Sourdough sculptures, groaning sea lions, the most amazing clam chowder – San Francisco really is one for the bucket list! I stayed with family friends in their stunning house, up the road from the beach with the most amazing view over Half Moon Bay! I quickly discovered, even tho it was May it was still pretty nippy, we are definitely still in coat-wearing season over here.
After dropping my stuff at their house we head off to do a bit of traditional American sight seeing- Golden Gate Bridge for a start.
We then moseyed on down to the Wharf to check out some chocolate shops and, obviously being in San Francisco, I have to try oysters, and real San Franciscan clam chowder served IN a sourdough ‘bowl’, now that really is cool!
As we make our way back down the Wharf to the car I notice a bakery dedicated entirely to sourdough, with all manner of shapes; including a tortoise and a crocodile, of course! A little further down we discover the aptly named ‘Chocolate Heaven‘ selling everything from chocolate medicine tablets to chocolate band aids, couldn’t find a chocolate tea pot tho.
Further along the pier there is a lot of commotion going on, upon closer inspection it appears Pier 39 has been completely overrun by sea lions- apparently this happens a lot and they come to that particular pier to chill out in the sun. Fights break out between the different hierarchies when it gets a bit too over crowded!
That evening we explore a selection of Absinthe bars and ended up at The Farallon in Union Square, for oysters, naturally! The decor of this place is absolutely stunning, you kind of feel like you are in an underwater kingdom, very clever. Apart from one problem, they had jellyfish shaped lights here, ARGH!!
The next morning I said my goodbyes and set off for a bit of my own sight seeing before hopping on the plane home. Time for another traditional touristy thing- Alcatraz!
Having finally escaped the prison and arrived safely back on mainland shore, it was time to console myself with some more San Franciscan chocolate. After discovering some amazing chocolate in Hawai’i recently, and yesterday’s discovery of Chocolate Heaven, I was beginning to think maybe American chocolate wasn’t so bad after all, with a bit of hunting I might not need my monthly supply of Green & Blacks any more, just a shame I leave in 3 months. My first stop was the very quaint Ghirardelli Chocolate shop, one of the oldest chocolate shops in North America, founded in 1852, and still going strong today as the focal point of Ghirardelli Square, San Francisco!
The Adventures of Elle Coco 