As there isn't a Premium Outlet in San Francisco itself, I plan to bring Lilian to Livermore Premium Outlet, some 40miles east of San Francisco. I figured the easiest way would be to rent a car and drive there. Thoughts of cruising the highway in a Ford Mustang or Chevrolet Corvette did come to mind but that's where it stayed.
As we would probably be shopping till late, I decided to rent a car from airport as late return is possible. Pre-booked Hyundai with GPS so hopefully we do not get lost. As it turns out, driving left-hand drive takes quite a bit of getting use to. I constantly find myself drifting to the right.
I did get lost as the GPS could not locate the address of Livermore Premium Outlets. Ended up in somebody's farm (see the above picture). Eventually found our way to the shopping paradise.
Outlet shopping is really great for shopaholics. If you bother to go the extra mile, the discounts can be pretty good. Be sure to check online and on brochures and travel booklets for coupons. Very often the coupons will stack with the store discounts.
USA brands do seem to offer higher discounts in these outlets, brands like Coach, Levi's, Polo Ralph, etc. We spent almost the whole day at this outlet.
We spent Day 5 enjoying our last full day in San Francisco. Started breakfast at Mum's, followed by a stroll towards Fisherman's Wharf, eventually reaching Ghirardelli Square.
We take a slow walk around the Wharf area, soaking up the warm sunshine. No agenda, no rush.
We then visit Ghirardelli, the home of delicious chocolate. The shops are packed with chocolate of so many favours, all screaming for you to eat them.
We were behaving like children, grinning from cheek to cheek as we choose and packed different chocolates into gift bags.
Many chocolates and ice-cream sundaes later, we are back on the streets heading towards the main wharf area one last time. Along the way there are several people who tries to ask for some loose change from you in various ways. Some just comes up to you and ask directly while others display their talents. This guy's effort gets my tumbs up. He camouflage behind some bushes he gathered and scares people. He brings a smile to everyone else, except of the ones he was scaring.
No visit to Fisherman's Wharf is complete without lobsters and clam chowder with sour dough. With that, we ended our last night in San Francisco.
On the way back to our hotel, we saw Grand Hyatt calling for Batman. Actually it was for the city's effort to realise a boy's wish to be Batman for a day.
Trip links:
Day 1: San Francisco - Fisherman's Wharf
Day 2: San Francisco - Mama's
Day 2: San Francisco - Exploring San Francisco City
Day 3: Yosemite - Day trip to a National Park
Day 6: Welcome to Fabulous Las Vegas!
No comments:
Post a Comment