USA SF/LV 2013 - Day 4 & 5: Enjoy San Francisco

Day 4 was the day Lilian look forward to. It's Outlet Shopping Day!

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!

USA SF/LV 2013 - Day 3: Yosemite - Day trip to a National Park

Today, we take it slow and easy as we visit the beautiful Yosemite National Park. I had booked the trip from Viator.com. Do Google if there are discount coupons or codes that you can use.

As we opt for a day trip, most of the time were spend on the bus. We started the day very early as the tour bus goes around to pick up passengers from different hotels. Along the way to our first stop, we just sit back and enjoy the landscape.

The first stop was to an area affected by the recent wildfire. You would not feel the effect of the devastation done by the fire thus the photos. But when you stand there and see with your own eyes, its sad. The colour of ashes, the feeling of sadness.

As our tour venture deeper into Yosemite, greenery comes back in sight. The tour's next stop is Tunnel View. This is where you can get one of the iconic postcard scenery of Yosemite. Here you can see El Capitan, the big white vertical rock on the left and Yosemite Valley.

We went tree hugging too. City kids like us have never seen such big trees before.
The tour bus stops at Yosemite Village. Here, you can take a leisure stroll through the park, or set up a picnic by the woods. There are also lodging, eateries and mini-mart. We opt for a bicycle tour and it was awesome. The weather was cooling, even chilly in some parts, so you don't break a sweat while cycling leisurely.

Below are some photos we took along the way. Tried out hands on "Levitation" shots, very amateur as you can see. Deer and ducks roam around freely. There was even an outdoor classroom lesson on the dried up lake.

 

By the time we went back to return the bicycle, it was time to leave Yosemite. The tour guide was kind enough to stop by a spot where we can marvel at the beautiful lights of the San Francisco Bay Bridge. Beautiful.

When we reach back at our hotel, it was already 9+. Starving, we headed to the Macy's nearby where on the top floor there was The Cheesecake Factory restaurant. The cheesecake menu is simply awesome. Food was pretty good and service was top-notch. Its no wonder the place is packed.

Trip links:
Day 1: San Francisco - Fisherman's Wharf
Day 2: San Francisco - Mama's
Day 2: San Francisco - Exploring San Francisco City
Day 4 & 5: Enjoy San Francisco
Day 6: Welcome to Fabulous Las Vegas!

USA SF/LV 2013 - Day 2: San Francisco - Exploring San Francisco City

Day 2 in San Francisco is about exploring the city, based mostly on Time Travel's San Francisco: 10 Things to Do.

After the wonderful breakfast at Mama's, we headed towards Coit Tower for some elevated view of the city. San Francisco city is pretty hilly. Where were a few streets that were pretty steep. This is probably where you would use the full range of gears on your bicycle if you cycle around. Looking at the street below, it reminds me of a scene out of the movie Inception.

The route to Coit Tower is a pretty steep one too.

The view from Coit Tower was awesome. You could see the Golden Gate Bridge and Alcatraz from there.

We then head toward the Wharf area to where Levi Strauss & Co. is. Along the way, we chance upon a fire engine.

Frankly before this trip, I didn't know Levi's originated from San Francisco. It was born during the Gold Rush era of San Francisco.

We visited the Levi Strauss Museum and had a little history lesson. The row of jeans in the photo below are all "501" from different era, from the "XX" it started to the current "501" style.

A short stroll and we reach the Wharf area. We were waiting for the streetcar F Line to take to Castro but somehow 2 streetcars went pass us without stopping. We asked a local who came to the streetcar stop after that and she too were puzzled. Thankfully the third streetcar did stop.

You could see the Bay Bridge from the Wharf too. And the same fire engine. Must be a busy day for them.

Once you reach Castro, you would notice a number of rainbow flags around the area. Castro is currently the largest gay neighborhood in USA and the rainbow flag is LGBT pride flag or the gay pride flag (source from Wikipedia). Seems like a nice place to sit down, have a cup of coffee and just people watch.

From Castro, we walked to Haight and checked out Amoeba Music. This place is huge with heaps of CDs, Vinyls, DVDs, Blurays and collectibles. How huge? Like Takashimaya B2 Concourse area, times two, maybe even two and a half.

From Haight we took a bus to Golden Gate Bridge. Having seen it featured in a number of movies, you have to see it in person to see how magnificent it is. Truly beautiful.

We end the day with dinner at Umami Burger. Lilian read about this burger joint. For me, burger in USA, hell yeah! We went to the joint at Soma and the extremely friendly staff got us a nice table.

There were so many choices, we just wanted to try them all. In the end we settled for the Tuffles fries, Slash Burger for me and Triple Pork Burger for Lilian. The Slash burger is the mohawk looking burger, with super thick beef patty done "medium", braised shiitakes, carmalised onion, cheese, avocado spread and parmesan crisp as the mohawk. Triple Pork Burger has thick fresh ground pork patty, applewood smoked bacon and the works.

We find the flavours very rich, almost overwhelming for us. But that's the general sentiments for rich food in USA. Once you get pass that, you will find that each bite is very exciting. As you bite in and munch, the explosion of different flavours inside is fun.

From Kings St., we took a bus back for an early nights rest. Tomorrow we have an early bus to catch for our day-trip to Yosemite.

Trip links:
Day 1: San Francisco - Fisherman's Wharf
Day 2: San Francisco - Mama's
Day 3: Yosemite - Day trip to a National Park Day 4 & 5: Enjoy San Francisco
Day 6: Welcome to Fabulous Las Vegas!

USA SF/LV 2013 - Day 2: San Francisco - Mama's

One of the most recommended place to have breakfast in San Francisco (by TripAdvisor and Time) is Mama's on Washington Square.

We couldn't agree more. The first time we were there on Day 2 of our trip, we waited for about 45mins outside before entering the restaurant. It was so good that we told ourselves we had to come back again. And we did on Day 5. You can see from the collage above that both days, the queue outside the restaurant were about the same.

Once inside, you will join a smaller queue in front of the kitchen. This is where you begin to decide what you want for breakfast. But it becomes increasingly hard as you see the chefs prepare the different dishes and everything just seem so good!

Both days we ordered their Buttermilk Pancakes. This is probably the best pancakes we ever had, maybe the best in the world! Its so warm, so thick, so fluffy, its a must order. Even the maple syrup taste different, not too sweet and has this aromatic smell to it.

The first time we tried with the seasonal berries (attached above) and the second time without (attached below) as they have excellent berries jam on their table too.

Our next favourite are the Mama's Benedicts with crispy bacon and grilled tomato (named Blackstone). "Two Poached Petaluma Farms Eggs served on a Toasted English Muffin with Hollandaise Sauce and Mama's Grilled Potatoes". We couldn't get enough of those crispy bacons. Yums!!

We tried their M'Omelettes - The Californian on our second visit. This is egg omelette with crispy bacon (again!), avocado, and monterey jack cheese.

Its good, nicely done. But I still prefer my runny egg benedicts.

If you are going to be in San Francisco, you HAVE TO visit this place. The 1 hour wait is worth it. Its on my list on one of the best places to have breakfast and we can't recommend it enough.

Mama's
(on Washington Square)
1701 Stockton St. (at Filbert)
San Francisco, CA 94133
(415) 362-6421
Open daily 8am - 3pm
Closed Mondays

Trip links:
Day 1: San Francisco - Fisherman's Wharf
Day 2: San Francisco - Exploring San Francisco City Day 3: Yosemite - Day trip to a National Park Day 4 & 5: Enjoy San Francisco
Day 6: Welcome to Fabulous Las Vegas!