On the Road

Today I set off up the coast in a rented car. The cheapest cars are 'compacts' but it didn't exactly look like a Smart car. I think it will be a small saloon. I have the car until Saturday night, so 4 days driving with 3 nights stop off along the way in motels or similar. I'm equally nervous and excited, I think the driving will be fine once I'm out of the city - the highways are very straight forward in comparison. I get the feeling this is going to be one of the best parts of the trip!

Other things I've done here in San Francisco include a visit to Chinatown, where I had a nice meal. I found the seedy part of town on Broadway, North Beach. Saw the crookedest street on Lombard St. - lots of walking/steps to get there though! Also lots of ups and downs to get to Coit Tower for some views of the city. I rode the cable car back downtown. I've been to Pier 39, which is super-commercial - full of shops, restaurants etc. There was a nice photographers gallery there though and also a bunch of Seals and Sea-lions which were amusing to watch. Yesterday I went to Alcatraz, which was really good. It was a lovely clear day as well so the photos came out really nice (as usual though I've not uploaded them). The audio tour of the cells was cool and the rest of the island was real nice to walk around. Watched 'Seven' while I did my laundry last night then took an early night. Next update from Seattle!