After being in some frigid conditions in Carson city & Lake Tahoe, we left for San Francisco the next day. But we really enjoyed Lake Tahoe, the views were phenomenal and Reno as well, for the casinos and fun atmosphere.
The temperature in Carson city on 2nd Jan, 2013
We were on our way by 11 in the morning while stopping for brunch in between. Drove through Reno and took the I-80 route, which took us through Tahoe National Forest, another breathtaking drive. The route is supposed to be a quicker way but because of an accident, there was a huge traffic jam which lasted for about an hour. That really put us back in our schedule, and it took forever to reach Berkeley where there was another traffic jam. And finally, we arrived in San Francisco around 8.
Checked into the hotel & went for dinner in a close by Indian Restaurant. The food was good, and there ended our day on a delicious note. The following day, we drove up to Crissy fields as suggested by many to see the 'golden gate bridge'. The view was definitely amazing, we clicked some pictures and then took the walking trail down to the bay. It was such a bright and sunny day but a little chilly too, we had a great time there. From there we went back to the car and left for a ride on the famous bridge. Another awesome ride and views, and we stopped on the northern side or other side of the bridge, where there were so many tourists posing for pictures. We also got off there, and clicked some pictures. The bridge looked breathtaking and we spent quite a while there.
Golden Gate Bridge
From here we drove up to Sausalito, a bay area city. It has some stunning views across the bay and the boutique shops and outdoor bistros give it that European feel. We were there for some time before leaving for the city. The next destination was Lombard Street, we parked our car in the hotel and decided to walk up to the Russian hill. It took us around 15 minutes and it was quite a steep climb, unexpectedly. The crookedest street was just as crooked as we had seen in the pictures. We walked down the steps towards the other side of the street, where there was traffic and tourists both. The views were great and we also clicked pictures, though it wasn't easy as the cars were driving by all the time.
Next, from here we went to the Ghirardelli square, and walked past the muni cable car queues, as there long lines waiting to take the ride. And because of a long wait, we decided to do it the next day and went straight to the Chirardelli store for some hot cocoa and brownies. We sat there for a while sipping hot cocoa & enjoyed the hustle and bustle of the beach street. After a while, we walked towards the Fisherman's wharf, buzzing with people and smell of seafood.
There we went to the Red & White Fleet's ticket window and bought our tickets for the bay cruise for 4 p.m. And waited there before the lady let us in after checking our tickets, we got in the 'Harbor Princess', picked up our head phones and radios and went to the upper deck. Most of the people went inside the covered deck as it was really breezy but we stayed out to enjoy the views. The cruise went on for an hour, and we enjoyed the awesome views. It is a must for anyone visiting San Francisco - it goes under the golden gate bridge and passes by Alcatraz and the beautiful SF bay - along with the informative audio tour.
-002.JPG)
Our tickets for the Bay Cruise
After the bay cruise, we also bought our tickets for USS Pampanito tour, a World War II submarine which is open to public. We went in and it was completely different being in a real submarine after our submarine ride in Disneyland. The doors are super tight, it had single beds for the crew who were traveling in it, there was a torpedo room, crew's mess and gallery, the radio room and many others. Everything was small and compact, I wonder how people lived in it for days together while on a mission. We finished the tour and went straight to the gaming center, where there were machines from olden days. The machines had such weird games, it was so much fun, we tried a lot of them though some of the machines were not even working. We really had a great time and then it was time for food. We had dinner in one of the fisherman's wharf restaurants - the food was good and then we went back to the hotel after a fantastic day in San Francisco.
From here we drove up to Sausalito, a bay area city. It has some stunning views across the bay and the boutique shops and outdoor bistros give it that European feel. We were there for some time before leaving for the city. The next destination was Lombard Street, we parked our car in the hotel and decided to walk up to the Russian hill. It took us around 15 minutes and it was quite a steep climb, unexpectedly. The crookedest street was just as crooked as we had seen in the pictures. We walked down the steps towards the other side of the street, where there was traffic and tourists both. The views were great and we also clicked pictures, though it wasn't easy as the cars were driving by all the time.
Next, from here we went to the Ghirardelli square, and walked past the muni cable car queues, as there long lines waiting to take the ride. And because of a long wait, we decided to do it the next day and went straight to the Chirardelli store for some hot cocoa and brownies. We sat there for a while sipping hot cocoa & enjoyed the hustle and bustle of the beach street. After a while, we walked towards the Fisherman's wharf, buzzing with people and smell of seafood.
There we went to the Red & White Fleet's ticket window and bought our tickets for the bay cruise for 4 p.m. And waited there before the lady let us in after checking our tickets, we got in the 'Harbor Princess', picked up our head phones and radios and went to the upper deck. Most of the people went inside the covered deck as it was really breezy but we stayed out to enjoy the views. The cruise went on for an hour, and we enjoyed the awesome views. It is a must for anyone visiting San Francisco - it goes under the golden gate bridge and passes by Alcatraz and the beautiful SF bay - along with the informative audio tour.
-002.JPG)
After the bay cruise, we also bought our tickets for USS Pampanito tour, a World War II submarine which is open to public. We went in and it was completely different being in a real submarine after our submarine ride in Disneyland. The doors are super tight, it had single beds for the crew who were traveling in it, there was a torpedo room, crew's mess and gallery, the radio room and many others. Everything was small and compact, I wonder how people lived in it for days together while on a mission. We finished the tour and went straight to the gaming center, where there were machines from olden days. The machines had such weird games, it was so much fun, we tried a lot of them though some of the machines were not even working. We really had a great time and then it was time for food. We had dinner in one of the fisherman's wharf restaurants - the food was good and then we went back to the hotel after a fantastic day in San Francisco.