West Coast Diary: The Wrap-Up (Day 11)

Final day in Arizona. We packed our bags (checking there were no scorpions there in the process) and said our goodbyes to Martin, Sibylle, Philipp and Julia.

Back to the airport and a short flight to San Francisco where we dropped off our bags at the Comfort Inn by The Bay, mainly because there was some conference on and nearly all hotels were booked out (note to self: check there is no conference going on when visiting next time - prices jump and availability goes low).

We then went off to Japantown to have a look around in the daylight and then for some dinner. Walking around Fillmore (where we had previously met up with Amir and Kirsty) we found a Mediterranean place called Cafe Troya where we had a very tasty dinner.

Back to hotel for some sleep before getting the flight the next morning back home.

To see all the photos from San Francisco, please click here.

To see all the photos from Arizona, please click here.

West Coast Diary: The Breakfast Club (Day 10)

We had been in the US now for over a week, yet we had not eaten a proper American breakfast. This was to be resolved today.

We all packed up our hungers into the minivan and went off to Scottsdale's Breakfast Club after having read the recommendations online.

Upon entering we realised how this was the right place to be. It was packed, which is always a good sign (as long as there are no chains around their ankles and the chair legs).

After a little wait a table was set up for us and we sat down and took a look at the menu. In fact, we spent most of the time looking at what other people were eating, as it all seemed to be huge portions.

After weighing up all the options, I went for the strawberry pancakes, and Olga the spicy omelette. When Martin was ordering his waffles, he had to ask for no bacon (apparently you always put bacon on your sweet waffles...), and they nearly took offence. The plates that came out were immense, and it was a tough job to finish them off. Check out their menus to get a feeling of what we were put through.

Now that we could hardly stand, we decided to do the next best pastime over here - we went to the mall. Here we looked into Bath & Body Works, Clarks (much more expensive than in the UK) and some other good looking shops.

Back home for a bit of relaxing (and letting the food go down) and Jorge came over asking about dinner. So off we went to Fry's supermarket and picked up some more food. Olga did us a nice rice with guacamole and salad, and we had frikadellen (so that Martin didn't feel left out).

What a filling day.

West Coast Diary: The real Tombstone (Day 9)

Wild West time. We set off to Tombstone via Lost Dutchman, Florence (not as nice as the Italian one - this houses the state prison) and Tucson (this place is huge!). The landscape on this trip was very different to around Scottsdale, as we passed cactus fields then green desert before passing through hills.

The town of Tombstone is quite touristy - you see that as you get close. However at this time of the day (4pm) and this time of the year, it was not very busy at all. In fact, it seemed like a piece of tumble weed would blow across the street at any moment.

There is lots made up just for the tourists, with people dressed the part, shoot-outs and old fashioned bars, but you can imagine the films being shot here for the buildings were all typical wild west.

As most things were closing at this time, we wandered around the streets, Olga popped into a bar to use their facilities and came out with a frozen yoghurt. Still not sure how she did it.

So we headed off back home, feeling slightly disappointed that we hadn't gone tot he cactus museum instead. Getting stopped by border control meant that Martin (with no resident documents) had a bit of explaining to do, but luckily Jorge wasn't with us, so they let us pass.

Finally got home late and collapsed into bed. 200 miles each way took its toll on us.

West Coast Diary: Wurlitzer Time (Day 8)

Martin had to work today (or so he claimed) so we decided to do an outing with Sibylle and the kids to the nearby-ish CostCo (as the Americans drive everywhere it could have been 100 miles away and it would still be referred to as around the corner).

We thought we had seen everything done big already in the US, but this was ridiculous. There were palettes of products everywhere, including blueberries in 5kg bags, biscuits in 20kg boxes, ice cream and yoghurt in 10 litre tubs. No wonder you need a big car out here, that's just to fit in the groceries...

After some bagels for lunch, Martin came back and we set off to Mesa to visit a pizza restaurant (Organ Stop Pizza). We were not going to eat here however (although it did smell good) rather we were going to watch the show.

This place has a huge Wurlitzer (the largest pipe organ in the world) with over 6000 pipes, and numerous percussion instruments. Whilst the musician plays, there are all sorts of contraptions in the walls and on the ceiling that move, dance, make sounds and flash lights. Quite an experience.

After all that excitement we headed home to eat the Lamb and beef steaks that we had bought at the CostCo. Very tasty, and so much better than the ones we find in the supermarkets back in Europe. This could easily continue...

West Coast Diary: Waking up at the Grand Canyon (Day 7)

The hotel breakfast was a buffet, so there were no issues with service, thankfully (see previous post). We drove in the two vehicles to the Grand Canyon where Jorge then got his car looked at (not that they could do anything about it) and went to Verkamp Point.

