Roadtrip - San Fran to Yosemite to Los Angeles

 

Can we live out of a carry-on? Part 1: San Francisco
Since Sean was going to be in California, we decided to meet him there. The plan was to spend one night in San Francisco, drive to Yosemite, and end up in LA. Armed with a bag and a backpack each, we would try to survive living out of a carry-on for ten days. Can the kids survive moving from place to place every few days?

The kids and I set out for San Fran to meet with Sean.Wow! Hotels in San Fran aren't cheap. We wanted to be downtown so we wouldn't need a car, but we also didn't want to pay $200/per night. We found a great deal for one night at the Palace Hotel. It was right in the heart of San Fran. A block off the Bart, a 10-minute walk to the Ferry Building Marketplace,  a 10-minute walk to Chinatown, and a 20-minute bus ride to Fisherman's Wharf.
It was a great place for the kids!

The valet would hand them stacks of Ghiradelli's chocolates, and the pool had kickboards and free apples. I would definitely stay there again.

On the first day, it was just me and the kids. We wandered down to the Ferry Building and a really great park across the street from it.

After a good night's sleep, we stopped for some delicious donuts at Happy Donuts and Ella's favorite, Noah's Bagels. We people-watched on park benches, chowing down.

After a quick costume change, a trip to the pool, and more chocolates from the valet, we were off to Chinatown on foot. 

We tried to take a trolley to Fisherman's Wharf, but the wait times were crazy, so we grabbed a limo that was taking people that way for the same price. Fisherman's Wharf was a little too touristy for our liking. We grabbed a bite to eat, walked around a bit, then tried to take the trolley. Again, the wait time was insane, so we opted for the bus. We picked up our rental and headed to Yosemite.