First Day SF, Bus Tour & Walk Home

Photo: View from far side of Golden Gate bridge back towards San Francisco

Photo: Top of Twin Peaks

Arrived yesterday after our 12 hour flight, was the best long flight we've both had. The plane was one of Air NZ's latest 777's, with much thinner seats providing more leg room and the inflight entertainment system. We took inflatable neck pillows and ear plugs which really helped too.

The hotel we are staying is a neat little art deco styled 'movie' themed hotel in Union Square (centre of town), complete with a mini cinema off the lobby and a huge LCD screen where they show classic movies every night. All the rooms are named after a movie and feature posters and photo's from the films.

Today had our first full day in San Francisco and completed a day tour of the city which was very interesting. First stop was the Mission Dolores, which was the first building and church built here. Then up the step windy SF hills to the twin peaks, the second largest hill in San Francisco for a view out over the fog covering the city. Next we travelled to the Golden Gate park for quick look around, they had squirrels, turtles and those giant canadian geese in the park. The squirels were very cute, we could call them over to us and they would stand on there back feet and stiff your hand! We then drove over Golden Gate bridge to the other side and watched the fog literally rolling in off the hills - amazing to see as it was such a warm, clear day.

The trip finished at Pier 39, one of the many wharfs in San Francisco which also hosts the Maritime Museum and provides a great view back up at the city from the water, and across to Alcatraz. We went for a walk around the neighbourhood here, touristy area but very pretty.

Finally we tried to catch a cable car back to Union Square but the queues we just enormous, so we ended up busing and walking back through China town to the hotel.

Tomorrow biking across the Golden Gate Bridge - should be interesting if there is fog around like today!