Crossing Over to Sausalito

Golden Gate Bridge, San Francisco, California
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Discovering Sausalito was a surprise for me. I never thought that this small town to be so beautiful. When we arrived in town, after crossing the Golden Gate Bridge from San Francisco, we immediately thought that Sausalito is like a Mediterranean village. We saw houses on the mountains overlooking the vast expanse of San Francisco Bay, the Main Street has shops and restaurants and some parks and a Marina just perfect for a stroll. The town felt like the villages along the Italian Coast or the French Riviera in the Mediterranean. 

  Crossing the Golden Gate Bridge was quite an experience for me as we drove along the entire length of the bridge, viewing  the towers all the way up each way, the massive vehicles driving each way and then there were people on  each side that walked, jogged or rode their bicycles. I tried my best to capture our crossing in my camera here.  After we crossed the Golden Gate Bridge, on the other side was another View Point to see the beautiful view of San Francisco Bay, Alcatraz Prison, The Bay Bridge and Downtown San Francisco. It was a breathtaking view!

 I felt a childlike excitement upon crossing the Golden Gate Bridge by car.

When we were on the Fort Point on the other side, there were fellow visitors who asked us for the direction towards the path to walk along the Golden Gate Bridge. There were many people crossing the Bridge by car, by bicycle or just walking.

The Mediterranean Style town of Sausalito. The beautiful houses in the mountain overlooking the San Francisco Bay. The Main Street has shops and many restaurants. Sausalito is a very quaint town to visit on a weekend. It is also a very nice town to live in as it is just a driving distance to Downtown San Francisco plus a magnificent view!

Main Square, Sausalito, California.

We passed by this colourful Mexican Cantina in Sausalito.

 The breathtaking view of  Downtown San Francisco, the Bay Bridge and Alcatraz Prison. We had lunch in a restaurant overlooking this view.  We had seafood pasta and pizza. There is a ferry crossing San Francisco Bay between downtown San Francisco and Sausalito.

I wish you all a wonderful week ahead!



My Photos filtered through Instagram.

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Weekend in San Francisco

Golden Gate Bridge at Sunset.

From Los Angeles, we drove to San Francisco. After our arrival, we relaxed and decided to visit the famous Golden Gate Bridge. I was so excited because this is the first time for me to visit the Golden Gate Bridge. If you are wondering which is the perfect spot to view the Bridge, on the San Francisco side, stop at Fort Point. The Fort Point is a park with walking trails all the way down to the San Francisco Bay. It offers the best views of the Golden Gate Bridge, the Alcatraz Prison in the distance and Downtown San Francisco. We were lucky that we arrived there during the sunset. I was able to photograph the bridge, the views of the San Francisco Bay, Alcatraz Prison and Downtown San Francisco as the sun was setting. It was magical and quite romantic. No wonder there was a song,  "I Left My Heart in San Francisco"  written by George Cory and Douglass Cross and sang by Tony Bennett.
Besides the Golden Gate Bridge, we also visited the Financial District, the Ferry Marketplace Building which is a fun place for eating, Pier 39, Fisherman's Wharf, and of course we cannot miss the famous Cable car.  The funny thing about our road trip was that my Aunt's Navigation system kept giving us weird directions.  We got lost in San Francisco because of my aunt’s GPS. She(the GPS) kept saying “stay left then exit on the right!”  Have you tried doing an exit on a Freeway with like 6 or 7 lanes where we were on the express lane then have to exit on the 7th lane with less than a mile? My uncle who was our driver did it safely! But it was dangerous. Good thing my uncle is not married to her (the GPS) or else a divorce will be in the horizon. He was upset with her and sometimes stopped listening to her (the GPS).  My Auntie (the wife) was just so patient with my uncle and the GPS.  I had to assist in reading the paper map manually just to make sure she (the GPS) gave us the correct directions.  I learnt from this trip to keep my cool, enjoy the moment, and not to sweat the small stuff. As you know, getting lost is part of travelling even with a Navigation system. Patience, a sense of humour and a paper map are the keys to  a fun trip!

Beautiful houses of San Francisco overlooking  The Fort Point and the San Francisco Bay.

View of the Fort Point and San Francisco Bay.

The walking trail all the way down to the San Francisco Bay with the view of the Golden Gate Bridge.

Some beautiful flowers on the walk down to San Francisco Bay.

The dock and a distant view of Alcatraz Prison.

Golden Gate Bridge after Sunset.

View of downtown San Francisco at Sunset.

Financial District.

According to our GPS, "stay on the left lane then exit on the right."  Just imagine these lanes?  We tell ourselves: keep our cool, execute patiently and carefully! Follow your instincts when a GPS doesn't make sense!  

We arrived safely at Ferry Marketplace at Embarcadero which is a fun eating place and offers a full view of the Bay Bridge.

Bay Bridge.

Pier 39 at Fisherman's Wharf.

There are many restaurants, shops and rides in Pier 39.

I saw some sea lions. They are living the life under the sun! They refuse to move at all! I can't blame them.

View of  Downtown San Francisco from Pier 39.

A closer view of Alcatraz Prison.

Fisherman's Wharf and an old Cable Car.

King crabs and Clam chowder soup in Sour Dough at Boudin's in Fisherman's Wharf.. As the song goes "I Left my Heart in San Francisco."  For me, I left my stomach in San Francisco!

The Classic San Francisco Cable Car.

The road ahead in the right direction..the famous hills of San Francisco.. back to our hotel...

With the recent gun violence in Colorado at The Dark Knight- Batman movie premiere, always remember to be aware of our surroundings and keep safe. We should always support and encourange non-violence. 

May you have a safe  and sunny weekend!

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Happy 4th of July!



Ghirardelli Chocolates, Ghirardelli Square, San Francisco.

On a recent vacation trip to California, I came across so many kinds of Americana along the way. But the images I am sharing here are the ones that I truly enjoyed. When we were in San Francisco, we stopped by the Ghirardelli Square in San Francisco to visit the original plant of the Chocolate maker. Ghirardelli Chocolates is an original American product which started here in San Francisco since 1852. Their chocolates and Ice Cream parlour shops are worth the visit. The Ghirardelli sell various types of chocolates and many types of ice cream in their cafe.
Then when we crossed the Golden Bridge in San Francisco, we stopped by Sausalito, California, the city on the other side of the Golden Gate Bridge. When we were in Sausalito, I came across these original and unique American Folk Art, celebrating of course the best of America. I hope you enjoy them as our American friends celebrate their National Holiday, perhaps with hot dogs, Ghirardelli chocolates, some Banana Splits and Hot Fudge Sundaes!

Ghirardelli Banana Split and Hot Fudge Sundae.



American Folk Art from Sausalito, California.

Various American plates representing each State of  the United States by Scott Hanson.

American favourite food, The Hotdog, created by  Jean Wells.



Happy 4th of July  USA!

I would also like to thank my American readers and followers for supporting my blog.

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