Where We Have Been - USA - San Francisco
As opportunities have come along for us to explore places rich with stories, we weren’t quite sure what to expect from the USA—especially given it’s a relatively young country, much like our own. But it delivered a stack of uniquely American cultural experiences we enjoyed far more than we’d imagined.
Just as memorable were the people: unfailingly friendly and helpful, often intrigued by our accents and quick to tell us how keen they were to visit New Zealand.
Overall, we were pleasantly surprised—and are already looking forward to returning.
We thought Australia was big—and it is—especially once you head inland and the population thins out. But the USA is on an entirely different scale.
If you’d like to follow our journey more closely, here’s our route and where we stayed along the way: Dallas, Austin, Dallas, New York, San Francisco, Monterey, Santa Barbara, Olancha, Las Vegas, Grand Canyon West, Grand Canyon South, Seligman, Las Vegas, Memphis, New Orleans, Lafayette, Houston, San Antonio, Austin, Waco, Dallas.
From New York we flew across the US to San Francisco, routing via Chicago. We’d already decided not to stop in Chicago—winter, and too many stories of weather-related cancellations—so we kept moving west.
In San Francisco we stayed in the Marina District, which turned out to be a brilliant base: a bus stop right outside our hotel, plus plenty of good eateries and bars within easy reach. We visited the Golden Gate Bridge (nothing short of spectacular—and, in David’s opinion, it beats the Statute of Liberty), and made the pilgrimage to Alcatraz. We spent time wandering along the bay waterfront, where we saw the USS Pampanito, learned about the Liberty Ships, and were pleasantly surprised by the Sea Lions. And of course, we rode the famous San Francisco Cable Cars—because you can’t not.
Last, and by no means least, Carolyn got to enjoy part two of her birthday present: seeing her idol, Stevie Nicks, perform.
San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge
C @ Stevie Nicks Concert
C & D & San Francisco Cable Car
Alcatraz Island
Sea Lions @ Pier 39
USS Pampanito (SS-383/AGSS-383) @ Pier 45
C & Cable Car
Riding a Cable Car
D @ Alcatraz
From San Francisco we picked up a rental car and hit the road for Las Vegas—taking the long, scenic way via the Pacific Coast Highway.
C, D & Friend @ Golden Gate Bridge
Tip: As with many places we visit, we jumped on a hop-on hop-off open-top bus. It’s a great way to see the highlights, get your bearings, and work out what you want to come back to and spend more time exploring.
Highlight: Completely unexpected, but the Golden Gate Bridge is even more spectacular than you can imagine. The view back towards San Francisco late in the day, as the sun sinks towards the horizon, is pure magic.
Memory: Sitting in a bar, baffled by a stream of young people who came in, played a couple of drinking games, then disappeared together. We eventually learned it was a fundraising activity—which made the whole thing make a lot more sense.
Closing Thought: San Fran, we loved exploring your delights. We’d happily come back—ideally at the start or end of a cruise down the Pacific Coast Highway to or from LA.
We’ve been lucky over the years to travel more than many—though nowhere near as much as we still aspire to. The world is a big place, and there are so many destinations left to discover: places we haven’t seen yet, places we want to explore more thoroughly, and old favourites we can’t wait to reconnect with.
Elsewhere on Crows on the Go, you’ll find:
• more about our travels and the places we’ve been
• our thoughts (and, in some cases, tips) on those destinations
• the places that have become “special” to us
• and more!