San Francisco

This past Labor Day weekend brought us to San Francisco to meet up with both friends and family. As this was a trip of almost 400 miles each way, we decided to drive the Beetle and take advantage of the air conditioning as well as better fuel economy. Here she is next to her older sibling all washed and waxed.

Over seven hours driving with temperatures exceeding 100 degrees for the majority of the trip we arrived at our destination in Union Square. The next 2 days we went into full tourist mode and took advantage of all the beauty that San Francisco has to offer.
Waking up early to start a beautiful day we took a street car to Pier 39. I found out that the Presidents' Conference Committee (PCC) Street car we rode on was manufactured by the same company that provided streetcars for Toronto.

After arriving at pier 39, we heard the boisterous calls of sea lions. I learned that these pinnipeds started arriving in 1990 due to a plentiful herring supply, available dock space, and the marina's protected environment.

Some shots of the Golden Gate bridge as well as Alcatraz Island.

We couldn't have asked for a nicer day and were lucky enough to get a picture of the Golden Gate bridge without any cloud cover.

The day was completed with a cable car ride back to the hotel where we experienced insane 21% grades.

 

Completing our "full tourist mode" the next day we also drove down the famous Lombard street and saw the "Painted Ladies" while I imagined the theme song from Full House.

A great trip overall with some beautiful sites, good friends and lasting memories