California Road Trip

San Francisco -> Lake Tahoe (3 hr 15 mins)

The first stop on our road trip was Lake Tahoe and what a stop it was. I feared we may have peaked too soon and seen the best place first, but it was only to get better here on in.

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I had been lucky to spend Independence Day weekend in Lake Tahoe with my friends, so I was very excited to go back and see it properly. The weekend with my friends was mostly spent at the lake and partying in the motel area, so there were views and sights I had yet to feast my eyes on.

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The drive into Lake Tahoe is beautiful although a tad scary as you drive round and round the cliff’s edge. The views are amazing though and it is a welcome change from the highway.

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The lake itself is a lovely place to relax and chill when the weather is nice. There are also all sorts of water sports you can do and you can even rent your own boat for the day. Whether you want a chilled day or are an adventure seeker, this place will tick all the boxes.

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Emerald Bay gives you a beautiful view of Lake Tahoe, as far as the eye can see. This would be the top thing I would recommend you do in Lake Tahoe, the views at sunrise, sunset or slap bang in the middle of the day would all be fantastic.

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Tallac Historic Site is a nice place to stroll around whilst also learning about the history of Tahoe. I’m not big into museums or educational experiences when I’m on holiday, but this place is good because the walk is lovely and there is a beach to chill at as well when you are done viewing around the site.

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If you like learning about the history of places here is where to do so in Tahoe, with a museum, exhibits, demonstrations, and tours to provide you with all the information you could think of.

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Meeks Bay beach is a great beach to go to if you want to spend the day sunbathing and relaxing. The backdrop is amazing here with the forest view providing lovely scenery. There is also a campground if you wish to camp, although we didn’t camp so I can’t vouch for how good the site is.

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One thing I would love to do at some point is come back to Lake Tahoe in the winter for skiing. It’s crazy to think that this place morphs into a ski field in the winter having only visited here in the hot summer months, but the background of the lake would give amazing views whilst skiing. It’s one of the many things on my bucket list for sure.

Lake Tahoe -> Yosemite (2 hr 30 mins)

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Yosemite is another place I visited more than once this summer. It is an amazing national park where you could spend from 1 day to 1 month exploring and probably still not scratch the surface. Having a car for Yosemite is probably necessary, as it is so huge that you need to drive from one place to another to complete the hikes around the park.

There is an information center as you arrive, which I would recommend paying a visit to ask questions and find out which will be the best hikes to do when you are there. The weather plays a part on the views you will get, so the information center will provide you with details on the views you are likely to see.

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Another word of advice I would give is that if you are wanting to stay a night or two in Yosemite (which you should), if you aren’t wanting to camp then you should book accommodation in advance especially if you are planning your trip for the summer months. The summer is the busiest time in Yosemite, so obviously accommodation gets booked up quickly as there are limited options available. Also, the nearest town is about a 20 minute drive away so you should also take that into consideration if you are planning on staying there. With the nearest town being 20 minutes away, that means that is the place of the nearest petrol station as well. Make sure you fill up your car before going any further and don’t expect any cheap deals on fuel prices.

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Camping is brilliant in Yosemite and I can say that from my own experience. You don’t have to book a campsite in advance as many of them operate on a ‘first come first served’ basis, you just have to be there early in the morning to secure your spot. Word of warning, the roads leading into campsites are veryyyyy bumpy and narrow, so be prepared for that.

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With all my advice out of the way for planning your trip to Yosemite and what to do on arrival, I can now describe my favourite hikes and sights to see:

Pothole Dome – the Pothole Dome trail is a 4km loop, which starts from Tioga Pass road at the western edge on Tuolumne Meadows.

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There isn’t an official trail here, but it’s an easy route which gets you up to the dome. At the top you will be rewarded with lovely views over Tuolumne Meadows.

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Olmsted Point – a great effort to view ratio as it is just a 20 minute round trip to Olmsted Point. There may be more people here than other places in Yosemite due to the minimal effort it takes, but don’t let that stop you from seeing the views it offers. You will be greeted to a close up of Clouds Rest and Half Dome on one side and Tenaya Lake on the other, so there is plenty to see making it one place that cannot be missed.

