California 2012
May 9-17, 2012
This trip was a revisit to both Los Angeles and San Francisco. We flew into L.A., spent 4 nights, then rented a car and drove up the Pacific Coast Highway,
spending one night along the way. Then it was onto San Francisco for our last 3 nights.
Our previous trip to L.A. was back in 2000 and San Francisco was even longer ago, way back in 1996.
So it was fun to re-explore these two cosmopolitan cities.
In 2000 when we visited L.A. we hit all the typical tourist attractions such as Paramount and Universal Studios, Hollywood Blvd and the Walk of Fame, Disneyland, etc. so we skipped those this time.
We saw some new things like the Getty Museum, La Brea Tar Pits, Santa Monica and its pier, had a great time exploring downtown L.A. and were so impressed touring the architectural gem Walt Disney Symphony Hall.
We also went to a taping of Kathy Griffin's new talk show (quite an experience but no cameras allowed).
Had a fabulous time in general delving into the neighborhoods of L.A. and driving through the scenic winding Hollywood Hills and oohing and awwing at the real estate!
Back in 1996 we did venture out of San Francisco on the famed Pacific Coast Highway down as far as Carmel and of course while in San Francisco we hit all the major tourist attractions: walked the Golden Gate Bridge, Alcatraz tour, Fisherman's Wharf, Coit Tower, and explored the many interesting neighborhoods.
So, this trip we skipped lots of those tourist attractions and tried to see downtown a little more in depth.
We took an architecture walking tour which gave me some great opportunities for some cool photos.
We rented bikes and rode across the Golden Gate Bridge this time to Sausalito and explored that adorable town.
We took in a baseball game at AT&T Park and went to a show at the Castro Theater featuring an interview with Andy Cohen from Bravo TV.
One of the highlights of this trip was our drive north from L.A. along the Pacific Coast Hwy to San Francisco.
We had never been on the PCH south of Carmel and I must say one of the most unexpected pleasures of the whole trip was a visit to Hearst Castle about half way between L.A. and SF. I didn't even really know of its existence until the planning of this trip and it was a stunning surprise!!
We had mostly good weather for the trip but unfortunately the day we drove through Big Sur along the PCH was gloomy and overcast, but still the scenery was beautiful!
And of our 2 days in San Francisco we split, one sunny day, one foggy day....you'll see from our photos the Golden Gate Bridge mostly shrouded in fog. But we had a fantastic time anyway!
Again, because this was our 2nd visit to both cities you may not see some photos you might expect of the popular tourist attractions...sorry to disappoint.
But I sure had fun trying new things with my camera (and photoshop!) and attempting to get some unique perspectives....hope you enjoy!
Read MoreThis trip was a revisit to both Los Angeles and San Francisco. We flew into L.A., spent 4 nights, then rented a car and drove up the Pacific Coast Highway,
spending one night along the way. Then it was onto San Francisco for our last 3 nights.
Our previous trip to L.A. was back in 2000 and San Francisco was even longer ago, way back in 1996.
So it was fun to re-explore these two cosmopolitan cities.
In 2000 when we visited L.A. we hit all the typical tourist attractions such as Paramount and Universal Studios, Hollywood Blvd and the Walk of Fame, Disneyland, etc. so we skipped those this time.
We saw some new things like the Getty Museum, La Brea Tar Pits, Santa Monica and its pier, had a great time exploring downtown L.A. and were so impressed touring the architectural gem Walt Disney Symphony Hall.
We also went to a taping of Kathy Griffin's new talk show (quite an experience but no cameras allowed).
Had a fabulous time in general delving into the neighborhoods of L.A. and driving through the scenic winding Hollywood Hills and oohing and awwing at the real estate!
Back in 1996 we did venture out of San Francisco on the famed Pacific Coast Highway down as far as Carmel and of course while in San Francisco we hit all the major tourist attractions: walked the Golden Gate Bridge, Alcatraz tour, Fisherman's Wharf, Coit Tower, and explored the many interesting neighborhoods.
So, this trip we skipped lots of those tourist attractions and tried to see downtown a little more in depth.
We took an architecture walking tour which gave me some great opportunities for some cool photos.
We rented bikes and rode across the Golden Gate Bridge this time to Sausalito and explored that adorable town.
We took in a baseball game at AT&T Park and went to a show at the Castro Theater featuring an interview with Andy Cohen from Bravo TV.
One of the highlights of this trip was our drive north from L.A. along the Pacific Coast Hwy to San Francisco.
We had never been on the PCH south of Carmel and I must say one of the most unexpected pleasures of the whole trip was a visit to Hearst Castle about half way between L.A. and SF. I didn't even really know of its existence until the planning of this trip and it was a stunning surprise!!
We had mostly good weather for the trip but unfortunately the day we drove through Big Sur along the PCH was gloomy and overcast, but still the scenery was beautiful!
And of our 2 days in San Francisco we split, one sunny day, one foggy day....you'll see from our photos the Golden Gate Bridge mostly shrouded in fog. But we had a fantastic time anyway!
Again, because this was our 2nd visit to both cities you may not see some photos you might expect of the popular tourist attractions...sorry to disappoint.
But I sure had fun trying new things with my camera (and photoshop!) and attempting to get some unique perspectives....hope you enjoy!
