Tuesday, July 1, 2014

I left my heart in San Francisco...

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 One of the top things on my bucket list is to visit every single state in the US before I die. But in my sub-list I have a few certain cities that I want to visit in my lifetime too. And yes, some of them are in the same state. Last year we went to LA, so this time around we decided it was time for San Francisco...

And I fell in love with San Francisco... There is so much to see and do but it wasn't like I would have imagined it. I did imagine it like this:

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Or like this:

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And even like this:

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But I was surprised to see that most of the city looks like this:

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Lots and lots of small, modest homes, narrow streets, Moms and Pops tiny grocery stores everywhere (don't ask me how many questionable bathrooms I frequented in San Francisco...after all, I am 4 months pregnant!) - for real, people, we did not find a single Walmart in the whole city! Honestly, we eventually Googled it (out of curiosity) and the closest one was in Oakland. San Francisco is like a story behind every corner with it's historical buildings, docks and piers and unusual people. And by unusual I don't mean weird. If you want to see some weirdos than go all the way to Hollywood... San Francisco is like a melting pot of very distinct views, nationalities, personalities and gorgeous greenery. For real, I've seen some of the most interesting trees in San Francisco starting with the Muir Woods that we visited on our first day and that is famous for it's Sequoia redwood (not the biggest you can find but still very impressive):

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I really enjoyed all of the ocean views (even though my hair looked like a mad mane most of the time). In fact, this is what we saw out of the window when we got to our hotel:

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Actually, the "water front" rooms were $40 more which we didn't pay so it was a pleasant surprise. Gorgeous!

Since parking is not just expensive but almost impossible to find in San Francisco, we walked a lot. And I mean, A LOT! No wonder, most of the population in the city looks like they weigh barely 120 pounds... But it was so worth it:

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And yes, some of the streets have interesting names too ( I couldn't resist. I wonder where this boulevard got it's name from? :): 

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When walking got too much, we enjoyed a ride or a few on another special attraction of San Francisco - the cable cars:

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It took us straight to Fisherman's wharf:

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We decided to skip Alcatraz (to my FIL's dismay...) but went for a boat ride around the island:

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What more can I say? I loved our vacation. It was nice to get away, to spend a few days just the two of us and explore a new place that I've always wanted to visit... And with all the walking that we've done, I was sure I've lost like 5 pounds but no. I actually gained 2. I blame it on my husband successfully tempting me with a Ghiradelli Black Forest cherry hot fudge sundae :) It's all his fault...


“The world is a book and those who do not travel read only one page.”(St, Augustine of Hippo)


10 comments:

  1. Looks like you had a fantastic trip. I heard that Alcatraz has been made into a hotel that kept all the original features, Is this true?
    Carolx

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    Replies
    1. I've heard that they did at some point but, I think, right now it's just a museum... We looked at some pictures online before going and decided that it's just not worth it to take 4-5 hours and stand many lines to get in there.

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  2. My father and younger sister went to San Fran last year, and they loved it. My dad wanted to go to Alcatraz so bad, but it was closed due to repairs. He was SO disappointed. Awesome photos and glad you had a relaxing time! Walking is the way of a lot of places in the world... aint that the truth? Every time I travel, I feel so out of shape and exhausted, haha.

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    Replies
    1. I think, it's a man's thing! I honestly have never seen that many people wanting to go to prison:)

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  3. I'm so glad that you were able to get away and have a good time. And it looks as if you felt okay--an added bonus at this time.

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    Replies
    1. You know what, I actually felt awesome there! I could breath again and could eat almost anything I wanted. the only problem was to find a bathroom... :)

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  4. So glad that you got to go to a city on your list! And it looks beautiful! As do you; pregnancy must agree with you. :)

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  5. Wow that was a beautiful view from your hotel room! Glad you had a great time.
    Rhonda

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  6. Looks like you had a wonderful time! I love that you mentioned that you didn't lose five pounds but instead gained two... I feel that way too - should be losing but instead am gaining! Haha... That's pregnancy for you, eh?

    PS. Do you live in California?
    Have a great Wednesday, friend!
    Danielle

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  7. Thank you for sharing your trip, looks like you had fun as always ! You look so lovely at 4 months expecting xxx

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