Following the path towards Trailview Outlook was a tricky business, and in fact we ended up having to turn back as the ice became impossible to walk on. It really was a matter of two steps forward one slide back.

Despite this, we managed to get some great views of the deep canyon and the levels of rock colouring that are beyond belief. Many a photo later, and the children has started to get cold so we decided to start our journey back to Scottsdale.

We stopped off at Flagstaff where Jorge got some glue to fix the split coolant tank. As we had to wait a while for it to dry, we headed off to a local brewery-restaurant  to have some lunch (what a coincidence).

I had some raspberry ale, which was very tasty indeed, and a good burger to accompany it. Olga also had a very nice salmon. I was too busy with my food and drink to notice what the others ate, but they were all happy afterwards, so it must have all been good.

The trip back along the I80 was very scenic, with views of mountains and snow turning into cacti and desert. Of course, we got to enjoy it more as we couldn't travel fast in case the pressure split the tank again. We also crossed the historic Route 66, but we didn't get any kicks.

We eventually reached home and Olga made us all a lovely lasagna before we went off to bed.

West Coast Diary: Snow in Arizona (Day 6)

Jorge arrived soon after we finished breakfast, and so we loaded up his car with Olga's and my bags, whilst Martin and family filled up their minivan with their luggage.

Off we went on the journey up to the northern part of Arizona. As we checked the weather forecast beforehand, we knew it was going to be cold, so we decided to stop at one of the outlet centres nearby. We all ended up buying winter jackets from the Columbia store (and some hats and gloves too). Before setting off we went and grabbed some food (Chinese for our car, McD's for the minivan).

Full on food we headed off to the colder side of the state. We noticed that the landscape was becoming less populated by cactus, and was getting a more mountainous and pine-tree feel. Before long we were seeing frost on the ground and then came the thick forests of snow. Were we really still in the same state that borders Mexico?

It was quite spectacular the difference in scenery up here, and we noticed immediately the necessity of those newly bought jackets.

Upon arrival at the hotel we noticed that the engine of Jorge's car had started to steam. We opened her up and found that the coolant tank had split open from the freezing temperature. What a great start.

Once the minivan arrived, and we had all checked in, we all got into the vehicle and headed off to the canyon. We headed for Mather's Point, were we saw a glorious sunset of colours across the canyon. Very impressive.

One thing to note for trips here at this time of the year - the paths are covered in ice, which, when you are near a 6000 foot drop, can be a little worrying. Careful use of available handrails and branches of nearby trees allowed us to move around and get some great views of the canyon's colours.

The north side of the canyon is actually closed at this time of the year as it is so cold and dangerous, so I suppose it's lucky we could visit it at all.

Once we got back to the hotel, we dined at the hotel restaurant (lamb for Olga, elk steak for myself) which was actually very good, except for the extremely slow service which considering the fact that it wasn't even half full was very surprising. We then went downstairs and played some billiards (or pool for us) in the bar.

Heading off to bed we checked the temperature outside, and it was -20 degrees Celsius. Luckily there were heaters in the rooms. Unluckily, ours was so noisy we had to turn it off to get some sleep, and therefore the room got freezing overnight.

West Coast Diary: For the love of Cacti (Day 5)

First morning in Arizona, so after breakfast we headed out with MSP&J to the hiking trail just up the road. This led us around the hills for about an hour, where we saw cactus after cactus after cactus. Apparently there were different types of them, but all I saw were different size prickly green things. At least we got the exercise...

We then drove around Scottsdale, looking at all the posh houses there, before ending up at a Chipotle for lunch. Olga's burrito was good, my taco wasn't. The kids were happy though, so approval all round.

We then headed off to Phoenix to take a whistle-stop tour in the car. Being the capital of the state, we were expecting a lot of badly run-down areas similar to Detroit, but apart from the wooden houses on the outskirts of the city, the city centre was pretty nice. There were lots of new skyscrapers, green parks and a tram system.

After seeing the areas of the downtown, we headed back home so that Olga and Sibylle could prepare a lasagna, whilst the men hung out in the outdoor hot tub with a few beers. Martin's work-friend Jorge (the token Mexican one needs when living here) came over and so there were many heads around the table tonight. We also discussed plans about the upcoming trip to the Grand Canyon where we were leaving for tomorrow.

Off to bed for an early start.

West Coast Diary: Steak Out (Day 4)

We left for the airport after breakfast, taking the BART directly from Powell Street. This link really is a godsend if your hotel is nearby, no need to change in town or look at complex bus routes.

In the Domestic Terminal at SFO there were lots of shops, and it was more or less empty. Great for wandering around in. We were flying Southwest (mainly because it was cheaper and we had heard good things about it on this route). The flight took 90 minutes and was slightly busy., but enjoyable non the less.

