California Calling

My Trek America posts may be over but my time in the USA certainly wasn't. I still had one more week of solo travel before it was time to return to the UK, and so I made the most of it by hanging around LA for a few more days.

Originally, I was meant to spend 4 days in LA, giving me plenty of time to see the whole city. Of course, when you're traveling, plans change at the last minute so I ended up with only one full day in LA!

I made use of the time that I had and opted to find the cheapest Beverly Hills tour I could find and explore the Hollywood Hills. As it was so cheap, it did mean going around in some crappy van with no sun protection, so my advice would be to spend that little bit more for decent AC and cover. Nevertheless, I still got to see some pretty cool sights, including some of the famous houses of the rich and famous.

The tour took us to a cool view point of the Hollywood hills and sign, as well as around the 90210 area where we saw amazing houses including Lauren Conrad's house that was featured in The Hills (fangirl moment)!!

It also took us down Rodeo Drive, although I didn't spot any celebs shopping whilst I was there.

I took a walk down to Sunset Boulevard, which is home to the iconic clubs and bars that have hosted famous bands in venues such as Whisky a Go Go and The Viper Room. It was pretty cool, but I was there on my own in the dark so I did feel a little unsafe, especially as there was a protest happening at the same time. I thought it may be better to go back to the hustle and bustle of the Walk of Fame, and it just so happened to be a premiere of Westworld that night!

It was cool so actually see Hollywood in action! I even met JJ Abrahams whilst waiting to spot some celebrities. Pretty cool huh?!

Also, my favourite chocolate shop in the world is based on the walk of fame: Ghirardelli! Seriously, go in there and you are greeted with a free sample! Who could turn down free chocolate?! I may have walked in there multiple times throughout the day...

My next destination was San Francisco! With it being a 5-hour drive from LA, it is the perfect place to visit for a few days. You can either take the freeway route (less pretty) or the coastal route (very pretty) although it does take longer, but the views make it worthwhile.

Going from 30 degrees in LA to 12 degrees in San Fran was a bit of a shock, so I ended up buying a coat in Forever 21 as soon as I got there, so bear this in mind!

There are loads of things to do in San Fran, which is a city like no other! From the steep hills to the piers by the water, you'll find something to do here!

Lombard Street

I wandered around the city for a bit and visited the largest Chinatown in a city, which had loads of cute shops featuring Chinese souvenirs. The restaurants are also nice around this area.

Our first stop was to Lombard Street, the windiest street in the world! It was nice to take pictures, but be warned, the hills do make your thighs burn! From here, we strolled down to Fisherman's Wharf, where the piers are based. Around here is seafood galore, and you can pick up a cheap, tasty meal to eat by the water.

Someone had told me previously that the best corn dogs were found in San Francisco, so I had to try one! My verdict: It was ok, it didn't blow me away and I kind of wished I had tried the fish, but it wasn't the worst!

First taste of the Golden Gate Bridge

Make sure to check out the world's best chocolate shop in this area, yep you guessed it, Ghirardelli (it is the birthplace after all!)

Next on the agenda was a trip up to the Twin Peaks. Basically, this is an awesome viewpoint of the city and makes for some great Instagram pictures. From here, we walked down to the Golden Gate Park which is absolutely huge and would take all day to walk around.

Twin Peaks Viewpoint

Golden Gate Park

The name gives away the next place to visit, which is the iconic Golden Gate Bridge. Luckily, the weather was amazing to see it and gave us some really good photos. We walked across the bridge, just taking in the views and the fact that we were walking on the most famous bridge in the world.

There is so much more to do in San Francisco, including a visit to Alcatraz, which unfortunately I didn't have time to do. Union Square is a central place to stay which is close to the shops and cool restaurants, including the Cheesecake Factory which is a must visit.

San Francisco is the perfect place to visit if you are on the West Coast of America. It's only an hours flight away from LA or a 5 hour drive, but make sure it is on your list of places to visit. You will not be disappointed!