Guide: Monterey and Carmel (Best Bay Adventure Tour)

I was wondering why the name John Steinbeck sounded so familiar. This name was repeatedly mentioned throughout the trip. Only later did I realise that it was because he authored of Of Mice and Men. How's he related to this tour then? He wrote a book titled Cannery Row.

Monterey (Cannery Row)
Here's John Steinbeck.

We spent some time here. Cannery Row is where the sardine canning factories used to be and the last cannery closed in 1973. While it used to merely be a nickname for Ocean View Avenue, it became official to honour John Steinbeck's novel Cannery Row.

There were shops that sold a variety of things but nothing attracted us. But you shouldn't assume that this isn't an interesting place because an elderly couple who went said that they could possibly have spent more time looking at all the knick knacks. You could also take a walk at the beach.

17-Mile Drive
After Monterey, we proceeded to the 17-Mile Drive where all the expensive homes and world famous golf courses are.

Two particular attractions stand out. One is the 200 years old Lone Cypress Tree which is the official symbol of pebble beach.

Another was the Bird Rock. All those white stuff? The couple next to me was asking why the snow hadn't melted at this time of the year. To that, the tour guide replied that it was simply bird poo. Quite fascinating how they managed to accumulate so much poo on that rock. With a pair of binoculars our tour guide passed to us, we were able to see the different animals perched on the rock. 

Carmel
Honestly, there wasn't much to do at Carmel. It was pretty but that was about it. We had lunch at one of the cafes here, people-watching and chilling.

Tour
The tour was conducted in a van, and on the day we went on tour, there were only four people, making things a lot easier. The tour guide was informative both on San Francisco and the places we visited. However, I felt that the tour wasn't particularly fulfilling and would rather go on a wine tour or visit the Muir woods instead! 

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Guide: What to do in San Francisco in One Day

It's my second time going to San Francisco but there are still so much things to do! We took public transport to all the places stated below and although it looks nearly impossible to cover so many places, it's possible as long as you plan your route well with a handy map!

Free guided tours

If you are looking for free guided tours (with tips at your discretion), I recommend  the San Francisco Walking Tours. Check out their daily schedule so that you will know which tours are being conducted. These tours are perfect for those who are interested in the history of different places and don't want to go on a structured tour. 

Public transport 

With regard to public transportation options, if you want to go to the places in this post in one day, please get yourself a Muni day pass at $14. This covers all your bus rides and cable car rides which is very worth it because a cable car ride is $6 each ride without the pass. Other options include the 3 day and 7 day pass which will allow you to spend more time at each attraction. 

1) Golden Gate Park

We set out early in the morning to the Golden Gate Park because there was a free conducted tour. There are many attractions within the Golden Gate Park which you should check out. We visited the Japanese Tea Garden which was really beautiful. 

We also visited the Rose Garden which was less impressive than the Japanese Tea Garden but was interesting for the award winning roses. I would suggest giving this a miss and visiting other attractions instead, such as the Dutch Windmills.

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Guide: Yosemite National Park

From San Francisco, there are many good day trips you could take. One of those you cannot miss is the trip to Yosemite National Park. It's often on the list of things you should see before you die, so you should really make a trip here if you can.

We joined a local tour, Incredible Adventures, simply because we didn't have a car. As usual, check the website for any internet promotions etc.

This is one of the sights we saw on the journey. Changing landscapes also meant that we saw rows and rows of never ending almond trees. Not only was it the first time I was seeing an almond tree (you can't grow that many trees in Singapore), it was the first time I saw so many of them. We drove through Central Valley which was also famous for their walnuts, cherries and strawberries.

Along the way, we stopped at some fruit stand which sold nuts and fruits. The nuts were selling for real cheap compared to elsewhere and it's a good deal if you're a fan of nuts or dried fruits. Folks at the store were also very friendly.

We got off the van several times for some photo stops while Andrew, the guide, gave an introduction of various places including the Half Dome, Bridal veil Falls, the horsetail fall and the Yosemite Fall.

I found this a pretty interesting aspect of the Yosemite National Park. They have complicated trash bins so that they keep the bears from looking for food in the bins. Apparently, a few decades ago, the park rangers domesticated the bears and they learnt that it led to a few accidents and obesity. So, bears now live to learn on their own! Also, if you are a minivan, you should be careful of these hungry black bears. (Read the article) 

One place that I really liked was the Meadow Lane. We had a picnic here (bought food from the deli along the way) and spent an hour or so soaking in the beautiful scenery.

This place will be interesting for those who like scenery, or would like to take a hike. There are a few hiking routes with varying difficulty. Depending on how long you would like to spend at the park, there are also different options such as a Yosemite 2 day tour.

