USA Trip Day 6 - 9 Sep 2014 - SF Walking Tour Part 4

Cable Car Museum

We left Coit Tower around 5pm and walked down the Filbert Steps into Filbert Street. 

wow custom hat shop O.O

I saw a shop providing a coin washing service too. Vintage much?

After passing by the Washington Square Park, we turned left into Mason street and walked straight till we reached the Cable Car Museum, housed in the old-fashioned red-brick building. 

USA Trip Day 6 - 9 Sep 2014 - SF Walking Tour Part 3

Union Square

Address: Area surrounded by Geary, Powell, Post & Stockton streets 

While this area is well-served by public transport ranging from cable cars, MUNI train, BART, F line streetcar and many buses, it is best explored on foot. Since its nearby Yerba Buena Gardens, we took a leisurely stroll.

As a historically significant site, this plaza was the venue for many pro-Union rallies, held on the eve of the civil war. A 97-feet tall monument was erected in 1903 to celebrate another event - the victory of Admiral George Dewey at the Battle of Manila Bay. This was also the place of the world's very first underground parking, opened in 1941.

USA Trip Day 6 - 9 Sep 2014 - SF Walking Tour Part 2

After our morning excursion around the beautiful architectural buildings of the bay area, we took BART train for 1 stop from Civic Center station to Powell Street station. 

It was fascinating to observe the Powell-Mason & Powell-Hyde cable cars turning around here, right above the station!  

 You can see tourists queue-ing behind me, for that historic cable car ride, unique to San Francisco!

USA Trip Day 6 - 9 Sep 2014 - SF Walking Tour Part 1

We decided to be actual free & easy tourists today and requested Uncle to drop us off along the Van Ness Avenue for exploring historic civic center as well as downtown San Francisco. Much of this area was rebuilt as part of the Beautiful City Movement which strove to counter the chaotic growth of cities during the rapid immigration and industrialization. Hence, it was not without much surprise that most of the more stunning buildings in San Francisco are clustered here together.

City Hall

Address: 1 Dr. Carlton B Goodlett Place, San Francisco, CA 94102

How to get there: There are a couple of ways to get here and public transport is recommended since its not that easy to get a parking lot
1) Civic Center / United Nations Plaza Station By BART Train
2) Civic Center / United Nations Plaza Station By MUNI line J, K, L, M, N
3) F line street car

USA Trip Day 5 - 8 Sep 2014 - Chinatown

Today was a very relaxing day for us to spend some time with Mister's grandma. The morning however was spent, wandering aimlessly round Chinatown, weaving among throngs of locals and tourists, purchasing beautiful postcards and savoring the appetizing Chinese treats.

An imposing Chinatown Gate at the beginning of Grant Avenue marked the area popular with tourists. 

USA Trip Day 4 - 7 Sep 2014 - Pier 39

Pier 39 / Fisherman's Wharf

Address: Beach Street & The Embarcadero, San Francisco, CA 94133

Opened since 1978, Pier 39 is one of the most famous tourist attractions in San Francisco. The presence of restaurants, souvenir shops, street performances, cruises, sea lions as well as an aquarium makes this place an ideal hangout place for any visitor - be it families or couples or a group of friends.

USA Trip Day 4 - 7 Sep 2014 - Lombard Street & Costco

Lombard Street (aka The Crookedest Street in the world)

Address: 1070 Lombard Street, San Francisco, CA 94109
              (The portion of Lombard Street between Jones Street & Hyde Street)

You may wonder why we made it a point to see a street. Well, it's because the street was so crooked and yet, exuded beauty with well-maintained flower beds and red brick pavement, not to mention the marvelous stately houses located along it! Why wasn't the road straight? Well, a straight road down the 27 degree slope was considered too dangerous for both drivers and pedestrians and hence, the road was designed to be curvy with eight turns in just one block.

We reached this crooked street around 10 am and luckily, managed to find a parking near the top of the hill! There is also a cable car stop near near the top, so that's a great transportation option if you don't want to drive.

USA Trip Day 3 - 6 Sep 2014 - Palace of Fine Arts, Golden Gate Bridge & Golden Gate Park

Palace of Fine Arts

Address: 3301 Lyon St, San Francisco, CA 94123

Constructed in 1915 for the Panama-Pacific International Exposition (or otherwise known as the World Fair), this palace has become one of the iconic locations of San Francisco.  This exhibition was held to celebrate the city's recovery from the devastating earthquake of 1906. Although this palace was supposed to be dismantled together with other exhibition palaces, it was allowed to remain, due to its beauty and star attraction status.

USA Trip Day 3 - 6 Sep 2014 - Alemany Farmers' Market & Twin Peaks

Wow Uncle is a great cook! Now I know where Mister inherits his culinary skills from :D Just look at the breakfast plate he prepared for us.  Fancy home-cooked meal! 

Ready to go! By the way, don't those homes look too cute? 

Alemany Farmers' Market

Address: 100 Alemany Blvd, San Francisco, CA 94110

Opening Hours: Every Saturday from dawn to dusk (It is better to go early, possibly before noon, so you can pick the freshest flowers, fruits and vegetables!)

USA Trip Day 2 - 5 Sep 2014 - Santana Row

After leaving Palo Alto town area, we headed to a bank for me to get a prepaid card. I really it's a great option for travelers who do not want to carry loads of cash around.  

We were there for a-month long holiday, so of course, we should have more than a thousand dollars each. Note that we have plans to visit 3 outlet stores. But it could be dangerous to have so much cash on you.  It is also not foolproof to leave your cash hidden in the room.  

So the next best thing is to get a plastic.  Debit cards are tied to bank accounts, which I do not have in the States.  Credit cards require a credit check which might take a while - time is a luxury I can't afford while on holiday. Thus, we opted for a prepaid card, which functions pretty much like a debit or credit card. 

I just loaded money into the card via deposit at the bank itself. I could even shop or make reservations online! And if my card get stolen, I just have to inform the bank asap so that they can block my card.  I believe my money can be recovered that way in case of theft! 

But note that you cannot spend more than the loaded balance. Also, you have to go to the bank branch to get it done. If you have a friend or relative in the States, maybe you can get them to help you get a card in advance so that you will save the time required to drop by at the bank.

Lunch at Pho Queen, Sunnyvale

Address: 1133 Tasman Drive, Sunnyvale, CA 94089, United States

Hours: 09:00 am - 09:00 pm

USA Trip Day 2 - 5 Sep 2014 - Stanford Shopping Center & Stanford University

I so loved waking up to the gentle greetings of light rays that sneaked through the window, while I was still wrapped snugly in my comfortable cocoon of blanket and mattress. In Singapore and Myanmar, I was so used to avoiding sunlight like a plague due to the tropical weather. So it was definitely a nice change to be able to appreciate sun light in the cooling weather of the bay area.  

Our first stop of the day was the Palo Alto medical center for Mister to undergo his annual full-body check-up.  Afterwards, we left around 1030am to explore Palo Alto area - the birthplace of tech culture. Homes of various tech entrepreneurs including Steve Jobs' were located here. 

Stanford Shopping Center

Address: 660 Stanford Shopping Center, Palo Alto, CA 94304, United States

Stores: Over 120 Stores including A&F, Apple Store, Banana Republic, Bloomingdales, Brooks Brothers, Burberry, Coach, Crate & Barrel, Godiva, Hugo Boss, J.Crew, Kate Spade New York, Macy's, Michael Kors, Tiffany & Co., Tory Burch

Opening Hours: 10:00 am - 9:00 pm (closes early on Saturdays and Sundays)