Our flight was pretty early but waking up at the crack of dawn never seems too much of a hassle when you have something to look forward to. I felt like a kid on Christmas morning. We arrived at the airport around 6am, making sure we had enough time to grab some food and do a bit of shopping.
Once we checked in and went through security we found somewhere to eat, 'The Perfectionist Café'. I ordered Eggs Benedict and a glass of water, the food came out quickly and tasted great! Once our taste buds where happily satisfied we decided to look around the shops. Anyone who has flown from Heathrow Terminal 2 will know its like a mini designer shopping centre. Unfortunately Louis Vuitton was in Terminal 5, but I wasn't going to let that stop me. I didn't buy anything, not because I didn't find anything, but because I had enough to carry onto the plane as it was without a new pair of Gucci Trainers and a Burberry clutch bag.
After an 11 hour flight we landed.
San Francisco was boiling! I love that feeling you get when you step out of the airport at your destination, and it smells like holiday. Or is that just me?
We stayed in the Holiday Inn, Fisherman's Wharf. It wasn't anything fancy but it had everything we needed, and it was a 5 minute walk from the bay. Perfect location. We checked in, quickly freshened up then decided to explore....
The Golden Gate Bridge
Now this was our first stop. It was a beautiful clear afternoon so we went for a walk. The view was gorgeous, walking across the bridge and looking over to the main city was incredible. They had high railings across the majority of the bridge edge, as a lot of people have jumped. There was a couple of emergency phones located around as well for anyone who had such thoughts. If you've seen the documentary 'The Bridge' you know all to well what a lot of people use this bridge for.
It took us about an hour to walk from one side to the other, stopping off every now and then to take pictures and admire the views.
We didn't go out the first night as the time difference was catching up with us, so grabbed some food from 'In N Out' and went to bed.
Alcatraz Prison
We booked our tickets a couple of months in advance, which was a smart idea seeing as the whole of October was fully booked. I highly recommend going to the prison if you get a chance. The ferry took about 15 minutes to get over to the Island and you can spend as much time looking around as you feel necessary. We decided to get the audio tour, which you had to collect from the Shower rooms. This was where the inmates would have 1 shower a week, all lined up together in a dingy basement. After picking up the audio tour (which is free) we began looking around. We probably spent about 2.5 hours looking around the prison before catching the boat back. You could easily spend all day there, the History is absolutely fascinating! We learnt about the riots, how the inmates tried to escape, the families that lived on the island as their Parents would work at the prison and how the Indians came over and took shelter there after it became free land once the prison was shut down. Unfortunately we had to leave as we only had a few days in San Fran and needed to make the most of it.
Japanese Tea Gardens
A beautiful hidden gem located in the middle of the Golden Gate Park. About $10 entry fee but so wroth it. The garden isn't particularly that big, but it is absolutely beautiful and nothing like I have ever seen before. It was so tranquil and peaceful! Words cant describe how beautiful it was. There was a small hut in the middle where you could sit down and have a cup of traditional tea, and a gift shop where you could purchase small ornaments and nic-nacs.
Our last night in San Fran was spent drinking and partying, now I cant tell you what the name of the club/bar was that we ended up in as I don't remember. But I will tell you there where half naked go-go dancers everywhere and a lot of alcohol being consumed. The night is a bit of a blur but I'm sure we said goodbye to San Francisco with a good send off.
Then a very hungover flight to Vegas, where the partying would continue...
Then a very hungover flight to Vegas, where the partying would continue...