Okay, I didn’t REALLY almost spend the night there, but it
seemed like it might be my fate when my Uber driver took a wrong turn onto
treasure island, known to house the spooky old prison, at 1:30am! After several
minutes of driving on winding, unlit back roads, with a first-time Uber driver
innocently pointing out how creepy the surroundings were, and musing at how
unusual it was for a hotel to be located so near to this tourist attraction, he
realized he had missed a turn and accidentally taken us across the bay bridge
going away from downtown. My spidey sense was telling me it was all an innocent
mistake, but my imagination wandered to wondering if anyone would find me on
the uber map if this guy had other plans for me! So travel tip #1 for this
blog: If you’re traveling alone and your flight is delayed and you arrive in
the middle of the night, don’t worry about saving $50 with Uber… just TAKE A
CAB ! The drivers may often seem shady, but most of the time they at least know
where the’yre going.
Eventually we made it to the Palace Hotel- Luxury Collection, where I was to meet my
friends, and I’ve never been happier to crawl into bed in a room with a locked
door. The heated toilet seat and luxurious robes, delectable breakfast buffet
and lavish lobby were lovely, but paled in comparison to my relief that I had
made it alive, and be able to sleep horizontally after also enduring my first
frontier airlines flight. Travel tip #2: I recently upgraded to a macbook and “downloaded”
some movies to watch on the six hour flight here from Orlando- when the
computer tells you the movies are ready to watch, it is lying! You have to
click on them to download from the cloud first. If you’re traveling Frontier,
know that the seats don’t recline and you’ll even pay for water. It matters not
how long the flight is- so #3: bring a couple of empty water bottles to fill on
the other side of airport security, pack snacks, a neck pillow, and a blanket
to ease the discomfort of the very economical, but non-reclining and crowded
seats.
To begin the day in the city, we
took an Uber (much safer during the day and with a group of people!) to
Fisherman’s Wharf. Ask to be dropped at Pier 39, and spend an hour exploring
the shops and restaurants, old war ships on display, and even an arcade housing
the oldest video games ever made (think original pac man and Atari!). Then
venture down to the pier to see the sea lions and seals. This was the highlight
of the whole day for me. It made me giddy to watch them sliding on and off the
docks, and laying lazily in the sun. So cuteJ
Next, Uber to Chinatown a short car
ride away for lunch. We enjoyed the dim sum at Great Eastern Restaurant;
however, there was a line of locals at the place next door, and if I’d had more
room to eat, I would have definitely stopped in for some lo mein and general
tso’s as well! Shops here sell inexpensive souvenirs, and are all run by very
kind and hospitable people who welcome you in a non-pushy way at the front
door.
After bidding my friends adieu and moving over
to the Marriott Marquis, which was clean and simple albeit a little dark and unimpressive, I met my friend Phil and we explored the shops nearby to kill
time while waiting for the surcharge on Ubers to drop. Just as google said
(Phil wanted to stop in to apply for an internship, but we didn’t quite make it
there;)), after 6pm the price dropped significantly and headed over to the
Golden Gate Bridge. What a beautiful and incredible structure!
Okay, tip #4
always call ahead to make sure the restaurant recommended as ‘best view of the
bridge’ still exists before taking a $25 uber ride to it! We arrive at Travis Marina
Bar to discover it was abandoned some time ago. Google had one thing right
though, it WAS the best view possible I think!
So we called the next restaurant on the list for near the
bridge and enjoyed beautiful views, a lovely fireplace, and craft cocktails at
Bar Bocce in Sausalito. We enjoyed the breadsticks with pecorino and tomato
dipping sauce, prawns in a red chili and lime sauce and the cod fritters with
lemon aioli. We watched the sunset over the harbor, sipping on prosecco and
Phil’s vodka drink du jour before heading back to the hotel.
Jet lag had the best of us, otherwise we would’ve checked
out the great jazz clubs in the area. There was lots to see and do, and EAT,
but we just ran out of time! I’d like to
say ‘next time’, but I’m not sure I’ll make it back to San Francisco. While it certainly has its charm, there was a sadness in the streets with the number of homeless people and the
city felt somewhat dirty. However, it was also one of the most environmentally
conscious places I’ve ever visited, and I loved that about it. Filtered water
dispensers in the hotel lobby, and lots of healthy, hipster folk taking good
care of themselves and the earth was very refreshing.
It was nice to see, but for one more hour of travel time I
could be in Paris, and I just think I’m more for the other side of the pond
than this American counterpart. Next stop, wine country...!