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I love San Francisco, it's one of my favourite US cities to visit. There's just so much to do and it's a completely different trip each time.
What to Do Golden Gate Bridge Fisherman's Wharf Ferry Building Alcatraz - Buy tickets in advance Castro Street Union Square Lombard Street - The world's most crooked street Coit Tower The Painted Ladies - Full House Chinatown Premium Outlets Palace of Fine Arts - beautiful place to take pictures Japanese Tea Garden - Admission is free if you enter before 10 am on Monday, Wednesday or Friday. Ghiradelli Square Cable Car 16th Avenue Tiled Steps |
What to Eat
The House - My favourite restaurant in San Fran - Salmon spring rolls are hype. San Tung - best chicken wings, we went when it first opened so we didn't have to line-up Turtle Tower - Pho Ga (Pho from North Vietnam) The Slanted Door Swan Oyster Depot - Long lineups. Gott's Roadside - Ahi burger, vietnamese chicken salad, garlic fries Boudin - Clam chowder in sourdough bread bowl Blue Bottle Cafe - excellent coffee Pho Garden - Pho Challenge Hog Oyster - Amazing restaurant, lineup is worth it. Baked oysters are delicious. Geoduck salad was amazing. Cream - best ice cream sandwiches Burma Superstar - delicious Burmese food Koi Palace, Dragon Beaux - dim sum, soup dumplings Marugame Udon Shihlin Taiwan Street Snacks Marco Polo Italian Ice Cream |
Berkeley
Social Club Philz Coffee - Mojito Coffee North Face Outlet Hacienda Heights 85 Degrees Bakery Cafe (Hacienda Heights) - egg tarts and bubble tea San Jose Santana Row SmokeEaters - Spicy Wing Challenge Com Tam Thien Huong Vung Tau Restaurant Oc Cay Dua - Delicious variety of clams and snail dishes Bun Mam Ha Tien - Coconut surprise Bambu (Desserts) Napa Valley Wine Tasting V Sattui Winery - Wine, cheese, deli (picnic tables out front) Famous Chefs French Laundry - Thomas Keller, Michael Chiarello, Cindy Pawlcyn, Morimoto REDD |
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What to Do
Santa Monica Pier Venice Beach Boardwalk Hollywood Sign Hollywood Walk of Fame West Hollywood Sunset Strip Grauman's Chinese Theater Rodeo Drive Phuoc Loc Tho Shop at Premium Outlets Six Flags Discovery Kingdom Disneyland Universal Studios Harry Potter World Public Art "Urban Light" Little Tokyo Historic District Griffith Observatory The Last Bookstore Chinatown Take a Studio Tour Ellen - View a taping of Ellen in Burbank The Last Bookstore Paramount Pictures Studio Tour Dodger Stadium Space Shuttle Endeavour |
What to Eat
Hae Jang Chon Korean BBQ Restaurant - worth the wait, AYCE, they cook for you. Republique Taqueria Los Gueros #1 - Tacos Roscoe Chicken & Waffles - where Snoop eats Pinks Hot Dogs - I preferred the simple dogs In N Out - Burgers - Animal Style and cheese fries 85 Degree Bakery - best egg tarts Oc & Lau Restaurant & Bar - snails, hot pots Com Tam Thuan Kieu - large rice plates, they are huge, you definitely want to share Mirada Restaurant - really delicious Vietnamese food, almost as good as mom makes Quan Hy - banh beo Banh Cuon Tay Ho Bambu Dessert & Drinks Anaheim Packing District Jitlada Restaurant Grand Central Market Pho Kim Quy - definitely get the ribs, the bone is huge Porto's Bakery & Cafe - delicious pastries, cubano and tamales were awesome as well. |
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What to Do
Walk along the Las Vegas Strip Bellagio - Water Fountain Show Fremont Street - Old Vegas Zipline down Fremont Street Cirque Du Soleil Shows Concerts Boyz 2 Men - The MirageTreasure Island Show Backstreet Boys - Planet Hollywood Hoover Dam - about a 25 minute drive from the strip Broadway Shows Clubs - Hakkasan (MGM), Marquee (Cosmopolitan), XS (Wynn) Pool Parties Concerts Museums - Pinball, Lights, Magic Gambling Bauman Rare Books - Cute book store - Venetian Shopping Premium Outlets - Sign up for VIP if you want additional discounts Nordstrom Rack Caesar Forum Shops Planet Hollywood - Miracle Miles Shops Fashion Show Mall |
What to Eat
The Strip Morimoto - (Iron Chef) MGM - They don't have a tasting menu at this location which is the best part of going to Morimoto. My personal experience in the other Morimoto restaurants in other cities was better than Vegas. Lemongrass - delicious Thai Bardot - amazing prime rib Jean George Steakhouse Earl Sandwich - 24 hours sandwich joint Wolfgang Puck Restaurant - MGM (opens really late) Grimaldi's Pizza (Palazzo) China Poblano - Duck tonque taco Bellagio/Caesars/Wynn Buffets Sushi Roku - Happy Hour - bar Shake Shack - NY NY Baja Fresh - fish tacos Jean Phillippe - delicious baked goods - MGM & Aria Tea Lounge - Mandarin Oriental - Afternoon Tea (need reservations) Verdanda - Four Seasons - Mandalay Bay - must make reservations 24 hours in advance. Cheesecake Factory (Caesar's) Eggslut In N Out Honolulu Cookies - Venetian Garrett's Popcorn - Planet Hollywood Luke's Lobster & Kung Fu Tea - Fashion Show Mall Tacos El Gordo - Legit mexican tacos - Beef or spicy pork tacos - Beef fries Off Strip Pho Kim Long II - 24 hours Other Mama Lee's Sandwiches Lotus of Siam - good thai food Chengdu Taste - tasty Szechuan food - does not serve alcohol Boiling Crab Bambu - Vietnamese Dessert Korean - Hobak or Gangnam Japanese Curry Zen |
