Two nights in San Francisco

The Cartwright Hotel, San Francisco link

San Francisco was the first stop on our three city American holiday and surprisingly the one everyone seemed most envious of when we discussed our plans - for us it was a welcome stop for two nights after a long 10 hour flight.

Our base for the two nights was The Cartwright Hotel with rooms which were small but clean and more than sufficient for a short stay. The lobby areas were pleasant with complimentary coffee, newspapers and printers for boarding passes and the like. The hotel staff were excellent providing swift check in, location maps and booking taxi's when requested.

After leaving our cases in the room we went for a walk to nearby Chinatown which was as you would expect; multiple shops and restaurants so we moved on to my favourite American restaurant Cheesecake Factory for a well deserved glass of wine and some dinner. Jetlag took hold so we headed back to our room and collapsed into bed ready for a day on the tourist trail to follow.

The next morning it was a bright and early start for our trip to Alcatraz which as you would expect deserves it's own post so stay turned for that later in the week. Once we had escaped Alcatraz we headed down to Fisherman's Wharf, enjoyed the brass band, sampled The Boudin Bakery's famous sourdough bowls filled with an amazing chilli (I know you're thinking it's scandalous to not try the Clam Chowder but I don't eat seafood) and made friends with the sealions.

Boudin Bakery, San Francisco link

Our dinner for the night had been booked at Harris Steakhouse after trawling numerous reviews on Tripadvisor and trying to find somewhere with good food and background music. Whilst enjoyable and very grown up we did have to send our steaks back as they were overcooked (the photo below is pre-return) which was a shame after a good start with martini's and french onion soup.

Harris Steakhouse, San Francisco link

Final mention goes to Lori's Diner, the quintessential 50's style American diner that is a must for me on any trip. Luckily Lori's Diner was a few doors from our hotel and we had 20% discount vouchers which enabled us to enjoy breakfast there both mornings for only a few dollars.

Lori's Diner, San Francisco link

French toast with a side of bacon

Denver omelette with hash browns and toast

So the question is, did I leave my heart in San Francisco? Sadly not. It was a great stopover on our trip, I thought Alcatraz was amazing and appreciate we didn't completely embrace the tourist activities but I didn't get the usual enthusiasm I have for other Cities on my travels, but am I pleased I went, most definitely.