Here's what we did:
Tuesday: Drove up the 101 to Monterey, stayed in cheap motel.
Wednesday: Went to the fantastic Monterey Aquarium in the morning and drove to Big Sur in the afternoon.
Thursday: Drove to San Jose, went to the very odd Winchester Mystery House, got lost and had lunch in Redwood City, drove to Fisherman's Wharf San Francisco.
Friday: Had fun in the morning, picnic in the Golden Gate park and then drove over the Golden Gate Bridge and into the hills.
Saturday: Drove back thinking we'd stop by Yosemite, but just kept on going and came home.
Here's what I learned:
- Choices are a disaster for us. Trying to choose a destination or a restaurant whilst being heckled by a 3 yr old and ignored by a 7 yr old is sometimes more challenging than any nuclear proliferation peace talks.
- Drivers in San Francisco are more aggressive than those in LA. I would never have predicted this, I'm not saying that the driving abilities are any different, just the aggression levels - pure testosterone runs in some of those SF drivers' veins... though sometimes I'm sure there's pure THC running in some LA drivers' veins.
- Weather has become really tricky for us. We're still stuck with the UK mentality, that when we go on holiday the weather should improve. San Francisco reminded me of Glasgow, with it's grey gloominess...
- WE"VE GONE SOFT!!!!
But the biggest lesson was that we call our little piece of the San Fernando Valley, "Home".
When we got home the boys relaxed, we relaxed and, other than to restock the fridge, we'll not be leaving home today at all.
Sounds like a fun and educational trip! And without the Exploratorium, even! You rebel funducationalists, you!
ReplyDeleteRe: drivers: I have noticed the same thing between LA and San Diego - San Diego drivers are definitely more aggressive. My theory is that because LA roads are so congested, LA drivers are more or less resigned to the fact that some degree of cooperation is unavoidable and that resistance is futile. Whereas in San Diego it's congested enough to create a sense of competition and rile up the testosterone levels, but not congested enough to induce the sense of, er, impotence? - that LA traffic does.
Re: weather. Give it time! :-) I'm not gonna pretend SoCal doesn't generally have nice weather, but we've had an unusually mild summer so far this year. Since most Augusts hit some heat waves, a trip to cool, clammy climes usually makes for a delightfully damp August adventure. In fact, I found the summer I spent in Huddersfield a refreshing respite from the SoCal sun. Well - more or less... sort of...
Welcome home, Sunny Scots, and don't worry - you haven't gone SoCal Soft until you start finding 90 degree F heated pools chilly.