San Fran

San Francisco here we come

Well after getting up and digging Lisas car out (Sophs was the best digger) then trying to pack all our Xmas pressies etc it was in to the car and off we go to San Fran. It was snowing quite hard when we left and there was quite a deep layer of snow to get through so it was a bit of a slow climb up and out of the Sierras then down into the flats of Sacramento. As soon as we started descending the snow disappeared from the surroundings quite abruptly which was odd. It was hilarious to watch the cars going by with a foot of snow on the roof of their cars and seeing how long the could travel for before the snow fell off....... We saw cars with snow on right through to Sacramento. Once we hit Sac we stopped for some TacoBell. We are giving many of the fast food restaurants we have heard of a bit of a try.... There is no way we will be going back to taco bell.it was pretty bland Mexican and not worth the stop. Bring on another whole foods I say!!!! We decided we needed to rest to give the kids a bit of a break and knew we were in the vicinity of the jelly belly factory so we decided to detour to see this.

OMG so did the rest of the country... We lined up for over an hour to go on the tour..... (Once we were there, there was a bit of umming and ahhing (by Aaron and I) as to wether we should wait but the kids were determined .... so we did).... The line was longer than any at Disneyland!

The tour was awesome we got to see how jelly beans were made and got to sample a fair share of them too.... The tour was free which was probably why there was such a queue and Sophs was adamant afterwards that it was well worth the wait so yip we are glad we did it.... (Aaron officially doesn't like jelly belly's and would prefer a nz jelly bean anyday. They do have some crazy flavones though.... Even peas and carrots... Yip! (I didn't try the dog food flavored one as I wasn't sure if it was a joke or not!.... Because peas and carrots tasted strangely like peas and carrots... Just sweeter).

We finally arrived in San Fran... Too late to drop the rental off out by where we were staying so had to negotiate a trip into town which was interesting although we Happened to run into an awesome Indian restaurant which ended up being buffet and obviously a local favorite and a very lucky find... So we ate that (it was delicious and really authentic), then negotiated the bus system to get back to Fishermans wharf where we were staying. 

Day One- Over the golden gate bridge on a bicycle built for two

The weather was perfect today so after a stroll down to Fishermans wharf and then the most delicious breakfast at the Boudin sourdough factory (which smells divine) it was off over the golden gate bridge on bicycles for us. Aaron and Sophs rode a tandem bike (which according to Aaron had its pros and cons!!!.... Big cons on hills!). It was great to get out in the open spaces where they had grass!!!! First grass we had seen for weeks! It was an awesome ride.... The bridge was hard to negotiate as it was crowded with people from one end to the other ... But awesome views etc. Once across we biked down some big hills to Salsilito a quaint little fishing village and the end point for the hundreds of bike tourists like ourselves....the bike company give you a return ferry ticket (just in case you decide to ferry back), which I would say 95 percent of the hirees utilize to get home....it was hilarious they cram about 150 bikes into the bottom floor of the ferry the. The passengers up top. It was a great ferry trip back past Alcatraz and views across the Bay and of the bridge so really glad we ferried back (as over my dead body was I planning to bike back up the hills we came down!)

We had yummy dinner on Fishermans Wharf at a crab bar where the seafood was divine and I ate a famous sourdough bread bowl filled with chowder. we also heard San Fran will be hosting the next Americas Cup which is pretty exciting as if it is held in the Bay the viewing would be fantastic from so many vantage points.

Day Two - New Years Eve

We planned to go to Alcatraz today but it was already booked up until Sunday .... (Who would have thought prison would be so popular!). The day was a bit overcast and cooler so we decided to head into golden gate park to have a look around and go to the famous science and discovery centre. We discovered how spoilt we are in NZ with our parks and museums and places like Kelly Taltons, Butterfly Creek and The Auckland Museum as this was a little bit of each of these places all pulled together in one venue. It was well done and well presented but just not on the scale we are used to. They had a bit of a focus/theme around the environment and sustainability but they feel like they are years behind where we are. The kids got to see an albino alligator, an anaconda, a black widow and some sea dragons which they wouldn't see at home so that was cool. On our way home we stopped at a great pub on the beach that looked over Alcatraz and had some lunch before going to Ghirardelli square and the famous chocolate shop. We meandered back through the cannery which is not much and very different to what I remembered. We wandered down Fishermans Wharf for New Years Eve but didn't last long past 11.00 (and only one cocktail......unheard of!!!!). We heard the fire works from our room which would have been amazing as they went on for about 15 Loud minutes.... The ball dropping on Times Square in New York was great to watch live.... And without crowds!!!!

Day Three - New years day and a day of rest .....for some!!!!

Today was a designated shopping day so after a quick whizz through China Town (just to say we had done it).... (Sophs wanted to know why they had a China town and no NZ town....) oh the explaining one needs to do! We then started shopping and it became apparent very early on that the kids weren't up to it and that they wanted/needed a day to vege out.... This suited Aaron and I perfectly, so I spent the day shopping (the time just flew...I needed more!!!!), while the kids relaxed and did washing, reading and hanging out.  

Day Fore - The 49 ers

Today was game day so we sussed out a plan of how to get to the game and headed off via tram, train and bus to watch a live San Fransisco 49ers vs Arizona  Cardinals at Candlestick Park. I still have absolutely no idea what happened... why or how but it was fascinating to watch and fun to eat the typical game good on offer. The food and drinks are really expensive at the game a slice of pizza $7.25 USD and beer $9.00 which was really surprising but maybe a great initiative to counteract obesity! who knows.... We got out of there pretty quickly and easily and managed to get an express bus home with no stops (so it was fast too). We went to a famous diner from the 50's for dinner in downtown SF which was pretty cool as we had all been dying to go to a Happy Days diner for a wee while..... It was a massive big salad each for Aaron and I as we have been craving some greenery for a few days as we are yet to find a whole foods here or even a supermarket..... Rather strange really. we got to pick songs from our table on the Juke Box which was fun and the kids got to try a root beer float (very Archie and Veronica or Joanie and Cachi, or the Fonz if you prefer....)

Tomorrow is Alcatraz and then off to Santz Cruz, we are very excited about Santa Cruz. The cheap and cheerful motel I booked the other day on the Internet sent an email to say they would be closed tomorrow night but they would put us up for the same price in what I have since discovered is a much flasher hotel right on the seaside.... With wine and cheese complimentary from 5 pm...... Woot woot..... Bring it on!!!!