28th July 2024 at 04:50 - Damian
Here's where we didn't stay in Yosemite. The Ahwahnee hotel. Flash as.
25th July 2024 at 06:47 - Damian
11km flattish valley walk yesterday. Today a 13km hike up to Vernal Falls and Nevada Falls. Early start at 0530 to beat the heat and to get through a section of track they close at 0700. 950m climb.
23rd July 2024 at 13:58 - Damian
Our accommodation for the next four nights. There have been bears hanging around so it's strictly no food in the tents. There are bear-proof lock boxes outside each tent.
23rd July 2024 at 13:56 - Damian
Yosemite! We arrived here mid-afternoon. It was 43°C in Merced (where we changed from train to bus) today and low 30s up here. We're going to have to start hiking early tomorrow to avoid the heat.
23rd July 2024 at 01:49 - Damian
Early start to the day. Taking the BART to Emeryville and heading by Amtrak to Yosemite for a few days.
22nd July 2024 at 16:02 - Damian
Substituting beer for ice creams we've crawled a fantastic range of craft beer bars:
The Lark
Liquid Gold
Black Hammer Brewing
Otherwise Brewing
Zeitgeist
Toronado
22nd July 2024 at 15:51 - Damian
Lots of murals in the Mission district. Lots of Mexican and South America eateries, too.
We had the best burrito and quesadilla at La Taqueria at 25th and Mission for lunch and pizza at Yellow Moto at 18th and Valencia.
22nd July 2024 at 15:43 - Damian
They like to keep their fire engines clean. They are clean machines.
22nd July 2024 at 15:26 - Damian
The ride was incredibly smooth. It drove confidently but felt safe the whole way.
22nd July 2024 at 15:22 - Damian
We've seen a heap of these Waymo self-driving taxis around and decided to try one out today.
We felt safer in this than we've ever felt in a taxi before. Seeing on the screen everything the car is aware of is reassuring. Cost US$15 for a 13 minute 3km journey.
21st July 2024 at 14:07 - Damian
San Francisco sourdough has a great reputation but a lot of bakeries cash in on that so it can be a bit hit-and-miss finding a good example.
This olive bread sourdough bun from Acme Bread Company in the Ferry Building was excellent. Especially when dipped in our tiny First Press extra virgin bottle we kept from the meal on the flight over.
21st July 2024 at 13:46 - Damian
Early dinner at House of Nanking in Chinatown. Came highly recommended by an old workmate (thanks, Melissa!). Lousy service but delicious food.
21st July 2024 at 13:39 - Damian
Along the Marina Boulevard are a jumble of quirky quaint houses.
It's a long, flat walk to the bridge. Plenty of people out walking and cycling making the most of a sunny weekend.
21st July 2024 at 13:30 - Damian
Cable cars used to be everywhere in SF. Now there are only three lines left with 1/10th the original length at 8.5km.
They use traditional wooden block brakes and cables that run at around 15km/h. Both of which wear down and have to be replaced frequently. A "grip" (the driver/operator) and a ticket collector. It's a costly operation.
They're very popular with tourists and there are long queues to get on during the day. We caught one at 0730 when it was quiet.
21st July 2024 at 13:10 - Damian
Today we had an early start with a cable car down to Fisherman's Wharf. From there we walked along the waterfront and then up and across the Golden Gate Bridge and on to Sausalito for lunch. Returned by ferry to the Ferry Building followed by a walk along the crowded piers, back through Chinatown for an early dinner and home again. 18km walking all up. Tired feets.
More photos to follow.
21st July 2024 at 08:40 - Damian
Let's talk about the price of ice cream in San Francisco. NZ$12.70 for a single scoop once you include tax and tip. Not generous scoops, either. We've been into a handful of ice cream shops and nothing cheaper than that. We've not been able to bring ourselves to indulge at that cost.
New Zealand 2021-
Europe 2019-2020
Scandinavia 2017
UK/Europe blog 2017-2020
