What to do in San Francisco

Need some help narrowing down your itinerary for San Francisco as there is SO MUCH to do there! Here are my top things to do and note:

Where to stay:

• USA Hostels – this is where I stayed, it is a little but more expensive for most hostels but there are so many little extras that it is totally worth it! Little things such as – small dorms, power point shelves inside your bunk bed, really friendly cleaning staff, clean and equipped kitchen, free breakfast pancakes and fruit, great security, comfy beds and loads of activities running daily.
• The Green Tortoise – I really wanted to stay here but sadly it was booked out.  However, everyone I know who did stay there strongly recommended it.  They also do a free dinner two nights a week!

Things to note:

• Weather – all year round San Francisco has fog, it may be summer everywhere else but pack layers for San Fran.
• Maps – get the uber great transit map from your hostel or the information centre as it not only marks all the great attractions but also all the bus routes on it.
• Airport – you can catch the Bart train in from the airport for about $8 or speak to your hostel about an airport drop off or pick up, it’s usually about $12… you pay the extra $4 to not have to carry your pack up a hill!
• People – generally everyone you meet is super friendly, super helpful and so outgoing its daunting. San Francisco also has a large population of homeless people, this was a huge culture shock for me – it was heartbreaking to see so many people living rough in one of the worlds wealthiest countries.

Where to eat:

• Fisherman’s Wharf – Try the world-famous clam chowder in a sour-dough bread roll while sitting on the seafront fighting off seagulls. Only $6.50!
• The Capital Restaurant (China Town) – Well recommended by Yelp and Tripadvisor.  Affordable and absolutely delicious, the place is always packed and you must order the chicken wing starters.  Every table had a plate one and one bite will tell you why.
• Taqueria – Ask at your hostel or hotel where they think the best locals taco’s can be found.  It won’t be in any guide-book but it will be the best Mexican you will have.
• Mission Cheese – Bask in the sunshine while sipping wine and nibbling on cheese
• In N Out Burger – A Californian institution and the Ferrari of fast food. But one that should be only be used as hangover food or in extreme circumstances once you are over the age of 22 – otherwise you will feel the grease sliding down through your intestines.

Things to do and see:

• Golden Gate Bridge – of course! You can hire bikes at Fisherman’s Wharf and cycle across, stopping on the other side for some lunch.  Though if you prefer to take in the scene at a more relaxed pace, you can walk across.  There and back only takes 40 minutes and there are buses that run from Downtown to the Bridge every 20 minutes.
• Mission – Spend an afternoon walking around the colourful streets and popping into  local bars – Lonely Planet has some great suggestions on how to lose yourself for an afternoon – check out my last blog on it!
• Coit Tower – Walk up to the tower that over looks the whole city for great views of The Golden Gate Bridge, the Bay Bridge, Alcatraz and Lombard Street.  You can go up to the top of the tower for $7 but if there is fog in the bay obscuring the view it may not be worth it.
• Alcatraz – see the cell where they kept Al Capone and receive chills down your spine as you wander the dark deserted corridors of America’s most notorious prisons.  Book early though as only one company runs tours out there and it books out quickly especially in the summer months.
• Lombard Street – If you feel like some exercise walk up the stairs on the side of the zig-zag street.  Stop to admire the beautiful flowers and graceful architecture of the houses on either side.  Just be careful not to get swamped by the hundreds of tourists with cameras.
• Union Square – Be mesmerised by shoes and designer glasses as you stumble around the plethora of giant American shopping chains such as Macey’s, Nordstrom’s, Forever 21 and the Gap.
• Golden Gate Park – take a relaxing day out from the hustle and bustle of the city while perusing the greenery in this giant park to the south of the city.  The Japanese Tea Gardens in the centre are highly recommended… however I was unimpressed for the price.  The Botanical Gardens over the road were much more impressive and were FREE on the day I was there.
• Cow Hollow (Union Street Shopping, not to be confused with Union Square) – for some cute boutiques and fun kitchy cafes head to the other side of town.  It was a little out of my price range but I loved walking through looking at the creative store names. 
• China Town – fight through the tourists to pick up some great souvenir bargains. Don’t forget to check out the streets either side as they have some great little surprises such as full wall murals and a some great places to get a manicure.
• Ferry Building to Pier 39 – Start at the old Ferry Building markets to indulge in some delicious local produce.  Then walk it off by walking round through the piers admiring the views and the giant ships as they head out to sea.  Stop at pier 39 to watch the Sea Lions who have taken up residence.
• Harbour Tours – See the city from the sea and get up and close with the Golden Gate Bridge, take a stroll across Treasure Island.  It’s not hard finding a tour company or boat as the wharfs are crowded with choice.

