West Coast First Timers - Day 2, Biking the Bridge & dinner at The Cheesecake Factory

[abiknox]

Index here

I awoke at 4.30am this morning as expected but after having a drink of water miraculously I got back to sleep & slept through until 7.30am! That’s a first for me! The bed was very comfy but the room had been very noisy with the people in the room above us being up and about at 4am & street traffic right outside. There seemed to be a lot of motorbikes revving their engines at all hours.

When we were dressed and ready to go, we dragged our cases back down to the lobby and headed out of the hotel, confirming on the way out that a better room will be waiting for us when we got back. The hotel was literally a few steps from the Chinatown entrance.



We followed the hotels instructions down to the Powell St Street car and after initially standing in line to go the wrong way we found the right stop & waited for the F line.



10 minutes later it was on & we climbed aboard what was a very busy car. Two stops further on the doors opened, no one got off but a school trip of about 30 young children were waiting. They were obviously in two minds as to whether to climb aboard and were being hesitant, until one child decided it was ok & then the rest obviously had to follow! It was chaos, the teachers were shouting at the kids to just keep moving down the bus but there was nowhere for them to go, they carried on piling in and I was honestly having envisions of standing asphyxiation! The children were only about 8/9 and they were getting seriously squished, it was anything but safe & I was amazed the driver allowed it. At this point, we were really not in love with San Francisco! We had considered getting the Muni passes for the next couple of days but we decided there and then that we would walk / get cabs, if this public transport was anything to go by we would be keeping well clear! A couple of very painful stops later & some passengers shuffled off leaving slightly more room, we saw the funny side a bit & the kids were actually real cuties, they made me laugh all the way to Pier 39 where we got off. The car was still seriously over capacity though I’m sure.

We got our first view of Alcatraz & the bridge







Now this was more like the San Francisco I expected, there was a great atmosphere here and we spent a long time walking from Pier 39 to Fisherman’s Warf. Aaron picked up a Caramel Latte at Biscoff $4 on our way through. This is definitely our preferred area in the FW vs Union Square debate. We realised our specifically purchased hoodys would not be required. The sun was shining and there was not a cloud in the sky! It was beautiful and so unlike what I had expected with the mist being so common.

[abiknox]

We went in search for the Sealions and heard them before we saw them

We had a selfie with them













We made our way through Fisherman's Warf in search of the Hollywood Café for breakfast.







Before long we found the restaurant! On a side note here, Three Feel at Home was an absolute God sent for this trip. I had trouble for the first couple of days making outgoing calls but from the second we landed the internet access was spot on. Having the ability to Google / use the navigation app on my phone was invaluable and stopped us ever getting lost (which we normally do A LOT!).



The restaurant looked busy with a lot of people waiting for a table but luck was with us again and being a party of two paid off. We were taken through within 5 minutes. The menu is extensive, I went for the Orange French Toast, Aaron had 2 Eggs, Hash Browns & Ham. We both had an OJ and the bill came to $30. Seriously good value! Each meal came with heaps of fruit and the sizes were enormous! I had a couple of tastes of Aaron’s hash brown and it was incredible. My French toast was delicious too, slightly too much of the sickly sauce but I just scraped some off and along with the fresh fruit it was a real treat to eat.





From here we walked to Blazing saddles, we found it easily, missioned up the hill and gave in our Groupon.

We spotted Ghirardelli Square on our way up.



We declined the additional insurance, declined the ferry tickets (we considered riding back over but also knew the tickets were no more expensive if you bought them in Sausalito), watched the video and before long were set up with our bikes and ready to go. We walked them down to the beginning of the bike path and set off in the general direction of the bridge. It was a lot further than it looked with a couple of steep hills on the way but it was a lovely ride and there were plenty of view points to stop at if you needed a breather. We followed the other bikes and made it to the bridge without incident.

[abiknox]

The actual ride over the bridge was over far too quickly, it was amazing. They only had the one side open to pedestrians / bikers and it was busy but we are both pretty confident on bikes so we didn’t find it a problem. The views were lovely; again I know we were very lucky not to have it be misty. I think it was about 38 degrees by midday.





On the other side of the bridge we freewheeled pretty much all the way down to Sausalito, making the decision along the way that we would not be riding back up which was a shame as I really would have loved to ride over the bridge again. Sausalito looked lovely, we had considered getting lunch from one of the deli's but we were still full from breakfast so after a little explore, we headed over to the ferry to try and get tickets. No problem, $22 later and we had tickets in hand. The first ferry due was to Pier 1 in 25 minutes so Aaron went and grabbed us a Diet Coke & a water while we waited. Before long it arrived and we were the very first to board which made stowing the bikes pretty easy.

The views on the way back were lovely and we got a really good view of Alcatraz, we sat out for a bit but it was just too hot so we headed inside for some shade.



Getting off the ferry was a bit of a nightmare as you have to reclaim your bike and then push it up a ramp to the second floor! Not an easy feat when the biked weighs a ton! We managed though and were first off again.

From Pier 1, we rode back to Blazing Saddles to drop the bikes off. Its all a bit of a show with them giving you a round of applause as you go back in, the customer service here is top notch. We confirmed that we had no additional costs to pay and set off back to Fisherman’s Warf. There were lots of buskers out and we spent a lot of time watching them, a lot of the homeless were having a boogie and it was really making us chuckle, one would stand up, have a wiggle and then as soon as he sat down another would take over.

We made our way to Bubbas and headed in for some cocktails. I had a Lava Flow and Aaron had a Margarita. We then got tempted with the food menu & ordered a Spinach & Artichoke dip to share. $33 plus tip.





