California Vacation: San Francisco day 2

Next day, we had plans to drive down the crookedest street and then go straight to fisherman's wharf, we did the same. After leaving from hotel, we drove to the Russian hill and then drove down the crooked street, it was super fun. Very different from just looking at it from afar. And after the crazy turns and bends, we left for fisherman's wharf. Parked our car and walked towards the bay, we clicked some pictures on the way as well. 

We spent quite a while around that area and then moved on to Pier 39 to see the sea lions. And it was super crowded, we also joined others and it was very different to see sea lions out in the open rather than in an aquarium. They were so playful and seems to be enjoying the sun on a cold day. We clicked pictures and even climbed up to the 2nd floor deck to have a good view.

                                                                           Pier 39

Then, we explored more of pier 39, with the shops and restaurants - it was quite a tourist attraction. Around 1, we decided to have an early lunch and went to Neptune's Palace for a delicious meal. The bay side view and the food, made it a memorable experience to take back home. And then, we walked towards ghirardelli square to take the cable ride. Got in the line and waited for our turn. It was really slow, but we had no choice - so waited for about half an hour before getting on the car, it was filled to the brim before they started it.

And there began our bumpy ride, it was really different - went up and down the steep roads of San Francisco. And we all were holding on to the side railings and after many stops in between, we got off at union square, the downtown area of the city. Another beautiful part of the city, a typical downtown with tall buildings but it definitely was unique as it had that san francisco  touch. The cable car runs through it, the roads go up & down steeply, the architecture and the California crowd - all these made it different from other down-towns like Manhattan.

                                                           Our tickets for the cable car ride

We spent quite sometime there, clicked pictures and enjoyed the fun atmosphere. And then took a cab back to ghirardelli square for the heavenly hot cocoa and sat outside on the same seats as yesterday. We were there for a while and then walked across the street towards the beach. Many people were swimming, and there were even some kids playing on the beach in such cold weather. We sat there for a long time, and enjoyed the views. It was so relaxing to just sit by the beach and look at the sunset. It was a perfect setting to soak in some more of the beautiful views.

And then it was time for dinner, we went to Joe's Crab Shack for a fun night of mouthwatering food and in-house entertainment. It sure can be called - 'ending on a high note'. Yes, that was our last dinner of the vacation before heading home. We had the most amazing time and it was one of the best vacations ever.

California Vacation: San Francisco

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.

                                                              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.