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Downtown Hostelling International (San Francisco)

I have mixed feelings about this place. Really liked this place the first stay I had but couldn't wait to get out of it the second time. 

1) Location 

Great location! There are three Hostelling International in San Francisco and we chose to stay at the Downtown one. It's a very quick walk (5-10 minutes) to Union Square, Powell Station and the major bus lines which basically brings you everywhere. Although it's in the Tenderloin area, a pretty dangerous area, it's not deep in the Tenderloin, which basically means that it's safe as long as you don't try to do anything stupid. There's a convenience store right next door if you need anything! 

2) Safety 

Connected to the above point is that the security here is pretty good. The staff at the counter make sure that you show your pass everytime you enter just so that random people have no access to the rooms. 

3) Lift 
The lift here must be at least 30 years old. Basically you have to hold onto the button until the light lights up, open the first door, and then enter the second door. The lift isn't that reliable because certain floors will be skipped even though you pressed them. But, if you have time to spare, it doesn't harm to spend some time in the lift with all your heavy luggage since the most you would spend in the lift is 5-10 minutes.

4) Rooms 

I will do a bit more elaboration here because we stayed in two different rooms. 

We stayed in a private room for 4 days and the experience was great. The picture below is taken from their website and it looks exactly like it minus the sink which was in the bathroom. The room was adequately lit with sufficient sockets. (I didn't manage to take a picture because I messed up the room.) 

The toilet is very clean and they clear the dustbins everyday. The water pressure was not enough for me but that isn't a big negative point. 

I thought this was pretty neat- "They're kinda cute and so are you."

The only bad thing about the room was that it was next to the road. So throughout the night, we heard random people shouting, siren sounds, random vehicles which sounded like garbage trucks. 

Okay, the more problematic part was the second time we stayed. We stayed for one night and I think that was enough. I am not sure if my opinions are swayed by the fact that the lady at the counter was snappy about us changing rooms but more about that later. 

This is the twin bed room which costs $5 more than the queen bed. For that $5, I highly encourage you to get the queen bed instead of the twin bed. This picture is of a room we were in before we shifted to another room but it looks the same, minus the heater. MINUS THE HEATER. How is it possible to live without a heater? The pillow is also cushion sized and there was less lighting and electric sockets than the queen bed room. 

There is a shallow bath tub in the toilet and you see this on the wall: "Shower Magic"- Very funny. Well, it isn't much of a hassle to deal with the shower. But the taps in the queen room is easier to handle than those in the twin bed room. 

5) Amenities

I think the wifi is pretty good (as mentioned above) and they are in the midst of upgrading it. 

Good amenities in the building- vending machines (which contain lots of food including instant noodles for the hungry person), a water dispenser (really loved this because it saved $$), a big and clean kitchen, a laundry area ($1.50/$1.75 for washing/drying), and a few common areas. 

Breakfast was free although we only ate there once because it really was nothing much- apples, bagels and bread. But something's better than nothing I suppose.

6) Service 
Service was generally fine with the people at the counter being willing to help. But one incident ruined it all. We had problem with the keys they gave us because it simply didn't lock the door and even the cleaning lady tried our keys and decided that ours couldn't get in. She used hers and they worked! So we went down and asked if we could change rooms.

The lady looked at me and said, "You know, we have never had a problem with it." Okay, so do you want me to sleep with the door ajar? And then she jabbed at a sign at the counter that said something along the lines that please be patient because they are changing shifts, "By the way, I'm actually not supposed to be here at the counter because I'm on break now." Okay... But you are at the counter, how do I know that you are supposed to be on a break?

But the next day, she seemed more pleasant and helpful with us storing our luggage in the luggage room. Maybe the previous day was her bad day!

Overall, this is a good and cheap place (compared to other places in the area) as long as you choose the correct room and bring your ear plugs.

Downtown Hostelling International (San Francisco) 
312 Mason Street
San Francisco, CA 94102

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Boudin Bakery & Cafe (San Francisco)

It was by sheer accident that we decided to have lunch at Boudin. Thank goodness we chose to eat here because we nearly missed out on something good a second time. 

The first time we passed by Boudin was at Fisherman's Wharf where you could see them making their famous sourdough bread. But we were craving for crab then so we didn't try the bread bowl. The bakery at Geary Street has tables both inside and outside of the shop. 

