Well, here it is…the (rather succinct and shortcut version of a) recap of my trip to California. I did get some pictures but have not taken the time to edit them so, it is going to be as basic as it gets. But that is okay with me. I simply want to have some memories here of our trip. I would not be surprised if I ever make it to California again (at least not any time soon), so this was a “trip of lifetime” type adventure for me. My brother lives in California so we did have a place to land and nice room/board as well:) He was a great host and makes some of the most delicious salmon. We ate well while there to be sure. He lives in the San Francisco suburbs so that was our jumping off point.
Day one – we visited downtown Walnut Creek. Such a cute name for a pretty, little city. My brother was working so, for several hours, it was just my son, Jordan and me. We jumped right in and introduced ourselves to the public train (the BART) but we still ended up doing quite a bit (as in A LOT) of walking but it was a beautiful day. It was a “groundhog day on repeat” of beautiful days the entire time we were there. I was so impressed with the weather!! In Walnut Creek, we shopped, strolled, ate and browsed. It was a fun day.
That night we took my brother out for an early birthday celebration. His birthday was actually yesterday (Happy Birthday, Bro!!) but we made the most of our time together. He chose a favorite Mexican restaurant and we had a great meal. The outdoor “strip,” for lack of better word to describe a long drive of offices, shops and plenty of places to eat, where we ate was so cute. Again, the weather was so nice for just walking around. The hanging baskets lining the street were beyond impressive. I’m a sucker for pretty flower arrangements. And they were so pretty even though it is the dry season with little to no rain.
Day two – we spent the entire day (a very long day) in downtown San Francisco. You think of all the hot spots and/or google the top ten things to do in San Francisco..and that was pretty much our day. Minus Alcatraz. No one was interested in that. But, other than that, we covered a lot of ground. I did not get pictures of all of it (and my photos from Chinatown were a bit on the blurry side) but here are some highlights.
The Salesforce Tower is the tallest building in San Francisco (standing at 1,070 feet) and is the 17th tallest building in the United States. It is in the South of Market (or SoMa) district. It really was rather impressive and makes a grand statement on the SF skyline.
We went to several different piers..including Pier 39 along Fishermans’ Whart where you can see the sea lions. The sea lions can number in the 1000s and I think the crowds that gather to watch are just as large. Apparently just last year, in 2024, there were a record number 2100 sea lions gathered here. Wow. In the picture above, the sea lions (not nearly that many!) are all lying on the last dock. Literally sunning themselves and being completely lazy. But the crowd still loved ’em!
Lomard Street is famous for its eight hairpin turns. We did ride the cable car (see my photo above…it literally was my favorite part of the day!) and the car stopped at the top of Lomard Street but it was too tight for me to get out and get a picture. This photo was taken from the bottom and it is hard to appreciate exactly why they call this the curviest street in the country. Here is an internet photo…..
Not exactly where I’d want to have my house! (Random side note…in the above photo…what is the white car doing? Is that a driveway?!?! No idea!)
And of course, we saw the bridge. We saw both bridges exactly. The Bay Bridge and the Golden Gate. We did not drive across this one but went to a look-out point which was so incredibly windy (making it freezing cold….I am not exaggerating) that we did not want to stay long. Take some photos and let’s go! My goodness but it was so windy!!
In order to get from Ghiradelli Square (another tourist must) to the look-out, we took a Waymo. Do you know what that is? A self driving car!! I have to say that I thought it was so cool. I felt completely safe (actually safer than getting into a random Uber car) and I think that car was the best driver on the road. Not kidding. It was also not very expensive – about the same as an Uber. And did I mention, all of the Waymo vehicles are Jaguars? A very nice ride to boot!! These cars were everywhere in San Francisco. And, I have to admit, I don’t think I will mind one bit if they move toward the east coast. Much safer and more polite than many (or most) of the drivers around here.
Day three – we tried to go hiking. But the weather was not in our favor. Actually the weather was (again) gorgeous when we left home and not far from the coast but the closer we got to the coast, the wind howled, the fog continued to thicken and it was just plain cold. Not a great day for hiking. We made the trip to Pigeon Point Lighthouse, one of the tallest lighthouses on the West Coast, but it was not a great day for hiking. Sigh.
Although the fog was rather cool, it was so thick you felt like it was drizzling. Wet plus cold was not ideal…which is really a shame. My brother says on a clear day that view to the coast below is just amazing. I’m sorry I missed it.
The lighthouse is 115 feet tall and has been guiding ships and boats since 1872. The hike down the side of cliff was 310 steps. Of course that was (as the sign indicated) 310 “wicked hard” steps back up. Ugh. Do you think I was up to the challenge or I waited it out??
Day three – and, well, the rest of the trip was typical family stuff. We had church on Sunday. Enjoyed some good meals together. Watched a movie one evening and just enjoyed being together. No pictures but lots of memories. I’ll end here with the pictures. Thanks for indulging me and, of course, thanks for stopping by. I hope everyone has a great weekend. It has been nice to be home but, my goodness, the weather has been anything other than San Francisco inspired. Sigh. Another hot weekend ahead but that’s okay. I do love me some summer!! Happy Friday!!
What a great sounding trip and look at you taking and posting a lot of pictures. I love it!! Those shots were good ones. I am trying to process the concept of Waymo cars and you being in one and liking it. Great picture of the three of you- your son looks so handsome and you and your brother look a lot alike. I was in San Francisco for a day twenty five years ago (I remember how long ago because I was pregnant with my son) and saw a few of the places you mentioned. The flowers in that cute town are amazing. Glad the weather was nice except for the extreme fog and wind- it’s funny to think about being cold in California in the summer! Have a great weekend!
Walnut Grove makes me think of Little House on the Prairie!
It looks like a great trip and I enjoyed your photos. That curvy street is indeed curvey.
Now I want to try out one of those cars.
So many great things to see there! And I’ve never heard of that curvy road before, but it’s really interesting. Now I want to look it up and learn more about it.
It looks like you had an amazing trip! I’m so glad you shared it with us. I’m always jealous of California’s weather 🙂
Looks like a fun trip. My mother took us there in the summer of 74. We visited Chinatown, Ghirardelli, the fisherman’s wharf, Sausalito, and Alcatraz. She drove us all the way from Galveston, taking scenic routes and seeing landmarks the whole way. A trip to remember, for sure!
This was the post I wanted to comment on. I’m from San Francisco and lived on the coast and raised my sons down the peninsula in the Silicon Valley. It’s always a joy when someone visits my old stomping grounds. I know Walnut Creek well – have friends there.
What no Alcatraz? It’s an interesting tour and the ferry ride over is fun. They take you out underneath the GG Bridge. Yes that fog is cold. We used to laugh at tourists who would come in their shorts and then turn blue. The best months there are Sept and October but August is good too. I miss it. And especially the weather. It would be a perfect 85 at my house and 55 in the City.
Anyway thanks for sharing your photos. Did you get any clam chowder in a sourdough bread bowl? Imagine singing Christmas carols on cable cars during the holidays. So nice and so many precious memories.
That sounds like such a wonderful trip!
Yes, I made a lot of great memories!
It has been decades since I made my last visit to California. I had aunts and uncles there and we want every couple of summers growing up. I only have one cousin still there, but in Southern California. I remember how it could be beautiful and warm during the day in San Francisco and turn very cold by late afternoon but also depending where you were at. Always in August when we visited.
Wow! That is a very impressive curvy street. I don’t know whether I could take a ride in a Waymo but I’m glad you enjoyed the experience.
It sound like you had a wonderful time in California with your family and there was so much to see and do. Shame about the fog but you had a good time anyway.