Golden Gate Bridge In San Francisco, California

Traveling to San Francisco? Most tourists love driving or walking across the Golden Gate Bridge, I think it’s one of the most famous bridges in America. It’s lovely and definitely worth visiting. You can walk across it but there are specific hours to be able to do so.

Can you see the barriers in the middle of the bridge? Those are moveable and are moved according to the needs of traffic. If you are renting a car you need to be aware of the fees and the fact that you can’t pay on the bridge.

The views below are from the lookout point just across the bridge, that’s San Francisco across the water. There are restrooms here and parking but it does get very crowded so it’s best to come early so you can miss most of the traffic.

Remember, you can’t pay on the bridge, there is no stopping at a toll booth on the bridge anymore. If you don’t set up a way to pay for the bridge should you cross it, you will get a bill in the mail. Check out goldengatebridge.org for more detailed information on the rules for visiting.

Have you been to San Francisco? Have you driven or walked across this bridge?

Twin Peaks In San Francisco, California

Have you heard of Twin Peaks? (Oh the jokes I could make…). “free things to do in san francisco”

One excellent option for free things to in San Francisco is Twin Peaks. They are actually two peaks in San Francisco where you can get crazy views (180 degree!) of the city. Twin Peaks is one of those places that people who live in the Bay Area very rarely visit but it really is a fantastic way to see the city.

There is a parking lot and there is one way in and one way out. There are often tour buses visiting throughout the day so keep that in mind when you make your plans. There is a paved viewing area for you to enjoy the vista so the buses won’t get in your way.

Check out the video below which give you a great perspective of Twin Peaks.

This is one of San Francisco’s best points of interest but you can’t get to Twin Peaks by public transport. It’s at the top of a very steep, curvy hill so you would need to either be on a tour, have a car or be riding a bike (which some do but the streets are curvy and there are no bike lanes).

Sometimes in San Francisco it can be pretty foggy because it’s almost completely surrounded by water but when you can get it on a clear day you can see for miles! Can you see The Golden Gate Bridge and the Bay Bridge in the distance?

You can enjoy the views from Twin Peaks from sunrise to sunset and there are restrooms but I would suggest skipping those and make sure your bladder is empty before you get there.

It’s also very windy up there so bring a sweater or a jacket if you tend to get cold. I took these pics with my cell phone, what do you think?

Have you been to San Francisco? Have you seen any great views lately?

Muir Woods

Do you know about Muir Woods? It’s a lovely National Monument about 20 minutes from San Francisco, California. If you have never been it is definitely worth going because the trees and nature you will find there are so peaceful and serene, even with all the tourists that are on the paths with you.

If you travel to Muir Woods, more than likely it will be more crowded in summer so keep that in mind.

I have gone to Muir Woods as a Tour Manager and I have gone with my family in our car, and I prefer going with my own transportation so I can be in control of when I leave or not. However, if you don’t have access to a car then you can book a tour from your hotel or you can find a tour online.

If you go on your own it will cost you 7 dollars to enter, but if you take a tour you will pay more than four times that price because you have to pay for the shuttle van, gas, and guide. If you take a tour you will get commentary on your way to Muir Woods which is usually interesting.

There is a cafe and a gift shop so you can eat at your leisure and shop if the mood strikes you.

Muir Woods is one of those places that automatically calm you down. As you walk around taking in all the varying shades of green, you just want to soak in as much of the natural goodness as you can.

And if you’re fortunate, you can get a glimpse of Bambi (total side note, did you know I refuse to watch Bambi again since I was traumatized by that movie when I was a little girl?).

Does this seem like a place you would want to visit? Are there any National Monuments you enjoy?

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Restaurant Review Wednesday Yee's Restaurant In San Francisco, CA

One of my favorite things to do while in San Francisco is get reflexology. I go to Chinatown almost every time I visit San Francisco just to get reflexology. It’s not traditional reflexology, it’s more of a foot massage but it feels wonderful. I had some time to kill before my appointment so I asked the girl behind the counter if she could recommend a place to eat. I told her I didn’t want anything touristy, I wanted to go where she would go. I was so thankful to get her recommendation! She wrote out the restaurant above, gave me directions and I was on my way.

