This horrible weather we've been getting lately made me reminisce about the amazing vacation we took 2 years ago, in California, during the month of may of 2016. We only went there for a week but what a full-packed 7 days that was!
SAN FRANCISCO
The trip did not begin well. Our flight was delayed for 2 hours for reasons we still do not understand. And, because we missed our connecting flight in Calgary, the airline scrambled to reroute us. We were supposed to go from Montreal to Calgary and from Calgary to San Francisco, but ended up leaving Calgary for LA, rushing across LAX to board a plane going to San Francisco. To top it all off, the bad weather in Calgary caused a minor delay, meaning that we had very little time to run from one side of LAX to another and to pass security for the 4th time. Needless to say that we were exhausted once we reached our destination! The worst part was that all these flights made us loose almost a day of vacation: we were supposed to arrive in the early afternoon but ended up arriving during the night. We had a quick bite to eat and went to sleep.
Accommodations
We were lucky enough to have a friend who lives in San Francisco and who kindly let us stay at his home. His house is in a very calm, beautiful neighborhood and was at a walking distance from pretty much everything. This was great because it helped us save a few dollars!
The Golden Gate Bridge
We are not the type of travelers who enjoy the touristy stuff. What we like to do when in a new city or country is to just walk around and get the feel of the environment. That being said, we could not be in San Francisco and not visit the Golden Gate Bridge!
That place was amazing! The view, breathtaking! We walked from our friend's place to the bridge and though it's not close-by, we did not see time pass. The streets were clean and beautiful and walking on the beach is never a bad thing! The great advantage about May is that it is not peak tourist season. There were a few people on the bridge but no crowds, which allowed us to enjoy the visit without feeling pushed round or having our view blocked by a bunch of heads.
The streets of San Francisco.
My legs were put to the test there. Never had I experienced such steep hills! There were a few places where I suffered a little bit from vertigo!
The photos do not do justice to the amazingly steep hills we walked on but they do give an idea.
The weather
Someone from the West Coast once told me that there are 4 seasons within a single day in San Francisco. Being from Montreal and having lived through its sometimes extreme weather, I internally rolled my eyes. But when I got there, I understood what she meant. I still think it was an exaggeration, but I get it. The weather was very difficult to predict and was ever changing. One minute we were cold, shivering and wore 2 layers of clothing, while the next, we were so hot we wanted to take everything off. So, if ever in San Francisco, wear layers and expect to spend the day taking them on and off.
Some landmarks
We very loosely planned our San Francisco visit because we were only there for a little over 2 days. This allowed us to avoid disappointment. We knew from the get-go that there was no way we could possibly see and do everything in such a short period of time, but walking around and taking the bus allowed us to make the most of it. That being said, we still managed to see quite a bit: the Coit Tower, the Transamerica Pyramid, the Vaillancourt Fountain, Pier 33, the City Light Bookstore, Francis Ford Coppola's Cafe Zeotrope... I'm sure I'm missing a few, but the point is that we did a lot with very little time. We were even able to get an appointment to visit the offices of Dave Smith Instruments! How cool was that?!? The staff there was extremely welcoming and kind. We ended our trip with a baseball game at the At&T Park. I am really not a baseball fan (the games are waaaay too long!!) but there is something about going to sporting events live that is just thrilling. The people, the atmosphere, the food, made it all very exciting! I don't remember who won, though.
The food
I really regret not having taken pictures of the food. I am really mad at myself for not having a photo souvenir of what I ate. We did not eat much but what we did eat was great! Starting with In-N-Out Burger. Oh my god! Anthony Bourdain is right: it is THE best fast food joint in the world! The service was polite and super quick and effective. The restaurant was so crowded but no one waited for more than 5 or 10 minutes. That's how effective the staff was. And the burgers! Cooked to perfection with an addictive sauce. It's a real shame that the American pacific coast is the only place in the world where we can find an In-N-Out Burger joint. This is what makes this chain so special, I guess.
Our friend took us to one of his favorite restaurants: Halu, which serves Japanese meals. The food was great: we had a variety of meats on sticks (the best possible way to serve meats, by the way), rice and dumplings. But what made this restaurant stand out was the decoration. The walls are covered with Beatles memorabilia!
We could not go to a baseball game and not have a hot-dog! Then again, I regret not having taken a picture because my hot-dog was huge! And delicious! I ate it all and regretted it later. So full... I also discovered something interesting: garlic fries. Up until that moment, I had no idea that was actually a thing, but almost everyone in the stadium had some. Since I don't process garlic well, I did not try these special fries but had to work really hard to resist temptation.
There was a great variety of bakeries and cafes near our friend's house, which allowed us to have quick delicious bites to eat before we started our days. But there was also a pizza place, Giorgio's Pizzeria. We found it by accident as we were walking home. We were starving so we decided to stop at this friendly looking pizza place and order 2 slices to go. They were amazing! Just the way I like them: thin crusted with not too much topping (too much topping makes the pizza soggy). This is the only meal for which I have pictures so I'll show them all just so you get how much I enjoyed eating my pizza!
And now I want pizza...
