Chapter One - San Francisco & Vancouver

Hi everyone and welcome to the latest edition of the Andersen’s travel diaries. In a departure from previous travel blogs, this one will be more of a photo-essay of the Andersen duo (Anne and Phil) and what we encounter as we traverse North America in June and July 2017.

On this adventure we are travelling with our long-time friends and travel/golf buddies, Laurie and Denise from Wamberal on the NSW Central Coast.

The Beginning - San Francisco & Vancouver

After indulging ourselves at the Qantas Club, we leave Sydney on Monday lunch time and arrive in SF on Monday morning thanks to crossing the International Date Line. Great trip flying premium economy - for the first time! Our digs at Worldmark San Francisco are also comfy and in a terrific location near to Union Square.

Anne's tit-bits in the Qantas Club lounge, Sydney

The girls walking in Union Square

Union Square from Macy's Building

At Union Square, we bought tickets for the open top bus - unfortunately of the 4 bus companies in SF, ours came a distant 4th - late, unreliable and with dodgy commentary. Will know better next time!

On the open top Hop-on Hop-off bus

Coming up to North Beach on the bus

The gateway for the train to Alcatraz

Approaching the Golden Gate Bridge on our 2nd day

The San Francisco Pyramid

Sts Peters and Paul's Cathedral looking across Washington Square

The front of the Cathedral

The chapel for Saint Francis in North Beach

Golden Gate Park
Situated to the west of San Francisco downtown is Golden Gate Park - a fantastic open space with forests and gardens and some great attractions.

Anne in the Japanese Garden - Golden Gate Park

Japanese gateway

Spreckels Temple of Music in the Park

Inside the de Young Arts Museum

The California Academy of Science is a fantastic museum with a brilliant planetarium and aquarium along with excellent displays and interactive exhibits. The roof is covered with vegetation and solar tubes together with photo voltaic cells that generate the facility's power

Phil on the roof of the California Academy of Science building

Our walking tour of Chinatown and North Beach

Flea market in Chinatown

Looking down the main drag in Chinatown

The girls enjoying Yum Cha at the New Asia Restaurant 

Anne in Chinatown

The crew in Little Italy, North Beach area

Coit Tower (named after Russell Coit?)

Slogging up the 400 or so steps to Coit Tower

Over the Golden Get Bridge to Sausalito

Famous Scomas Seafood Restaurant, Sausalito

We ventured across the bridge on the bus and down into the quaint little village of Sausalito for lunch before catching the ferry back to the main wharves of SF. Had lunch a the famous seafood restaurant named 'Scomas'.

The seafood chowder was pretty good - got a 7/10 from Denise and Phil.









Alcatraz
Anne and I went out to "the Rock" on our last visit to SF so on this occasion, L&D went over on the ferry to Alcatraz  - the old federal prison - without us. Here are some of their pics.

View of the prison from the ferry over to the Rock

The main boiler house/laundry

Inside the cell block

Back in SF - Looking up Lombard street - the crookedest street in the world!

View of Lombard Street from the Hop-on Hop-off bus

Crazy crooked - and they've made it a tourist attraction!

Soon, it's time for us to bid farewell to San Francisco and head off to our next destination - Vancouver. This beautiful city in Canada is the port where we will embark on our cruise up the Inside Passage to Alaska.

After five interesting days, we grab a shuttle to the SF airport and board our Air Canada flight to the capital of British Columbia, arriving mid afternoon on a Saturday. Our digs at the Marriott are central and well priced as well as being cozy. our first outing was across the river by ferry to Granville Island.

Dinner at a restaurant on Granville Island

The old silos at the concrete batching plant with a new coat of paint

On the next morning, we went for a fantastic walk along the waterfront before heading back to grab our gear and head down to the cruise terminal to board the MS Zaandam and begin our journey up through the inside passage to Seward in Alaska.