Mlee888

Yes, definitely. My next visit will not include Seaworld. I will be visiting downtown and Gaslamp District next time round!

Thanks!

Will try and put the best parts up soon. The next chapter isn't that interesting so will try and add more as soon as possible.

Thanks, Annalisa12. I wish I had taken more photos! Amazing to see what technology was like back then and what it's like now. In a way it's quite scary what technology will bring us in the future.

Thanks Madone59, I have more photos from Phils BBQ which I didn't include in my trip report sadly. Great place! The onion rings were delicious and the ribs and chicken. OMG!!! I know to be hungrier the next time I visit.

I never got to go to Liberty Station Market. This is my second time in San Diego and I have still yet to go downtown or Gaslight District.

I will be back!

Awesome! J class was great too. I did plan to use Suites for the journey next time round but with A380 being taken off the SIN-LAX route from October this year, it looks like this may no longer be possible for me.

Thanks, Culture Guru.

Mlee888

Day 4 – San Diego to San Francisco - probably the most boring part of my trip report

3 nights in San Diego is definitely not enough, there is so much more to do and see here than I realised, I’m sure we only just touched the tip of the iceberg. We never had the chance to pop into downtown or visit areas such as the Gaslamp Quarter, both of which I heard were great places to visit. Next time we visit San Diego, we will stay for at least 5 days there. Until next time SD we bid you farewell.

Thank you Homewood Suites Liberty Station for making our stay comfortable. We will definitely come back. With all the construction going on it will be interesting to see what the views of the other side of the lake will be next time round.



We originally planned to leave SD around 7am but were worried about hitting the morning rush hour traffic once approaching LA. Because of this we decided to leave around 9am instead. After checking out and saying our goodbyes to the staff, with 4 of us in total in our 7 seater Dodge Caravan, we laid down the back row seats and maximised the luggage space. I wish I had taken a photo but between us we managed to get 5 large suitcases, 2 medium suitcases, 5 carry-ons and 2 rucksacks into the back with plenty of space to spare for at least another 2-3 suitcases.

We used the quickest route to San Francisco which took us mostly on the i5. After starting our journey at 9am, we reached the sight of Los Angeles downtown by around 10:30-10:45am. Once we past Los Angeles, the number of cars visible on the roads started to dwindle. This gave a clear path all the way to close by San Francisco.

The scenery was wonderful, for a few hundred miles all we could see was dry land and mountains in the background (some of which were apparently 80-90 miles away). This is something we don’t get to see or experience much in Europe or South East Asia.



I originally made plans to stop at designated gas stations with a number of food choices along the way to break up the journey as we wasn’t sure how frequent the availability of stops would be, however after noticing gas stations every 10-20 miles we decided to scrap that plan and would stop as soon as one needed a toilet break or got hungry.

With the group sleeping, I ventured up the i5 driving past each exit salivating after seeing signs for at least one of the following chains Carl’s Jr, In and Out Burger, McDonalds, and KFC. Please would one of you wake up and tell me you need a pit stop! After coughing loudly, one of the group wakes up and announces they need a pit stop. Bingo!

Next stop, we come off the i5 and make our way to explore the numerous food choices available. However at this one there doesn't appear to be much except for a Denny’s and a Gas Station. I had heard so much of In and Out Burger I really wanted to try it. Oh well, I have waited 30 odd years so a few more days won’t hurt. Denny’s it is then!

The Denny’s we’re at is based in Grapevine, California. A nice atmosphere inside with friendly staff but the food overall isn’t that great in my opinion. In fact I’ve been really disappointed in the quality of food at both Denny’s and iHops.



The food always looks great in the menu.



I didn’t take a photo of my meal as it didn’t warrant memory space sadly. However Denny’s didn’t completely disappoint (after seeing food choices at the other stops) as the view outside around the back was one I had never experienced before. I stood, admired the view and reflected my life and future for a couple of minutes.



I stood until it got too hot for me so I ran back to the car turned on the air conditioning and prepared myself for the remainder of the journey.

Beginning the second part of the journey at 1pm, we were still around 300 miles away from our destination. The whole journey in total was just under 500 miles so at this point we had yet to reach the halfway point.

After nonstop driving for around 3 hours following the GPS system, I wake the sleeping threesome and ask one to help take a photo of the outside. Does anyone know where this is? I remember it being part of a national park in California.



After setting off at 9am, by 5:30pm we start to drive past exit signs for places such as Foster City, Mountain View, San Jose, and eventually San Francisco Airport. By 6:45pm we had reached our second hotel of the trip, Homewood Suites, San Francisco Airport North.

