Buckle up folks, this is a long one. Extremely relieved to have avoided covid and airport drama we had one too many on the flight and arrived in San Fransisco Saturday evening feeling a little ropey! We dropped our bags at Palihotel near Union Square in the heart of the city and headed out to nearby Golden Boy Pizza. This place is a bit of an institution and serves delicious squares of focaccia style pizza from a hole in the wall, and then it was straight to bed, shattered.
Up very early the next day the first stop was Sears Fine Food for breakfast including their famous 18 (mini) Swedish pancakes. We then jumped on one of the charming cable cars and hung off the side all the way down the to waterfront. From here we made a quick stop at winding Lombard street then walked along Fisherman’s Warf and stopped at Pier 39 to watch the extremely boisterous and smelly sea lions. It’s a little touristy down here but the food stands and fairground rides are cute. Next was Pier 33 to catch our ferry to Alcatraz, this also provides a great view of the city skyline. Once on the island we headed straight up to the Cellhouse and did the audio tour which uses interviews from some of the ex-guards and prisoners to guide you around, super interesting! After exploring a little more we headed back to the mainland and up picturesque Filbert steps to Coit Tower for a 360 view of the city.
Now ravenous we walked back down via bustling Chinatown and North Beach to the Ferry Building. This is a collection of artisan shops and restaurants but quite a few were closed so we picked up a couple of tasty empanadas and set off again in search of bar. We ended up back at Union Square and the Cheesecake Factory on Macy’s rooftop for a couple of well earned beers. After a quick freshen up at the hotel we took a highly entertaining Uber to A16, a lovely Italian at the marina. We had burrata and pasta washed down with a delicious rose before a nightcap at nearby Delarosa and finally hitting the hay. A great day with a LOT of queuing and a LOT of hills.
Day 2 was another early start and another Uber to Tartine bakery on the edge of Golden Gate park for their famous pain au chocolat. We walked through the park to the Japanese tea garden which was so lovely and then to Stow Lake where a friendly chap gave us a free ride on one of the pedal boats which was nothing short of idyllic. From there we picked up bikes and cycled to Golden Gate overlook and then under the iconic bridge for some epic views before hurtling all the way down to the marina, so much fun! We ditched the bikes, made a quick pit stop and climbed back up through Pacific Heights which has some gorgeous houses, then had lunch at Souvla which does top notch Greek food. Next was Alamo Park and the Painted Ladies which is a famous row of very pretty houses, before a slight detour to Groove Merchnt Records for Dan.
Last stop was Mission District which was a little more… spicy, we headed straight for El Techo a great rooftop bar for happy hour margaritas. We had planned to do a DIY food tour here too as they have some great Mexican places, but still full from lunch and suffering from jet lag we decided to call it a day and rounded off the modes of transport with the train home to our bed. Next morning was breakfast at Honey Honey before picking up the car and we were THRILLED to find out it was a Mustang! We wasted no time in putting the top down and set off to Yosemite National Park.
So Yosemite is absolutely epic, literally everywhere you look are the most incredible views, it honestly takes your breath away and the scale of everything is just unreal. We arrived late afternoon, checked in to our tent in Curry Village right in the bottom of the valley and set out to explore. First stop was Yosemite falls, you can get pretty close the base of the lower falls which is cool. We then pottered around more of the valley floor and had tea at Base Camp before stocking up on snacks for the big day ahead.
Up very early we stomped to the 4mile trailhead and began our climb to Glacier Point. It took about 3 hours up the endless switchbacks and the last mile was a slog but mercifully it was all in the shade at that time and the views were so worth it. You can see the whole valley from here including Half Dome and as the road is currently closed it was super quiet. Stunning. But what goes up must come down, we chose to take the Panoroma route which is much longer but takes you past some huge and beautiful waterfalls. Over 18 miles and 7000ft, really tough day but one of the best things we have ever done, and of course we had a large pizza and several beers at the bottom, we also made some new pals, so that was nice. Last day we did a short stomp to Mirror Lake which was pretty but still tired from the day before we went the wrong way and maybe didn’t see the best of it so we grabbed a coffee and hit the road again, next stop, the Big Sur!
Once we got back to the coast our first stop was Carmel, a gorgeous little beach town with a pristine beach and a plethora of designer boutiques. We had a quick picnic from the local deli and then did the 17 mile drive which is a very picturesque trip around the Pebble Beach peninsula, featuring lots of lovely beaches, an epic golf course, many mansions and the lone cypress tree which has stood for over 250 years. From there we hit the Big Sur which is the main coastal road, stopping off to admire the views at various vista points including the iconic Bixby Bridge.
