIENCE

The Drive

We decided to drive from L.A. to San Francisco instead of flying to get the full California experience.  In retrospect, I have no regrets that we made that decision. Originally we were going to take a detour onto the famous Route 1 North but we decided against it because it would have increased the total trip time from 5 to 8 hours. 

For the first 2 hours of our trip we enjoyed some really nice mountainous views. The mountains changed as we drove along, making the views ever changing.

As we drove closer to San Francisco, we saw more and more crazier things on the road. The first thing came from the one of four passengers in a small Honda Fit. The only guy in the car, moon's me from the back window. It was my first and the white butt wasn't pretty. The second, third, and fourth thing were basically the same thing just repeated 2 twice. Another first thing for me was drag racing on the highway. It was 3 black cars, a corvette, a mustang , a grand am. All three or 2 cars at a time would slow down to 30 miles an hour on a four lane highway and then take off. It was quite interesting but dangerous at the same time. We were driving a Ford Expedition so we had a nice view of the road.     

For lunch we stopped by the In and Out Burger. Several people said that it's a must have because it's so good. Unfortunately, that's not what I have to say. The burger was simple tasting, on the drier side. Lesya and the kids like the fries. But we both agreed that Five Guys stands strong as the best burger from a chain restaurant.

Once in San Francisco, we stayed on Lombard St, in a hotel called Cow Hollow Inn. It had really good reviews for its great location, friendly staff, and a great rooms. We were really satisfied with this choice of location for all of the reasons. Since it was our first time in the city, the front desk staff were very helpful in giving us advice on dining, travel, etc. The room was very spacious and comfortable. Free WiFi.

View from hotel

The hotel was one block away from Chestnut St. which had several restaurants, countless shops, including a grocery store, farmers market, cafe's etc. 

The Tipsy Pig

Location: Chestnut St.

Staff: Very friendly and helpful

Food: Smaller portion's, creative look, very delicious

Price: $$ 

Ghirardelli Chocolate Factory 

Location: Fisherman's Wharf

Staff: Very friendly because they gave out free chocolate

Food: Awesome chocolate especially the filled ones. I also learned that this is the original place where Ghirardelli started. 

Price: who cares, its chocolate, worth every penny 

Huge place

Alioto's Waterside Cafe

Location: Fisherman's Wharf
Staff: Nice
Food: One of our friend's recommended we get some Ciopino somewhere, so that is how we made our decision on going here. The seafood dish was absolutely delicious. Lesya and I shared the dish because it was a pretty good size. We had the Crab Ciopino, there was also the Lobster one. It was just a little spicey but really good.
Price: $$$

Boudin Sourdough

Location: Fisherman's Wharf
Staff: Nice
Food: We didn't actually sit down and eat but we sampled the bread and the pastries. I really liked the pastries but I wasn't really thrilled with the breads. They do make some really decorative breads.
Price: $

$200 for the big gator

Bread for each month

Chinatown Bubble Tea

I can say that it's traditional that we go and get Bubble Tea at every big city that we are visiting and check out the Chinese part of the town. This Chinatown was a bit more impressive for all of its decorations in the streets. Both Lesya and I were really impressed by the really good tea. I have to say that this was one really good Hazelnut Mocha Bubble Tea.

Home Plate

Location: Lombard St.
Staff: Very friendly
Food: We ate breakfast twice. It was absolutely delicious. The menu had many options. There was the traditional breakfast stuff, as well as new things that we haven't tried. Lesya and I had the Eggs Blackstone, Marco Polo, and Smoked Salmon Benedict. The kids had bagels. And one morning we decided to try the special, Dulce Filled Pancakes.
They do also serve Brunch and Lunch. It is best to come before 9 am or else there will be a 15-30 minute wait. It is a small place but very comfortable. It was a 3 minute walk from our hotel.
Price: $

SusieCakes

Location: Chestnut St.
Staff: Friendly
Food: One evening we decided to get some dessert. We had some cupcakes and cake. They make really good stuff. The frosting was really tasty. I had carrot cake and it was comparable to the Wegmans one. Definitely worth checking out when in town.
Price: $$