Just got back from a cool week in California. (Yes. I was talking about the temps. I'm from SC.)

We flew into SFO and stayed at the airport Doubletree the first night. We took their shuttle and then got our rental car from an off site branch of Enterprise the next morning. (Yes, we waited for the shuttle about twenty minutes and my kids were doubting my planning ability, but it saved us at least $200 for the week.) I'm glad that I learned the trick to getting a lower rental car rate, but next time I will inquire about the frequency of shuttles when I make a similar reservation.

The next morning we were off. I took us about four hours to make the 2 and half hour drive to Carmel Highlands because we kept stopping. Early in our planning we realized that SF hotel rates were lower on the weekends and conversely Monterery/Carmel was less crowded during the week.

Each stop seemed better than the last. I have never seen vegetation like central California has. Miles and miles and wild flowers. If the wild flowers were not on steep hillsides overhanging the Pacific, I would swear that they had been planted. Traffic was light on highway one probably because it was a weekday. We had a wonderful lunch in Davenport. The restaurant looked a little worn from the outside, but it was truely first class.

We got to the Carmel Highlands Hyatt about three p.m.. We had requested connecting rooms and the only set of connecting rooms was not quite finished being cleaned so we went to the Point Lobos state park which was two miles a way. The ten dollar admission fee was the best money we spent all week. There was plenty of parking near the rocky coast. We were able to amble along a well maintained path with the Pacific roaring on one side and breathtaking flowers on the other. About ten minutes into the walk we heard the bark of sea lions. My kids loved playing on the pebble beach and one promptly got wet to his knees.

We were dead tired when we arrived back to the hotel at supper time. We were invited to take a tour of the facility. The view from the restaurant/bar/lounge area was the prettiest I have ever observed. It was high on a hill overlooking several miles of dramatic rock clifts and small islands. The water was always moving and almost turquoise green.

We opted to eat in the lounge to enjoy the view and to tell you the truth we were too tired to leave the premises. Our rooms were small but well laid out with a sitting area, nice bathroom and a fireplace. There were windows that opened to a balcony overlooking the Pacific. Did I forget to tell you the reason why I was astonished that we got such great rooms? They were free. I had applied for a Hyatt credit card for the two free nights. To my amazement we reservations just a week before our trip and we got super rooms. The facilty is composed of small cabin like building set around a heated pool. We were delighted to find a rabbit on the path to the lodge building.

To be continued.

Great report so far. I can't wait to read the rest. Point Lobos is one of my all-time favorite places.

Thanks November,

We had to leave paradise ( I didn't have $500 per night, per room to stay another evening) and we had plans in Moss Landing so we had to check out. Before we left we had breakfast in the cafe. The view was partly obscured by the building but it was still georgeous. The cafe had a potbellied stove which was taking the chill off the morning air. We could have eaten outside under heat lamps.

We set out for Moss Landing. Just across from the large power plant on Highway 1 there is a harbor. We took the Elkhorn Slough Safari cruise. It was two hours but seemed to go lots faster than that. We say creatures even before we left the harbor. Sea lions were lounging on docks. A otter floated by. Once we were in the slough (creek) we saw hundreds of seals, sea lions and dozens of otters. The boat was quiet so we were able to get close enough to see the otters crack mussel shells. The website seems to indicate it is for kids but the adults in our group liked it the most. I felt like I was a National Geographic photographer snapping away.

After the cruise we headed back north after a short detour to buy FRESH strawberries and shop at an army surpus store. Traffic was light through Santa Cruz. By the time we got to Pescadero, we were famished. We turned off the highway to head into town. Other than a few satelilte dishes, it looked like time stood still. We had sandwiches made at the bakery/grocery store and ate them at the beach. The view was almost as nice as Carmel Highlands and the food was cheaper.

When we finished we started back to SF. We thought we were prepared for the hills. (I used to live in Edinburgh Scotland and we have visited as a family.) But when we started up Taylor Street to get to our hotel on Nob Hill, I thought we would never make it. I had planned on finding cheaper parking but once we made it to the hotel my husband refused to get back behind the wheel.

We walked to Chinatown and ate at an anonymous restaurant. The menu had about fourteen pages. Finally we looked our server in the eye and said we want shrimp, rice and noodles. We were pleased with what was brough to us.

We rode back on a trolley car.

I haven't done the Elkhorn Slouge safari cruise, but it is on my list of things to do. When I was growing up, we used to take our canoe out there though and paddle around. Beautiful area.

I love Pescadero too - we live in San Jose, and one of our favorite day trips is to head over there and poke around Pescadero and Half Moon Bay, wander around on the beaches there. Getting a pinic at the deli Pescadero and eating it on the beach is usually part of our plan too. This area gets overlooked a lot - people come to see SF and the Monterey Peninsula, and of course Big Sur, but they skip this part of the coast. I think the fact that it is sort of hidden in plain sight is part of the attraction.

Love the report! How old are your kids?

Thanks for reading. My kids are 12 and 18. We took the trip to celebrate my daughter's graduation. She could choose anywhere in the US (continental) and she choose SF. I guess you can figure out it was the 12 year old who went swimming in the Pacific.

My daughter's two requests were to go to the Palace of Fine Arts and Japan Town so we did both the first full day in town. It took us a while to get the hang of public transportation. My favorite moment was when I boarded a bus (the right bus fortunately) and stated that I wanted to get to Van Ness. The bus driver drolly asks if I prefer to ride or walk.

