We're leaving our hearts in SanFrancisco

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We have spent the last few days in SanFrancisco. What a fabulous town. The weather has been very co-operative- perfect for walking around this great city. Our first stop was Golden Gate Park home of the Japanese Garden, the deYoung Museum of Art, a science museum, biking and jogging trails and so much more. The David Hockney exhibit at the deYoung was so refreshing with his use of technology to explore his art.

We purchased a BART pass and this allowed us to stay in nearby Oakland (home to some wonderful old architecture being rediscovered) and travel easily and quickly to downtown SanFrancisco. We walked around some of the bohemian neighbourhoods in North Beach visting the City Lights bookstore and the nearby Vesuvio Bar (full of- oh no- tourists!). Instead we crossed the road to settle into the Tosca Café- a longstanding café featuring a free jukebox with everything from opera to jazz to latest musical picks.

Transport tip: If you are picking up a bus in town ($2 a ride) be sure and ask for a transfer which will allow you to ride different routes for free up to a certain time limit noted at the bottom of the transfer-usually about three hours after you get on.

And yes we did ride the cable cars and it was really fun (a $14 day pass will let you get off and on during the day-worth it when each trip is $6.) The drivers are real entertainers and when you get off at Fisherman's Wharf make sure you see the sea lions who have taken up residence at pier 39 and provide a great show for free. The views of SanFrancisco are worth the trip.Even very touristic trips can turn up some hidden gems.

In keeping with our interest in classic cars we took a side trip to the exquisite Blackhawk Museum in Danville, California east of SanFrancisco.

This museum is affiliated with the Smithsonian and focuses on some of the foremost examples of coach building from a Daimler built for a Maharajah, a wooden Hispano-Suiza built for an aperitif company heir and of course the Alfa Romeo BATs as well as those impeccable Aston Martins. Tomorrow we do a 50-mile ride around SanFrancisco and hone in on some of the areas we haven't seen as yet. Stand by.

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