San Fran!

Alcatraz is a must-see in San Francisco. Chinatown is an adventure. Fisherman's Wharf is a great place for seafood and shopping.

Quick Tips:

Dress warm - even in August, it was very cool and windy. We all wore jeans and jackets all day long.

Best Way To Get Around:

The city has a great system of cable and trolley cars. We left our car at the hotel and relied on those.

Had a great seafood meal. We ate here after spending all day seeing the sights. We were all dressed casually, but it wasn't a problem and we didn't feel out of place. We saw everything from men wearing dinner jackets to people in T-shirts. Service was excellent and the seafood was fresh from the bay. Would be a great spot for a romantic dinner, and all tables had a great view of the wharf and bay.

While exploring Chinatown, we were drawn in Kan’s for lunch by a hawker standing outside. We were a little skeptical but were pleasantly surprised and had a lot of fun.

The restaurant is located on the second floor and has a beautiful dining room. The room has a very high ceiling with almost floor to ceiling windows. The tables are covered with white tablecloths, napkins and china. Upon sight of the dining room we instantly thought we were underdressed. Looking around eased our mind as most the customers were tourists and dressed casual like us.

There was a comprehensive menu of Chinese dishes but we went with the dim sum they were serving for lunch. It was kind of confusing since none of us has ever had dim sum before. The waitresses come by with large platters filled with plates of different appetizers. If you want what they have you let them know and they give you a plate and the appropriate sauces. They then stamp a ticket on your table to keep account of how much and what you have ordered. It was difficult for us to keep track of how much the meal was costing but luckily we didn’t care. If you are watching a budget or have a specific limit, this might be a difficult place to eat. If you had the menu in your hand when the waitress came by, you could quickly find what she was offering on the menu to see if it was in your price range. If there is a specific dish you want, you can ask a waitress but it seemed to be mostly luck of the draw. The couple next to us ordered off the menu and initially seemed to have a little difficulty.

When their food arrived, it was what they ordered and looked delicious. There was also a bit of a language barrier between us and the staff which made things a little harder. If you are in Chinatown, this should be expected and in my opinion adds to the experience. Overall, this was a great dining experience. The food was great and the staff was pleasant. It is definitely a unique experience if you have never eaten dim sum this way.

We went on the evening tour and loved it. The sun was setting on our trip over to the island, which made for a great view. We still had enough light to get a good look at everything, and while inside the cell house, the sun went down. Upon exit, the darkness made the island all that much more spooky and foreboding. A guide leads you into the cell house, making stops along the way to give information and tell stories. Once inside, you are given an earpiece with an audio tour. The tour is very good with lots of interesting fact and stories. It was a lot of fun comparing the real thing to what we've seen in movies. The shower room is nothing like the one in "The Rock." Definitely glad we did the evening tour but could have got some better pictures of the outside on the day tours.

This is the largest Chinatown in the U.S. You can easily spend most of the day exploring the area. We hit just the main area and only the shops, none of the cultural sites. There is a major Chinese population and much of the area is geared towards them, not the tourist. The main street is lined with shops and restaurants. The shops range from cheap toys and trinkets to extremely expensive art and jewelry. There are lots of food shops selling teas, herbs, vegetables, meat and a number of things I didn't recognize. We ate dim sum for lunch, which was an experience for first-timers. The area was very crowded, but it was a Saturday.