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Welcome to San Francisco!

by Tsvete Popp
written by Tsvete Popp
Palm trees and Coit Tower in San Francisco skyline under clear blue sky.

In today's first post from my series „USA Road Trip“ goes through our first hours of conquering San Francisco – the first beautiful city of our road trip.

After the long flight which took about 13 hours (Innsbruck – Frankfurt – San Francisco), we landed at 8 p.m. at San Francisco‘s airport, travelling with the time and saving ca. 8 precious hours. All checks at the airport passed much faster than expected, after half an hour we had already our car and a little later we arrived even at the motel.

San Francisco

In San Francisco, the most important thing is to find the right place to stay – the closer to Fisherman’s Wharf, the better! In this city, the best way to visit the main attractions is still walking! Of course, exploring by car e.g. The Twin Peaks or The Golden Gate Bridge in the afternoon was the best way of moving through the city. For the whole stay in the USA, in San Francisco, we made our second record of walking the most miles for one day – 23 kilometres on the second day (we broke the record only in New York with 29 km per day). But walking in San Francisco was definitely much more challenging, taking into account the inevitable walking up and down the steep hills! Thank God we already had our experience of living in Innsbruck, otherwise, we would be tired only after 2-3 hours of walk 😀

We “enjoyed” the 10-hour difference between San Francisco and Innsbruck right in the morning after arriving in the USA, as we woke up at 5 a.m. and at 7 a.m. we were pretty ready to take over the city! The positive side of getting up so early is that there are no tourists and people till ca. 9 a.m. at the seaside, of course, our number one goal was to meet the Pacific Ocean for the very first time!

 

San Francisco’s oceanside in the early morning has its own charm! My endless thoughts and positive feelings in these first minutes are pretty hard to describe … The view of the Golden Gate Bridge, the flying pelicans, the beautiful ships in the city’s historical national park, Alcatraz Island, the view of San Francisco’s countless hills and skyscrapers, and of course the sea lions at Pier 39 …

Enjoy the day!

 

 

San Francisco skyline with Transamerica Pyramid and waterfront view.Woman smiling near the waterfront in San Francisco, USA, with a docked ship in the background.Historic ship at San Francisco waterfront with skyline and Transamerica Pyramid.Golden Gate Bridge shrouded in fog, viewed from the bay in San Francisco, USA.Woman in sunglasses by San Francisco Bay with Golden Gate Bridge in background.Seagull perched on a wall with San Francisco skyline and bay in the background.Seagulls flying over a pier with a lamppost in San Francisco, USA, under a clear blue sky.Man walking along Ghirardelli Square waterfront in San Francisco, USA on a sunny day.Sunny day at a sandy beach with ships in the harbor, San Francisco, USA.Historic ship moored in San Francisco Bay, USA, under a clear blue sky.Man beside colorful street art planter in San Francisco, USA, near Water Taxi terminal.Sunny street view with a cable car and trees in San Francisco's vibrant neighborhood.Fishing boats docked at a crowded San Francisco marina under a clear blue sky.People walking near Fisherman's Wharf sign in San Francisco, USA under a clear sky.
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Cable cars and Applebee's on a street in San Francisco, USA, with a city skyline backdrop.Woman standing in front of the Fisherman's Wharf sign in San Francisco, USA.Woman posing near a ferry with Alcatraz Island in the background, San Francisco waterfront.Alcatraz Island in San Francisco, USA, surrounded by blue ocean water.Woman with sunglasses on a sunny street in San Francisco, USA.Seal statue at Pier 39 with shop buildings in San Francisco, USA.Man stands near Forbes Island lighthouse in San Francisco, USA, surrounded by palm trees.Forbes Island lighthouse with sea lions in San Francisco, USA waterfront setting.Panoramic view of San Francisco harbor with boats and city skyline.Woman enjoying views of Pier 39 sea lions in San Francisco, USA.
California sea lions
Sea lions basking on Pier 39's floating platforms in San Francisco, USA.
California sea lions (the reason for their migration to the pier is unclear) ... They were really cute <3
Sunny San Francisco marina with boats and city skyline in the background.Panoramic view of San Francisco waterfront with boats and skyline under clear skies.San Francisco marina with skyscrapers in the background under a clear blue sky.Colorful carousel and shops at San Francisco's Pier 39 on a sunny day.
Pier 39's carousel
Colorful carousel on Pier 39 with San Francisco skyline, featuring the Transamerica Pyramid.
Pier 39's
Pier 39 flag with Alcatraz Island in view over San Francisco Bay, USA.
Alcatraz
San Francisco marina with boats, warehouses, and distant bridge view.Historic red fire truck on a street in San Francisco, USA, lined with palm trees and traffic.
A really cool firetruck
Coit Tower on a hill with surrounding buildings in San Francisco, USA under a clear sky.
View of the Coit Tower
Palm trees and Transamerica Pyramid in San Francisco, USA with clear blue sky.
The Transamerica Pyramid- the tallest skyscraper in the San Francisco skyline
Ferry Building clock tower on a sunny street in San Francisco, USA with palm trees nearby.
The Embarcadero Street
Woman at a crosswalk with San Francisco Ferry Building in the background, USA.
The Embarcadero Street
San Francisco skyline with iconic Ferry Building clock tower, USA.
Downtown Buildings
Palm trees and skyscrapers in downtown San Francisco, USA, under a clear blue sky.
Downtown Buildings
Skyscraper framed by palm trees in San Francisco, USA under a clear blue sky.
Downtown Buildings
Bay Bridge spanning the bay in San Francisco, USA, under a clear blue sky.Woman posing with the Bay Bridge in San Francisco, USA, on a sunny day.
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