San Francisco!

After our trip to Cambodia we needed a vacation! We searched online for a travel package within our means, and stumbled upon a trip to San Francisco, CA. You can try Expedia any airline website and look for vacation packages; these usually bundle airfare and hotel into a great price.

With the help of Ashley's sisters and mom, we learned some of the great secret ins and outs of San Francisco!

1. For $5.15, the BART, a public transit, will take you from the San Francisco International Airport (SFO) straight to Nordstrom


2. Nordstrom--where you can check your luggage for free at the concierge! This is a great travel tip from Ashley's mom and we checked our luggage upon arrival to San Francisco and on our way out. The will also give you a complimentary ride to your hotel!


3. In Chinatown, San Francisco, there are a number of little tea places that let you sit and taste tea for free. We found this little place on Grant Avenue. We learned about tea and even took a bunch of tea home. So if you have dinner with us, we have an Asian green tea that will help with your digestion--I guess, I can't really tell the difference. You can also check out the Vital Tea Leaf on Grant Avenue for free tea tasting.
   
   
4. And speaking of tea, the Japanese Tea Garden in Golden Gate Park was really cool. It's a peaceful walk, and I would recommend bringing a book and sitting in the beautiful garden. You can sit and order tea (that is, if you didn't want it for free in Chinatown). It costs a few bucks to get in, but there are hours you can get in for free in the morning! What a way to start your day.
   
5. You may not know this, but San Francisco has some of the best coffee roasters! If you know Ashley, you know that he is on a constant espresso drip. We went to a coffee shop here in San Francisco and couldn't help but laugh about their logo! The best coffee was a small kiosk down an alley on Linden Street in Hayes Valley called Blue Bottle Coffee. You must go, get some coffee, and walk through Hayes Valley--such a cool part of San Francisco.


6. The most important meal of the day...BREAKFAST! San Francisco's best kept secret is a little coffee shop knows as "Cafe Bean". Cafe Bean is a family run shop that does coffee right. They also have one of greatest breakfast menus know-to-man including a dish called Pancake Spek, a dutch pancake topped with bacon and eggs--Unbelievable! Cafe Bean is much better than the over-hyped "Sears Fine Foods," famous for their 18 Swedish Pancake breakfast. Sears Fine Foods is a tourist stop, so if you want to get in and get breakfast, and not wait in line for hours, show up by 7:30am.


7. We had some great brunch on the back patio of a French Bistro called Le Zinc. Amazing food, great atmosphere, and perfect for a lazy Sunday morning.