Six weeks ago, Paul and I had no idea we would soon be able to say that, “We’ve been to California!” In early December, Paul’s boss suggested he attend a conference in San Jose in January. It didn’t take me long (30 seconds?) to see this as the perfect opportunity for a just-the-two-of-us getaway to take advantage of a free cross-country airline ticket. Both sets of grandparents generously agreed to help with the boys, and the trip planning began.
I usually spend months planning the perfect itinerary when we’re going to a new locale, but the holidays (and the busyness of daily life with two little ones) made that an impossibility. So, I relied heavily on Trip Advisor, Fodor’s, our Garmin, and Paul’s brother David, who lives in the area we visited. Turns out, that was all we needed to create a wonderful long weekend. The unseasonably warm weather didn’t hurt, either!
San Francisco (Tip: The best hotel deal in the city is the Columbus Motor Inn. Clean rooms, under $100 a night, free parking, in the heart of North Beach. Seriously.) Our first morning began with a gorgeous walk to Pier 33, where cruises depart for Alcatraz. Paul and I were both very excited about touring The Rock!
Solitary confinement
(Somehow Paul’s smile doesn’t seem appropriate!)
Not every cell included the large hole under the sink! Three men escaped this way, never to be heard from again. Did they drown? Cross the border to Mexico? Ah, the mystery remains.
Great view of the Golden Gate Bridge
The warden’s mansion burned in the 1970s, long after the prison had been closed.
The San Francisco skyline
After returning to the pier, we wandered along the waterfront. We ate lunch at Pier 39, an area with lots of restaurants, shops….and sea lions!
Smell-o-Vision. They stink.
The afternoon was spent exploring the streets of San Francisco, a memorable experience all on its own. Everywhere you looked, you caught beautiful glimpses of the bay or long views of the streets rising and falling.
You can glimpse the Bay Bridge at the end of the street.
Lombard Street is the most crooked street in the city (world???).
It’s hard to capture in a picture just how steep it is as well.
Chinatown was a must-see. Depending on who you ask, it is one of the largest, if not the largest, outside of Asia. We explored many of the side streets, where we were the only non-Chinese and evidence of the English language was nowhere to be found.
Moon cakes and freshly made fortune cookies from the oldest bakery in the city
were the perfect afternoon snack.
Next we ventured to Union Square, which is essentially a high-end shopping district (think Tiffany). Fodor’s suggested taking the glass elevator in the St. Francis Hotel to the top for great views of the city.
We wrapped up our day with a return to North Beach for a delicious sushi dinner. I confess we were in bed by 8 p.m. (PST), exhausted by a day of walking, the time change, and four hours of poor sleep the night before.
The next morning, we checked out of our hotel and drove straight to the Golden Gate Bridge. We would have loved to have time to walk across the bridge, but we’ll have to save that for our next visit.
After driving back over the bridge, we drove to Golden Gate Park. The park deserves an entire day of your time, with beautiful tree-covered trails, science and art museums, and even a flower conservatory. We only had an hour, which was just enough time to tour the Japanese Tea Garden.
Highway One I have long wanted to drive the legendary Highway 1, and it did not disappoint. We drove south towards Santa Cruz, enjoying the incredible views of the sea to our right and the ever-changing terrain to our left. It was a leisurely drive, and we stopped whenever we felt like it to get out of the car for a better look.
Half Moon Bay is halfway between San Francisco and Santa Cruz. We took advantage of the Ritz Carlton’s public beach access for a cliff-side stroll.
David had recommended that we stop for lunch at Duarte’s Tavern in the tiny town of Pescadero, two miles east of Highway 1. Turns out David knew what he was talking about! The restaurant has received national recognition and is wildly popular, even at 2 in the afternoon. It was worth the wait for a table, though. The artichoke soup, their specialty, was outstanding! We took a slice of olallieberry pie for the road and decimated it long before we reached Santa Cruz.
We arrived in Santa Cruz with enough time to check into our hotel, catch a quick nap, and then meet David for dinner! He generously drove over an hour to see us. It was a wonderful evening of delicious seafood and interesting conversation. Considering I only met David for the first time in July, there was still a lot of getting to know one another. The timing of this trip couldn’t have been better! (And, yes, I am thoroughly disappointed with myself for failing to get pictures. The conversation was that stimulating. Sorry!)
Henry Cowell Redwoods State Park On our final morning, the weather turned quite cold (low-30’s) but remained clear. Nothing could deter us from our top priority – seeing the redwoods! The cold kept most people away, so we practically had the place to ourselves.
Climbing inside one of the trees
Definitely needed a flashlight in there
After seeing the trees up close, we hiked to an observation deck for a view of Scotts Valley. We’ll be back here for sure!
We returned to Santa Cruz for lunch along the Boardwalk before getting in the car for the drive to San Jose. Paul got checked in for his conference before dropping me off at the airport to catch the red-eye home.
Paul and I were so grateful for this time away and the chance to explore a small section of California. We didn’t come back rested but we sure came back happy!
1 comment:
What a fun weekend! While I am not jealous of the exhaustion that followed....I wish I'd seen some of those places with you guys!
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