After checking in, the room we booked was again a 2 bedroom, 2 bathroom suite (same as San Diego). Our room was located on the ground floor but it seemed to be the furthest away from reception. There was also a railway track behind the hotel but I don’t recall hearing any trains during the night.

No photos of the outside of the hotel but it was in a nice location with plenty of parking. I originally chose this hotel because to begin with we planned to leave our car here and take a train into the city, we never did this in the end. In Hindsight I probably would have stayed much closer to the Bay Area and paid for parking instead of going for the free option. Reasons will be explained later. 

Homewood Suites has a social evening every Mon-Thurs where guests can mingle and enjoy free food from 5:30pm-7:30pm.

The reception area is quite homely here.



The 2 bedroom suite had a nice ample sized living room and kitchen. The sofa bed can again fit 1 large adult or 2 small persons. Overall again, same as San Diego the place can fit 5-6 adults easily.

The living room area.



The beds are extremely comfortable! I wish I had this mattress at home. One room contained a king sized bed and the other, a queen sized bed. Both bathrooms had a bathtub with shower and plenty of towels and amenities.



Dinner was at a local McDonalds near Cow Palace that is close to the hotel. After this we settled down for the night and woke up early for our first day out in San Francisco! 

Day 5 coming up soon.

Mlee888

Day 5 – San Francisco Part 1

So our original plan was to leave the car at the hotel and take the BART from SFO airport into the city. After working out that the cost for 4 persons would be approximately $80 for a return journey, we decided to put this towards the cost of parking near Fisherman’s Wharf instead. This option gave us more flexibility and freedom especially for returning back to the hotel at the end of the day.

After reading online that finding car park spaces after 10am in SF might be troublesome, we decided to give ourselves an hour to reach Fisherman’s Wharf. We left the hotel at 9am and the journey took less than 30 minutes of which 10 of this was in standstill traffic.

Heading down the Embarcadero, we see our first glimpse of the Bay Bridge. We pull over for a few shots before heading down further to look for parking.



There’s an open air car park with an entrance on the corner of Taylor Street which is right in the heart of Fisherman’s Wharf. Parking for the day would cost $45 which in itself is quite expensive, however this is much cheaper than what the BART would cost.

At 9:40am, the parking lot was empty. Our car was probably one of 3 cars only to be parked at the time. The car park is behind the Boudin Bakery Café on Jefferson Street.



The main reason why we parked the car there is because it is located right opposite the terminal stop for the Big Bus Company. We purchased 2 day tickets instead of 1 day ones in case we were unable to visit all the sights we wanted to see on the first day.



The bus itself is a double decker bus with the top level being open air. Everyone is provided with a set of poor quality ear phones so you can listen to the in-bus tour audio guide.

The bus departs and straight away we see some iconic sights, an Applebees and a Ripleys Museum!



The bus takes us past some wonderful buildings as we venture through the financial districts of the city.





I spot a famous SF Cable Car.



Approaching Union Square where we see some famous department stores.



Next we approach Civic Centre where the famous City Hall can be found.



We get off the bus to visit the Painted Ladies. Surprised how iconic these are.



After getting back on the bus, we finally reach the part we have all been looking forward to. The Golden Gate Bridge, and what a sight this was!



The bus took us over the bridge towards Sausalito and in all honesty I never expected it to be as windy as it was. It was also very cold! I was lucky I had a small hoody with me.

The view of the bridge from Sausalito….



We transferred to the Sausalito tour which was included with the tour ticket. I don’t have any photos from here but the view of the bridge was one of the best and the town itself was a lovely charming place. I recommend you visit for a few hours if you are ever around.

We transfer back to the main bus and make our way to the Palace of Fine Arts.



By now the time was 4pm. Lunch??? We forgot to eat lunch as we were too engrossed in our sightseeing activities. We head back on the bus and decide to go to Chinatown to see what the local roast meat and rice dishes are like. Problem – heavy traffic. It seemed like we had hit a busy part of the day as traffic was horrendous. The driver let us off the bus as it was quicker to walk. We were hungry, we needed food quick!

We followed the GPS on Google Maps and realised we were not too far from Union Square. We remembered seeing a Cheesecake Factory restaurant advertised near Macy’s so we decided to head there instead.

A quick healthy lunch –



The best part of Cheesecake Factory is the window shopping!



Which one do you order?

During lunch, we decided to head back to the Big Bus Company terminal and join the Night Tour that begins at 7pm. We finish lunch about 5:30pm which gives us 90 minutes to get there. We walk through Macy’s and realise we don’t have enough warmth! If it was cold in the daytime as the bus glides through the windy air of San Francisco, it’s only going to be a lot colder in the night time. Ammunition time. We buy jackets in Macy’s that’s on offer. Needless to say I have not had to use this since arriving back in Singapore. We walk all the way from Union Square to Fisherman’s Wharf. We made it just in time.