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Tuolumne Grove of Giant Sequoias – if you’re thinking, what on earth is a giant sequoia? Don’t worry, because I thought the same when I seen the name of this place. Giant sequoias are the third longest-living tree species on the planet. This grove therefore, is home to lots of them and they are very cool to look at and stand beside.

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The hike is a 4km round trip, which is a nice hike along a smooth trail and the giant sequoias make it very easy on the eye.

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Bridalveil Fall – the trail to the falls is a short 2km round trip, which is easy even know there are a few boulders to zig zag around.

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It isn’t the tallest or widest fall in the world, standing at 189m, but what makes it unique is when the wind blows it creates a mist which resembles, yes you guessed, a bridalveil! The best time of the year to see this is Spring time, when the winter snow is melting and the fall has the most water running down it.

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As we were here in summer, it wasn’t too impressive as the drought meant there was barely any water gushing down the fall. It was still a good hike to do and I’d recommend it regardless.

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Glacier Point – this is my favourite spot in Yosemite by far! From here you can see Yosemite Valley, Half Dome, Yosemite Falls and Yosemite’s high country so it has to be on your list when coming to this national park.

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The drive to Glacier Point car park takes you around the national park and the scenery is amazing. The walk then from the car park is short and the views get even better.

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There are a number of hikes you can do along the Glacier Point road, ranging from 2 to 10 hours in length. If you wanted to do any of these, I would suggest putting it on the top of your to do list so you can start hiking early in the morning;

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Bridalveil Creek (6.4km round trip) and Dewey Point (12.1km round trip) – both beginning at McGurk Meadow trailhead.
Sentinel Dome (3.5km round trip) and Taft Point (3.5km round trip) – both beginning at Sentinel Dome/Taft Point trailhead.
Ostrander Lake (18.2km round trip) – beginning at Ostrander Lake trailhead.
Glacier Point to Yosemite Valley (7.7km one way for the Four Mile trail or 13.6km one way for the panorama trail) – beginning at Glacier Point (take the hikers’ bus to Glacier Point and hike down to Yosemite Valley to your vehicle).

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There are lots of other things to do and see around Yosemite so you really can’t go wrong with anything you decide to do here. Enjoy every second, soak up every view on offer and if you’re lucky you’ll even get to see a bear or two!

Yosemite -> Santa Cruz (3 hr 30 mins)

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Driving to Santa Cruz, we were coming back to the West Coast and we were finished with our inland stops for the trip. From here on in it was strictly beaches and soaking up all the sun we could get!

We arrived here early in the morning and were treated to free pancakes on the boardwalk. I’m not sure if this is a common occurrence but it was welcomed by us all the same. Arriving in Santa Cruz early however, did have its downfalls. The clouds hadn’t yet disappeared so we decided to nap on the beach until the sky was clear. A couple of hours later (regretting not having put on any sun cream), we explored Santa Cruz in all its glory.

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This is a lovely wee beach town, with the funfair right on the shore providing not only entertainment but also vibrant photo opportunities as well. My personal favourite are the colourful cable cars floating above the beach.

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There is also a nice pier to walk along where you can pop into the many souvenir shops on offer. At the end of the pier you can spot sea lions lazing about and enjoying the sun.

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Santa Cruz was a great beach stop along the West Coast and it made us excited for what else was to come on our trip!

Santa Cruz -> Monterey (45 mins)

We left Santa Cruz in the afternoon and were headed to San Simeon where we were going to spend the night. That meant the places in between; Monterey, Carmel-by-the-Sea and Big Sur were quick stop overs to see the sights.

Monterey is a small town but it’s worth a visit as you can spend an hour or so wandering around the streets and the shops. There is an aquarium here which you can go to, if the weather isn’t too great or if you love all things fish and sea.

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We drove the 17-mile drive, which is a lovely scenic route around the area where you drive through a forested area and along the seafront, passing eight golf courses, three luxury hotels, and the famed Lone Cypress tree. You have to pay a small fee (around $10) to drive this road, but it’s worth it and it’s a nice way to head to Carmel-by-the-Sea.

Monterey -> Carmel-by-the-Sea (30 mins)

Another little cute town like Monterey, Carmel-by-the-Sea is a nice place to stop for a late lunch or some dinner.

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With lovely cobbled streets, you can wander around for as long as you please, going into every nook and cranny you can see.

