California Road Trip Part 3

Hey there, friends!

If you have been following along…this is part three and the final post about our road trip vacation!

So we stayed in Japantown, as I said in the previous posts, and it was incredible…there was so much and it was all right around our hotel. It was great to be able to walk around and explore. The first night we went to the Kintetsu Mall @ The Japan Center and checked out all the fun shops. We found some really great stuff and awesome souvenirs for the kiddos. We ate at the really fun, authentic Japanese sushi place…with the conveyor belt. The sushi was made fresh and floats around the table on these really neat wood boats. Chris had a Japanese beer and I drank a fancy rose saki, it was the perfect dinner.

After our late lunch we went down to the pier to explore. I really wanted to ride a trolley, so Chris made sure that happened. He tracked down the trolley stop and we beat feet up the crazy hilled streets of San Francisco to catch a ride. I was like a kid in a candy shop while we rode the trolley; It was so incredible to be riding on a piece of history. We arrived at our destination right by the pier and it was so amazing to see all the history that San Francisco has preserved; such as the old police and fire call boxes that still remain on street corners. How cool is that? We walked along the water and checked out all the fun tourist stores and then had dinner. It was getting late and we had a long day of driving and traveling so we called it a night.

The next morning we walked the crazy hilled streets of San Francisco again in search of some coffee…let me tell you, just walking those streets is a major work out…I would have the greatest hiney and legs if I lived in that city. Seriously, no gym needed. We grabbed some java and sat in the sun while we mapped out the day a little bit. We got on the city bus…which for most people it’s probably really boring, but for me it was super exciting, because I had never been on a city bus before and we were in freaking San Francisco, SO COOL! We headed downtown and walked around this huge mall/business area, it made me feel really small and I realized I am just a small portion of this world…it helped me learn to let things go easier. Don’t sweat the small stuff, right?

We hopped off the bus and poked around the downtown area and enjoyed the scenery. The architecture in San Francisco is beautiful and so massive, the city just kind of engulfs you. We walked through this little town square area where people were eating, relaxing, and enjoying a little saturday market action. We made our way through the town square and across the busy street to the pier area. There was this fantastic little market with shop and food, it was in this really great building that looked like an old refinished bar inside or something…it reminded me of Chelsea Market in New York. The market has specialty items and rich quality foods. This place is a foodies paradise! I bought some truffle salt and wowza, it is delicious! We pressed on further down the pier, Chris was trying to find the seals for me!

We walked this boardwalk area (The Embarcadero) that was full of shops, food, and so much more! I felt like we were at a carnival beach front…the fun carnivals that you make up in your head, not the reality of the creepy dirty ones! haha! The shops were great to check out, they weren’t all the same so it was nice to see lots of different stuff. There was this fresh doughnut stand that we got a snack at they are mini doughnuts that they make right then and there and they are sprinkled with cinnamon and sugar, Chris and I were in heaven. We ate our snack and made our way around to the back side of the pier/boardwalk and wahla! Seals! There was so many of them, it was crazy! It is kinda fun to just watch them, some sun bathing, some playing around, and others passed out sleeping. It’s so funny to watch their little personalities come out, especially when they are playing! It totally made me happy to watch them! We also saw Alcatraz, it was incredible to see this massive compound out in the middle of a huge body of water. It’s creepy and mesmerizing all at the same time, not to mention there is some major history behind Alcatraz Island.

We saw a trolley go by as we were walking the pier and Chris and I were both drawn to it. The trolley’s are old and retro and very well kept. To continue our public transportation theme we hopped on board to check it out and take us back up to Pier 1. The best part about it was we were able to use our bus passes we had bought earlier. 2 bucks got us all the way downtown to the pier on the bus and then got us from Pier 39 back to Pier 1 on the trolley. How cool is that!?! I was reading about the history of the trolley as we rode it, and the trolley we were on actually started out in Philadelphia in the 40′s and then San Francisco purchased it in the late 50′s I believe. Don’t quote me on that! Nonetheless it was old and fantastic. They have kept these trolleys in pristine condition and totally preserved the history of them, right down to the paint job. They are clean inside as well…which is always a bonus. I thought it was incredible that we were riding something that was so old and a part of history. Think of all the stories that trolley could tell, if it had a voice. The public transportation system in San Francisco is genius, convenient, and will take you all over the place. I think it would be smart if more cities were like that.

We got off the trolley and strolled through downtown, stopped and got a coffee and a snack, and then did some shopping. We were pretty much beat by the end of the day, but it was a good kind of tired…we saw so much, learned so much, and really got to make some wonderful memories. We got on the bus and headed back to the hotel…the bus so delightfully dropped us off right in front of our hotel. SCORE! We dropped our bags and relaxed a bit, grabbed some Japanese food, and then went to snooze town!

The next morning we set out on our road trip home, but first we stopped to scope out the Golden Gate Bridge, because we were in San Fran and you must enjoy this breathtaking piece of art. Chris has so many talents it’s stupid, literally how the hell does someone get so good at so much? He found the absolute perfect spot (Fort Point) for us to check out the bridge. The view was phenomenal! We had the bay, the waves crashing against the rocks, blue sky, and the Golden Gate Bridge. It was really a magical moment to share with him, we just sat there and drank our coffee as we took it all in.

Back on the road…the trip home was actually quite peaceful. Chris and I reflected back on our trip and we talked about our feelings and the things we learned. I’m a talker…hence the nickname “motormouth,” courtesy of my darling father. I’m also in kind of the strange, but awesome place in my life…where I feel like I’m not only trying to figure it all out, but I’m actually making progress this time. I feel like this trip was a huge part of that, being with Chris, and the way he understands me even when I don’t understand myself. It can get murky, but really it’s quite beautiful what comes out of it- which is love, growth, and understanding. Traveling is good for the soul, the mind, and my relationship with Chris. I shed a lot of skin on that trip and some of that skin was hard to let go of, but as Chris says, “The backpack of shit you’ve been carrying around is way too heavy and none of it serves you.” It was time to unload and it was refreshing and scary all at the same time. I learned a lot of valuable lessons on that trip and I will forever be grateful for our travels together.

I hope that y’all have enjoyed reading about our road trip and share with me your own travel experiences, life lessons, and struggles. Have a peaceful day!

K