Next up was the Hard Rock Café, we sat at the bar in here and ordered a Long Island for me & a Southern Rock for Aaron. $19 plus tip.



At this point we decided to walk back to the hotel to see if we had a better room. The walk took 25 minutes and was actually pretty flat compared to what I was expecting, we must have picked the right route. We were given room 414 which we knew was a refurbed one having looked at the notes on Trip Adviser. The room was fine, nice even and we were much happier!



We relaxed in the room for a bit, watched TV, showered and got ready to head back out. Tonight’s meal was at the Cheesecake Factory. We walked to Union square and got in the queue for the lift to take us up to the restaurant! It was very busy, too many people piled in and it wouldn’t set off. It was beeping for ages and no one was getting back out. We were right at the back being about the 5th/6th people in. The sign said it could take 11 people and there were 18 of us in there! Finally a group of 4 realised it wasn’t going to move and stepped out, it still wasn’t having any of it. Another couple left, still no. Finally another couple tested it, the girl stepped out and it was still beeping, then the guy stepped out and the lift came back up in line with the floor and the beeping stopped. It was really funny that this one guy had made the difference between it going & staying. All this had taken a good couple of minutes and It really made me laugh.

Up at the restaurant we were told there was a 45 minute wait for a table, fine by us as we had come expecting a wait. We got a buzzer and made our way to the bar. Strawberry lemonade for me & a Bud for Aaron $14. We took them out to the terrace and enjoyed the view whist we drank. We were right behind the big ‘A’ from the Macys sign and it was strange looking up at it the next day and seeing how small people looked.





I must say, the Westin Hotel looks incredible!

We were called to our table after 25 minutes, we spent a good amount of time looking through the menu whilst munching on the delicious bread!



I swear there are more choices each time we go. I went for the Pulled Pork with Onion Rings & Aaron went for the Louisiana Pasta. Both meals were really good but I seriously failed at mine, I managed a quarter of the bun, about half the pork and two onion rings! The portions are just too big. It was really good food though, Aarons pasta was delicious.





We opted to take some Cheesecake away with us thinking we might fit it in later. We went with my fave, Raspberry & Lemon. The bill came to $44 plus tip and we paid up & waddled back to the hotel, picking up some water on the way back. We watched a bit of TV, Aaron managed a bit of the dessert but I couldn't face it and we fell asleep not long after.

Tomorrow … Alcatraz

[NatsyNoo]

Aww a lovely day, and I had little pangs of envy as I remember us having a ball the day we went to Hollywood Cafe & biked the bridge! We were the same as you - as soon as we got to the other side, we knew cycling back was not an option! When we go back to San Fran (one day!) we will cycle down to Muir Woods rather than stopping at Sausilito, as I feel like we've 'done' that now but the bridge we totally want to do again! And that experience has made me want to cross Brooklyn Bridge in NYC, although on foot I would imagine!
Cheesecake Factory looks lush - I wonder if anyone has ever finished a meal there?!
Look forward to the next day!

[abiknox]

Originally Posted by NatsyNoo

Aww a lovely day, and I had little pangs of envy as I remember us having a ball the day we went to Hollywood Cafe & biked the bridge! We were the same as you - as soon as we got to the other side, we knew cycling back was not an option! When we go back to San Fran (one day!) we will cycle down to Muir Woods rather than stopping at Sausilito, as I feel like we've 'done' that now but the bridge we totally want to do again! And that experience has made me want to cross Brooklyn Bridge in NYC, although on foot I would imagine!
Cheesecake Factory looks lush - I wonder if anyone has ever finished a meal there?!
Look forward to the next day!

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It really was a fab day!

We were desperate to walk the Brooklyn Bridge but we visited NYC in November and it was -3 with bone chilling winds so we had to give it a miss! Next time though! Looks like you will be visiting just before us, we fly to JFK on 1st October 2015 for my 30th

[Biscaya]

Fantastic day, and what great weather We really want to bike the bridge but I am a little worried about how busy it will be as we are there early in August. I had considered biking back over the bridge to avoid any chaos on the ferry but from what I hear the hill looks to be a killer. Decisions, Decisions!

[abiknox]

Originally Posted by Biscaya

Fantastic day, and what great weather We really want to bike the bridge but I am a little worried about how busy it will be as we are there early in August. I had considered biking back over the bridge to avoid any chaos on the ferry but from what I hear the hill looks to be a killer. Decisions, Decisions!

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Yep, I can guarantee you now that you wont want to cycle back over if you head down into Sausalito, its OK if you turn back round as soon as you're off the bridge though. I consider us to be pretty fit but I think its about 3 miles uphill and its very busy with cars too. I didn't fancy it at all!

I wouldn't worry about how busy the bridge is, I guess they open both sides if it gets too congested. Otherwise just take your time and you will be fine.

[Guest]

Aw I miss San Fran! Another great day!

[Pussycat Doll]

Lovely day, great photos. Pussycat

[Ruthy1604]

Originally Posted by Biscaya

Fantastic day, and what great weather We really want to bike the bridge but I am a little worried about how busy it will be as we are there early in August. I had considered biking back over the bridge to avoid any chaos on the ferry but from what I hear the hill looks to be a killer. Decisions, Decisions!

See more...

That hill is MASSIVE. We cycled the bridge in late August - it was very busy but fine. There was only one lane open so the cyclists had to share with pedestrians. We intended to cycle back up but quickly dropped that idea and got a taxi up the hill.