California Dreaming

California

Oh sweet California! As one of the most commonly visited states in America, it’s safe to say that this is one destination no to be missed! I’m dedicating my next two posts to the state of California, simply because there’s just so much to see and do in this incredible state. I've been to California and the four main cities (Los Angeles, San Francisco, San Diego and Sacramento) and let me tell you, these places are absolutely worth visiting. You need a fair amount of time when visiting the USA because everything is just so new and exciting. There’s enormous amounts of tourist attractions and sightseeing opportunities both man-made and naturally existing. Without further ado, let’s start California dreaming!

Our adventures will start in my all-time favourite city of not only California, but the whole of the USA… SAN FRANCISCO!!!

San Francisco

San Francisco is my all-time favourite state of America! It’s just a beautiful city, colourful, full of history and knowledge… San Francisco has a personality unlike any of the other states. It is home to the crookedest street in the world, the wharf which has become famous for its friendly neighbourhood sea lions, two very iconic bridges, “the rock” and many, many more fascinating destinations (if I stated any more destinations, this post would be a mile long). There is something here in San Francisco for everyone to explore and enjoy.

 Known as the “Crookedest Street in the world”, Lombard Street is certainly something to marvel over. It mightn't sound very exciting, but honestly, there’s nothing else in the world like it. This street consists of eight very sharp turns in order to accommodate cars wishing to make their way down this extremely steep hill – which has a natural decline grade of 27% and an advised speed limit of 5 mph (8 km/h). This crooked street is approximately 180 m long, one-way and paved entirely in red bricks.  It is constantly maintained and is bordered with the natural wildlife of San Francisco: in spring, Lombard Street blooms into a beautiful and picturesque location. This amazing engineering feat, lined with beautiful, traditional Victorian era houses is just spectacular.

They’re funny, friendly and waiting for you at Pier 39! These cheeky sea lions have been hanging out on Pier 39 ever since the Loma Prieta earthquake struck San Francisco in 1989, after all, it is the ideal location for them to live. Even though the seals are the main attraction on Pier 39, there is lots more to do and explore. The Pier 39 shops have an extraordinarily large range of items on offer. The shops range from apparel, to body care, jewellery, sweet treats, services and of course gifts & collectibles. These shops aren't usually bustling with people, so it’s quite a relaxing way to stroll and mill around knowing that there’s no rush. Pier 39 is a place where memories are made to last forever.

These two bridges are known all over the world, one slightly more than the other, but equally exciting. The Golden Gate Bridge has been declared as one of the ‘Wonders of the Modern World’ by the American Society of Civil Engineers. This bridge links the two sides of the Golden Gate Strait, making the bridge approximately one mile (1.6 km) long – the width of the strait. The second iconic bridge in the city of San Francisco is the San Francisco-Oakley Bay Bridge, more commonly known as the Bay Bridge by the locals. The Bay Bridge consists of two separate bridges of roughly the same length and both consisting of five lanes. All westbound traffic travels on the upper deck and all of the eastbound traffic travels on the lower deck in order to keep accidents to a minimum. Both bridges consist of incredible engineering in all aspects!

Last, but not least, in the heart of the city of San Francisco lies “the rock”. Located 2.4 km offshore in San Francisco Bay is the island of Alcatraz. The now abandoned prison was once home to the hardened criminals who needed a high security prison to keep them at bay. In its time, Alcatraz held 1, 576 inmates, several of whom are highly infamous on a global scale. When touring the island of Alcatraz, so much can be learnt about the nature of the people who spent the majority of their lives there and how they spent their time, considering the island is quite small. When Alcatraz ceased to be a prison, many of the inmates’ rooms were remade as if they had never left. The famous holding cells of Al Capone, George “Machine-Gun” Kelly and Arthur “Doc” Barker are all identified and documented exactly as they would've been during their sentences. It’s quite surreal being there and quite frankly it’s a bit eerie, but if I had the chance I would absolutely go there again. It’s an absolutely astonishing place.

Sacramento

State Capitol: Sacramento

Old Sacramento

The capital city of California, Sacramento, is renowned for its incredible history and the knowledge that it is able to share with the world. It’s a very popular sightseeing place, full of interesting things to see and do. It’s a truly lovely place, especially in the dry season between spring and fall. When you visit Sacramento, be sure to visit State Capitol, Old Sacramento and Fairy tale town! Out of all of the places to visit around the Sacramento area, there’s certainly one that cannot be missed. That is… Yosemite National Park!!

Yosemite National Park

Located approximately 100 miles (160 km) southeast of Sacramento is the scenic mountain region in east-central California, known as Yosemite National Park. Yosemite is one of the biggest tourist attractions in the entirety of the USA. It is known for its gloriousness, the way it makes you feel like you’re connected with nature every single step of the way. Yosemite is a natural wonderland, made up of effervescent waterfalls, astounding cliffs and wildlife structured in the most perfect way, it almost makes it seem celestial.

Yosemite Falls

The waterfalls in Yosemite are beautiful displays of Mother Nature at her best. Yosemite Falls, the pinnacle of all Yosemite’s waterfalls is the fifth largest waterfall in the entire world. Yosemite Falls, a combination of three waterfalls has a total drop of approximately 2, 425 feet (740 m). Bridalveil Fall is prominent when entering Yosemite Valley. The native people of Yosemite Valley, the Ahwahneechee Indians, called the fall “Pohono” meaning “spirit of the puffing wind”. Bridalveil Fall is one of the most iconic waterfalls in Yosemite. There are quite a few other falls in Yosemite including: Vernal Fall, Nevada Fall, Horsetail Fall, Ribbon Fall and Illilouette Fall. Each of these magnificent falls are absolutely stunning and differ greatly from one another. Each waterfall brings a new experience and amazing beauty.

Yosemite Half Dome

In this mountainous area, it is expected that there will be cliffs… and there are! The half dome is the most popular of the cliff faces (8, 842 ft high), due to the fact that it is a perfect half dome, sculpted by Mother Nature herself. El Capitan is another famous cliff face of Yosemite. Rock climbers from all around the globe visit Yosemite to challenge their climbing abilities on the sheer granite rock face of El Capitan. Another famous cliff of Yosemite is The Sentinel, simply because it is very visually appealing. It’s very interesting to see the massive differences between the rock faces in the one area, they are all unique and have their own specialties. Yosemite National Park certainly does rock!

~ USA