TRAVEL // San Francisco, California Pt. 1

Hey there!

Following my stint in Vegas where I am pretty sure I lost no money in the casinos (well maybe $10 or so) I jumped on a plane for a couple of days in San Francisco. It took absolutely ages to find a reasonably priced place to stay and actually ended up at the Nob Hill Hotel. I found it via an Article on The Guardian online as, apparently, one of the best hotels/B&Bs to stay in San Fran and when I checked the price it was the best I had found so far. Once we turned up, I absolutely fell in love with the hotel and knew it was the right choice. It was just so adorable!

I have so many photos from my 2 day trip to San Fran so I have split them up into two posts. So let's start with day 1!

Back to the hotel - It is the most stunning European style bed and breakfast. All the rooms are very vintage in style and the lobby is stunning. With free printing 24/7 (super important for travellers who need to print boarding passes and online reservations), continental breakfast breakfast and wine and cheese during the evening I could not fault it. Everyone on the front desk during my stay were super helpful and I know that when I go back to San Fran (which will happen - believe me) I will go back to the Nob Hill Hotel. It's in a fab location, is super stunning and has some absolutely stunning rooms. Mine was a little bit on the small side but considering it was affordable and booked the day before arrival I cannot complain one bit!

The first morning we popped into a local store and got a 3 day travel pass. That included travel on trams and cable cars. When the cable cars are $6 for a single ride and a travel pass is only $27 it really does pay for itself! We were tempted to go with the City Sightseeing buses (and wish we had now) but it was definitely fun navigating the city on our own. We may or may have gotten lost lots!

So after eventually finding a tram stop we went all the way down to Pier 39. Whilst it is not as long as Southend Pier (Essex represent), it is far nicer! With plenty of restaurants, shops, photo booths and seals you could have fun all day. I was watching the seals for a good 20-30 minutes. They were highly amusing.

We spent the majority of our day at Pier 39, although the weather could have been nicer! It wasn't raining but was incredibly windy and overcast. I was happy with my Barbour jacket on but unfortunately the thickest thing my sister packed was a thin cardigan. Let's just say she was cold - very cold.

 After walking further up the coast we decided to head into the city a bit more. I absolutely love how you go from a seaside town to a working city in about a 5 minute walk. There are palm trees and ice cream when you look left, but looking right gives you workers in their suits during their lunch break. Of course, we got lost and ended up coming across some street performers with fantastic signs. Even better, we bumped into a broken down cable car. The guy working on it was super lovely and let us take some photos on it and even took a selfie with us (yes - my sister loves a selfie!) I think that may be my favourite memory from San Fran you know. Who doesn't want to hang off a stationary cable car? They are a lot safer that way.

Next on the tour was a trip to Lombard Street, the wonkiest road in the world(?). It sure was wonky - I'll tell you that much. I wish the greenery was covered in flowers. That would look absolutely stunning in the summer I bet! After walking all the way down the stairs and up again we walked all the way home. It wasn't a short walk so of course a pit stop in a wine bar was necessary. After an eventful trip to Pier 39 at night was cut short (don't even ask!) we just grabbed a few nibbles and enjoyed happy hour in the hotel. Free wine? Yes please! So that's a recap of day 1 in San Francisco. Keep your eyes peeled for the next instalment going up on Friday!