PLACE #40 - San Francisco, CA, United States

San Francisco was one if the cities I was visiting as part of the surprise gift from my hubby for our 5 year anniversary. Los Angeles was part of this generous gift package and you can read about my LA experiences in this blog post.

Check out some of my photos from this trip here!

To get to San Francisco we drove from Los Angeles along the west coast of California which was just spectacular. Once in San Francisco you unmistakably know that you are in the city of hills, fog and wind which is very different from sunny LA.

Most of San Francisco consists of low rises primarily built in early 1900. Every apartment building is very unique and has that Victorian vide. San Francisco is also very compact in comparison to spread out LA and most of the streets are narrow one way streets with busy sidewalks.

The city  was build on 43 hills so needles to say walking up and down the streets takes a toll on you. Thankfully San Francisco has a very developed transit system - BART. Plus there are two cable car lines that run across the city that remained after a fire of 1906 that burned most of the city to the ground. Riding those cable cars brings you back in time and it definitely a fun experience.

San Francisco has over 900 different attractions, that's twice as many as New York or even LA. As much as I wish I had experienced more of those wonderful attractions I'm happy that I visited Alcatraz, which was on my bucket list.

Check out some photos from Alcatraz.

Alcatraz is a sandstone island in the middle of the San Francisco bay that served as a military defence fort and then later a prison. I've already seen a few prisons (Philly prison link) and it was nice to see another one especially the one so famous. A short ferry ride down to the island and you are in one of the most interesting prisons in history. I spent the whole day wondering the abandoned hallways and cells of Alcatraz listening to the unsuccessful escape stories and history facts about this federal institution. A great way to spent the day.

The climate in San Francisco is very unpredictable. Going up one hilly street the temperature feels in the hight twenties. But once you turn the corner it feels that the temperature dropped  down to 15 degrees and frozen gusts of wind surround your body. I visited San Francisco in the first week of September and was quite surprised by the variety of outfits people were wearing on the streets. Some people were wearing shorts and flip flips while others wore jeans, boots and fall jackets.  As a person who is very sensitive to weather changes - I did not enjoy San Fran weather.

San Francisco has a very developed and busy port so the waterfront is filled with all sorts of marine attractions and boat docks. There is also a very diverse sea cuisine which I definitely enjoyed.

Home of the San Francisco Giants AT&T Park is one of the most beautiful stadiums I've been to. Located right at the waterfront the stadium is the perfect place to enjoy the game and to see the city's lights at night. This stadium reminded me of the PNC Park stadium in Pittsburgh because it was also located by the waterfront with a magnificent view of the city in the distance.

There are also many beaches and parks in and around the city. I spent my last day in San Francisco across the Golden Gate Bridge in the Marin county. I visited Stinson Beach and Muir woods National Park. What a breathtaking day. I did not get a chance to swim in the Atlantic Ocean.  The water was quite cold. But this just means that I have to come back and make sure to take a dip in the icy waters.

Overall, San Francisco is a great city to visit and I will definitely be back to explore more amazing things this city has to offer.

 Check out some of my photos from this trip here!

PLACE #39 - Los Angeles, CA, United States

I did not know I was going to Los Angeles and San Francisco (see this post) up until 2 weeks before the actual trip. My hubby's gift for our 5 year anniversary was a one week trip to a secret location and I did not know what this secret location was until it was time to pack. What an amazing gift!

  

Check out some of my Photos from this trip here!

Going to LA and SanFran was something that I always talked about so I was extremely excited to visit both cities. See this blog post about my San Francisco experiences.

I can see why so many people come to Los Angeles to pursue their dreams, this city seems to be so lively, bright and full of life.  My first impression of Los Angeles was that this is a very huge place. I mean this city is huge and it feels that you can't get anywhere without a car.

Hollywood and Beverly Hills are about an hour away from downtown and Santa Monica Pier is another hour and a half away. Although LA has a subway system, it seems that everyone is driving. So traffic here is quite bad.

While some parts of the city are very lavish and vibrant, other parts of Los Angeles are very shady and rough. Hollywood is filled with tourists, which is quite understandable. Downtown Los Angeles has a totally different vibe - it seems that it is mostly occupied by business people and high rises. There were no tourists or even pedestrians on the streets, maybe because it was the weekend. The Santa Monica Pier feels like a total beach resort with vast beaches and tan people lazily walking on the sand eating ice cream and walking their tiny dogs.

Los Angeles consists of lavish Art Deco buildings and 50s style diners and burger joints that appear on every corner with their old school signage and tacky names.

All houses and structures have a very diverse feel, they are all different and very interesting.  No house is the same, each one tries to outdo the other. I loved that.



My hotel was located in the heart of Hollywood right beside Dolby and Chinese Theatres. It turned out to be the perfect location for someone who is in the city for just a few days. A step outside and you are on the famous walk of fame. To explore the rest of this gigantic place we (my hubby and I) took one of those city tours on a double decker bus. It turned out to be very informative and interesting - a great way to get a quick overview of the city.







After two eventful and fun days in Los Angeles it was time to move on to our next destination - San Francisco.

To get to the next city we rented a car and drive along the west coast of California. What a spectacular drive!


The drive took about 10 hours. We stopped frequently to enjoy local beaches and observation points. This route reminded me of the Cabbot Trail in Nova Scotia (read this blog post about ns).  As we drive north along the coast wineries slowly turned into cattle fields and palm trees gradually became pine trees. Before we knew it the temperature dropped and we were in San Francisco.

 







 

  

 See this blog post about my San Francisco experiences.

Check out my Photos from this trip.

