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Summer in San Francisco - Part 1

Updated: Jan 6, 2021

If there is anything that I love, that would have to be family vacations. Since my sister lives away from home, and my brother's busy with his career, I cherish these kinds of trips. This year, we went to San Francisco, and I must say, it was incredible. Check out the first day.


You can never have too many selfies on family vacations

 

24, August 2015


We drove down South to meet up with my sister, where we all took a plane from one state to another. It was an afternoon flight, which was short and sweet. Once landing in SFO, we had to wait for a taxi - however, van taxis don't come too often. When the driver came by, I noticed he was playing old school hip hop while taking us to the hotel... what a nice addition there.


Located in downtown was our hotel, which seemed questionable on the outside. Downtown San Francisco seems rather small and cramped, but where we stayed was far from the typical. Full of elegance and wonderment, the hotel even had this artificial tree with a little friend hanging underneath it all:


Hi there


We had to get two hotel rooms since one can't fit all of us, and thankfully, they were beside each other (hooray for inner connecting doors!) The room was beautifully designed, but my favourite feature had to be the night stand which included this little fella:


Is that genius or what?


It was about 2PM when we settled down in our room, and we needed to eat. So we walked around downtown to see what they had to offer... and that was a problem. San Francisco is not commercialized with franchise restaurants, and they offer a wide variety of local restaurants that make it harder for the tourist to select one. My father doesn't like to wait for services, and so he stumbled upon this place called Bun Mee Vietnamese Sandwich Eatery. It wasn't busy when we arrived, and the aesthetics of this place left me in awe.


That family aesthetic though


It's such a neat place, and the food was exceptional. The dishes have a modern-day twist to the classic Vietnamese dishes that you know and love. I had a sandwich with catfish, and it was delicious. I swear, if bread wasn't fattening, I could eat that bun every single day. My sister also got a sandwich, while my parents shared tacos and spring rolls (a personal weakness of mine). My brother went for a rice dish, and it looked like this:


Rice or sandwich, carbs are carbs


Then it was time for exploration! I never knew that San Francisco was known for their piers, nor that people queued for Alcatraz. Walking down the (extremely) long path, we stopped by a few piers, starting with Pier 3. I have never seen one of these, and to experience them moving was quite a sight. The way it moves just mesmerizes my eyes.


Go round and round and round...


I like how every pier is unique, especially with long paths that lead out into the ocean. You're bound to see a number of fishers, and somehow, they liven up the landscape. Close by Pier 3 is the Exploratorium, a science museum if you will. It was closed when we went there, but the entry keeps you wondering what else lurks inside.


Approaching waters, claiming territory


I don't know how we did it, but we managed to make it to the famous Pier 39, sight of the aquarium, a handful of restaurants, and my personal favourite, the two-storied carousel. There was this little shop with a wall full of paper wallets and printed canvases - my sister ended up grabbing a few for her home. And if it couldn't get any better, there was a pit stop where all of the sea lions bathe underneath the sun. Now how awesome is that?


Pier 39 sights and attractions


As the sun was setting, we managed to catch glimpses of Alcatraz despite its distance from us. I didn't know that in San Francisco that people started installing locks of love - and it's adorable. However, my father was too busy taking selfies... Like I said, can't have too many.  We then stopped by a museum, home of hundreds of coin arcade games. Some were amusing, while others were down right confusing. Sitting beside the museum was a battleship. It's quite a nostalgic area of all the piers.


Locks of love and amusement


Wrapping up day one, we were feeling hungry before dinner - however, we ended up too tired to get dinner after the so-called 'snack.' Having walked the majority of the piers, we really needed to take a seat and unwind. Before picking a place to eat, we found a few nifty places with a variety of photo opportunities. San Francisco contains a lot of art galleries, and naturally, my sister and I decided to imitate one of them. In addition, there were souvenir shops, one after another. My favourite would have to be the t-shirt shops, especially one that put a smile on my face. The only place that my brother wanted to eat was at In-N-Out, one of the few franchises available in the city. He's been craving for one since the last time he was in the states, and did he go all out. He managed to finish about two and a half burgers (I had to eat the rest). Let's just say he was one happy camper.


Modern Amusement


If you think there were no downsides to this trip, it would be finding our way back home. My father didn't want to take a taxi, and so we walked all the way back to the hotel... It's not an easy route. With hills galore, my mother walked cautiously every time we had to walk down. I didn't know that San Francisco was extremely cold at night, but I learned my lesson: always bring a jacket with you.


Overall, I must say that it was one excellent beginning exploring the golden state.


Even fire alarms are decorated - what a nice touch

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