Re: Summer issue | Page 64

Where we’ve been... San Francisco I was a little apprehensive about the hotel having done the silly thing of checking out the reviews beforehand, but, on arrival, we were met with a very warm welcome that included a promise of free wine every evening in the lobby - and some tips for the best chocolate shops in the city – this lovely receptionist quickly became my new best friend… Fast-forward seven years and I am finally stepping off the plane for three nights of, what I hope is going to be lots of fun and it did not disappoint. This has to be one of the easiest transport links from an airport that I have come across – the BART train link runs from the airport to the city and takes around 35 minutes, very frequent, quick and cheap. We arrived late afternoon, so we made the decision to dump the bags and explore. Our room was very small but quirky and perfect as a base and the location was fantastic in the Union Square area. We visited a couple of bars nearby to help us stay awake to try and fight some of the jet lag! We found a cute little bar with an outdoor seating area and lots of fairy lights and heaters – some chicken wings and a few beers later we were feeling pretty relaxed. As soon as you arrive in this city, you’ll fall in love, it’s more relaxed than somewhere like New York but with the same buzz. Throw into the mix lots of cool shops, restaurants and bars with beautiful buildings, pretty houses, different people, it’s a winning combination. We woke the next morning to beautiful sunshine – so a quick coffee stop and we were on our way. We decided to take a walk through the Nob Hill area (the posh area) and the home of the ‘windiest road in the world’ Lombard Street - a very cool street that has been divided up into eight sections to help 64 “ If you are not feeling too fit at the start of the trip you will by the end – San Francisco is incredibly hilly and very steep “ I have always wanted to visit San Francisco and had planned to do this trip seven years ago as part of a six-month trip around Asia and Australia and a bit of America – it was going to be one of the final stops on my little adventure. However, my little adventure turned into a big adventure when I met my boyfriend Paul and decided to stay in Australia for two years – long story short I never did make San Francisco on that trip but Paul promised me we would go one day… with the steepness of the road to make it easier for cars. It has some amazing views of the city and a little stop at Grace Cathedral – very beautiful and peaceful. If you are not feeling too fit at the start of the trip you will by the end – San Francisco is incredibly hilly and very steep so can be quite hard going – flat, comfortable shoes are definitely needed, however this does make for some amazing pictures of the whole city. 65