Tuesday 11 September 2012 – San Francisco
Day 152 and 6 days to go
Well with our final night now
behind us it was full steam ahead this morning to have all of our final pack
ups complete. I folded up the bedding then we had breakfast before showering
and by 9am we were ready for our final journey.
We returned to the HWY
heading south towards San Francisco. By doing this we were lead over the famous
Golden Gate Bridge with the other commuters. From the bridge we had glimpses of
Alcatraz that sits in the bay and across to the city itself. There was some low
sea fog again so the views were somewhat obscured.
Once over the bridge we had
to pay the $6 toll before continuing the drive into the heart of the city. As
we did the roads became more congested, with narrower lanes and poorer road
surfaces. We were beginning to see the typical wooden houses of the Bay area as
we began to travel the streets of San Francisco.
We had decided to drop our
bags off at our hotel so we wouldn’t have to worry about them when making our way
back after dropping the van off. This seemed like a good idea but proved
stressful as we made our way to the hotel. All I could think of was don’t hit
anything, we only have and hour to go.
Once outside the hotel we
parked easily enough and hurridly lugged our bags into reception where we did the
dump and run as we were conscious we were parked without paying the meter.
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Once back in the van we had
to continue to navigate the streets out of the city. It was proving a little
challenging as the GPS was struggling to keep a GPS lock with all of the
buildings. It was also frustrating when the road we were directed to drive down
was blocked. We opted to keep heading straight and eventually it sorted itself
out and we were onto the HWY heading east over another a double decker bridge
in which a new bridge was being built along side.
When we made it back onto the
mainland we were confronted with enough spaghetti to make a good spag bog. Continuing to follow the GPS we keep a steady
course for the next 40km. By now the roads were more manageable and it was a
pleasant ending to our two week journey.
The Cruise America depot was
easy to find as we pulled off the highway and into the lot that was absolutely
chockas with rental vans. We joined the line waiting to be served and when seen
it was a painless process, with the gauges checked before our insurance bond
was released back to us and we were sent on our way.
We walked to the main road
where we were told we could find taxis only to find none. We eventually saw
what we thought was a cab pull into the VW dealership only to find he was a
first transit vehicle but he was kind enough to offer to take us to the nearest
train station for $10. He was very chatty and it was a great 10min journey. We
were very grateful that he offered to take us.
We were given more help by
the train staff when trying to buy a train ticket and then it was onto the
train heading to San Francisco. Happy that we had met some very helpful people
to ensure our journey was smooth.
The train journey took 45min
and when we emerged from underground we found ourselves at Union Square and
only a short walk from our hotel.
We made our way to the hotel
and checked in but as our room was not ready we were not able to go upstairs,
instead we decided to head out for lunch stopping at an Irish pub for a
sandwich and a drink. We then wandered through Union Square before wandering
the blocks looking to while away some time.
We returned to the hotel at
2pm and were able to head to the room on the 11th floor. The room
was well appointed and spacious and then there was the most luxurious bed.
Ahhh. Heaven.
We changed into our bathers
and went to the top floor for a spa and relax. The spa was only small but it
did the trick. Paul stayed on to use the sauna while I returned to the room to
relax.
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I used the computer while
watching the TV, checking on our flight only to find very few seats left
together and nothing on a window. When Paul returned we choose the least
crapiest of seats available and we will attempt to get an upgrade when we check
in. Fingers crossed.
We had a good rest before
finally deciding to head out for dinner at 6pm. We walked to the cable car stop
and shortly after we jumped on. I was able to get a seat while Paul, along with
many other passengers, had to stand while hanging off the edge of the car.
The car crawled up a street
that was ridiculously steep and while it was $6 each for a one way fare it was
worth it as I don’t think we would have made it any other way. Sydney will seem
flat after our few days here!
Chinatown was our intended
destination and alighting the cable car at Washington we walked down a hill to
Grant Street dropping us in the heart of China town. We walked up one side of
the street taking in the sights of the street. We then returned down the other
side of the street before finally stopping at a Chinese restaurant and enjoying
a variety of dim sum dishes.
Once full we were happy to walk
back down the street, stopping in at a couple of the souvenir shops. The walk
back to the hotel was not particularly taxing. It was starting to get quite
cool. There was a brisk wind and the sea fog was starting to roll in, covering
the tops of buildings.
After returning to the hotel
we decided to head up tho the Club lounge for a hot chocolate. While here we
got talking to the other guests, one from New Zealand and other locals. I was
given a piece of cake by one of the men. It was delicious. We had a good laugh
as we talked about the trip.
We finished up looking out
over the city from the balcony before returning to the room for the night. The
bed had been turned down and chocolates were placed on it for us. We watched
TV, flitting between shows. There was plenty on 9/11 as it is the 11 year
anniversary today. It still makes me shudder seeing the footage and now having
been to New York it makes it a little more real.
It was then time for us to
call it a night.
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