THE ROAD TRIP
We rented a car in San Francisco a decided to drive along State Route 1 to Los Angeles. I had heard so much about Big Sur being one of the most beautiful places in the world, I wanted to see it with my own eyes. The goal was to drive for 2 days (with a stop in Cambria overnight) to reach L.A.
The road trip did not start off great because it was so cloudy. We were in California, the Sunny State, and it was cloudy! The sky was dark and gloomy, and at some point, it became foggy. we were seriously concerned that the great road trip along Big Sur would be a disappointment.
But all of the sudden, the sky finally cleared up! What a relief! From that moment on, a weight was lifted off our shoulders and trip finally became fabulous. The view was just amazing and the great thing about route 1 is that there are stops all along, allowing us to halt and fully appreciate the landscape. You'd think that 1 or 2 stops would suffice but no, we practically stopped every time we could! The view was so breathtaking that we wanted to take it all in! I had never seen water so blue! And Big Sur did not disappoint. It really lived up to its reputation.
Cambria
We stopped half-way through, in Cambria, for a good night sleep. We rented a room at the lovely FogCatcher Inn. The exterior looked rustic but the the rooms were really modern, spacious and welcoming. The best part was that the inn was right on the beach! Well, next to it. We could take a stroll on the sand, get our feet wet in the ocean and watch the most beautiful sunset ever! It truly was a magical evening!
The road trip continues
The rest of the road trip was great and happened without a single hiccup. We briefly left the ocean and went inland for a while, to get to know the landscape. The weather was still amazing! It was in May so it was hot but still with a cool breeze.
LOS ANGELES
Before reaching L.A. we stopped at a beach in Santa Monica. It was still the off-season so we basically had the whole beach to ourselves! We stayed there a while, just long enough to get our feet wet again and play in the sand a bit. The water was too cold for us to swim in it but walking far enough in the water, until it reaches our knees, just to feel the power of the waves was awesome. Then, we got back in the car and drove until we saw coconut trees! L.A. at last!
Traffic
We knew traffic was bad in L.A. but once we were there it still caught us off guard. We were also tired and wanted to get to the hotel as soon as possible. It took a lot longer to arrive at the hotel than anticipated, but it was ok because it was our first time in L.A. so the slow car ride allowed to take good pictures!
Accommodations
We stayed at the Parc Suite Hotel. It looks like an old apartment building that was transformed into a hotel. Our room was really nice! I particularly loved that we had our own little balcony! It looked less like a hotel room and more like a studio apartment, which was great. The hotel is in a very quiet neighborhood and the staff was super friendly and helpful.
The weather
We expected very warm and humid weather but it was actually very comfortable. The air was dry and the temperature was warm with an occasional cool breeze. Actually, the weather was just perfect!
Some landmarks
Again, we were only there for almost 2 days so we obviously could do or visit everything but, like in San Francisco, we managed to do a lot in such a short period of time! We did pass by the famous Chateau Marmont, the Rainbow, Capitol Records Building, we very briefly stopped by the Hollywood walk of fame and the Chinese Theator, drove around in Laurel Canyon and visited the Griffith Observatory. The observatory was amazing because it allowed us to have a great overview of L.A.'s landscape. And of course, we're in L.A., so we had to stop by Venice beach! Again, it was during the off-season so we pretty much had the beach to ourselves! It was during this trip that I discovered how much I enjoy the sand and the ocean. Now, I think I'm addicted. I keep thinking about the beach and wanting to come back there!
The food
Like in San Francisco, I totally forgot to take photographic pictures of what I ate! I don't even have a single picture! This is a real shame. Our hotel is right around the corner of a Shake Shack. I had heard of this fast food chain but never had the chance to eat in one. I know there are a few Shake Shacks in NY but there are none in Montreal, which sucks big time. The burgers were amazing! So were the fries! Now here's my biggest regret: I did not order a milk shake. I always though that mixing burgers with milk shakes would be too much for the stomach, because burgers are usually pretty big and filling. But what's great about Shake Shack's burgers is that they are small enough to be complemented with a shake without being overwhelming. I did not know that when I ordered my meal. By the time we received our order and ate it, the line was just too long for me to go back and order my shake. The line was ridiculously long and I really had to choose between going back and wait probably for about an hour for a shake or spend the limited amount of time I had left in the city to actually visit it. I chose the latter but never stopped thinking about that milk shake I never had. You must know that I am obsessed with milk shakes. Have been for years. I keep looking for that perfect, thick vanilla shake that I never seem to find anywhere. But, enough rumbling about milk shakes. We also had the best fruits we ever had in our entire life, I think! We stopped at a random fruit stand on a sidewalk and ordered the mixed fruit salad. Never did we have such fresh, flavorful and sweet fruits in our mouths! There was pineapple, coconut, papaya, watermelon, cantaloup, with a drizzle of lime juice, mixed with some chili powder. It was so refreshing! On hot summer days, I keep thinking about that spicy lime fruit salad and become nostalgic. I tried to recreate the recipe but we do not have access to fresh enough fruits to get satisfying results. On our last day, we grabbed a sandwich at Michael Voltaggio's Sack Sandwich, where I had one of the best Cuban sandwiches ever.
The end...
The following day we returned the car at the airport and flew home. We were so exhausted but we also had the time of our life! We'll definitely come back soon!