Thursday, June 15, 2006

I Left My Heart in San Francisco

San Francisco

"I left my heart in San Francisco, high on a hill it calls to me.

To be where little cable cars climb halfway to the stars.

The morning fog may chill the air, I don't care.

My love waits there in San Francisco, above the blue and windy sea,

When I come home to you, San Francisco, your golden sun will shine for me."

In my opinion, San Francisco is one of the United State's most beautiful and vibrant cities. Home to cable cars, fresh seafood, giant hills and liberal and progressive culture. San Francisco is also where my brother lives, so that automatically gives it ultra cool brownie points!

We invaded Dustin and my brother's house for close to two weeks and explored as much of this wonderful city as possible ... from Chinatown to the Castro and Twin Peaks to Golden Gate Park.

Pedestrians in the Castro. (Unlike other West Coast US cities, it's easy to get around without a car.)

San Francisco's skyline.

World Famous Golden Gate Bridge.



Terumi and me striking a pose.


The crew exploring Richmond's Chinatown.

One of the many hills that make up the city.

You should always be wary of what lurks in the bushes.

Alcatraz Island.

On a sunny day, we took my brother's hawk kite to the park.

Gavin with the kite in a field of wildflowers.


If you're going to San Francisco, make sure to wear some flowers in your hair.

Watch out Gavin! The hawk will attack!

San Francisco's Chinatown.

Kai, Dustin & Teru on BART.


A picture perfect view of the city and Oakland from Dolores Park.

Wednesday, June 14, 2006

SLO - San Simeon - SFO

SLO - Hearst Castle - San Francisco

Well, it's been quite sometime since I've updated this blog and I wish I had some sort of explanation as to why. The only thing that I can say is that Gav and I have been so busy exploring the United States and I just haven't had time to sit down and format pics, upload images and write about it!

Gavin and I drove his Honda Accord up Hwy 1 from San Luis Obispo to San Simeon, home to Hearst Castle. It was a beautiful drive along the coast and we were treated to lovely weather.



Hearst Castle was built by newspaper magnate William Randolph Hearst and sits on a 40,000 acre ranch overlooking San Simeon. Construction started in 1919 and continued through 1947. It was donated to the State of California in 1957 and is now a State Historical Monument and a National Historical Landmark. For more information, check out what Wikipedia has to say.











After our tour of Hearst Castle, we continued north on Highway 1 to San Francisco. We chose this scenic route over 101 and Interstate 5 even though it was the longest of the 3 choices. The drive took us through Big Sur, Carmel by the Sea, Monterey and Santa Cruz and was well worth the extra time and distance. It was just me, Gavin and the iPod cruising up the California Coast. Perfection.







Pelicans flying in formation.







Gratuitous food shot.