The Journey Begins
We had an early flight to San Francisco, so we were up at 6.30am. We were all set by 7.30am; dressed, suitcases packed and checked out of the hotel. I highly recommend the hotel – Paris, Las Vegas – as it is central to everything in Las Vegas, in the middle of the strip. The room was great, clean and tidy with a comfortable bed, lovely food and friendly staff. It also has a brilliant outdoor space to sunbathe and relax by the pool away from the busy crowds. Plus, it’s great for a few cocktails as well…wahey!
We got an Uber from the hotel to Harry Reid International Airport in Vegas. We arrived at the 8.15am and as soon as I entered the building, my mind started to race again with the process of check in and all that comes with being at an airport. I said to myself, “Sam, just breathe, take one step at a time, Sam’s with you for this reason and staff are at the airport as well.” We queued up to sort our bags/suitcases. We had to pay for them this time as this was a domestic flight. Everything was fine until we got to the check in desk and two of our bags were overweight. I have never been in this situation before. I went straight into a panic. We couldn’t pay for the extra baggage as there was a weight limit on a domestic flight,, so we had to open the bags in the terminal. Luckily, it wasn’t overweight by much, so we levelled the cases out as much as we could and went back to the check in desk. Luckily, we didn’t have to queue up again as the staff member told us to go straight to the front when the cases had been sorted. The suitcases were re-weighed and we got the green light! I was so relieved we didn’t have to throw anything away!
My mind was now in a lot of panic due to that unforeseen scenario. It felt like everything was also now a rush. We still had to go through security, too! Sam reassured me and told me to calm down, there was no rush. I got a coffee before security and sat down for 5 minutes of calm, got my breathing back normal, and settled my mind. Luckily, security wasn’t too busy and, having my brain injury card meant that we got through with the least amount of stress possible. We headed for the gate to San Francisco, California, on time!
Boarding started and we showed our identity cards, meaning we were first on the plane. I was very happy with the staff in that situation. They were very understanding with the circumstances. Finally, we were all boarded. Up, up and away. Next stop – it’s the ‘City by the Bay’…San Francisco.
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Boarding
We took a seat whilst waiting for boarding to commence. While I sat, I thought about my time in Las Vegas. I knew instantly that I’d be back. Las Vegas blew me away. It’s a playground for adults, just another world! I loved every minute in Las Vegas.
We landed in San Francisco at 11.50am. The best thing about a domestic flight is that you don’t go through customs so all we had to do was get off the flight and collect our bags. Bags collected, we walked out of the terminal, straight to a taxi rank, into the taxi to the hotel. We were staying in a hotel in Fisherman’s Wharf, which is central to everything for tourists.
By 1.30pm, we were all settled into the hotel and I was feeling quite fatigued with the early start and travel. We headed out for a short walk to the seafront to Pier 39, which was only around 5-10 minute walk away. I absolutely loved Pier 39, bang on Fisherman’s Wharf. It is packed full of restaurants, bars and shops. You can’t go wrong. We got a bite to eat in Fisherman’s Wharf, enjoyed one or two beers in the San Francisco sun!
Heading Out!
At around 5-6pm, we got refreshed in the hotel and headed back out! We went to Pier 39, walking along the boardwalk. At the end of the Pier on the right hand side, there was a bar called ‘Players’ so we headed there for some drinks. That evening, we met a couple, Karen and Pete, from Cumbria near the Lake District. We got along with them straight away. When I sat next to Karen, for some reason, I just knew whatever we spoke about, I could open up to her and it would end up in laughter. (sorry, Pete!)
That evening in Players bar will never leave me. It was a great evening with fantastic company, getting along, lots of laughs and drinks going down well. I just want to say, Karen and Pete are the people you want to meet, whether you are on holiday or not. They are so welcoming, down to Earth. They just want to get along with you, make sure you’re happy and living the best life possible. If you have any problems, you can let your guard down, open up and tell them. They will give you the best advice to help you with any situation.
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Wednesday 9th October
We were up at 8am, refreshed and down for breakfast at 8.45am. It was a ‘help yourself’ buffet breakfast area. We were fed and watered and ready for the day by 9.30am.
We had a tour booked for today around the famous ‘Alcatraz Island’, where Alcatraz prison is. The island is 1.25 miles offshore from San Francisco. It was developed in the mid-19th Century, with facilities for a lighthouse, a military fortification and prison. The prison operated from 1934-1963. It is now a major tourist attraction. The ferry which takes you to Alcatraz Island is from Pier 33, just half a mile from Pier 39. We got the 11am ferry. It took around 40 minutes on the ferry. Our ticket allowed you to walk round the island freely at your own pace so there was no rush to see everything. It is a good sized island, with plenty to see. Even the fire engines that were used back then when the prison was fully operational. (I know, a fire engine on an island that is fully surrounded by water-mental!)