Arriving in Phoenix (Arizona), we found there were eight possible exits, at none of which Martin was to be seen. After a lot of searching and texting, he finally arrived with his family entourage (Sibylle, Philipp, Julia). It was great to see them (having last met at their wedding, and without kids), and after initial greetings, he sorted out another hire car and we headed off to Scottsdale, where they live.

The house was pretty big by European standards (of course most US houses are...) and the only concern was going to be the scorpions and snakes they have as pests (not pets).

After unpacking we headed off to the supermarket (Fry's) to pick up food for the night, including Rocky Road ice-cream and maple-cured ham (being given tasters by the man on the deli counter who likes to talk).

We got back to the house and whilst Olga and Sibylle made a salad, Martin and I (well, I watched) did the steaks on the barbecue outside. The steaks were huge (as were many of the foods we saw in the supermarket) and it was very hard to manage the ice-cream afterwards (ok, for me it wasn't).

After chatting whilst letting the food go down, it was time to get some sleep.

West Coast Diary: All about the Water (Day 3)

There are numerous references to water in this city, which isn't surprising - it is surrounded on three sides by it. Today was the day to spend some time in two aquatic areas: The Marina District and Pacific Heights.

The most fun way to get down to the Marina District is with the cable cars. Over to our trusty Wargreens store opposite the hotel to pick up a couple of one-day MUNI (local transport) passes for $15 each, we took the cable car from the Powell Street Turnaround to Lombard Street. Here we walked down the Z street which really does zigzag, although no car chases occurred whilst we were there, maybe because of the slight rain?

Continuing down the road from here, passing some nice houses, we arrived at the SF Art Institute where there is a mural from Diego Rivera. Classes are actually given in this building as well, so we popped our heads around a few of the doorways to see some of their works too.

Now that the rain had stopped, we made our way back up the Z street (not as easy going up as down). There is a small park and tennis courts on the other side of the road, which apparently give a great view over the city. Unfortunately it was foggy at this time, so we did not see anything apart from all the local dog walkers.

The next cable car took us from here down to Fisherman's Wharf, where we first visited the Ghirardelli Square. Here there are a collection of boutiques, and chocolate / ice-cream shops.

Walking down the road we saw a little art gallery that looked interesting (Franklin Bowles Gallery). Upon entering, we realised that they had Dali and Picasso works, including one of Alice in Wonderland (Dali). Of course the price wasn't as interesting, and despite their insistence, we declined to buy it for the price of $1200.

Following our trusty Lonely Planet guide, we walked down Chestnut to the Marina District. This route took us past lots of eateries whose smells started to make us hungry. We stopped at the Blue Barn and ate an amazing salad and sandwich (the menu was quite big, so took a while to decide - sorry anyone waiting behind us in the queue...).

Further down the road we came across the Roasting Cafe, where it was time for a hot chocolate / chai latte and brownies (it was still cold outside). After picking up some stamps at the Post Office (not the most intuitive of buildings), we caught the #30 bus to Fisherman's Wharf (the blocks down here were pretty big for our tired little legs).
 

We were warned that you could have a long wait for the cable cars here, but we didn't realise it would be 40 minutes. Finally we got on one, but alas, California Street was too busy to take any photos. Instead we went into the Cable Car Museum, which was very interesting, history of the transport in SF, with the actual cables passing through and lots of old photos of the first cars. It is also free to visit.

Now we really were ready to relax, so we went back to the hotel, got changed and headed out on the #3 bus from just off Union Square. We arrived at California/Filamore in a quarter of an hour, and walked up the road until we found the Peruvian restaurant (Fresca) where we were meeting Amir and Kirsty for dinner. The food here was very tasty, and the wine went down well too, which was great to catch up on old times.

We walked off the meal around the roads of Pacific Heights chatting away until we reached the Red Lion where we stopped to have a drink or two. Apparently it's one of Amir's favourite spots.

We managed to get the last bus back to the hotel, arriving around midnight.

West Coast Diary: On a Mission (Day 2)

San Francisco is well known for its Latin American population, so today we planned to go to visit this area known as the Mission District, see a local artist gallery and have some latin american food there.

After picking up some extra fruit at the local supermarket Wargreens to accompany our orange-pieces at the hotel breakfast, we then headed off down to Powell St and across 8th to Mission Street to start our exploring.

We first noticed it wasn't necessary the cleanest of streets around, and every now and then there would be a homeless guy pushing a supermarket trolley with his belongings in.

As we continued a few more blocks we saw more and more people on the street, groups arguing on corners, and people shooting up in side alleys. We were becoming uncertain if this really was the correct way we were going. But it was still Mission Street, so we surmised it must just be a bit further for the nicer area.

After crossing the road a good few times to avoid some very dodgy characters, and taking a chance to quickly look at the map, we realised that the only bit of Mission Street within the Mission District is from about 16th and above (where there is actually a metro stop). We had already walked from 8th to 13th so we decided 3 more blocks wouldn't be much worse.