Something Extra:

• Wine Tours (Sanoma and Napa Valley’s)- San Francisco is just a couple of hours away from California’s premium wine country. Take a day trip or even a couple of days to explore the region with your tastes buds.
• Yosemite – although a 6 hour drive from San Francisco there are plenty of tour groups that do all the driving for you.  Spend a couple of days traipsing across the peaks and absorbing the spectacular views.

Hopefully this will give you a place to start – good luck on your exploration.

Oh, its a hard life!

Weekends as a 20 something living in one of the world’s most beautiful cities are often hectic and intense.  The words relax and time out are often spoken of in hushed tones, as something to be revered and thought of as a Holy Grail – you know you have made it in life when you have the leisure to relax.

This is one of my thoughts, as each weekend approaches I hope that I will squeeze in some down time for doing nothing at all.  Then of course I read the weather report and find out that the sun will be shining – no time for relaxing in bed with a good book, time for beach and walks and brunches and Sunday sessions. Or it could be that there is another great food/culture/music/art/theatre/comedy festival on and suddenly my whole day is booked tramping round the city hunting down these great moments. Really, life is hard! There is so much happening that even if you do decide to stay home slouch on the couch you are wrecked with waves of guilt due to you wasting a great opportunity to be doing “something”.

On Saturday I had one of those days where the weather was too glorious for me to contemplate staying home.  Instead I bundled my friends and a picnic into my car and took us down to the Royal National Park in the south of Sydney.  The day before I had googled the best bush walks to do and come up with a medium 11k walk across the Curra Moors. (website idea for someone – make a website with easy to find bushwalks, with maps and descriptions for each walk and most importantly directions on how to get there.  Wildwalks is an OK site for information but it’s so hard to navigate that it’s not really worth it unless you know the specific walk you would like to do. If someone wants to take on this idea and also create an App – I would be truly grateful!)

Bush Walking

With our backpacks jam-packed with yummy delicious food we headed off into the bush. As most of my walking buddies were from the UK I had a fun time pointing out various flowers and trees such as the Squiggle Bark Gum and the Gymea Lily which was towering over the scrub.

Gymea Lily

We were walking through coastal bushland which has fewer trees and more shrubs – giving it the impression of a rocky English moor covered in bracken… only with snakes and spiders. We didn’t see another soul and the only sounds that we heard were the warning cries of the finches and lyre birds as they warned their comrades of our presence and the constant scuttle of leaves as lizards scooted off the path and out-of-the-way of our big feet.

About halfway we hit the cliff tops and jumped across a little stream that disappeared over the edge. As we stood there gaping out at the great cliffs a head popped up under the ledge by our feet.

“Oh hello!” I said somewhat startled that there was a human head where my feet were.

“Hello there” Said the head back as it began climbing up onto the rock shelf we were standing on – proving that it wasn’t a lonely head but part of a full body.

“Nice day for a walk” I said to the man who had now fully materialised.

“yes it is – you girls, out bushwalking? Want to see a snake, there is a big one just sunning himself”

“Yes, yes I do!”

I clambered down the rock shelf to where the man had appeared so suddenly and slipped over the waterfall creek to the other side.  I heard my friends quickly clamber on down behind me – give them their due – not one of them said, ewwwww no!

There on the other side of the creek lying out in the sun was a giant diamond python. At least 2 meters long for what I could see, he gazed at us lazily, blinking in the sunlight before the numerous eyes staring at him made him shy.  It took some time for his body to uncurl and move away down to another rock as he was sprawled over some dead branches.  He silently took his leave of us.  Unlike the bushwalker who had found him.  He, walked with us for the next half an hour nattering away about how hard it’s been to break in is new walking boots – riveting stuff! He did show us the crazy path that would take us down to the beach… which I have no doubt we would have missed without him.