We reach the bus and we take our seats on the upper deck, open air of course. It begins with a warning that it’s going to get extremely cold.

Who likes chocolate?



A lovely view of the bridge during sunset time.







As it got darker, the air got colder so I put my camera away and decided it was more important to keep warm. The bus tour took us over the Bay Bridge which had some great views of the city. Unfortunately my hands were so cold I kept my camera away and admired the views without taking any snaps.

With the tour ending around 9:30pm, we had a short walk back to the car and I decide to take us on a drive to Daly City. Why? For In and Out burger time!!!!



After waiting many years to try the famous burger, was it a letdown? No. The burger was totally worth the wait. For the price and quality it’s probably one of the best I have had. Highly recommend people to try this if they ever go US west coast.

This is it for day 5, a great day out with a happy ending. Will post up the next chapter soon. 

Non-NonRev

Great report and photos! ^

Tiny correction - cable cars, not trams. The cable cars have no power, they move by gripping onto an underground cable that continuously moves at 9 mph.

Mlee888

Thanks!

Double thanks for that, will edit.

Chancensam

Thanks for report - and yes, it does get quite chilly at night in SF at this time of year. At least you didn't have any rain

calvinoeh

Five Guys > In and Out

Non-NonRev

Yes, but $13.00 > $5.75 (same with Shake Shack).

arlflyer

Great TR so far! It is really fascinating to see a different perspective on things that one is familiar with. You probably get a kick out of people from the US writing about hawker stalls in Singapore or such (just everyday places to you), so it's similarly interesting to see your take on iconic American things that I don't even usually give a second thought to.

I would say that you are going about American food just right - burgers, huge portions, and deep-fried things...as they say, when in Rome!!! ^


I think that's actually debatable, not even taking price into consideration (and I live in the birthplace of Five Guys).

Non-NonRev

As the writer Mark Twain once said, "the coldest winter I ever spent was a summer in San Francisco".

Warm weather starts in mid-September and runs to early November, days often in the higher 80°F range.

CMK10

Enjoying this a lot so far, looking forward to the Arizona road trip part ^

miuk

@Mlee888

My guess for that lake would be the San Luis Reservoir along the 152 (Pacheco Pass). I'm assuming you cut across using the 152 onto Gilroy to join the 101.

Non-NonRev

Looks like either the main reservoir or the O'Neil forebay. It is a state, not national park.

If you smelled the super pungent odor of garlic as you reached 101/Gilroy, you were definitely there. 90% of the garlic produced in the US comes from here.

Also a few miles from here is the town of Hollister, the namesake of the clothing line.

On I-5, most food options are fast food, with one major exception. That is the Harris Ranch restaurant in Coalinga, a steakhouse where the beef is grown on the premises. Moderate cost.

Stupid trivia: When the railroad was first built, there was absolutely nothing out there, but the coal-fired trains needed fuel. So the railroaday built a series of coal dumps, where the locomotives could take on coal. The main one was called "Coaling Station A", which devolved to "Coalinga".

Mlee888

Thanks.

I wasn't expecting it to get as cold as it did. Whenever the bus stopped we could feel the sun and warmth. As soon as the bus started moving, with the wind in my face I could feel my face and ears turning blue!

Lucky for us, the only rain we experienced throughout the whole 2 weeks was a light shower in San Diego that lasted all of 10 minutes.

I like Five Guys also. We have this in the UK so whenever I head back for a visit I am fortunate to get the chance to try it. In and Out on the other hand is a chain we hear so highly of but can never experience it unless we go to the US.

It only took me like 20 visits in the end to try it. Wish I had tried much earlier now.

Thanks.

Absolutely! In fact whenever I see trip reports that include Singapore, I always jump at reading them as half the time, visitors seem to pick out some great hawker stalls that I have yet to try.

That I can believe! I was happy to feel the cold with the constant humidity in Singapore. Just wish I had been more prepared for it.

Thanks, will get those up as soon as possible. Unfortunately I am a bit too busy at the moment so having to do it whenever I have a bit of spare time.

Yes!!! I remember driving through a place called Gilroy.

Gilroy was definitely the place. The garlic signs were everywhere and the smell was a new experience.

I saw the Harris Ranch advertised. I also read up quite a lot about this place beforehand and considered stopping here for dinner. Next time!

We noticed how long some of those trains were too!

TOMFORD

SQ serves lobster in J???