At around 12.30pm, we entered into the ‘main prison’ and it was a brilliant experience. You saw everything from the library, the shower area, administration, control room, to the cells! Walking round the cells was an eye-opening experience. Seeing how the inmates lived, walking along the corridors felt eerie and strange. Part of me thought, ‘Is this place still operating?’ ‘No, Sam, it’s you, being a wimp!’ We finished the tour at the gift shop and bought some souvenirs. We got the 2.30pm ferry back to San Francisco and headed back to the hotel to freshen up.
Alcatraz
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At 4pm, we headed back out for food. I’m a big fan of seafood so I wanted to find a seafood restaurant while we were here. The taxi driver, who dropped us off at the hotel from the airport, recommended a seafood restaurant called Scoma’s, so we decided to try there. I had mussels in a tomato, white wine and herb sauce for starters, with linguine, clams, garlic and onions with white wine for mains. I had this exact meal a few years ago in Newquay, Cornwall and I remember thinking to myself, ‘This is the freshest seafood I have ever had in the UK and I don’t think I’ll have anything fresher.’ I was wrong! That meal in Scoma’s beat it by a mile. The freshness of the seafood, the taste, the texture-they were all bang on. The staff were also fantastic and we got looked after well. I told the waiter to give my compliments to the chef for the meal and I gave the staff a tip. Now, I know tipping is a personal preference, some people like it, some don’t. For me, if I walk into a restaurant at home or abroad and get served nice food, get looked after and get treated well by the staff in a good atmosphere and surrounding then I will tip.
Lombard Street
It was around 5.30pm and I wanted to see Lombard Street. Lombard Street is an East-West Street, which is famous for a steep, one block section with eight hairpin turns that only certain vehicles can go down. We started at the bottom and decided to walk up the steps to the top to see it from a good view. When you are at the top, you see some gorgeous views of the city. San Francisco is well known for steep hills. It’s not a myth, it’s not made up, it’s real. Everywhere you go, you will see steep hill after steep hill. We tackled a few of them and I remember going up one, getting halfway, then getting out of breath thinking, ‘If you moved here, you wouldn’t need a gym! All you would need to do is walk up and down these steep streets 3 or 4 times a week. You’d be fitter than a butcher’s dog within a month!’
It was around 6.30pm and I was feeling fatigued, wanting to chill out with a few beers. We went to Pier 39 that evening and enjoyed a nice, chilled night. Whilst walking along the boardwalk, I spotted the Christmas store, called Christmas in San Francisco. I love Christmas, it’s my favourite time of the year. When I walked inside, I was a big kid for about half an hour. Seeing all the Christmas decoration, I had to get some stuff for my tree! We had a few more drinks in the bars then headed back to the hotel.
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Thursday 10th October
We woke up at around 7.30am and got freshened up, fed and watered. We jumped on the Big Bus Tour around San Francisco. We wanted to get to see the Golden Gate Bridge. The bus goes over the bridge itself, so we stayed on. As we approached it, it is big, red and looked really iconic. Crossing over the bridge, it was very windy, as we sat on the top level. We felt the full force of the wind!
At around 11.30am, I wanted to see Mrs Doubtfire’s house. The house is in San Francisco, where they filmed the movie. We got off the bus at the nearest stop to the house, which was roughly a 10-15 minute walk away. There it was, on the left hand side-2640 Steiner Street. Once seen, it took me back to watching the movie was I was growing up in the 90’s. We took some photos outside the house and headed off to get some, as we got hungry. Luckily, there was a café down the road, so we went there for a bite to eat.
San Francisco has lots of trams as a form of transport to get you around the city. I remembered seeing the ones on Mrs Doubtfire, so we headed onto one for an experience of going up and down the steep hills of San Francisco.
Sunset Catamaran
We had a sunset catamaran cruise booked near Pier 39, so we headed back over for around 4.30pm. This was the final thing that I had booked before we headed home the following day. The cruise started heading towards to Golden Gate Bridge as the sun was going down. We went right under the bridge and it is a moment I will never forget. When you’re right up close to the bridge, it really shows how iconic it is. The Golden Gate Bridge was built in May 1937, made out of steel, spanning 1.7miles long. To have photos taken right next to the bridge as the sun was setting was a moment of magic, that will stay with me for the rest of my life. To end the final night of the holiday on a sunset cruise, going under the Golden Gate Bridge in San Francisco was truly magical.
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On a final note, I would like to tell everyone that the two weeks here on the West Coast of America has been sensational!
California – I fell in love with that state. Beautiful places, great and friendly people, with such a laid back and relaxing lifestyle. Also, I need to say that my time in California was therapeutic. That state allowed me to let go of a lot of pain in the last ten years, pain that I thought would never leave me. It felt like the right place, at the right time. Also, California helped me turn the page and start a new chapter in my life. A page I had been eager to turn for a long, long time. I will be forever thankful to California for that.
Las Vegas – I will never experience a place like that again! Absolutely mind blowing! (ps. I will let you into a little secret, I am heading back there in 2026!) Southern California, Nevada, along with a new state I have not been to!
Who knows, there may be another blog in the making…..
