Back in September of 2015, Brian and I crossed off another travel destination off our bucket list, California. For years we had always dreamed of heading to the west coast but for some reason never made it happen. It did not disappoint.
We started our trip by flying into San Francisco. We picked up our tiny rental car after realizing Brian’s driver’s license was expired and so was one of my credit cards! Oops. These things only happen when you are miles away from home! We left the airport with me driving and Brian navigating… not a good start. We travel really well together when we each get to use our strong points. Mine –navigating. Brian’s – driving. So eventually we switched once we got a little ways away from the airport and then headed in the right direction!
Our trip started by doing all the typical sightseeing in San Francisco. We saw the Golden Gate Bridge and drove on it, boat tour of the bay, Pier 49, Japanese Tea Garden, Painted Ladies, Lombard Street, trolley ride and bus tour. The only thing we wish we had done was Alcatraz.
When we visit big cities we love being able to park our car and walk everywhere as much as possible. San Francisco is very hilly which makes it tiring to walk around and takes much longer to get places than you would expect. A great way to see the city is by the trolley cars or getting a day pass for the hop-on-hop-off bus (tour bus). The bus is great if you have a good guide as they provide you with lots of city info and history. Then you have the ability to jump on and off it all day.
We stayed in a super cute hotel called Petite Auberge. They had an all afternoon ‘happy hour’ downstairs in the hotel with wine, cheese and other little dessert type snacks.
Japanese Tea Garden
Lombard Street
The Painted Ladies
Next up we left the city for more of our kind of adventures – driving the coast, stopping whenever we saw something great and wandering. These are always the best moments we have together!
We picked up some favourite snacks and had dinner on the beach. Perfect way to end the day!
Stayed tuned for Part 2: Yosemite!!
