It’s the perfect city to explore with the added bonus of being the gateway to California’s amazing coastline. It’s been twenty years since I last visited and then I was newly pregnant with my first daughter, so it has particularly special significance. We stayed with friends who showed us parts of the city that tourists might miss, such as the boutiques and markets. Of course, there are tourist experiences that one cannot pass up, such as taking a boat to Alcatraz.

Interestingly, the boat trip over to the island prison didn’t make me queasy, but the damp, stark and slightly sinister atmosphere inside the walls left me uncomfortably breathless. I expected to see Burt Lancaster hugging the window bars at every turn! Back on terra firma, I found myself happily lolling in cafe bars and drinking in the bustling people and the view, or simply mooching about.

San Francisco is a big vibrant city, but unlike New York I didn’t feel that fast-paced urgency. It’s a place where it’s OK to go at your own speed. Our greatest discovery was Fisherman’s Wharf and the best clam chowder I have ever had. The area still serves as a fishing port and my morning sickness was further tested when I stumbled upon a stinking carcass on the dock. Seals play in the water around the piers and I could have watched them all day.

Big discussions ensued concerning how best to cross the awesome Golden Gate Bridge. It’s just short of two miles over to the Marin County side from San Francisco, but then of course, the same distance back, so probably “a bridge too far” for those with-child on a baking hot July morning. Driving over wouldn’t do it justice as one of our duo should ideally have their eyes on the road. We ditched the rental car and sought out bikes to hire.

This was a brilliant way of enjoying the drama as the traffic thundered past on the main carriageway. Later we recovered our vehicle and carefully negotiated Lombard Street. It’s considered the World’s Curviest Street and it heads downhill, in one direction. It’s not very exciting but it’s nice to say you’ve seen it.

Reluctantly, we unfolded our state map and finished our holiday in San Francisco. The magic of Hollywood awaited us further along the coast.

Story written by Rachel Harding

**This short Travel Story was submitted as part of the Holiday Travel Writing Competition. All short-listed entries such as this one are published in our online Travel Guide**