Garie Beach

The route down to the beach was perilous, involving climbing of rocks, dead trees and random holes.  Made worse by the thought that once we were done at the beach we would have to climb back up again… yay! But once down on the beach all of that was forgotten.  It was a glorious day for all that it was the first weekend of spring.  Within seconds we had all changed and were running head first into the surf – not going to lie it was bloody freezing – but we became numb in a matter of seconds and so proceeded to frolic about in the crystal clear water.

South Coast

After we had exhausted our remaining energy retired to the grassy hill to eat our picnic and loll about. If the sun hadn’t suddenly disappeared and reminded us that it wasn’t quite summer yet I have no doubt we would have stayed there till dark, Instead we slogged back up the hill and found the car.

Once home a hot shower and a nap was needed before the evenings entertainments could commence.

How Many Tickets Does it Take to Lose a Prawn Raffle?

 

So Sydney isn’t exactly the most hustly bustly city that most major cities are – the culture of the whole city is one of sunshine, play and fun – work really is second place.  Still sometimes the crowds on the beaches and the packed shops and the overspilling cafés can get a bit much – that’s when it’s time for a weekend away!

Gerringong – a little hamlet on the South Coast was our destination – wine, cheese, wine, lounging around, wine, beach time, wine, shopping and some more wine were our plans.  Because Gerringong is so small we thought there wouldn’t be much to do, that the lounging around portion of our plans would take up the most of this girlie weekend… we were wrong.

THINGS TO DO:

Beaches: Werri beach is a favourite of mine as there is great surf as well as swimming pools for those not wanting to go in the surf.  Then of course there is 7 Mile Beach over the hill at Gerroa… its seven miles of sun, sand, sea and surf… AKA: Bliss!

Eating: There are many great restaurants in the area – with so much seafood around it’s hard to choose.  I would definitely recommend Werri Beach Fish and Chips a great place to sit outside and eat delicious seafood – or grab your takeaway and head onto the beach. Or if you are like us, buy some prawns and hot chips and head home to eat them with cheese and dips and wine while sitting on a beautiful deck looking at the ocean. For desert head into Gerringong for a scoop out of Scoops, some of the best ice cream on the south coast, you can then sit out on the hill and enjoy the sunset.

For a great night out: head over to Gerroa Fisherman’s Club.  The club is beautifully situated on top of the hill so when its light you can look out over the full 7 Mile Beach.  The specialty on the menu is seafood and you won’t be disappointed!  It’s fresh and well-cooked for prices us city slickers can only dream of. The place is always packed with locals and tourists alike and has a friendly atmosphere – don’t be afraid to strike up a conversation while you wait in the queue to order.  On weekends they have a meat raffle and a seafood raffle… sadly despite our best efforts we did not win.  This was followed by some live music, the atmosphere was great with everyone getting up to dance – so great that it took us a while to notice that the singers guitar wasn’t plugged in… nor was he strumming the right notes

Activities: If you are feeling energetic you can do the 6K Gerringong to Kiama coastal walk, it runs over beautiful cliffs with spectacular views and at the end there is beautiful Kiama to explore.  If this is a little too energetic for you (as it was for us), you can try some wine tasting.  The area is littered with many great wineries hidden away in the mountain foothills.  You can spend the day driving (if you are the unlucky Designate Driver) or can hire tours to take you to around.

Shopping: Gerringong’s Surf shop is renowned on the South Coast for not only its size (being massive) but its great variety, friendly service and turnover of stock (which means there is always a sale on!) and its been there for over 30 years. I have yet to enter the place and walkout without purchasing at least something… take four girls in there – say goodbye to the next couple of hours and $400!

Or if you feel like something more for the whole family – head to Berry.  A kitchy art town just off the coast, situated amongst the green rolling hills and bubbling brooks, you have some great shops filled with more nick-knacks than you can point a stick at.  There are also some great restaurants here as well sporting locally grown produce.

Entertainment:  Always check the what’s on guide for Gerringong as most evenings in the summer there are great activities thrown by the community; from outdoor cinemas to themed art and cheese nights.  We enjoyed a great afternoon in Berry sitting in the sun at Mezzadellas Woodfired Pizza & Tapas eating pizza and drinking beer while we watched some live Music – checkout Penny and the Mystics as they were great and have just come back from a tour.  Definitely an improvement on the live music from the Gerroa Fisherman’s Club…

Gerringong: A place of wine, seafood and live music!