it was 3 am, when frank reluctantly turned on the engine of our 4runner at a beach campsite we have found way too late after getting lost in the redwoods to start heading to san francisco. better early than getting stuck in traffic, he thought.

it wasn’t long, until the sky gradually faded into a sleepy morning blue and the first sunrays started to paint the clouds in a faint rose while frank zoomed through the avenue of giants. it was not until a gas station in mendocino county when evelyne woke up, where the sunrays peeked through the window. frank, equipped with a bottle of cold coca-cola was ready for the final stretch.

the ferry into san francisco

from portland we’ve learned to visit downtown not in the early morning, but when it is already filled with tourists and locals. this time, we have safely parked our car in tiburon, north of san francisco with only a ferry ride on a beautiful stretch of water separating us from the city. taking advantage of this, we boarded the ferry that would welcome us to the golden city.

chinatown

first stop? philz coffee, emma chamberlain knows her coffee, right? when frank finally figured out how ordering a coffee works, we headed uphill to chinatwon by foot. the red dragons at the gate welcomed us into the bustling streets of chinatown with delicate lanterns, chinese characters, typical tourist souvenir and occasional glimpses of the californian houses all the way down to the city’s coastline. we shared chinese food together for the first time until we headed down north beach (little italy) all the way until pier 39.

fisherman’s wharf & pier 39

no visit to san francisco is complete without exploring fisherman’s wharf and the waterfront of the city. we came for the cute souvenir stores and stayed for the barking and playful fighting of the sea lions on pier 39.

evelyne already got her share of souvenirs in the shape of a beautifully designed san francisco hoodie, so it was franks turn when all of when all of a sudden a smile spread across frank’s face as he gently picked up a buzzing plush bee inside a honey store, squeezing it tight while imagining the whimsical adventures it could embark on with us. introducing das puutz! our new baby, the cutest fluffy plush bee frank could not leave the store without. with our new family member, we joyfully strolled through the waterfront until we reached the pier, while trying to find a new name for it. beenoccio? beekatchu? turtle! frank has found the cutest arm bracelet with a ceramic turtle for evelyne on the street side while were discussing baby names!

golden gate bridge at sunset

we boarded the last ferry of the day that would take us to tiburon, where our 4runner waited for us. it was a little race against the clock, but we made it just in time for a sunset on the iconic golden gate bridge!

while the bridge was hidden in a mystic fog during the day, it cleared just for us. as the sky painted its final strokes of vibrant red and pink, we stood there with a sense of comfort and belonging, watching the cars zoom by, the lights getting brighter and brighter. knowing that exciting explorations awaited us in the days to come, we decided to tuck ourselves away into silicon valley.

ℹ Our fav golden gate bridge viewpoint 

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the next morning in silicon valley

wrapped in the coziness of our hotel we slept through breakfast and had a late start into a morning, which 2016-hipster-frank would enjoy: apple campus in cupertino. don’t miss out on the apple latte-art if you order a coffee at the apple store bar!

if you want to read more about the day it all went wrong, here’s the separate story (coming soon)!

moraga steps

with san francisco still on our mind, we headed back into the city. this time we stopped at the Moraga Steps on the hill of san francisco, where Evelyne, a passionate lover of urban creativity and street art found her own heaven as we walked the staircase adorned with colorful mosaic tiles (they had squirrels on them) up and down.

smoothie time! we headed to pressed for a little refreshment, now the californian coast is calling!

ℹ moraga steps

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read more

this blog post is part of our one month usa west coast road trip blog series. be sure to check out the other posts:

useful information

feeling inspired? here are some resources you might find useful if you would like to follow our footsteps:

• the franklyne route: our entire route with every spot we went to

• information on the tiburon to san francisco ferry

• carmel honey company, the place we got the plush bee (das puutz)

• our favorite viewpoint of the gate bridge: GOOGLE MAPS - APPLE MAPS - OPENSTREETMAP

• mosaic-tiled steps (moraga steps): GOOGLE MAPS - APPLE MAPS - OPENSTREETMAP