My daughter wanted to go to the Palace of Fine Arts because of the architecture, but everyone loved the Exploratium museum inside. If only it had an IMAX, it would be better than MOSI in Tampa.

We didn't see all of Japan Town but loved the stores which were like dollar stores in the shopping center. We each picked a candy. My husband thought he had selected a sticky dud until he realized he was supposed to eat the rice paper on the outside. We stocked up on oriental pens and stationary supplies.

On the way home to Nob Hill my son detoured at the Guitar Store on Van Ness then we rode the California line home.

I can't tell you how tired we were. We walk every night here at home, and I though we lived in a hilly neighborhood, but yikes.

I am so blessed to live 20minutes outside of SF. It is a great city with much to do. We go as often as we can and walk neighborhoods, eat at great restaurants and play tourist even though my husband is a native and i've lived here for 50 years. can't imagine living anywhere else. Just a note - we Glad you all had a great time......

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I chuckle when people refer to Texas' "Hill Country" as that -- there is no hill in "Hill Country" that's anything more than a slight bump in the road compared to the hills in San Francisco (Shar, I live about 30 minutes outside the city, and have lived here for 38 years -- I'm in the city every day for work, and count my blessings! We also like to "play tourist")

One of the nicest Trip Reports I've seen in awhile.

Loved the descriptions of Carmel Highlands and Elkhorn Slough and on our list of things to do now.

When we lived in Oakland we loved being Tourists. We esp loved the Coast south of SF... I thnk it is Half Moon Bay that has a Pumpkin Harvest Feast...loved going down and picking my Pumpkin every year (big kid)

We get a big kick out of watching teh movie "Wedding Planner"...there are several SF scenes...

The next day was Saturday and since workers were not commuting in I convinced my husband to drive. I insisted on seeing the Picasso exhibit at the DeYoung Museum. We saw that portion of the museum and were ready to move on to the Japanese gardens when a docent begged us to take the elevator to the observation deck. The day was just slightly foggy but we were able to see almost all of the city.

Both of my kids enjoyed the Japanese tea garden and yes we had tea and cookies there while enjoying the fountains. My son loved the bridge. I liked the brass signs that explained the features in English and Japanese. I wish that I had access to rice paper and a crayon, I would have made a rubbing of the signs.

By noon we were heading across the Golden Gate bridge to see the Muir Woods. It had gotten foggier and we couldn't see the bay at all. When we crossed the bridge we saw hundreds of cyclists. They clogged the narrow road all the way into town. I thought we would never get to Sausalito and never get lunch. If it is that busy every weekend, I would suggest planning a visit mid week.

We finally had an expensive sandwich and set out for Muir Woods. We passed the turn and when we doubled back we saw a sign indicating that the parking lot was full at Muir Woods. We were instructed to park in the Park and Ride lot in Marin City. I'm so glad we took the Muir Woods shuttle. It was a white knuckle winding road. Our bus clipped a guard rail on the way home and we saw several bumpers on the side of the road. It cost $3 for the ride but it probably saved us an hour walk. Miles before the park we saw cars parked along side the road. Those folks had to walk on the narrow shoulder dodging buses and other cars. Our bus dropped us off at the park entrance. The shuttle runs on weekends in summer and I highly recommend it. It takes exact change only so plan ahead.

I learned a lesson on the way home. You can't turn left in SF. I was navigating via the simplified city map and thought that I could do a better job than the Magellan, but when we circled to block to turn I found a Whole Foods at the intersection of Van Ness and California. Supper was a rotisserie chicken and deli sides. We snagged utensils but forgot plates. We ate our dinner off the lids of the deli containers. It was good to stock up on breakfast stuff also.

Looking back at the photos I realized that I forgot to mention the kid's favorite part of Saturday. We got lost in Golden Gate park and came upon a man forming giant bubbles. It was a windy day and he would dip ropes suspended by long poles in a vat of bubble solution. The bubbles were as large as a person.

OK. Moving forward. Sunday we took a one hour bay cruise and it was perfect weather. Get there early if you want to sit on the top of the boat.

We got lunch from a Union Square deli and visited the Comic Arts Museum. We walked through the shopping district to get to a huge Dick Blick store.

The best part of the day was going to a fondue restaurant on Columbus Avenue. It was tiny but they had an open mike night. We listened to some great music and then my 12 year old went up and totally rocked the place with a bluesy guitar solo. It was a memory that he will always have.

I'm enjoying reading your trip report. San Francisco (and surrounding area) is one of my favorite places to visit. I love to read others experiences (and gives me new places to explore when there).

The last day we tried to find a Mythbuster. We cruised by M5 Industries but the closest we got to the cast was taking a photo by the front door.

We crossed back over the Golden Gate bridge. There were a lot less cyclists on a Monday. We ate lunch at the waterfront and played tourist in the shops.

We dared ourselves to go back the road to Muir Woods but instead of visiting the trees we went to Muir Beach. It was getting foggy again which resulted in mysterious photos.

Our last official act as tourists was to revisit the Japan Center and eat at Benihannas. (If someone in your party has a birthday that month, they can register on the website and get their meal free.)

I love reading San Francisco trip reports! Everyone who goes seems to see different things and go to different places. So many different experiences.

Great report. Isn't the fog neat? People are always worried about the fog in SF - will it be foggy for my trip, when can I go when it won't be foggy? Fog in SF is one of the attractions of the city. One of the neatest things ever is to watch the fog roll into SF.