PLACE #38 - Las Vegas, NV, United States

Although this is not my first visit to Las Vegas and technically this trip shouldn't count as a new destination, I felt that I should make a separate entry this time for a variety of reasons. 

First of all, this was my third visit to the Sin City. First two times I enjoyed my stay in Vegas with my significant other and it was a mini vacation just for the who of us. We visited Grand Canyon, saw many shows (Cirque du Soleil , Blue Man group, Jubilee, Magic Show and many more) and of course we gambled a bit.  Overall it was a great mini vacation for two.

But this time things were very different. A really close friend of mine is getting married in the Fall and she decided to celebrate her Bachelorette party in Las Vegas. So 10 girls (including myself and the bride-to-be) packed their suitcases and we were on our way.

And let me tell you, it's a lot more fun to be a 'girl in Vegas' than it is to be a 'girl with her boyfriend in Vegas'. All ten of us were ambushed on every corner by club promoters who would "get us into the hottest club in town" at no charge and with open bar as long as we all show up. And as a result I don't think I paid for anything while I was in Vegas this time. We partied every day, enjoyed hottest pools in Vegas, went to multiple clubs each night and didn't have to pay for most of it. There are definitely many perks to being a girl in Las Vegas and a lot of freebees is one the nicest.

All ten girls whom I traveled with also loved their stay in Las Vegas and we all had a blast. I would definitely want to come back to Las Vegas with a whole bunch of my girlfriends. 

Another thing that distinguished this Las Vegas trip is the RAIN. Yes, it rained in Las Vegas while I was there this time. Turns out it was a "Monsoon" season in Vegas. But I use the term "Monsoon" very loosely because the amount of rain water fallen from the sky was laughable. I only felt 3-4 drops on my skin... but it still rained and that counts!

Although I'm not  a big gambler, I decided to play some Black Jact tables by myself (sans my significant other who usually tells me when to bid or not). Unfortunately for me, I lost over $200, but that's okay because I enjoyed the company and the experience and that's the thing that counts the most. Plus I have a totally full-proof system of getting my money back. LOL

Once again, Las Vegas did not disappoint. I look forward to many more trips in the future.

PLACE #37 - Chicago, IL, United States

In my opinion, Chicago is one of the most architectural cities I've been to. Every building, every structure, every bridge, window and door are an exceptional example of quality architecture at its best.

When the city burned to the ground in 1871, people put in a lot of extra care and great detail into rebuilding it. Almost every building could be studied as a great mastery of architecture. Or at least those buildings in a downtown core. That's where I spent my time during the visit.

My best advice for anyone visiting the city for the first time is to take the sightseeing boat tour along the Chicago river and lake Michigan. What a great way to see the city.  Chicago has the most beautiful waterfront full of beaches, boardwalks, parks, museums and beautiful structures.

No city would be complete without a park. And  Chicago has an amazing Millenium Park in the core of the city.  That's where the famous Bean Sculpture is located. As a designer and an avid modern sculpture admirer, the Bean was on my "Must-see-in-a-lifetime" list. Simply amazing!!! I loved it.  Another famous structure in the park is the fountain  with faces spitting water.  A great example of interactive and ingenious contemporary design.

 Another iconic destination native to Chicago is Wrigley Field - a historic stadium that was build in the early 20th century and has been operational ever since. This would be the best place for any baseball lover to come. The most amazing thing about this stadium is that many near by houses have a rooftop patios overlooking the stadium where people can sit and watch the game without entering the stadium. A very smart way to maximize the seating and maximize the joy of watching the game.

A visit to Chicago will not be complete without visiting famous Chicago Theater. Build in the early 1900 it was the largest movie theatre of that time. Decorated  in a classical opera house style it looks like a lavish castle. Complete with intricate plaster work, sculptures, ceiling murals and exquisite chandeliers. As part of a tour I got to go behind the stage and see old changing rooms. This theatre is also famous for being a host to many modern celebrities. Everyone who performed on the stage of Chicago Theatre signed the walls of the backstage entrance, and now the walls are covered in signatures of celebrities - how cool.

As I mentioned above Chicago has a very developed waterfront, so going to the Navy Pear is a must. This waterfront park has several rides and fun fare attractions, boat crises and restaurants. Great place to relax and enjoy the summer.

Chicago also has over 15 operational beaches. Which means busy weekends full of crowds trying to cool down on a hot summer day. I got lucky, because the weather was very nice  during my visit, so going to the beach was a no-brainer. Since it was the labour weekend, many locals took advantage of the last warm days and the beaches were totally packed.  It's a feeling like no other to walk barefoot on the warm beach sand in the middle o the city on September 3rd. What's great way to conclude my visit to Chicago.

I will definitely be back and I'll make sure to come for at least a week.

PLACE #29 - Washington, DC, United States

  

Please visit my Flickr page to see highlights from my trip to Washington.

Washington turned out to be quite different from any other American city I've been to.  The first thing that stood out to me was how monumental and large most of the buildings were. "Supersized" is the word that came to mind while describing Washington. Most of the streets are very wide, about 3 lanes each way. Most, if not all, building were quite massive and took up a whole block.

The architecture was definitely quite interesting from monuments and famous landmarks to museums and monuments. There are tons of things to see in Washington. All museums and galleries are free, which makes it almost impossible to enjoy all of them in one trip. I guess I'll have to come back, and maybe not even just once.

As I mentioned, there is no shortage of monuments in Washington, below are some of the most recognizable structures in Washington.

 Washington is also a home to the World's largest library. Library of Congress is home for the original Gutenburg Bible .  I was quite excited to finally see this book created by first movable type in real life. Below are a few shots from the Library of Congress.

Overall, I loved Washington. It wasn't what I imagined it to be - in a good way. I might be back to visit more museums!