“Everywhere You Look…” There’s Adventure in San Francisco

Over the long Memorial Day weekend, a couple friends and I decided to take a bus from Santa Monica to San Francisco. We spent the day soaking up the sun, as Sheryl Crow would recommend, as well as exploring spots we’d never ventured to before.

First, we had to dip our toes in the water and sand; spending a few minutes at the beach. Then, we had to be tourists and walk the pier. There were so.many.people. We stopped for lunch at The Albright and had clam chowder in bread bowls, which was one of the best bowls I’ve ever had. We mapped out the rest of our day, since we had plenty of time before the bus was set to arrive later that night.

We took a drive down the Pacific Coast Highway and wound up in Long Beach for coffee. We were set on a bit of a wild goose chase trying to find it and died of laughter the entire ride to get there. We found the cutest coffee shop called Steelhead Coffee and took our time there for a midday pick-me-up.

It was the perfect time of evening – The Magic Hour, as they say in Hollywood. The sun was setting and the air was cool. We rolled down our windows, cranked up the 90s tunes and drove around, taking in the sight of the sparkling water all around us.

We stopped in Redondo Beach for a few minutes and instantly fell in love with it. It was quiet, calm, peaceful, serene…Refreshing. We sat on the dock, we walked around and made plans to come back again when we can spend more time.

We drove through Manhattan Beach and made our way back to Santa Monica to ensure that we had time to eat and change before our bus ride. We had dinner at THE best burger place, and I wish I remembered the name of it. But, they served some organic and healthier options, as well as Shirley Temples with pure cane sugar. SO GOOD.

We waited a few minutes for the bus before it pulled up. They checked us in and we were ready to go. We were so hyped up – I haven’t laughed like that in the longest time, but essentially, the bus is designed to go straight to bed. Each “cubicle” or “cabin” bed is just that. A bed. You’re given water, dream water, a sleep mask, ear plugs, as well as a card with vital information, like the wifi password. A nightlight is turned on for you, and the ambience of the bus overall was dimly lit. It was very cozy. Many travelers seemed to know what they were doing and went straight to their bunk/closed the curtains. We were newbies and wanted to see everything.

I had a large window on our way there, which was nice, so I had an indication of where we were and what time it was. I listened to my headphones for a little while, then tried to sleep. It was off and on for most of the night.

Trinity and I woke up around 5:30 or so, and decided to go downstairs. We used the restroom (eeek! It’s just like an airplane restroom, so use at your own risk) and the “cabin attendant” made us coffee. When Brittany woke up, the three of us watched the sun come up, talked and tried to wake up as much as we could.

Once in San Francisco, we pulled up to the view of the Bay Bridge, which was stunning.Then, we were off on our grand adventure – backpacking around the city for the day. I definitely should have packed lighter after all of the walking and traveling we did.

We’d made a list of things we wanted to do, but didn’t have any set plans, because sometimes it’s more fun to just immerse yourself in the city and see what happens.

The three of us crowded into the bathroom at Starbucks to try to get ready in the morning, and apparently started taking too long, because they started banging on the door for us to get out. We quickly finished and ordered breakfast. It was still early enough, so we planned out the day and decided what we wanted to do first.

Our first stop was Alamo Square Park, which you might recognize from the opening credits of “Full House.” The Painted Ladies houses are also in the background. We were complete tourists taking photos and people watching, as owners walked their dogs and took their own photos. The city was gorgeous, as the sun was still rising.

Our next stop was the Golden Gate Bridge. However, we took a bit of a detour and tried to take the cheaper option of using the public transit. It was taking us farther away from where we needed to go, so we called an Uber.

In true San Francisco fashion, the marina air and fog covered the Golden Gate Bridge when we first arrived. I’d never been to the spot we were dropped off, beneath the bridge, so we walked up one of the trails and made our bridge. We decided we were going to walk the entire thing. And we did.

It actually wasn’t that bad and didn’t take long to cross it. There was something so freeing and empowering about being on a bridge, standing over the middle of the ocean. The last few months have been hectic with work and my personal life, so to be able to let it all go and breathe it all out was the best thing I could have asked for.

Walking the Golden Gate Bridge has always been a huge bucket list item for me, so once we made it across, I felt this huge sense of accomplishment and pride. If there’s something you want, go get it. Stop waiting. Stop thinking there will be a perfect moment or that it will go according to the plan you have in your mind. Most likely it won’t, but don’t wait so long that it never happens. It was one of the most liberating experiences I’ve ever had and to share it with friends? Icing on the cake.

After a bit of a mixup with a pickup from our Uber driver, we made it to Fisherman’s Wharf and ate at a restaurant with a large window, facing the marina and the Golden Gate in the distance. I had a salad with shrimp and they brought bread before the meal, which was amazing.

We wandered the pier, went in a few stores and picked up a piece of fudge from the Ghiradelli store, which was so rich and creamy and delicious. There are a few neat shops, but mostly souvenir places. Again, it was SO CROWDED. We weren’t into shopping much, so after we’d stopped in a few places, we were ready to move on.

Coit Tower was next on our list, so off we went.

While we didn’t go up in the tower itself, we walked one of the paths to the street below, just to see where it led. And took in the incredible view – seeing all of San Francisco for miles around. There’s something so romantic about it. The endless possibility of happenstance waiting out there.

After we left, we tried a popular coffee shop, Blue Bottle Coffee. It was not in the best area and had a security guard waiting outside, which didn’t give me the best feeling. But, it was cute inside – very contemporary and modern. I had a cold brew, but I didn’t put any cream or sugar in, and that was a big mistake. But, like everything else…It was an experience.

 We talked about doing the Ice Cream Museum and the new Color Factory, interactive exhibit, but decided to just have a nicer dinner with a view and to take our time before hopping back on the bus. We took an Uber (obviously the easiest of all the transportation) to Union Square, which reminds me of a mini New York, as we passed some taller building and fancier shopping.

The Cheesecake Factory was busy, so we had to wait awhile to get in, but it was so worth it for that window seat view. We spent a few hours eating, playing with our bird friend who was begging for food and laughing over nothing in particular, really.

Once the sun was down and we’d paid our ticket, we made a stop at McDonald’s to freshen up and get ready for bed. By the end of the night, we were tired out and ready to get back on the bus. We were a bit more somber than the night before as we boarded.

I still didn’t sleep very well again coming home on the bus. I tried sleeping on the bottom bunk and I thought that seemed like a good idea at the time. However, I could feel just about every movement from the bus and heard every creak. With no window, I felt a tad more claustrophobic, not being able to see where we were or what time of day it was. Just about every time I started to fall asleep, the bus would jolt and I’d wake up. But, ultimately, the trip wasn’t about sleeping anyway. Ha!

There are some moments and trips in your life, that no matter how well you explain or describe what you did, those on the outside of it all just won’t quite get it. I think sometimes certain memories are just that way and deserve to have their own behind-the-scenes moments.  We met some interesting people, we saw beautiful places and we had some very real heart to heart moments throughout the journey.

I will never forget this trip. It was just what I needed to rest and be restored for the upcoming weeks at work.

That’s all for now,

Shelby