Road Trip To San Francisco: What To Do for Fun & Where to Stay

Last weekend, we took a road trip to San Francisco from L.A. We were only spent about 50 hours during the trip, but we enjoyed every moment of it.

[Before the Road]

What to pack:

San Francisco normally is cooler than L.A. The week of our visit, we found SF was 20F cooler than L.A., and that is pretty much the normal difference in temperature between the two cities.
knowing that, we packed for cooler days and chilly nights, compared to the warm L.A. weather. Besides packing some trench/blazer and long sleeve tops, I also packed a couple long dresses because I had some events to attend in S.F. The only thing we were not prepare with was sandals for the beach near Golden Gate Bridge, where we decided to go later. So check the weather before you go, and you might even need to bring a rain coat, umbrella, and appropriate shoes for those wet S.F. days. (Lucky for us, the weather was cool, but dry.)

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{What I Wore: Carolina Herrera Dress // Sara Battaglia Blazer // Gucci Hat // Manolo Blahnik Mules}

[On the road]

The traffic:

It’s about a 6 hour drive from LA. to S.F. There are actually 2 major routes to choose from, traveling from L.A. to San Francisco. The shorter one (382 miles), mainly on Interstate 5, goes up through the rich farmland of the Central Valley, sparsely populated; that is the route we took going north from L.A. to S.F. The other route is mainly on Highway 101, close to the Pacific Ocean — more scenic and with more interesting places to stop for breaks, but a little slower/longer (420 miles). That is the way we came home southbound from S.F. Either way, the drive can become longer if there is heavy traffic, which happens often in most of the major cities in California. We generally plan to drive at off-peak traffic hours to avoid all the traffic jams to get in and out of the big cities. We didn’t meet any very heavy traffic at all, except as we approached the Oakland Bay Bridge, a few miles before we arrived in San Francisco — some folks had smashed their cars up in the lane we were in to pay the $4 toll, so it added about 20 minutes delay before we could cross the bridge.

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What to drive:

We had the loan of a 2018 Chrysler Pacifica Limited to test-drive, and it turned out to be a great car for a family road trip! First, we got almost 30-miles per gallon over the trip (about double the mileage we are accustomed to), and it very comfortably carries 6 adults in its 3 rows of seats. With only 3 of us, it was absolutely spacious — the third row of seats folds down flat, and that leaves a surprisingly large and useful cargo area, which attracts me for so many reasons. The seats can also lay back very far, for passengers to get some comfortable rest time. Our model came great entertainment options for the passengers, too — it has in-car wi-fi and DVD player, with touchscreens on the back of the headrests. Red Bear brought his X-Box console with him, and could even plug it in to an outlet in the backseat, and play online with his buddies as much as he wanted! For me, it was like an airplane ride where I could choose the movie, so I brought along my Audrey Hepburn DVD collection, and really enjoyed myself! My hubby got to enjoy his talk radio on the Sirius radio option through the whole drive, so everyone was happy. Time flies when you’re having fun! Overall, for our family road-trip, the Chrysler Pacifica is a perfect choice, I’d say.

Interesting Sights and Rest Breaks on the Road:

We like a pretty spontaneous road-trip, so we normally stop whenever we are hungry, need a restroom break, or just want to stretch our legs or take some pictures — no big rush.

Driving on Interstate 5:

On the way north to S.F., on Interstate 5, we almost always like to stop at the Harris Ranch, right next to the Interstate near the town of Coalinga. It is the biggest cattle ranch on the U.S. Pacific Coast, and it has something like 100,000 head of cattle there at any time! It produces a huge amount of beef every year. For us, it offers a nice restaurant with reasonable prices, which even has vegan dishes, so all of us can eat there. It also has a hotel that looks nice, and a big gas station. If you stop there, give yourself a little extra time to wander and look around — it’s interesting!

Besides Harris Ranch, the drive on I-5 is mainly a tour through California’s amazing agricultural heartland, miles and miles of trees and crops, interrupted here and there with small towns with lots of interesting and inexpensive little restaurants when we need a break. This trip, our only northbound stop was at Harris Ranch.

Driving on U.S. Highway 101:

We drove southbound on Highway 101 to get home, and it has too many interesting potential stops to name them all; some can become all-day or half-day side trips, if we let them! Here are some (by no means all!) that we have enjoyed, listed from north to south.

Half Moon Bay is a charming little coastal town where we have enjoyed the sights and restaurants before — the detour to stop there adds a couple hours to the drive, but if you have the time, well worth it.

Gilroy is known as the “Garlic Capital of the World,” and it truly must be — you can enjoy the smell of the garlic fields for some distance before you reach the town! And if you stop there, you can find garlic in every possible concoction the human mind can conceive, including garlic ice cream. Gilroy is right next to the highway.

Big Sur is another great side trip, but to do it justice, it really adds a day to the trip. But that day is worth it, because Big Sur is on a remote part of Highway 1 (Pacific Coast Highway,), with forests, amazing coastline, and a thrilling cliff road. Check it out if you can plan to have the time.

Paso Robles / Templeton / Cambria is an area has become known for its vineyards and wineries, and it is worth stopping just to enjoy those. Cambria, in particular, is about half an hour’s drive to the west, and it is a wonderful village near the sea, just south of the famous Hearst Castle. It has an area called Moonstone Beach where we have visited many pleasant times.

