USA West Coast Tour : Day 2 : From San Francisco To Sacramento To Lake Tahoe

Day 2
The day started early. Departure time was at 640AM and had to meet the guide at the lobby to pass the hotel key. Afterwards, it was a journey to go San Francisco for more than an hour's ride.

Itinerary for the day

  • Lombard Street 
  • Fisherman's Wharf 
  • Golden Gate Bay Cruise 
  • Golden Gate Bridge Lookout Point
  • Sacramento State Capitol 
  • Lake Tahoe 

As per usual routine, the guide will give you a commentary on the day's itinerary and some details on the places you'll go. Today was about SFO and one of the famous landmarks is Alcatraz island (but you will only see the island in passing while on the cruise), which was once a federal prison. Then of course, the iconic Golden Gate bridge.  

It was a hazy day and there was a fog while crossing the bridge to SFO. The fog cleared while in the CBD area, and it was only just a few minutes before reaching Lombard Street. The bus stopped in front of a convenience store (Note to self: No matter how thirsty you are, you ought to buy a drink elsewhere. the prices were jacked up at the convenience store, it costs $4 for a 1.5L water, which you can get for $1 at the dollar tree store) going to Lombard Street. 


















Lombard Street






0800 - 0830 





Lombard street and gardens was once of the arduous climb I did, at 45 degree angle (which was almost the same incline when I was at Antelope Canyon, but that's for another day and another story). You can climb up and down within half an hour and take some snaps along the way. It's only a street, and once you climb up the steep slope,you'll just be seeing another street. Nothing much except that it's famous because of the steep turns, one of the crookedest street! 


























Tourists taking the tram and seeing Lombard Street .. ( This is at the top when you've finished your climb)






















Fisherman's Wharf 



0900 - 1000





Then it's  another drive to get to Fisherman's Wharf. I was left to my own defenses for about an hour to roam around the wharf. Everything was closed, but it's a perfect time to walk around minus the people. None of the chowder stores are open (or if they are, they are way too expensive). I guess, I'll have it a go next time when I'm back (and I'd go back for the lobster roll sandwiches too). I went to scout the street from fisherman's wharf down to the park where you can see the Ghiradelli Square factory. I walked the whole stretch, ample time for you to go half an hour and return back in time.  

Do keep a look out for sea lion at pier 39. (No such luck for me) , and if you want a decent clam chowder, try to get it at 11am or at noon, when most shops are open (you can try your luck if you're not joining the cruise!). 






























There's a bay area near the park ..









































SFO Bay Cruise 


1000 - 1100 bay cruise ($34/per person)



The cruise is optional, but for a first timer, it's one of the quintessential things to do while in SFO.  The sights are quite to behold and you're also are given an audio guide tour while on the cruise, so you can appreciate more of what you're seeing.





Tip: Go to the front of the boat (near to where the captain is) so you can see a bird's eye view of the Golden Gate Bridge. (It might not be a comfortable ride up front but it's well worth it for the scenery). Or if you're at the 3d level/2d level of the boat, head to the left side of the boat for more breath-taking views. ( You can really see the skyline of SFO on this tour). 







The tour will give you a brief history on what SFO was like. You will have a skyline view of SFO as well some known spots like the Alcatraz Island.
































































SFO Bridge Lookout Point


After heading back to the bus, and after a few minutes ride, the tour reached the viewpoint overlooking the Golden Gate Bridge. At this point in time, the bus will stop for awhile, for toilet break and photo stop break. You must take note of the timing. 


Tip: If you really have to go to the bathroom, there's a toilet around this car park but you need to get in and out (and take a good picture) for about 15 minutes, that's how long the bus will stop. 











Drive to Sacramento 


Then it's a slow 1.5h drive to Sacramento, California  before heading to the stop, US State Capitol ... but first.. Lunch..





Lunch at china buffet




1325 - 1425 



As there was no nearby restaurants around the area ( I saw costco but it was still far), I had to contend with the Chinese lunch buffet @ $16/person. The selection spread was not that bad as they also have a few Western dishes, but as far as the taste is concerned, I've had better..



So, this is what my lunch looked like







The buffet spread ..









































After a hearty lunch, it was back to the parking lot,  the next stop was to go to the Sacramento State Capitol ( The tour would actually go to another State Capitol in Utah, but that's for another time). Luckily,it wasn't a long drive.. 



Sacramento state capitol


1430 - 1515


Tip: 

    

  • go to the top floor to see general assembly room. The top floor also houses the portraits of the previous California State Governor, including Gubernator, Arnold Schwarzenegger. 
    • 

  • go to see the grissly bear + state trooper. some of the state rooms are open to the public.
    • 





Outside of the capitol building ..





Inside the building you will see a few statues ...





The state assembly room (view from the top floor)




















and the ground floor...






























Drive to lake tahoe


1522 - 1720 




After that, it's time to go back to one stop of the day , which was a 2-hr drive from Sacramento





Lake Tahoe 




1720 - 1805 (45mins) 




































































and then it's back to the hotel in Reno (mini Las Vegas) 1806 - leave lake tahoe to reno






























So there weren't any stop to go to the dinner place, but very well eat at nearby restaurants around the hotel..so I just chose the one just below the hotel room, Quiznos Sub






































The tater tots were not bad. There was only 1 server who also do the kitchen duties while taking the order (so you gotta wait for your dinner, lucky, not much people were ordering).  



Stay in Hotel: Harrah's





















































pro


    

  • got bottled water (but 2)
    • 

  • normal amenities : coffee, no tea (I think this is already a staple, and for the coffee, they do with coffee capsules and not those general run in the mill coffee.. 
    • 

  • phone got charging cables
    • 


con


    

  • can't connect to wifi (mainly because my phone could not connect to the router). There's a trick to it that I found on day 3. I learned a technique to get to the wifi's main router page (so that I can freely surf). You have to go and type 192.168.1.1 After that I was able to go to the screen page and finally surf the internet.
    • 

  • coffee machine in toilet (why would you do that)
    • 

  • no table space.
    • 










































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