We arrived in San Francisco by driving over the Golden Gate Bridge with spectacular views of the city. Once we had found our hotel we headed out to explore. The first stop was the famous winding road on Lombard street.
San Fran is a popular spot on the typical US tours and this did not go unnoticed as we headed down to the touristy Fisherman's Wharf area. There were restaurants selling fish, shops selling candy and t-shirts, sea lions could be seen lounging in the sun, there are arcades, an aquarium and Madam Tussards. All great,but if you swap the sea lions for donkeys then Blackpool also ticks these boxes.
With the sun beginning to set we decided to go up the Coit tower to get a good view of the bridge.
San Fran has always been portrayed as a haven for free thinkers and activists so we were keen to get to the heart of this side of the city. We decided to take a walk through Chinatown passing Caffe Trieste where Francis Ford Coppola wrote The Godfather script. We ended up in a book shop called City Lights where there was a poetry reading being held. This was more of the San Fran we were expecting. Unfortunately neither of us have any real appreciation for poetry so we didn't stay long.
Having done a lot of walking up and down the steep hills we decided to take the tram back to the hotel.
As we were unable to get tickets to Alkatraz (you need to book a few weeks in advance, or pay over the odds with a tour company),we spent the morning walking across the bridge and the surrounding park areas. This allowed us an up close look at this architectural and engineering icon.
Not fancying the idea of spending the afternoon in an art gallery or museum there was only one other option when stuck in a city. Drinking and eating. We headed to the nearby Pacific Heights area. We stuck to a street called Fullmore Street which was lined with trendy looking bars and restaurants which didn't have that desperate touristy look which we found at the Wharf.
Some particular highlights were a Italian bar/restaurant called Dino and Santinos and a simple but delicious meat and rice restaurant called Glaze.
Its difficult being on a budget in the city but heading out early meant we were able to take advantage of the happy hour offers which run from 3-7pm in most bars in Pacifc Heights.
This really is a must stop spot on any tour through California, its just a shame we were a bit OD'd on cities by the time we got here to fully appreciate it.