Morro Bay is next, a little fishing village with some good seafood restaurants (and places to buy fresh saltwater taffy, one of Red Bear’s favorites). The little harbor is dominated by Morro Rock, a HUGE (581 feet tall) volcanic rock, amazing to see and a great photo backdrop, too — it is surrounded by the sea on 3 sides, but you can walk or drive right up to it.

Pismo Beach was one of our stops on this trip, because I needed some crab for lunch! It is a small town on a beautiful white sand beach, and with vast sand dunes next to it.

Madonna Inn is a strange and interesting stop for us. It is a hotel where every room is decorated in some unique style — no two rooms are alike, such as the Caveman Room, Golfer’s Room, and Hearts and Flowers. It has a coffee shop and restaurant, and a world famous restroom . . . for the men. Apparently the big attraction there is a large waterfall feature that is also a urinal. Who thinks to build such things?

One of our next favorite stops is the Danish town of Solvang, which seriously makes itself attractive to tourists. Almost everything there is Scandinavian themed, and there are lots of colorful photo spots, as well as good pancakes and sausages to be had there.

Next up on Highway 101 is Santa Barbara, one of my favorite little cities anywhere. It has beautiful. wide beaches, an interesting main street, a picturesque yacht harbor, and a wharf with some nice restaurants and shops. Indeed, when I feel the need for lobster, I always try to find some excuse to go to Santa Barbara (about 1 1/2 hour drive from home for me).

Where to stay:

We stayed at The Ritz-Carlton San Francisco this visit. It sits on Nob Hill, renovated to the highest modern standards within a massive 1909 landmark building — quite amazing in itself, I think. As you expect from the Ritz-Carlton brand, this hotel is clean and welcoming and luxurious. We stayed on the 8th floor, where we got to enjoy the VIP Club Lounge almost outside our door — think champagne, snacks, and dessert all day! We say it’s the happiest place in the hotel! We actually had our breakfasts there throughout our stay, and it was so nice, relaxing, and handy.

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We also had a very lovely dinner in the Parallel 37 restaurant in the hotel, got to like the decor! And the food was SO delicious, and the service was super-attentive — perfect!

 

Where to have fun:

1. The Golden Gate Bridge: Taking in the Golden Gate Bridge is a must for a visit to San Francisco, I think. There are so many different spots to enjoy the Golden Gate Bridge’s beauty, each with a different perspective and vibe. This time, we got adventurous and energetic, and enjoy it all the way from Baker Beach. Baker Beach is a public beach on the peninsula of San Francisco. The beach lies on the shore of the Pacific Ocean in the northwest of the city. When we were there, we saw people doing beach yoga, many fun photo-shooting/filming, and, of course, cute dogs everywhere. The weather was cloudy when we were there, but we really enjoyed the ocean fresh air, and the view of the Golden Gate Bridge through all the waves and rock is fantastic!

As a bonus for Red Bear, Baker Beach is also the location of Battery Chamberlin, which was a military emplacement for giant coastal defense cannons until after World War II. There is still one of the cannons left there (they even demonstrate how it was loaded and operated one weekend each month); it is the only remaining historic coastal defense gun left in the country. (Don’t worry, we still have a coastal defense, only today it is done with missiles.)

 

 

2. Lombard Street：Lombard Street is an east–west street in San Francisco, California that is famous for a steep, one-block section with EIGHT hairpin turns. It is called the “Crookedest Street in the World,” and I believe it. I have been to Lombard Street many times, but this was Red Bear’s first time. Ae drove on the street, Red Bear recognized it right away, saying, “This is the street I saw in the movie Inside Out!”

 

3. Fisherman’s Wharf：Fisherman’s Wharf is very close to the Lombard Street, it is also one of the city’s busiest tourist areas. Souvenir shops and stalls selling crab and clam chowder in sourdough bread bowls appear at every turn, as do postcard views of the bay, Golden Gate. and the former prison island of Alcatraz. There’s also a colony of sea lions to see and historic ships to tour. We didn’t have time to play there more or dine there, but Red Bear liked his candy-shop and cotton candy! As always!

 

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4. The Exploratorium: Many people recommend this place to us, but we didn’t go because of the time. But if you have time, go check it out, I heard not only kids, but adults can a lot of fun there!

5. Chinatown: SF Chinatown is one of the oldest and most established Chinatowns in the U.S. It dates all the way back to the California Gold Rush. The hotel (Ritz-Carlton) we stayed in is very close to Chinatown — just a couple blocks, but wear comfortable shoes to handle the hilly sidewalks! Again, we passed by ,but didn’t really have a chance to hang around — it’s another reason for us to do the road trip to SF again in the near future!

6. Dinner/wine tasting night at the Steve Kent Winery. I was very happy to be invited to the Steve Kent Winery to have a dinner/wine tasting night with the Ritz-Calton team. That event was the central reason for this road trip, actually. It was such a lovely night, filled with tons of laughter and good conversations with friends, food, and wine. I thank my friend @Jonlip.jpg for providing all the beautiful pictures below. And if you are in SF, searching for a winery around, if you are on the mood for it, why not?!

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We give special thanks to The Ritz-Carlton for working with us on this story, and thanks again to our friend @Jonlip.jpg for providing all the beautiful pictures inside the Steve Kent Winery.