May 19th, 2023
The May Grey returned today and forced our hand in once again altering our plans. The forecast for both days resolutely stated we would get sunny blue skies both days but instead both days we found cold and drizzly grey fog blanketing the bay area both mornings we woke. So again our plans of hitting the Open top Bus tour were put on hold. Instead, we jumped into the hire car and headed out to the Golden Gate Park under our own steam.
California Acadamy of Science
The plan had been to use the Hop On Hop Off bus to get here, but with the overcast gloom, it just made sense to drive over, enjoy the exhibits then jump onto the bus once the skies had cleared around mid-day. Once again this is a triumph of the past that we can just pick and choose the best times and days to do whatever attraction we wanted without any real commitment. The Alcatraz tour, for example, was bought without the pass and set in stone, if the weather had been no good for the tour we would have been stuck with it regardless. The pass really allowed us to make it u as we went.
Getting to the Adadam was a doddle and we bagged some free parking on Mt Luther King Jr Drive, a short walk to the Acadamy. The pass was a simple scan-and-go affair and we were in. Like the Aquarium of the bay, the Attraction was rammed to the rafters with herds of deafening and unruly school excursions. This really took the shine off an otherwise really wonderful attraction.
The stunning aquarium, and towering Rainforest, complete with parrots, butterflies, huge spiders, amazing Dinosaur skeletons, and much more are all just a bit ruined but thousands of screaming kids. Again this is not anti-kid, there were loads of families with well-behaved and interested kids, who all seemed just as perplexed and the incredible displays of ill-discipline. And we really mean it, these were packs of kids screaming nonsense at the top of their lungs while barging their way around completely oblivious to anyone else existing. We do not expect kids to be seen and not heard, or some other bygone image of how kids should behave, we expect a bit of noise and excitement and awe at what is going on, but this was Lord of the Flies level stuff, we have no idea what the teachers were thinking, in fact, we are pretty sure they were not in anyway in charge!
After once more escaping with our lives we headed back to the City but stopped off at the amazing Dinsey Family Museum First.
Disney Family Museum
We make no bones about the fact we love Disney, and while we are not total Disney World Nuts, we adore Disneyland and the life and works of the great man himself. So it was with great pleasure that we visited the Family Museum to learn more about how the man and company were formed and grew from humble beginnings.
This is definitely a museum and not a Dinsey-style attraction. There are lots of exhibits and things to read rather than any magical fun attractions. We are heading to Disneyland later in the trip so we can have all the fun we want then, this is more about the life and works of the man himself.
We found the museum fascinating and after around an hour of taking it all in we headed out. The Museum is located in the Presidio district of San Francisco and this is such a lovely area of the ~City. It’s all white picket fences, lawns, and open spaces. While we were here we also took the time to head over to the Yoda Fountain at the Head Quarters of Lucasfilm and Industrial Light and Magic. This is a short, free, attraction where you can see the fountain and head into the Lobby of the HQ and see some Starwars Memorabilia.
By now the May Gray had largely burnt off and the sun was once again shining, the wind had picked u again but t was not as cool as yesterday. We had gotten quite burnt in the sun as the breeze had stopped us from feeling like the sun was warm!
Hop On – Hop Off Bus Tour
Back at the Hotel, we nipped across a few blocks to grab our first In-N-Oiut of the trip. The burger joint is a bit cultish with fervent fans and haters but we are definitely fans and relish the chain whenever we are on the West Coast.
After Lunch, we headed over the road to the Big Big HQ and jumped on the open top Bus for a tour of the City. This is one of the most touristy things you can do on a City break but we always enjoy ourselves and usually learn something. The San Francisco Big Bus has one very big highlight at the end of the tour and really we couldn’t wait for this finale.
The tour heads around the Wharf Area before heading to downtown and then the administrative district, it then swings by Haught-Ashbury and Golden Gate Park before the final hurrah.
With traffic and constant stops, the tour did drag on a bit, the narration is pretty flat and is a recorded track rather than the more fun Live Tour guides some Busses offer. After 90mins we were pretty bored and as we approached the coast near Golden Gate Park the Gloom returned and the temperature plunged.