In fact between 13th and 16th we were even more concerned, and just kept on going straight in the hope that at some point it would suddenly get safe. In fact, up until 17th it was still very dirty and smelly and felt quite dangerous (and this was about 11am with bright sunshine).

From 17th onwards all the shops were latin american, whether they were restaurants or shops selling cellphones, TVs, or newspapers. The street was still dirty but it felt a lot safer.

Upon reaching 19th our map directed us to take a left to get to the museum. After about 4 blocks (Florida) it actually started getting much better. The roads became cleaner, the only people around were dressed reasonably well tending to their cars or children.

We passed 'Flat Cafe' a mexican cafe, where we decided to sit down and have a cold drink, relax and take another look at the map now it was safe to do so.
The food also looked pretty good (mexican fast food style, and smelled amazing).

On to the Guerrero Gallery which is recommended in the Lonely Planet guide. We reached the street, and walked along it looking for the right building number, but to no avail. After asking two locals who didn't know anything about it, a third was more helpful. She said that it closed back in September of 2013, probably due to the rent increases. Great...

We decided to walk around the Mission District now that we had walked so far to get here. Carrying down Florida to 25th there were some really nice houses, well kept and obviously of a completely different standard to the ones about 4 blocks away.

Across 24th is Balmy Alley which is very colourfully painted. All walls and garage doors were covered in images of memories of home, people hurt, or political situations.

Going down 24th felt a bit like Colombia. The roads were quite nice, there were latin smells and sounds coming from every corner and the shops were all of a latino nature.

We passed the Edificio de Mujeres, which was brightly painted and quite impressive.

 

We popped in to a small corner store we found, which sells homemade and ecological products. The girl working there was from Cali, and explained a bit about how the area is so different depending which side of Mission Street you are. The tech workers moved here a while ago, and as the demand increased, so did the prices, until now a lot of the area is unaffordable for the people that have lived here their whole lives. This was the reason for the 'Gentrify' protests going on at the time, as the locals were unhappy about the tech companies causing them to lose their homes.

Looking for a place to eat, we walked along to Valencia and up to 18th. Here everything is in even more of a contrast to Mission Street. Big shops, boutique stores, very clean. A completely different world. We realised of course that this would have been a nicer street to walk down from where we started, and would have avoided all the dodgy parts, however it would have given us a wrong impression about the reality of SF.

Stopping at a restaurant called Mosto for some handmade tacos, and then going across the road to a chocolate factory to have brownie, made sure we were well fed. There was a chees store next door which looked really interesting, but after having eaten our meal, we thought we'd leave it for today.

On 18th we went left towards Dolores Park. On the corner was a Bi-rite Creamery. They had some amazing flavours of ice-cream on offer, of which I chose the Sonoma honey and lavendar, and can heartily recommend it.

There are some great views from this park, and people were enjoying playing, resting and walking their dogs, completely different to a few blocks across from where we just came.

The Golden Fire Hydrant was also found on the top corner of the park by the tram line (20th and Church). On 18th April 1906, an earthquake struck and the resultant fires from ruptured gas pipes burned most of SF to the ground. As corruption was so high at this time, corners were cut everywhere in building of the city, and despite being surrounded by water on three sides, the firemen were unable to get water up to the hills. The only fire hydrant that was working was this one (donated by Lotta Crabtree, a local opera singer). Lines were formed and buckets passed along, and most of the Mission Distric was saved by this one hydrant. As a result, this hydrant was painted gold by the residents, as a way of saying thank you for saving their homes.

Walking up Dolores (Mission Dolores was the first building to be built in San Francisco) we noticed the street is much wider than most others, lined by palm trees, very nice (and large) houses, and very clean.

When Dolores meets 14th, there is a church on every corner. One is German, another Catholic, a Jewish one and a Chinese one. It must be a very religious area (or the rent is cheap).

Reaching Market Street we hopped on a tram to take us back to where we started our journey in order to go across to visit the very important SFMOMA (San Francisco Museum Of Modern Art). On arriving at the entrance, there were lots of big boardings on the street. Eventually we found some information written on one, saying that the museum is closed for refurbishment, and will reopen in 2016. Another well planned visit...

On to some shopping, as the shops are always open. The Banana Republic store was huge. It also had a 50% off sale on, which Olga liked. Then back to the hotel to relax before going out for dinner.

Leaving the hotel at 8.30pm, we walked up Market Street to the Ferry Building at the end. Unfortunately, the restaurants there had already closed for the night. We decided to walk back and see what we could find, initially along California, and then back on Market, we ended up at Super Duper Burgers. The food here was very good (burgers of course) and despite it being slightly chilly out, the milkshake went down a treat.

Finally after walking many many miles, we went back to the hotel for a well deserved sleep.