California Road Trip!

This motel was conveniently located near the Fisherman's Wharf and water where the piers are, with scenic walks along the water and nice small restaurants near the piers. It's a little touristy. The motel was clean and in a safe area and was a quiet area at night. Had a bathroom and small fridge, TV, and heating and A/C.

For budget travellers, this is a little on the steep side, but the rooms face the shore, and the waves can be heard through the closed windows. It's a popular place for weddings. The room was very clean and comfortable, with a balcony facing the water. The restaurant belonging to the hotel is also facing the water with large windows.

We went to Steamers on a Friday night when they have a live jazz band playing, which was really nice, and we were seated near the window overlooking the water. The clam chowder is a must have--delicious, yet filling. Their fish is very good; I had lightly seared tuna, and my friends had halibut, which was tasty too. The wine on the specials list was also worth trying.

My friends and I stayed in San Francisco for 2 days. We went to two museums, and I really enjoyed the MOMA. My favorite exhibits are their permanent collection and photograph exhibit. We also went to the cartoon museum, which I was a little disappointed with, as I felt it was too small and wished their exhibits were more diverse. We walked around Haight-Ashbury, an area full of people who are a little bohemian, a little hipster, a little hippy. It was a fun area that reminded me a little of the East Village (or Alphabet City) in NYC. One recommended thing to do is the bicycle tour. You can rent bicycles from Fisherman’s Wharf and cycle the Golden Gate Bridge to Sausalito, where there are nice markets and stores. You can take the ferry back to the wharf.

On the way to San Diego, my friend and I stopped by Huntington Beach in the OC. It's an area with a largely young crowd. Everyone on the beach was in bathing suits, despite the fact that I thought it was chilly! Even the surfers were in trunks and not wet suits! I don't know how they do it. We stayed in Del Mar with some friends. I have a friend who goes to college at Point Loma in San Diego. We went to the tip of Point Loma, where you can see the entire city, and below you can get to tide pools. One night we hit up the Gas Lamp District, which I think is the most interesting part of San Diego. The nightlife there is buzzing. Crazy me, I went surfing at Mission Beach with a friend. It wasn't so bad once you get in the water.

Santa Cruz is beautiful and small town between the ocean and the mountains. During our stay, the weather was perfect, warm and sunny (I think it’s nice all year-round). When we headed down into Monterey, the weather was very different, overcast and cold! Santa Cruz is a great place to relax and meet interesting people, and is a great spot if you're a great surfer. I liked the Monterey Bay Aquarium, as the exhibits really show the marine life of the area, which is a very different kind of marine life than I'm used to. I loved the touch pools with bat rays, which are very friendly, and I think they enjoy it! One night we went to a friend of a friend's house. We danced to old tunes and funk, dancing like crazy! Afterwards we all had crumble, the guitars were brought out, and everyone sang along. I climbed a tree with a friend to get on the roof and see the lights of Santa Cruz. It was a great atmosphere and how all parties should be.