Last August/September, I went on a 10 day trip with my family to the United States. We started with a few days in San Francisco, flew to Las Vegas and then drove to the Grand Canyon, Los Angeles and all the way up north on the Pacific Highway 1 back to San Francisco.
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Day 1 – 4: San Francisco!
From watching endless American TV show and movies, San Francisco has always been on my list of places to see in America but there was also New York – the feature of so many movies. So as you can imagine, it was difficult deciding between the East and West Coast of the United States. But eventually we decided on the west coast as we wanted to do Los Angeles too.
We started with 3 nights in San Francisco, landing in the evening. We got a Muni pass for the transport and set out exploring for China Town to grab a quick bite to eat and to get sim cards etc.
The next day we went straight for the sight at the top of our list – Golden Gates Bridge! We took the bus, got off by the bridge, took many photos and then decided to walk across the bridge and down to Sausalito – a picturesque little fishing village.
Once on the other side, we walked around the town and found a cozy takeaway burger joint and got some burgers to eat on the waterfront. (Tip: as with many other coastal towns – BEWARE of the birds that will try steal your food!)
I walked around town by myself and there are many shops that sell a range of things from your regular brand names to the little crafty things that you wouldn’t find in the department stores. My favourite was the taffy shop, there were so many flavours I coudn’t even buy one of each! I resorted to some of my usual favourite flavours and got about 12 to chew on while I walked.
We then took an afternoon ferry back to San Francisco – to Fisherman’s Wharf area. It was about 4pm late August and the place was packed. It was a really good day out so it seems as if everyone was out!
We were exhausted from the day of walking so we actually took the tram back to our Inn for a nap before going back in the evening for dinner. I had a clam chowder for the first time! I love clams but I am not used to having it in a cream sauce so it took some getting used to. . .
The next and last full day in San Francisco was spent in the Golden Gates Park visiting the California Academy of Sciences and the Japanese Tea Garden. It was here where I got bitten by a bug and had a swollen ankle for 2 weeks before having to take 6 antibiotic pills a day for 10days! 
There is quite a bit to see in the museum and a lot of it is interactive, they also have a planetarium and an aquarium amongst other things to keep everyone in the family happy. I took my brother there and we easily spent 3 hours reading and pressing buttons :’)
The Japanese Tea Garden was a beautiful section in the park with its own restaurant and gift shop. Many great photo ops here!
We then took the bus to the Painted Ladies for some photos. These houses were so cute – I would love to live in one! These are the most famous of this type but they can actually be seen around the whole city!
Then it’s off to another photo op – Lombard Street. My pictures couldn’t do it justice. It’s a perfectly kept street with flowers and bushes on both sides and boasting amazing views of the city. There often seems to be traffic jams on this road – due to the curve, the gradient or the amount of people throughout the whole street.
The last morning was spent at the market in Fisherman’s wharf where fresh produce is sold on the outside while a variety of prepared goodies are sold on the inside. We then walked through the financial district and finally to China Town for some fortune cookies!
I wrote my own fortune and had it put into a cookie at the Fortune Cookie Factory for $1.50! They also sell unfolded fortune cookies in bulk and give out free samples!
Then it was off to the airport to catch our flight to LAS VEGAS! The little city of San Francisco was beautiful and fun and although we were back to catch our flight, we stayed near the airport and didn’t get to see it one last time. It was an expensive city but I am so glad I visited!
olivingitup 