Remember to take your camera with you when you are wandering around this town, as you will want to stop and take lots of photos outside the beautiful shops and buildings.

Carmel-by-the-Sea -> Big Sur (40 mins)

This is more of a place you drive through rather than stop off at. The views along the rugged coastline are amazing and it’s a beautiful drive that you could do over and over and still not get bored of.

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We approached Big Sur as the sun was setting (still on the same day as our time in Santa Cruz!), which was lovely to see but I’d expect the views would be even more beautiful in the middle of the day when the sun is at its peak.

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You can’t get closer to the Pacific Ocean than this, other than driving into it, so you won’t be disappointed with Big Sur.

Big Sur -> San Simeon (1 hr 30 mins)

San Simeon is the halfway point between San Francisco and Los Angeles, each being 230 miles/370km away.

We never actually made it all the way to San Simeon on this day, we ended up having to sleep in the car on the roadside as there were road works and we couldn’t get through. Not the glamorous accommodation we had in mind, but there’s always a silver lining as we saved $ on not having to pay for anywhere to stay that night. I wouldn’t recommend sleeping in your car to save money however, as it’s not a comfortable night’s sleep and backpain is real!

If you pass by here during the day, which we eventually did the next morning, there are plenty of activities, tours, sightseeing locations in San Simeon to keep you occupied. From the San Simeon beaches, elephant seals, to the San Simeon Hearst Castle and light station, you will not run out of things to do.

San Simeon -> Solvang (1 hr 50 mins)

This day involved driving from our pit stop outside San Simeon to Los Angeles. There were less stops to make on this day, so we were able to spend more time on the beaches of Santa Barbara and Santa Monica, which are outside Los Angeles.

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Solvang is a cute Danish town which is aptly situated on the West Coast of America. We were recommended to stop here for breakfast, which of course we did because who ever doesn’t follow through on recommendations of food stops.

We went into a nice café and had pastries and coffee, which was like heaven especially after having spent a night sleeping in the passenger seat of a car! The pastry was nice and flaky it was tough choosing just one to eat.

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As this is a small town, you wouldn’t need more than an hour or two here. In saying that though, I would highly recommend the stop as the buildings are lovely and there are plenty of cafes to choose from as well.

Solvang -> Santa Barbara (45 mins)

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Even though it was quite overcast during our time in Santa Barbara, I still felt it was a nice town and worth a visit. It is quieter than Santa Monica with beautiful beaches, so if you preferred less crowds here would be the place for you.

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The Santa Barbara harbour is a lovely setting to walk along where you can view all types of boats with a background of the Santa Ynez Mountains. If you keep walking, you will come to Sandspit Beach, which is the only beach in Santa Barbara with a view of the city and the riviera.

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There are plenty of restaurants, bars, wine tasting rooms in Santa Barbara so you won’t leave here on an empty stomach that’s for sure.

Santa Barbara -> Santa Monica (1 hr 45 mins)

I really enjoyed Santa Monica and felt it had a bit of a Santa Cruz feel to it. Or maybe others would say Santa Cruz has a Santa Monica feel to it.

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There were plenty of people all around and the place had a great buzz, with street performers dancing and doing magic tricks.

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The beach here is lovely with a big pier which hosts a Ferris Wheel, a few rides, and eateries. We chilled on the beach for a while as we had done quite some driving this day and just wanted to lie back and relax.

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Another food recommendation we had to tick off were the fajitas from Mariasol Restaurant at the end of the pier. You may think that fajitas are a meal which would taste the same everywhere as they aren’t too complex, but you must go here and try these as you would soon find out that theory is wrong!

Santa Monica -> Los Angeles (20 mins)

I have to be honest here, Los Angeles was the place I was most excited for on the West Coast and leaving, it was the place I least wanted to return to. I’m not sure if I over-hyped it myself before going, but I just found it was a bit of a grimy city and not the glamorous place I imagined it to be.

However, I’ll make this post useful and give you good tips to narrow your expectations and tell you about the places in LA I really enjoyed.

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First thing’s first, if you think you are going to get close to the ‘Hollywood’ sign then get that thought straight out of your head! We walked for agessss and ages and there’s just no way to it.

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I would’ve enjoyed the walk more if I hadn’t been fixated on getting to the sign, so let that be a lesson to you all. Enjoy the nice walk in nature and take in the lovely views of LA and the surrounding area.