I don’t speak Chinese at all so thankfully she told me the English translation to the Chinese name and after a few tries, I found it. I had to ask a couple of people along the way but thankfully I had my Chinese translation so they pointed me in the right direction.

When I walked into the restaurant it was like I stepped into another dimension. There wasn’t anyone in the restaurant that looked like me. Everyone was speaking Chinese but I didn’t feel weird or anything, I’m accustomed to being the only one who looks like me so I was just fine. I ordered what the nice girl at the foot massage place told me to and didn’t have to wait long to get my meal.

They served hot tea almost as soon as I sat down. You are seated family style, I was at a table with a few other people. It was a round table with about 6 seats and there was a man and his wife directly across from me but I still had my own space.

The food was delish, the noodles and duck were very tasty. The whole meal was about $8 which is great, don’t you think? I thought this was a good portion, I couldn’t eat it all (which is surprising for me because I can eat!). It’s definitely a place I will go back to the next time I visit Chinatown, if you are in San Francisco, why not check this place out?

Have you been to Chinatown in San Francisco? When you are in a different city, do you ask locals for restaurant recommendations?

Sometimes You Have To Travel Thousands Of Miles To Stay Still

Hi all! I’m still in Northern California with my family and guess what? I haven’t left the house since Friday. Why is that, you ask? Well, since I flew to California to cook for my dad and my dad ended up at my cousin’s house in Northern Cali (did you read about that? If not, click this link. This one right here that is lit up. Yes, this one…go ahead), I stayed in the house and cooked.

Now, you may be thinking, “Well that sucks.” But I’m not sure that you know how much I love to cook. I’m totally serious. I think you know about my love affair with food but I also actually enjoy cooking so to be able to cook for 12 members of my family made me giddy with happiness. Now, what does this have to do with travel, you may be asking?

Well here it is: I am in Northern California, not far from San Francisco so there are tons of things I could have seen, places I could have driven to and photographed so I could have more to blog about. And for a minute I did think about leaving so that I could take advantage of such a cool city. But then I would have missed playing dominoes with my 3 year old cousin (well, we actually just stacked them, lined them up and watched them fall down but that counts, right?).

I would have missed the endless laughter and stories from my family. I would have missed the excellent conversations. We don’t just sit around and have frivolous chatter. We talked about taxes, racism, the Trayvon Martin case, migrant workers, Illegal immigrants, Obamacare, and Socialism to name a few. Our discussions are vast, varied, respectful, and opinionated and the best thing is that even though we all didn’t agree, there was no arguing, fighting, yelling, or screaming. Just talking.

Had I left for a little while I wouldn’t have found out that my cousin’s husband has been deployed to Iraq and Afghanistan 4 times. I wouldn’t have heard my cousins laugh as they were talking about scenes from their favorite sitcom, The Big Bang Theory and I wouldn’t have been able to be the first person to show my little cousin how to stand dominoes up so we can watch them fall down.

Travel is essential to my life. It’s like after a while it gets hard for me to breathe when I can’t be on the go. Exploring a city excites me but I also have to live in the moments I have with my family. I have to sometimes give up the chance to explore when it means I can be cocooned in the love and peace of my family. I had to travel 3,000 miles to stay still, and I’m ok with that because even though I love traveling, I love time with my family more. So if you find yourself someplace with people that you love, instead of thinking about what you are missing by not exploring, try and focus on what you are gaining by staying put.

One Thing You Should Know If Driving Into San Francisco

I was in San Francisco recently and I borrowed my cousin’s car so I could explore the city. Thankfully my cousin gave me her FASTRAK pass so I could go through FASTRAK line on The Oakland Bay Bridge. However, if you don’t have one of those, you have to pay to get into San Francisco and you have to use cash. You can’t use cards, cash only. So if you are driving over the bridge, make sure to have cash on you in order to pay the toll. Here are the fees:

San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge

2 axle vehicles between 12:01 a.m. and 5 a.m., between 10 a.m. and 3 p.m., and from 7 p.m. to midnight, Monday through Friday—$4.00
2 axle vehicles between 5 a.m. and 10 a.m. and between 3 p.m. and 7 p.m., Monday through Friday—$6.00
2 axle vehicles between 12:01 a.m. Saturday and midnight Sunday— regular toll: $5.00
Please remember this information if you will be driving into San Francisco!

San Francisco