San Francisco Memoirs: A Golden City
After an epic first few days in Los Angeles, the second leg of our tour of the west coast saw us embark on a six-hour journey north-bound on the I-5 for the world famous San Francisco. To maximise our time in the city which would only be two full days, we made the decision to make the journey overnight, taking it in turns to drive as the others slept in the back of the car. There was one rather hairy moment when Pete took control of the wheel and pulled out onto the wrong side of the road, right into the path of a huge oncoming truck! Thankfully amidst my panicked gesturing he was able to swerve back into the right lane and save us from certain obliteration.
One of my main memories on approach to the city was travelling over the San Francisco – Oakland Bay Bridge and being in awe at the sheer size of the infrastructure as densely packed buildings loomed up through the fog on the right hand side. It was an overcast, dreary grey morning but I couldn’t help but be impressed at the magnitude of the location; it was nothing like I’d ever seen before. Such a positive first impression of San Francisco set the tone for an incredible few days in the city.
N.B This is the second in a series of memoirs in which I recount my experiences travelling the west coast of the United States of America. This was in 2015, so they won’t be detailed “where to go” guides with up-to-date prices, hostel/restaurant referrals and companies. If that is what you’re looking for, this probably isn’t right for you. However, by splitting the trip into separate articles, it should give you ideas as to how to structure your trip and various locations/activities you can do throughout the duration.
This was also prior to developing an interest in photography; all images were taken on an iPhone 5S so they won’t be to the same level of quality as my more recent articles.
Fishermans Wharf
That morning as we arrived in Fishermans Wharf, I quickly made acquaintance with the world-famous San Francisco fog. This phenomenon, which is particularly common in the summer, rolls in through the Golden Gate Bridge and sweeps over towards the shoreline piers. It’s quite an incredible sight (or lack of, depending on where you’re located!) and adds a sense of magic as it swirls around. Locals have even named it Karl and set-up it’s own twitter page, which at the time of writing has over 365,000 followers!
The duration of our stay would be spent at HI San Francisco Fishermans Wharf, which is an old hotel from the early 1900’s renovated into a modern hostel. This was my first time using a hostel and, like most people, I was a little apprehensive as to what to expect, however it was the perfect place to start and I immediately felt comfortable and at ease. I particularly enjoyed speaking to other people with whom we were sharing the dormitory, discussing their travels so far and where they were going next. We met some very polite Japanese guys and exchanged Japanese and British currency as gifts; they were going to Yosemite National Park the next day which would feature later on in our trip. The hostel was also perfectly located within range of many of the key attractions in the city, such as the Golden Gate Bridge and Pier 39. Having checked the website, prices for the hostel average around £34-£35 per night, which is still significantly cheaper than nearby hotels.
Ps. Another benefit of stopping at this hostel is that, if you’re an ice cream addict like me, you’re only a 12 minute walk from the original Ghirardelli ice cream parlour. Ideal!
Cycling over the Golden Gate Bridge
No doubt for me, one of my favourite memories of the entire trip was the day spent cycling from Fishermans Wharf over the Golden Gate Bridge into Sausolito. Truth be told, the idea of this blog was wholly non-existent back then, so I didn’t make note of who we used that day, but I can wholeheartedly recommend the experience. I do remember that the price was around $30 and included the option of a ferry ride back across the bay. Take a walk along the street and shop around as there are plenty of businesses from whom you can rent a bicycle with it being such a popular pastime.
One thing I’d bear in mind before starting this ride is that it’s around 7.5 miles long by the time you’ve picked up a bike from Fishermans Wharf, made your way across the bridge and down to the ferry terminal in Sausolito. By no means is it an extremely challenging ride, but it’s worth bearing in mind that it’s a fair distance if you’re completing this with children.