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The actual city centre in LA isn’t the most glamourous, in my opinion. The walk of fame is on the footpath so it’s quite dirty. Again, it may be I had the wrong expectations and thought the walk of fame was going to be like I’d seen on pictures, all dazzling and glitz.

Beverly Hills however was the luxury I had imagined it to be and more.

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We drove around the area then parked the car and walked all around, it was lovely and it was a great thing to do just as the sun was going down and the cool evening was setting in.

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That’s everything we had time for in LA as we headed down to enjoy the many beaches on the West Coast. I am tempted to return to LA to give it another chance, as we may have went to the incorrect places during our time there. I’ll let you know if my opinion on this city changes, which I really hope it does!

We went to four beaches all within an hour of LA, so I thought it’d be best to put them all here under the one heading instead of splitting the post up. This was one of my favourite parts of the West Coast as all the beaches were amazing and the waves were insane!

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Los Angeles -> Long Beach (25 mins)

With 11 miles of sandy shoreline, Long Beach is a perfect spot to go if you want to surf the waves or if you’re just wanting to relax on the white sand. This is a great place to stop off on the way down the coast from LA and the only thing you won’t want to do is leave!

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Los Angeles -> Huntington Beach (40 mins)

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Huntington beach is my favourite beach on the whole of the West Coast! Golden sand, plenty of places to sunbathe and the waves are insane. We were having so much fun getting bashed about by the waves and we only had to go into the water up to our knees.

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There were surfing championships on when we were here too, which is a great thing to watch to pass some time.

Los Angeles -> Newport Beach (45 mins)

Growing up watching The O.C, we had a love for Newport already and it didn’t disappoint. The waves here weren’t as crazy as Huntington beach so you would get a more relaxing time in the water.

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We spent half a day sunbathing here and we left nice and refreshed!

Los Angeles -> Laguna Beach (50 mins)

Laguna beach is probably the prettiest beach of the lot, especially when there isn’t a cloud to be seen in the nice blue sky. We had lots of fun playing with a beach ball and running in and out of the water to cool ourselves down.

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There is also a nice town here to have some lunch and walking about with an ice cream will keep you nice and cool.

Laguna Beach -> Dana Point (15 mins)

We went to Dana Point on our way to San Clemente, as the sun was setting and we had heard that this is a nice place to watch the sun set. We didn’t regret this decision, as although it is a small enough place, the harbour is a lovely place to go to watch the sun go down.

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Dana Point is a good place to walk around and take your time doing so, the nice boats at the harbour and chilled setting will make you glad you stopped off here.

Dana Point -> San Clemente (10 mins)

We had never planned to go to San Clemente, but it happened to be a good spot to spend the night before heading to San Diego the next day. Not really knowing much about the place, we parked up at the motel then walked out to find somewhere to eat.

Of course, us being 3 Irish girls, found an Irish pub to have our dinner. We must’ve missed the home comforts having been driving the American roads for the last couple of weeks and half starving ourselves in order to save our dollars.

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We then went to another bar after this and had quite a good night. The nightlife in San Clemente was fun, which was unexpected!

The next morning, we drove around San Clemente to take in the scenery and we rested on the beach for a while before heading to San Diego. We enjoyed our time in this chilled-out city, taking in the mountain views and the Spanish colonial-style buildings.

San Clemente -> San Diego (1 hr)

San Diego is the second biggest beach city in California and we had a great time here from start to finish. With lots of beaches, you are reliant on the weather to be in your favour as there isn’t much else to do here than enjoy time outside! Thankfully though, the climate is great here and sun the shines all through the summer.

We done something different here rather than just sunbathe on the beach all day every day (even though I wouldn’t have complained if that was all we did anyway). We headed to Mission Bay and rented ourselves rollerblades for the afternoon. It was great to rollerblade down the promenade, which goes on for a long, long time.

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With the sun shining down on us, this was a perfect activity to do as with the slight breeze in our faces whilst we rollerbladed, that cooled us down and we were less hot and sweaty.

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We spent the next day at Pacific Beach which was another lovely beach. Being tired from all the travelling, sightseeing and late night drinking, we spent our last full day relaxing and dipping in and out of the water to cool down.