Our home for the night was Glen Oaks which turned out to be a real gem, our room was lovely and felt very luxurious after 2 nights in the tent. We freshened up and dashed back up to one of the view points to catch the sunset over the ocean before a tasty dinner at the River Inn. We then headed for the communal fire pit to enjoy some s’mores and red wine which was delightful and we also got some recommendations from a couple who live in Santa Barbara. Shame we forgot to look up as the stars here are said to be amazing.
The following morning we went for a walk around the grounds, along the river and through the redwoods including Grandmother Pfeiffer which is the second largest redwood on the Big Sur, and she sure was big. We grabbed coffee and donuts and hit the road once more. First stop was Pfeiffer beach which was really impressive, felt very Jurassic and has some huge rock formations which were being pounded by the massive waves. Next was Mcway Falls which has a waterfall straight down onto the beach, something we have never seen before and the cove itself is beautiful with stunning turquoise water. After a short detour (enough said) we carried on down the winding coastal road which was just so much fun to drive in the Mustang, we would have stopped at Ragged Point which marks the ends of the Big Sur but the fog had rolled in and obscured the view. Instead we continued on to Cambria, which in theory is another beach town but had more of a Wild West vibe, where we had a quick and tasty lunch in a cute little cafe.
To reach our final stop for the day, Santa Barbara, you drive through wine country and there are vineyards galore, we had planned to stop at one but arriving at 4pm we were told we were too late which was disappointing until we arrived at our hotel just in time for complementary cocktail hour, life’s a peach sometimes. Palihouse was lush, gorgeous decor all pastels and palms. We spent the next couple of hours in the courtyard enjoying the drinks before getting ready and jumping on bikes down to Sterns Warf which is the old wooden pier for sunset, and dinner was tasty Italian food at Toma.
The next morning was very lazy which was much needed, we were booked in to Scarlett Begonia for a boozy brunch and the food was incredible, but there was just so much of it… cinnamon buns, avo toast, dirty fries, steak and eggs and lemon ricotta pancakes! Absolutely stuffed we walked back via State Street which is a huge pedestrianised area full of shops, bars and cafes, and then we spent the rest of the day by the pool, napping and enjoying a few more drinks.
The next day we debated going whale watching but as it’s shoulder season we decided to have a beach day instead, once again we jumped on the hotel bikes and did a bit of a tour of the local beaches. For lunch we stopped at 2 different taco joints, Los Agaves & La Super Rica – delicious. Next it was back to the pool for a couple of hours before we got the glad rags on and headed to the Funk Zone. This is a section of town near to the waterfront and full of tasting rooms for the local vineyards. We opted for Paradise Springs Winery and enjoyed their Summer flight over a few games of Yatzee. For dinner we were booked into Loquita which was the most amazing Spanish tapas, probably best meal of the trip so far, the croquettes, beef carpaccio and patatas bravas were delicious, lovely setting too. And so that was Santa Barbara, we really liked it, but maybe not quite as much as we thought we would.
We woke up to the ‘June Gloom’ so wasted no time in packing up and heading out, first stop was Malibu where the sun was shining and we had breakfast at the cafe on the end of the pier. 20 min down the coast takes you to Santa Monica where we pottered around the pier there complete with fairground, this is super touristy but still quite fun, the beach here is immense and so clean. The next stop would traditionally be LA, as we have both been before we didn’t stay, but decided to drive along Sunset Boulevard through Beverly Hills on the way to the desert and our penultimate location, Palm Springs.
Its hot, really really hot. We checked into our hotel, Holiday House which has kind of a retro Amalfi Coast vibe, and got straight into the pool, they even have mist coming out over the sunbeds to try and keep you cool! We decided to go and see the new Top Gun that night at the local movie theatre so tea was a quick pizza and cheap beers at Bills before the film which was epic, so nostalgic.
Next day was spent mainly by the pool, in need of a chance to cool off we decided to pop to the nearby tiki bar for happy hour and thought it would be fine to cycle there as it was only a couple minutes away. However it was slightly uphill and we were drenched when we arrived, lovely. Anyway the drinks were great and the air con was on full blast. After that it was back to the pool for a diving competition before going to Farm for dinner. This is a gorgeous little spot full of fairly lights and flowers. All 3 courses were delicious and there was a live singer too, delightful evening.
