San Francisco (December 2010)

A very HILLY, PIERY and BRIDGY city ;O)

San Francisco (or the “Bay” as locals fondly call it) is a Northern Californian city.  It’s known to be a foggy city, but when I visited the skies were mostly sunny, clear and blue... gorgeous weather to smile about :O)

I pondered about biking around SF city but some of the roads are extremely steep (REALLY REALLY STEEP – SERIOUSLY!... felt like they’re at a 75-80 degree incline) that I may have died going downhill, if I even made it uphill on a bike in the first place... LOL... an over exaggeration perhaps but it’s one of the first things I noticed when I visited the city – VERY HILLY!  (Pic below is of a MINOR slope)  Good thing about a hilly city is that trekking around the place subtly keeps you fit ;O)  Uphill walks and/or sprints are just perfect for leg workouts...  It really doesn’t take long for the legs to feel like they’re on fire!  LOL

 

SF’s skyline has a pale white tinge to it and as far as BIG cities go, I reckon it’s one of the prettier cities I’ve visited in the USA. 

SF is famous for a lot of things, piers and bridges included.  Each pier has a different theme.  Whatever you’re in the mood for, be it fishing, sailing, food, entertainment etc there’s a pier that will have it... you just have to find it ;O)  You may even come across a very likeable and fluffy ginger kitty!  SOOOOOOOOOOOOO CUTE! 

Bridges include but are not limited to the Golden Gate Bridge, San Mateo Bridge (an 11km long bridge) and Bay Bridge (double deck bridge).  SF is also the home to Ghirardelli a famous Californian chocolate.  The Ghirardelli Chocolate Factory is right in the city, so if you’re into chocolate or anything sweet – GO THERE!

  

Other attractions around the city is SF’s Farmer’s Market, Fisherman’s Wharf, the Coit Tower, Alcatraz, City Hall and the world’s most crooked street (i.e. Lombard Street).

 

  

  

 

 

Nightlife in SF is great too!  So great in fact that people are willing to give away pizza they just bought for dinner to anyone on the street just so they can get into a club... LOL!!!  No joke – it happened!  The free pizza was YUMMO! :O)  Depending on what club you visit, it helps to book ahead and have your name on the list – it’ll get you into the party faster.

Another highlight to SF was watching an NBA game i.e. Golden State Warriors (HEART WARRIOR’s #15 BIEDRINS) vs San Antonio Spurs at the Oracle Arena.  OMG VERY COOL!  It’s like going to a HUGE PARTY... music is constantly playing (even during the game), people give away free pizza, t-shirts etc and in between the game there’s entertainment.  If you’re not into basketball it wouldn’t even matter.

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Half Moon Bay

I also visited Half Moon Bay, a place that’s roughly a ½ hour drive away from SF (provided there’s no traffic on the roads), just perfect if one wants to get away from all the busy-ness of the city.  It’s a pretty little coastal town and the drive there is a scenic one.  SUPER NICE :O)  Along the way there’s fruit and flower farms to see too.    

The drive to Half Moon Bay marked my first mini road trip in the USA (where I was behind the wheel of the car).  WOOHOO!!!  SO MUCH FUN driving on the other side of the road!  Sunshine, rain, fog, freeways and twisted narrow roads all in a day’s drive... SURVIVED!!!

 

 

Thank you so much to family and friends for touring me around SF and for trusting me with your cars!!! ;O)  I thoroughly enjoyed myself!

NOTE:  Driving on the opposite side of the road with a right hand drive car messes with your mind a little bit with the brain doing a back-flip... haha – felt so wrong but it’s SO MUCH FUN!!!  LOL...  Steering wheel, gearbox, rear view mirror (the worst) and indicator switches are on the other side.  Thankfully I drove automatic cars so I was spared shifting manual gears with my right hand.  Phew!  Turning was the trickiest given I was in Oz driving mode.  Apart from that... DRIVING WAS THE BOMB!!!