We had a week off of school before Neal started his third year! So we decided to use our time wisely and go to San Francisco and then we also went home. We decided to take the scenic route along the costal highway to San Fran and boy was that a HUGE mistake! I was so flippin’ car sick I couldn’t even stay seated upright. Next time I’m taking the Dramamine! It was very breath taking and beautiful too bad I just felt crumby from all the curves.
We stopped at a place where there are all these beached elephant seals. Yes they were alive and just soaking up the sun! They were all along the coast here.
We met another couple, Sarah and Jared up in San Fran. The hotel wasn’t the nicest, but we did have a view of the Golden Gate Bridge from our room and the location was great….we were able to walk everywhere!
We arrived in San Francisco Friday evening and the next day we went site seeing. We hit up Chinatown, the waterfront, Fisherman’s Wharf, the famous Pier 39, saw some street performers, Lombard (the crooked street), probably more things that I forgot too… we were on the go ALL day. When Jared and Sarah got there on Saturday evening , we met them at an Italian restaurant in the North Beach area. After dinner we hit up Ghirardelli Square for delicious chocolate desserts!
Sunday morning we took a ferry to Alcatraz. Alcatraz is an old prison on an island in the Bay. It has since been turned into a national park. They have done a really cool job with the tour of Alcatraz. They provide everyone with a recorded tour voiced by old prison guards. We were guided around the main prison and told stories of inmates and attempted escapes. It was a lot of fun! Once back on the main land, we ate on Pier 39. The boys ate clam chowder for the first time and loved it! We also saw the sea lions on the pier. After a short nap back at the hotel we drove over the Golden Gate Bridge and found a neat viewing point of the bridge. From there we drove by the “painted Ladies”, which are a group of old Victorian house that are preserved by the historical society. They are also in the opening song sequence of “Full House”! We then drove and saw the house where Mrs. Doubtfire was filmed.
On our way back home we stopped and did a tour at Hearst Castle. It was amazing! I can’t believe the amount of detail that was put into it!
Neal’s also working on video’s from our trip so check back for that excitement! :)