This is the star of the show- the Clam Chowder in Bread Bowl ($6.29). I'm not sure whether it was because we were starving (we had lunch at 3+ pm), or whether it was really good, but when the first mouth of piping hot clam chowder went into my stomach, I think my stomach did a happy dance. I don't know what good sourdough bread is supposed to taste like. But, as long as the bread is soft and tastes fresh, it does the trick for me.

It's inevitable to compare soups made anywhere to canned soups. Well, here they sell canned soups too ($4.95). I have not tried clam chowder in canned form before, but they sure don't skimp on the clams! Not too salty, just right and magically just enough to scrape the insides of the bread bowl.

The food came rather quickly and although it seems somewhat like a chain establishment, it is a charming place, probably due to the fact that it's been making sourdough bread since 1849. It's pretty cheap and the warmth radiating from the soup will keep your stomach and heart safe from the chilly winds.

Boudin Bakery & Cafe

251 Geary St.
San Francisco, CA 94102
Tel No: 415-296-4740

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The Cheesecake Factory (San Francisco)

If you had read my earlier post on Cheesecake Factory, you would know that I really adore (or rather, used to adore) Cheesecake Factory. Its portions are really huge and filling. But this time, the disappointment was also dished in a large portion. This was made worse by the fact that I was anticipating an even better experience this time round due to the location.

The queues here can get really long. We arrived at around 645 pm and had to wait for around 45 minutes for a party of 2. So we did what the others did- walk around in Macy's till the beeper goes off. It was a pity that they no longer serve my favourite portabello mushroom burger. Apparently, there was a menu overhaul and I'm not sure if the prices have changed although I have a feeling that the prices increased.

The usual bread as a prelude to the meal.

I ordered the BBQ Pulled Pork Sandwich. Stingy is the last word to describe Cheesecake Factory. The pulled pork, coleslaw and fries came in abundance. But there is no use in loading up on the quantity of food, if I'm going to deal with extra salty food. Did you just pour a whole bottle of BBQ sauce into that pulled pork?

We also ordered the Incredible Grilled Eggplant Sandwich. Abundance describes this dish very well too. But, what's so incredible about this eggplant sandwich? The eggplant was hard and I really do not see what is so incredible about this sandwich.

The views outdoors are precisely what I was looking forward to.

The dining experience was a large letdown because of the quality of the food. Service was attentive although that doesn't salvage the situation. The prices here are pretty decent (even though it seems like there has been a hike) and you might want to come here, only if you would like to have a good night view of Union Square.

The Cheesecake Factory

251 Geary St 8th Fl (between Powell St & Stockton St)
San Francisco, CA 94102

Tel No: (415) 391-4444

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R&G Lounge (San Francisco)

After nearly two weeks of not eating any Chinese food, we decided it was time to get our rice fix or we would simply go crazy. After going to Yelp, it seems that R&G Lounge was highly recommended. How wrong can it get if it's in the 2011 edition of Michelin guide? 

The decor is very typical of a Chinese restaurant although not typical of those in San Francisco's Chinatown which tend to be much smaller and not as polished looking. 

If you don't order the Salt and Pepper Crab (market price, ours was $38 for one crab), you would have come to R&G Lounge in vain. Every other person who came into the restaurant ordered the crab.

Sometimes, I was wondering whether I was eating soft shell crab. At other times, I was thinking of whether the tea could wash all that grease in my stomach. The thing is that, it is the first time I'm eating crab cooked in such a way and it's delicious! It's not too salty and was a good complement to the fresh crab meat. However, I think it was a little too much for 2 people to share and would be perfect for 3.

Those with health issues please avoid this dish at all cost because of the deep fried goodness and the high cholesterol!

Just to relieve some of the guilt of eating such an unhealthy dish, we decided to order the Mixed Vegetables Deluxe ($14). I appreciate the fact that the sauce of the vegetables were not salty (some restaurants drench their vegetables in salty oyster sauce).

The service here is great as well. Our plates (which were full of crab shells) were changed without us asking and they served the vegetables pretty late into our meal, presumably because it ensures that the vegetables will still be warm after we are done with the crabs.

While the price of this place is more expensive than other restaurants in Chinatown, I think it's pretty worth it if you love to eat crab cooked in different ways!

R&G Lounge 
631 Kearny St

San Francisco, CA 94108
Tel No: (415) 982-7877

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Dottie's True Blue Cafe (San Francisco)

"If you can't take care of yourself, don't go to Dottie's True Blue Cafe."


"I just realised I entered into one of the loveliest neighbourhood." 

The queue at Dottie's True Blue Cafe is so long, you can use it to either 1) eavesdrop on (or openly listen to) conversations (there is where the above quotes came from), 2) people watch or 3) do both.

