Our alarms went off at 6.30am, we were both knackered, but we checked out and left the hotel around 8am, getting to the airport just after 9 (in spite of my SatNav trying to take us to Los Angeles instead!), checked in (I was having issues with my check-in) and grabbed some brunch at The Brit, which, I was surprised at, given it’s poor reviews on Yelp.
Our plane boarded and took off on time, though that one screaming kid you get on every flight? yeah, she was right behind me, and kicked the shit out of my seat. GRR! The person behind her even complained to her parents! LOL!
We finished our anniversary trip off with a delicious dinner in Texas Roadhouse (it’s our tradition that when we land home from a trip, I don’t have to cook). It was fantastic (aside from the fact that my pork chop was raw in the middle) but the server and manager were both really nice about it and comped my dinner!
We got home, vegged out in front of the Big Bang Theory for a few hours before crashing in to bed. The trip was lovely, San Francisco is a wonderful location to visit and I’d go back in a heartbeat.
With so much to see and do, we didn’t fit everything in, if we were to return to the San Francisco area, I have made a list of things we didn’t get to do or finish!
– Sausilito
I don’t think we did this place justice, I’d spend at least half a day, (possibly a whole one) here and take in the sights and sounds. The wee windy roads, marina view and sea-side ambiance would make for a nice addition to our itinerary.
– Bettes Diner & Berkeley
Yes, I’d go back to Bettes, wait for another hour in the queue to get a table, just to re-visit this little diner. When we were there the first time, we didn’t try the famous soufle pancakes, something that we both would love to try in the future.
We also didn’t walk around much of Berkley, but there seemed to be a few little streets lined with shops and coffee places, so it might be a nice place to spend a morning.
– Stockton Thunder hockey game
Duh! Being hockey fans, this goes with out saying! lol!
– San Francisco City 48hour bus tour
We normally do this on our trips, regardless of where we go, however, we didn’t get around to it on this trip. We’d definitely do this, probably when we first get to San Francisco next time to get the lay of the land and see if we missed any other hidden gems on our first pass of the city!
– Alcatraz prison
They do tours out to this place, and it was booked up, days in advance. It also would probably take a whole day, which we didn’t have to spare this time around. We’re both very interested in visiting Alcatraz, so it’s high on our list of to-do’s when we re-visit.
– Sacramento
We really enjoyed Old Sac, and I’d love to go back there, but, from what I understand, the rest of Sacramento is great too. Plus Twana lives there and I’d love to hang out with her more too!
Tips on visiting San Francisco:
1. Bring a coat
San Francisco is right on the water, therefore it can get chilly and windy. I spent my time in a hoody or a zippy, which left me a little chilly some days and a little warm on others. The temperature fluxuates!
2. Stay in a hotel outside of San Francisco.
If you’re a budget tourist, like me, and your plan is to rent a car (we need it cause we tend to wander a little further afield than the cities we visit) I’d recommend staying in a town just outside of San Francisco. We stayed in Berkeley and didn’t pay parking charges at the hotel. In San Francisco there was one hotel we found that didn’t have parking charges.
– Bring cash for tolls
Staying outside of the city, means you have to come back and forward across the bridge(s) to go and explore San Francisco itself. These bridges have tolls, bring a pocket of change and some small bills.
– Fly to San Jose
Again, if you’re a budget-savvy traveller, flying in to San Jose is cheaper (by a couple hundred bucks). It may mean you have to hire a car (which, like I said, we do normally when we visit somewhere), but if you’re doing anyway, you’ll just save on flights and add, perhaps an hour or so drive (each way) to your trip.
– Parking Validation
A number of places in the city validate your parking, for example, Pier 39 car park. Some restaurants on the Pier (listed on the parking ticket) validate your first two hours of parking if you eat at their restaurant. Some shops and stores validate parking in nearby garages – view Chicago Garage Door Service Areas to get the best garage door services. Parking in the city is pretty expensive (we paid $32 one day for only a few hours of parking) so it’s worth asking around to see if anywhere nearby, validates parking. If people need the best garage doors, they can get them from Titan Garage Doors Coquitlam firm.
Like I say, this city is well worth a visit and we can’t wait to go back!