However, the final highlight made the tour more than worth it, after heading out of Golden Gate Park the Bus veered left and headed straight across the Golden Gate Bridge! Driving across the famous bridge high-up on an open-top bus is a real delight, the wind was howling, but it was so exhilarating with the most stunning views out over the bay.
The Bus stops at the Golden Gate overlook on the Marin side of the Bridge so we hopped off for some photo ops. before the next bus wung by and whisked us back across the bridge and back to the start.
Hands-On Ghost Hunting Tour of Chinatown
The final attraction on the pass was going to be something a little different. Ghost Hunting! We hopped into an Uber and headed over to Chinatown for a look around and some pre-hunt Chinese Food. We managed to grab a table at the Michelin-Rated XY Lounge. A rustic spot that focusses on Sichuan Cusine and was a queue a mile long usually, we got in with no wait and the queue really built u from there, lucky.
I had the threatening Chicken in Exploding Chilli Peppers and Kate Tackeled the more friendly, Salt and Pepper Prawns. Both were excellent with the Firey pepper not too hot for my palate, although left my mouth feeling pretty numb and almost like an allergic reaction. Still, this was a great meal and both dishes were quite unlike anything we have eaten before!
After this, we took a stroll around Chinatown. It was Friday night and the whole place was…deserted! We really thought it would be buzzing but most shops were closed and even most restaurants were empty or closed, only a handful of bars or popular eateries were heaving. We headed to Golden Gate Cookies and once again found the Shutters down, however, the gentleman shutting up the factory came rushing out offering us some free cookies!
After this, we headed to the meeting point to begin our ghost hunt around the historic area. Honestly, this is the first Ghos Hunt we have done, and we didn’t know what to expect. Kate is a semi-believer, probably better described as agnostic, whereas I am a full-blown Scpetic, but we are both totally open-minded to having some fun!
The fun started right from the off when one f the group had a major flounce after a comment by his friend that he was not an “expert”. It was really funny to watch as he refused to speak to his friend before flouncing off never to return. That aside our guide and host was really informative and pretty engaging as we used certain “tools” to try and communicate with the entities that were still lingering in the historic parts of the City.
The tour was really interesting as part of the experience was to understand why there may be ghosts in certain locations and this involves exploring the dark and violent past of the City. On this level, it was fascinating as we talked about the earthquake, unburied dead, robberies and murders, and gang warfare in the city. Exploring this violent history was really interesting.
The Ghost Hunting side was a little hokey for us and we did not find the tools and methods used particularly convincing. Flivering Street lights, Electromagnetic signals, and a very dubious ghost box were all pretty fun, but there could have been a million other explanations as to why these were happening other than “ghosts”.
Overall it was a really fun experience, we did not encounter anything paranormal, but the dark creepy streets and tales of the dead and undead were suitably spooky and we had a lot of fun with a really nice host. We have more ghost tours planned for later in the year so at least we know what to expect and not to expect.
After the tour, which really flew by, we jumped back into an Uber and headed back to the wharf ready for a much-needed early night. This was the last day in San Francisco and tomorrow the adventure continues as we head up the coast on the stunning Pacific Coast Highway.
Go City San Francisco Pass – Day 2 of 2
- Attractions – 4
- Big Bus Tour – $63
- California Acadamy Of Science – $46
- Disney Family Museum – $25
- Hands-On Ghost Hunting Tour of Chinatown – $55
- Attraction Cost – $189
- Total Attraction Cost (2-Days) – $297
- Pass Cost – $129
- Savings – $168
Today we really slammed the Pass and turned our mild cost savings from yesterday into 55% savings over buying the attractions separately. This is fantastic value, but more than this, it got us doing things and visiting places we would not have bothered with without. $129 for all the incredible things we had seen and done in the City was such a low price it really does make getting a pass such a No-Brainer.
Take a look at our full in-depth review here
Walking Total – 17,428 Steps – 8.8 Miles
We were quite amazed at how few steps we took today. With large treks around the Acadamy, Chinatown, and the Ghost tour we felt like we had rivaled yesterday’s totals but we were actually far short. Our feet certainly felt like we had pounded the streets but a mere 8.8 miles were covered. Tomorrow would be largely driving so hopefully a nice recovery day.
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