The Cafe is located in the Tenderloin area and although we went to the Tenderloin area a few days ago for some Vietnamese food, we realised that this was the real Tenderloin area. When the girl said that this was one of the most loveliest neighbourhood, she was obviously being sarcastic. This place is one of the most dangerous places in San Francisco where there are many homeless people, drug taking, prostitution etc.

But, anything for food.

It opens at 730 am (closed on Tuesdays). If you don't want to queue, I suggest you reach there before 730 am. We reached there are 8 am, and ended in the shop at 915 am. For those arriving later than 8 am, I'm almost certain that your waiting time is going to exceed 2 hours. You won't miss the shop- the queue snakes round the corner and goes deep into the alley.

I ordered The Open Road ($13.50) which was a small glass of juice, two eggs (done in any way), bacon, ham or mild Italian sausage, home fries and two pancakes or 1/2 order of French toast.

I got orange juice, scrambled eggs, ham, home fries and two pancakes. The juice was freshly squeezed, and the eggs were nicely scrambled. I was craving for a little pepper on the eggs though. The ham was a tad too salty for me although it was chewy and it was thick. The home fries were small chunks of potatoes, seasoned with herbs and the skin was crispy on the edges.

Then, there are the BEST pancakes I've ever tried. So incredibly fluffy. So out of shape. So yummy. Drizzled with the maple syrup, sigh, this breakfast is high in calories but will raise your happiness level too.

The lunch portion was so huge I had to take away some food. Worth it? Definitely. The service is great and the servers are very helpful. Love the decor of the restaurant as well. But the queue and the location might deter some from coming here!

Dottie's True Blue Cafe
28 6th St (between Stevenson St & Jessie St)
San Francisco, CA 94103
Tel No: (415) 885-2767

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Mifune Restaurant (San Francisco)

We headed to Japantown for dinner and was pretty amazed by the wide array of Japanese restaurants we could choose from. We didn't know which to go to, so we ended up at Mifune. It was apparently featured in the Michelin San Francisco 2007 edition. 

Always the safest choice- we ordered the tempura udon (around $8). There was a combo for this if you are interested in the california roll. 

The tempura udon (you could choose soba if you want to) came with a bowl of hot noodles (apparently made by themselves), two prawns, one eggplant, broccoli, sweet potato and onion. I found the soup okay, nothing fantastic about it, but my mum found it too salty. The noodles were really fat and springy though and it's perfect for hungry people because the portion was rather huge.

Besides the whole load of oil laden, deep fried stuff, there was also some pickled cabbage. I haven't eaten any Japanese pickled cabbage in Singapore so I have no idea how it's supposed to taste, although as a matter of personal preference, it would have been better if it were in bigger chunks.

The service here was a very rushed affair. The food is pretty cheap and came in rather generous portions. Taste wise, it's pretty ordinary. Nonetheless, there are many other restaurants in Japantown and one probably should do a more thorough research on Yelp! to decide the best Japanese restaurant to go to.

Mifune 
1737 Post St
San Francisco, CA 94115
Tel No: (415) 922-0337

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Crab House (San Francisco)

San Francisco is well known for its dungeness crab. We went to Pier 39 not knowing where the best crabs were but decided to drop by Crab House anyway just because there was the word Crab in it. (That's as good as saying i'm going Pizza Hut just because the word pizza's in it.) 

But this place didn't disappoint at all.

The place wasn't fully occupied when we went in around noon but it didn't take long before people were waiting for seats outside.

We got the Prix Fixe Menu ($24.95) which is very worth it. It includes mixed baby greens salad, killer crab and tiramisu dessert.

The salad is typical salad- tossed with ginger oil dressing. A very generous portion of greens- but that says nothing because greens probably don't cost too much.

The star of the show. It's the first time I'm eating anything other than black pepper/chilli/salted egg yolk crab. When we first saw it, we said, "Oh that looks quite small." But after digging through the claws, it was clearly enough to fill us up. The "secret garlic sauce" recipe was buttery and while some parts of the crab was a little too salty due to the butter, most of it was perfect! The crab was obviously fresh because the restaurant is located next to the pier. (okay, I suppose it isn't that obvious, but still, it was fresh.)

This was the tiramisu. I liked the flavours- not too sweet and the alcohol was just the right amount- not too overwhelming but you know it's there. The cream layer was a little too much for me, in proportion to the sponge fingers, but that really isn't much of an issue.

The server was very friendly and it's just a very chill place to enjoy some good crab at Pier 39. I would say it's really value for money as long as your appetite isn't particularly big.

Crab House 
203 C Pier 39
San Francisco, CA 94133
Tel No: (415) 434-2722

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