Christian Kemp's USA travelogs

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I checked out of my Motel6 in Watsonville, and rejoined Highway 1 for the remaining miles along the Pacific into San Francisco. I stopped a few times at scenic spots, but never vented far from the car - I needed to return it in the afternoon and didn't want to get to San Francisco too late.

When I arrived in San Francisco though, I found I still had a little time to kill, so I decided to make the most use of the car by driving around the city and getting to some spots that would be more difficult to reach by foot later on. I first stopped at a place overlooking Golden Gate Bridge and Alcatraz, and then went looking for my motel on Lombard Street. I couldn't check into my room yet, so I drove around for a while, visiting Coit Tower, and driving the "Crookedest Street" part of Lombard Street.

Sometime around noon, I was then able to check into my room, deposited my luggage and returned the car in the early afternoon (glad to be rid of it). When planning the trip, I had chosen to drop off the car at the Avis office near Fisherman's Wharf, so I was nicely positioned to spend some time at Pier 39 photographing the sea lions, buying an additional memory card for my digital camera (at what I considered a fair price), and then getting a ticket to do the Alcatraz Tour the next day.

I hiked back to my motel along the bay as the sun was setting - my hotel was a little outside of the city center on Lombard Street, which meant I'd have to spend a little more time getting around, but also meant I was paying considerably less than I would have paid for an hotel in the more central areas.

Motel/Hotel Accommodation: Econo Lodge (San Francisco, CA): $60

Short summary written September 2nd 2003, expanded on May 21st 2005.