Another day, another scorcher. The only interlude from the pool was to devour an açai bowl and some more record shopping for Dan. That evening we headed to Ace hotel for dinner which was great food and they had an experimental jazz band playing, smashing evening. Thursday morning our hotel were trimming the palm trees which was a very noisy affair so looking for a change of scenery we spent the afternoon at Arrive hotel, another very instagramable spot, plus they have floatation devices, winner. That evening we went to the Palm Springs art museum which we really enjoyed.
Palm Sprigs became really famous as the playground for the likes of Frank Sinatra and Elvis which is pretty cool. There’s loads more you can do here, museums and art galleries as well as an Ariel tramway, plenty more restaurants and bars, the pool scene here gets pretty rowdy on a weekend and it’s just so photogenic. But for us in was the perfect place to relax for a few days in the sunshine, now time for our final stop… Vegas baby!
We set off at 6am to try and beat some of the heat and first stop was Pioneertown which is a little Wild West town that was created as a movie set, we had it to ourselves which was great for taking pictures. They also have a saloon but it was 7am so we pressed on. We then drove into Joshua Tree National Park which was super impressive. The spiky trees are everywhere and the huge rock formations are mind blowing, created by volcanic activity if you were wondering. We made a few stops, Cap Rock and Skull Rock both being huge boulders, and Keys View where you can see the whole of the Coachella Valley. We had debated staying in Joshua Tree as they have some really unique Airbnb’s and you can do some epic hikes here, but given the heat I’m glad we chose Palm Springs. To get to Las Vegas we then had to drive through the Mojave Desert, this was an epic if slightly scary drive as if you breakdown here, you’re basically screwed. But we made it and sadly it was time to hand back our beloved Mustang, the car really made the trip and we both loved driving it.
So we checked into Park MGM, ditched the bags, headed straight for the pool and a bucket of beers. The people watching is incredible but it was all a bit of a shock to the system after 2 weeks of feeling much more secluded! And you know when you have cooked a roast dinner and open the oven it it nearly melts your face off? That’s how hot Vegas was, all the time. Unable to hack it anymore we popped to the huge Eataly in our hotel for a quick bowl of pasta before getting ready. We decided to go downtown and check out Fremont Street which is the older part of Vegas. We wandered around and had a go on the slots in the Golden Nugget, doubling our money on the first spin we did what any pro gambler would do and cashed out immediately. Next we had tickets for the Neon Museum, this was so cool. We had hoped to do it later so it would be dark but as we went round the light faded from golden hour giving the sky a gorgeous pink glow and it was perfect, really enjoyed this and tour was actually very interesting.
One way or another we had heard quite a bit about chef Thomas Keller during this trip, so we decided to go to his restaurant Bouchan in the Venetian. We of course had to stop by the famous replicas of the Venetian canals first, so crazy to see these in a hotel. And our dinner was really lovely, delicious steaks. Finally we headed out onto The Strip and made our way through the maze of lights and people, stopping for the Volcano show at the Mirage and the fountains at Bellagio which are amazing. Absolutely shattered by now, we headed for bed.
Last full day! After a bit of a lie in we had breakfast at Primrose, one of the many hotel joints then as we had bought show tickets from our concierge he got us into the Nomad pool which was more our vibe. Today it was a bucket of wine and this was a pretty good deal which was welcome as with the current exchange rate the US is seriously expensive. Side note, it was really windy, not a refreshing cool breeze, more like a hairdryer full in the face. After the pool we got ready and had an espresso martini at Eataly before tea at Hard Rock. Then we walked down to Mandalay Bay and had a go in the slots there, unfortunately we lost this time but the main event of the evening was the Michael Jackson One show so we bought our pints of frozen margarita and settled into our seats which were super close to the action. This show was incredible, it’s Cirque du Soleil and is a mix of dancing and acrobatics with all the classic MJ songs, loved it. And to round off the evening we went on the rollercoaster at New York, New York, lots of fun!
Sunday we had a few hours by the pool then packed up and spent the afternoon gambling, we had mixed results on slots, blackjack and roulette but came out almost even and had a lot of fun. And that folks is a wrap, what an incredible trip. Feel so lucky to have done and seen so much, wandered cities, climbed mountains, explored beaches, been dazzled by coastal views and awed by the desert. California has it all, including non stop sunshine, a good smattering of crackpots and a near constant smell of weed, we would we love to come back one day and do Napa Valley and San Diego, we’d also go back to Yosemite in a heartbeat. But for now it’s the long road home with some epic memories.
If you like Piña Coladas... 