Where We Stayed Puts The “O(h)” in San Francisco

Given a choice, we shun hotels. Besides being expensive and cosmetically beautiful, they don’t really give us a genuine feeling of being home. We go instead for bed-and-breakfast (B&B), where available and affordable. And that’s what we did in San Francisco.

 
It was my second time in this city where people, as the song goes, leave their hearts. I stayed there for 3 days/2 nights for my first visit way back in 2010. Our 2013 visit was Mayi’s first. We stayed for 7 days/6 nights which we split into 3 days/2 nights in Holiday Inn Fisherman’s Wharf and 5 days/4 nights in Bernalview B&B.

We initially stayed at Holiday Inn because it was just a few blocks from Fisherman’s Wharf where the bus from Emeryville Station of Amtrak dropped us off. Coming from a long train trip starting from New York, we needed an instant home upon arrival in San Francisco. For our 3^rd and subsequent nights, we moved to Bernalview B&B, a 3-level Victorian inspired home occupied by Alan Lessik, a long-time San Francisco resident who spares a room for guests (maximum of 2 adult pax) to rent.

For USD80 per room-per night, there was no reason to complain. It was like home and feels like home with a view of the city in the distance. Alan does his own thing, goes to and comes back from work hardly noticed, practically leaving us alone to do our own thing as well. Except for some chance banters, it was pretty much a “to each his own” affair. 

 

Here's the place.

 

The city is around 40 minutes from here. We walk down

to Mission Street where we hail a bus to take us to

Union Square using our 3-day San Francisco pass(port).

The living room on the 2nd level as we emerge from the

flight of stairs outside. Alan's room is on the 3rd level. 

 

The kitchen - fridge is filled with food. No risk of getting

hungry - steaks, cheeses, milk, ice cream, spreads, etc.

Like most American homes, it's clean as you go.

 

I call this the English garden outside the kitchen.

 

The facade at ground level. 

 

 The doors to our room and the toilet. The bathroom is on
the 3rd level, shared with the owner. He gets to use it first
though because he leaves for the office early in the morning.

 

Alan bought us fresh bananas and peaches. The latter has

become my favorite while in San Francisco. The fresh one, 

which I like better, is less sweet than its canned version. 

The neighborhood - Bernal Heights. We were pretty

much within a living community, not a touristy place. 

 

Having seen this, I told myself that there is no need for me

to visit the painted ladies in Alamo. The neighborhood is

replete with Victorian inspired homes in various colors.  

 

While in Bernal Heights, this has become our favorite dining

place. It has a tale to tell. The ribs are to die for. Corner of

Precita and Mission Streets, a short walk from the B&B.

 

 

 

This is what Mayi grabbed a bite of (above). We go to Baby 

Blues for this. Oh so yummy - a delish yet inexpensive treat.

 

With San Francisco's innate charm and character, a repeat visit is hard to resist. For a change, maybe a December (Christmas) visit sounds exciting. Someday soon.   

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Looking Through Amtrak's Sightseer Lounge (Part 4 - last of 4 parts)

Finally, after traversing a vast swath of the United States through Illinois, Iowa, Nebraska, Colorado, Utah and Nevada, our 2-night/2-day Chicago-San Francisco Amtrak California Zephyr journey terminates in Emeryville Station, California.

We had earlier breezed through the States of New York, Pennsylvania, Ohio and Indiana to get to Chicago from New York City, the start of our long amazing ride from East Coast to West Coast (San Francisco).

From Reno, Nevada, our entrypoint to the State of California is the quaint and charming town of Truckee from where the train started its slow ascent to the top of Sierra Nevada about 7,000 feet above sea level. The breathtaking view of Lake Tahoe begins to unfold as the train slowly chugs down the track allowing us to imbibe the sight of the entire lake with placid waters reflecting the verdant mountain range with lush pines and other trees. Someday, we want to experience Lake Tahoe at ground level.

Here are some pictures we snapped along the way.

Amtrak Station, Truckee, California (after Reno, Nevada)

 

 

 

 

Lake Tahoe, California

 

 

 

 

Part of Sierra Nevada separating Nevada and California

 

 

An interstate highway from Nevada to California

 

 

 The autumn leaves in full color when we passed by

this area in the month of October.