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You can’t go travelling and not take in the beautiful sunset when you get the chance and here is no different.

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We went to the pier at Mission Bay to watch the sun go down and even though it was a bit cloudy so we didn’t get the colours in the sky we were hoping for, it was still lovely to see so many people there for sunset and also all the surfers floating in the sea catching the last of the day’s waves.

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San Diego -> San Francisco (8 hr 15 mins)

We decided to take the less scenic route on our way back up to San Francisco as we were driving it all in a day and had seen all the sights we wanted to so just jumped on the highway and got back as soon as we could.

The time taken for us to drive from San Diego to San Fran doesn’t include our stop off at the outlets for some last-minute holiday shopping. The few hours we spent at the outlets kept us sane for the long drive back up the boring highway.

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Our roadtrip of the West Coast of America had come to an end and we would have loved to turn the car around as soon as we reached San Fran and do it all over again! We had such a good couple of weeks and reminiscing really makes me want to go back to experience the sun, beaches, nature and even the humid LA. I’d go back in a heartbeat if I could.

Since I spent the whole summer in San Francisco and toured my sisters about in the couple of days they had after our road trip before they flew back to Ireland, I can’t publish this post without describing this brilliant city!

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We lived in Daly City for our time in San Fran, which is a suburb outside the city and is only a quick 20/30 minute ride on the BART (metro system in San Fran) to the city centre.

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9 of us were also lucky enough to all get a job working for Red and White Fleet on Pier 43 1/2, scanning tickets, bartending, acting as a tourist information spot for the unlucky tourists who stopped to ask us questions.

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I was happy that we didn’t have to act as salespeople, as the tickets easily sold themselves..with a boat ride under the Golden Gate bridge and around Alcatraz Island all the while surrounded by us Irish, the boats never had an empty space!

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Here are my favourite things you can do in San Fran:

Cycle the Golden Gate bridge – as soon as you get a nice clear day, or as close as that you can get (as San Fran does have the nickname ‘Fog City’ for a reason) then rent a bike and cycle across the Golden Gate bridge. You can rent a bike from any rental place along the pier, we went for the place that was open the latest in the evening so that we didn’t have to race back to return our bikes.

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We cycled all the way down the pier and across the bridge. This is a lovely bike ride and going across the bridge gives you great views as well, if you’re lucky enough to miss the fog. I done this cycle twice in the summer I was there, once it was so foggy we couldn’t see the person in front of us but the other time the sun was shining and the sky was clear!

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When you get across the bridge, keep cycling and you come to a town called Sausalito. This is a lovely little town where you can lock your bike up and stroll around, enjoying some lunch or ice cream to cool down.

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The great thing about this cycle is that you do not have to cycle all the way back to San Fran (phew!). There is a ferry that takes you from Sausalito back to the pier, which is only a 15/20 minute journey and obviously they allow you to take your bike on.

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Alcatraz Island – this is the prison island in San Fran, which thankfully isn’t still in use today for prisoners, just for tourists to go to for a tour. There is only one company which can take people on tours of the island, which is ‘Alcatraz Cruises’. This company was not the one we worked for during this summer, however tourists didn’t shy away from asking us if we were sure our company didn’t allow people off on the island..and we’d repeatedly tell them that no, we aren’t mistaken, there is only one company that is allowed to do it and it isn’t ours!

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As only ‘Alcatraz Cruises’ can take people on tours of Alcatraz Island, that means in the summer the tickets book up months in advance. If you are in San Fran between June and August and know you would like to go to Alcatraz Island, then make sure you buy your tickets before June or else you may find yourself disappointed.

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There is a way around getting onto Alcatraz Island without a ticket on the day, however this involves a very early start! Every morning, they offer 100 tickets on a first come, first served basis, so you can queue up early and go on the first tour of the day. This is a good thing to do if you aren’t organised and didn’t pre-purchase your ticket, although if you read this post and follow my advice above, then you won’t need to follow these instructions as your ticket will already be bought.

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The tour of Alcatraz Island is very good and I would highly recommend it. I originally didn’t think I would have liked it, but the story of its history is interesting and it’s cool and eerie to walk around the prison as you are listening to facts about what happened there.

