Downtown San Francisco

San Francisco, where I left my heart. The place has a great dynamic buzz to it, with a diverse population both in terms of heritage and "lifestyle". San Francisco's Chinatown is one of the oldest in the world. Surprisingly for such a densely populated city it wasn't as polluted as LA, most likely thanks to being on a peninsula.

It's a lovely city with a gorgeous bay and steep hills that offer great views.


The unique cable cars add to the charm of the place and handle the steep terrain better than other forms of transport.


For a fairly densely populated city it still has an intimate feel to it unlike places like LA or even Sydney. There's a sense of personal space and places you can feel at home in. Definitely a place I wouldn't mind exploring more of and even living in.

San Francisco Bay

After lunch we did a ferry tour of San Francisco Bay taking in the Golden Gate bridge and Alcatraz. The ferry launched from Fisherman's Wharf allowing us to have a look at the seals that have taken up residence on some of the docks around there.

Obviously such a beautiful bay would be lined with marinas for yachts that provide fantastic views.

The Golden Gate Bridge was such a prominent feature of the bay and whilst not quite as charming as our own coat hanger it is worthy of being a world famous icon.

Another prominent feature of San Francisco Bay was Alcatraz Island aka the Rock.

In the past it was a very well guarded jail with rather imposing guard towers all around the perimeter.

For a while it was occupied by some Native Americans in the struggle for their rights hence the interesting amendment to some of the signs.

Boudin Bakery

After being stuck in traffic on the way for a fair while, for a small town boy being stuck on a bridge was quite novel, we finally made it into San Francisco. Our first stop was Fisherman's Wharf where we got lunch. My cousin recommended the clam chowder served in sourdough bread which seems to be a specialty of Fisherman's Wharf.

The most prominent and inviting place was Boudin Bakery. Fisherman's Wharf is their flagship location with a shop, bistro, cafe and demonstration bakery. The demonstration bakery has glass frontage so people can watch the bakers in action making their famous sourdough bread using the same mother since opening in 1849. The place had a certain charm about it despite being a tourist magnet and it had plenty of outdoor tables to enjoy the mild autumn weather.

The bread used to serve the clam chowder in was a cauldron shaped loaf with an extra hard crust to hold all that hot chowder in. Contrary to my past experiences with chowder, this clam chowder had just the right amount of body to be hearty without being too heavy. The bread was delicious with a perfect texture and a good tang to it, although the crust was really tough and in hindside was obviously not meant to be eaten. Overall a meal worthy of its reputation.