 

 

Colfax, the next Amtrak Station after Truckee

 

 

 

Part of Sacramento, California. I had to take this photo as

the place looks strikingly similar to the Candaba viaduct

in Pampanga (Central Luzon, Philippines)

 

Even this looks pretty much like the one in Pampanga 

 

 

Could not recall where this is but most likely

this is in Martinez, California about 2 stations

away from Emeryville, the last station. 

 

 

 

Seeing a coastal village like this makes me want

to immediately visit Sausalito, off San Francisco

 

 

 

Finally, Emeryville Station, the last stop. Since there

is no Amtrak rail station in San Francisco, passengers

disembark from the train and take a bus ride to San 

Francisco through the San Francisco-Oakland Bay  

Bridge. The ride is still c/o Amtrak.  

 

 

Ferry Building in San Francisco. Passengers start getting 

off here or at any point en route to Fisherman's Wharf.  

 



Overall, it was a very nice and enjoyable ride. In the event that we do it again, we are going to cut the trip into two segments - Chicago to Denver, Colorado then stay for a night or two in Denver or Aspen and from there, proceed to San Francisco. A stopover in Reno, Nevada or in Truckee for Lake Tahoe is also an option.

For about USD120 per person (on coach seating with shared toilets and dressing room), meals not included, it was way better than riding an airplane with nothing much to see than the fluffy white clouds. Other accommodations are available such as the sleeping car with an ensuite room (toilet and bath) for two and roomette with shared toilets and bath.

Up next is the exciting West Coast city of San Francisco and its suburbs. Thanks.

Looking Through Amtrak's Sightseer Lounge (Part 3)

Having been on-board Amtrak for a couple of days already, first, from New York City to Chicago and second, from Chicago to San Francisco (via California Zephyr), I have formed indelible impressions of the states that the train has passed through.

This is Part 3 of my Sightseer series. 

After an overdose of green-and-brown-hues courtesy of Illinois and Iowa farmlands as well as the seemingly endless expanse of the Continental Divide in Wyoming, I was hoping that the next state, Nevada, would offer us a different vista. The previous night was spent cruising along the state of Utah with nothing but darkness. Morning caught us in Winnemucca, a little town in Nevada about 5 or 6 hours from Salt Lake City, Utah. There is a change of time here, 1 hour back, from Mountain Time to Pacific Time since we were going westward. I hope I'm correct. This change of time can really be confusing especially for someone like me who is from the other side of the earth. 

The arid, barren and rusty-dusty surroundings I woke up to had me thinking of Mars. Indeed, the Nevada landscape is much different from the states we've passed within the California Zephyr route (Chicago to San Francisco). I would say, and I hope my impressions are correct, that Nevada has a similar topographic pattern as the state of Arizona - an arid low desert, followed by a semi-arid mid-desert and somehow a lush high desert. Nevada reminds me of the Arizona scenery en route to the South Rim of the Grand Canyon where I went to a couple of years ago.

Here are some shots I've snapped.

Part of Winnemucca, Nevada en route to Reno; still in 

low desert with little or no vegetation at all.

Photo below looks like it was taken straight out of Mars.

The water element and a little vegetation break the monotony

of the rusty-dusty feel of the surroundings.

Who likes to live here anyway?

The following photos were taken mostly in Reno, Nevada, some of which were already in the mid-desert before the train started its ascent towards Sierra Nevada.

This little river amidst a barren landscape is like a breath of fresh air.

Don't know what this is - an observatory? a factory?

The house in desertlandia makes me wonder what is it

like living here. 

What's the meaning of life if this is what one sees daily?

   Finally, a decent settlement with flowing water.

More trees in this part of Nevada. This is still part of Reno 

going to Truckee, California.

Where there's water, there's life :-) This place looks much 

more alive with flowing water, houses and some vegetation. 

 

I love those houses on top. I can take a vacation here.

Vegetation gradually changes on the way up to Sierra Nevada.

That hilltop mansion surely has an excellent 360-degree 

view of the surroundings. Pity the small house below :-)

It's a bit foggy at the background. On our way to Sierra Nevada.

This part of the mountain has some jagged edges.

The sight of an interstate freeway makes me think that

civilization is just around the bend.

The landscape of Nevada is obviously more diverse. After Nevada, parts of the state of California would be next, the highlight of which is the view of Lake Tahoe from the top of the Sierra Nevada. 

That would be Part 4 of this series. Thanks.