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Pier 39 – This is one of my favourite places to go to in San Fran, especially on a nice and sunny day. The pier is filled with restaurants, souvenir shops, quirky shops and even a left handed store!

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There is always lots going on, from magicians performing their magic, to the sea lions splashing in and out of the water or soaking up the rays from the sun.

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On my way to work I would stop off here for a coffee and pastry from one stall, then on the way home from work I would stop off again for some dinner, dessert or even a cocktail or two. Pier 39 can be enjoyed at any time of the day and you can go back numerous times to try out different places to eat and drink!

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Baseball game at Oracle Park Stadium – I am in no way a baseball fan and don’t exactly know the rules, but that didn’t stop me from enjoying a baseball game at Oracle Park stadium.

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This is an iconic thing to do whilst in America and I really liked the atmosphere of the stadium and the match, even if it lasted many hours and I didn’t understand what was going on half the time!

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Cheesecake Factory – before you get confused, this place is a restaurant which serves main courses and then they offer a catalogue of cheesecakes for dessert. By law (made up by me), you cannot come in here and just have a main course, you have to order a cheesecake as well!

I absolutely love this place, so much so that I treated myself to it 5 times in the 3 months I spent in San Fran! Whether you go during the day just for a coffee and cheesecake, or go at night time for a meal and cheesecake, you won’t be disappointed and it will be buzzing at all times.

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The wait time for a table can vary if you’re going in the evening, which isn’t a problem as the restaurant is above a furniture store, so you can relax on the comfy sofas or think about redecorating your house while you wait.

I can’t write this without telling you my favourite cheesecake I tried! It was the Oreo cheesecake of course and a slice is so big you could share it with your dinner partner or else take the leftovers home with you to enjoy when your stomach settles a bit.

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Dolores Park – Dolores Park is in The Castro district and it was a lovely place to go and chill on a sunny day. There is a great buzz around here and the park is a brilliant place to spend an afternoon chilling and people watching whilst sipping on your favourite drink.

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We arrived in San Fran in perfect time to celebrate Gay Pride. The whole day was a lot of fun, so much colour and glitz and the sun shone down on us all day. I had never been to a Gay Pride parade before, but I can’t see how anywhere could top the celebrations in Castro!

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Lake Anza – this is a nice lake in Berkeley where you can spend some time chilling around the lake. It is situated in a lovely area which provides a great backdrop and it’s away from the city noise as well. We had a day off work and wanted to get out of the city so we came here and it was nice and relaxing.

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Twin Peaks – the walk up to the top is challenging enough, but you can take your time and the views from the top are worth the effort. We climbed up here on a foggy day (no surprise as the San Fran is nicknamed ‘Fog City’) and even then the views were lovely. You can see all out over the city and Bay Area too.

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Haight Street – this is a really cool street for thrift stores as there is one every few metres so you can’t go wrong! Even if you aren’t wanting to do any shopping, this street is still good to go to and take a walk down, as it has an interesting character to it with nice unique places to window shop, grab a bite to eat or have a drink.

Lombard Street – known as the ‘Crookedest Street in the World’, Lombard Street is a great place to go to on a tour of the city as it doesn’t take up too much time to see and it is pretty cool.

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If you don’t know what is so cool about Lombard Street, it is essentially a crooked street down a steep hill, with 8 sharp turns. What I liked about it was the scenery, as there are lovely houses on both sides of the street and the street has vibrant flowers all the way down.

If you don’t know what is so cool about Lombard Street, it is essentially a crooked street down a steep hill, with 8 sharp turns. What I liked about it was the scenery, as there are lovely houses on both sides of the street and the street has vibrant flowers all the way down.

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There are great photo opportunities at the top and bottom of Lombard Street, as you get views of the San Fran Bay, Bay Bridge and Coit Tower from the top, then the view of Lombard street itself and its landscaping and flowers is beautiful from the bottom!

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The Painted Ladies – this is a recommendation for the photographers out there. It is a row of Victorian style houses, painted in nice pastel colours with a view of the city’s skyscrapers in the background. This is a lovely spot for that postcard perfect photograph and there is a park here to chill at whilst taking in the view.

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No matter if you are in San Fran for a few days, weeks, or months, if can make your way through the above checklist, you are guaranteed a great time! I loved all my time spent in this city and if I could relive those 3 months, I would in a heartbeat.