San Fran

We left Yosemite NP on Thursday and pointed our Ve-hi-cle in the direction of SF. The kids were very keen to find some factory outlets to do some shopping. So we consulted Dr Google and found our way to San Leandro. It was about 3 hours drive from Yosemite and on the outskirts of SF. 

Everyone was happy with this expedition. Lots of big name brands including Nike and Guess. 

After our shopping spree we settled in for some cheap and cheerful Chinese food. We've developed the concept of "seagulling" (Lara's idea), where we buy 2-3 meals and share them. You do have to be quick! Once we got beyond the health warning at the "Panda Express" the food was quite good. 

Arrived SF and set up in our Hotel. It's kind of like sleeping on the median strip at the corner of Springvale & Whitehorse roads. Traffic never seems to stops. I woke at 4.30 am on the first night to what I swear were gunshots, followed by banging and crashing at close range. A little disconcerting.

We decided to go out for tea when we hit SF. We'd been recommended a cafe run by at-risk youth. A friend in Melbourne is connected to this cafe through a church contact. We found it on a map and off we went. The city became more and more seedy the further we drove. Homeless tent camps and people living out of shopping trollies. We found the place and I scored a park within about 20 metres. Lara got out to see if they had a table. Instantly someone yelled at her. Another man walked up to my window and said something (not sure what). It was the scene National Lampoons Vacation when Griswalds got lost in the backstreets. "Roll em up."

By the time Lara exited and told me they had a table for 6, I had assumed the "getaway" position and we were off. 6 whities in a new Chevy Yukon was a bad look and attracted lots of unwanted attention. 

We ended up at Mel's diner. A terribly forgettable and expensive outing. I fear we may have missed a remarkable opportunity. I'm building up the courage to try the "Old Skool cafe" again tonight. 

Yesterday (Friday) we biked the bridge. This was ace. It's about a 13 km ride from Pier 39 to Sausalito across the Golden Gate Bridge. We made a couple of wrong turns and climbed more hills than we needed to. It was a terrific experience. There we had some lunch (ice-cream) and then ferried back to SF. 

Back to our hotel from pier 39 on foot to put on some warm gear before heading to Pier 33 for the Alcatraz night tour. We all loved this. Lots of interesting stories. Had a night stroll around pier 39 following the tour and got some hot chips for supper. It was a massive day with lots of activity. 

The kids watching crepes being made

Home to the Springvale/Whitehorse Hacienda by about 10.00 pm. Sadly the couple next door cavorted till about 4.00 am. Anyhoo, we've got one more day in SF. It's a beautiful city, filled with lots of social problems and heaps of nut bags. Quite looking forward to moving on tomorrow.