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What to Do
Shopping - Premium Outlet - Tulalip, WA Seattle Space Needle Pike Place Market Gum Wall Seattle Waterfront Aquarium Woodland Park Zoo Alki Beach Lululemon Outlet - Burlington, WA Nordstrom Rack Chinatown Bruce Lee Grave Site Pacific Place Skagit Valley Tulip Festival - Mount Vernon, WA |
What to Eat
Din Tai Fung - Soup Dumplings (University Location) Mashiko - Sushi Crepe de France (Pike Place) - deliciious crepes Etta's Seafood - Fresh oysters Cheesecake Factory Piroshky Piroshky - Beef and Cheese The French Bakery - Turkey & Cheese Croissant Tap House Grill - Open late, happy hour, beer tasting Steelhead Diner - Crab Cakes, Razor Clam Chowder, Cioppino (picture above) Pike Place - Clam Chowder Bambu - Dessert Market Spice - Cinnamon Orange Tea 85C Bakery Mee Sum Pastry - best BBQ buns Rachel's Ginger Beer |
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What to Do
Bourbon Street French Quarter Jackson Square St. Louis Cathedral The Outlet Collection Riverwalk Charles Avenue Street - nice place for pictures Lafitte's Blacksmith Shop - One of the oldest bars in the US Harrah's Casino - there is also an Acme here that has a limited menu Swamp Tour - We did one and we personally found it really boring. Oak Alley Plantation Tour - ($18 without transportation) - Highly recommended Oak Alley was great and it was my favourite part of New Orleans. It is about an hour drive from French Quarter and it was worth it. The admission fee includes the tour of the house. The tour was great and you get to learn a lot about the history of New Orleans as well as the plantations. They had rebuilt the homes that the slaves were required to live in. I felt this visit reminds me of all the changes that have happened since that time but that there is also a lot of room for improvement for equality for all mankind. |
What to Eat
Acme - Charbroiled Oysters, Deep fried seafood platter and you must get the soft-shell crab Cafe Du Monde - Beignets and coffee - If you don't like lineups, just go in the middle of the night and you should be able to find a table Antoine's - Lunch Special - be sure to make reservations and they usually have drink specials; 25 cent martinis Mr. B's Bistro - best bbq shrimp Willie Mae's Scotch House Domilise's Po Boys El Gato Negro Mexican Drago's Seafood Restaurant - charbroiled oysters Emeril's Guy's Po Boys Namese Atchafalaya Lilly's Cafe Jacque Imo Mojo Coffee House Commander's Palace - there is a strict dress code for dining here |
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Chicago was an amazing city. I feel like it's a less busy version of New York. It has so much history; great food places and so many things to do. There were some attractions that were closed while we were here. We will definitely visit Chicago again in the future.
We stayed approximately four days and that was enough time for us and that gave us two evenings to explore. |
What to Do
Magnificent Mile Shedd Aquarium The Cloud Gate ("Bean") Millenium Park Buckingham Fountain Osaka GardenNavy Pier Chinatown Buckingham Fountain 360 (formerly John Hancock Observatory) - Go to bar at the top and buy a drink instead of pay admission Million Dollar Quartet Shoreline Architectural River Cruise - Highly recommended Premium Outlet - Make sure to have change for tolls Navy Pier |
What to Eat
Alinea - Buy tickets in advance - Bucket list type of meal, try to get the first sitting if you can The Purple Pig Hot Doug Dogs Japonais by Morimoto - Tasting menu & white lily drink Eataly Ghiradelli Ice Cream & Chocolate Shop Frontera Grill - Ceviche Honky Tonk - Candied bacon Girl & The Goat Wildberry Pancakes & Cafe - Randolph St location |
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Where to Stay
This totally depends on what you plan on doing for your trip. My last trip I stayed in East Village which was great. It was close to all of the good food spots and there was lots of places close by to grab a drink. I usually avoid the touristy areas such as Times Square since I'm not a fan of the crowds and the hotel rooms are extremely expensive. A lot of friends have stayed in Brooklyn and they quite enjoyed it. I would recommend planning a couple of places you want to visit and find a place to stay that's near there. What to Do Empire State Building Times Square Statue of Liberty Grand Central Terminal Wall Street - this is where you can take a picture with the bull New York Public Library Catch a Broadway Show - Mamma Mia, Phantom of the Opera, Wicked Metropolitan Museum of Art Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum The Museum of Modern Art (MoMa) National 9/11 Memorial & Museum Central Park - Strawberry Fields - John Lennon Memorial Madame Tussands New York Trinity Church Flat Iron Building Check out the different neighbourhoods East Village New York Harbour Chrysler Building Staten Island Ferry Chinatown Fifth Avenue Rockefeller Center Top of the Rock - take pictures of the Empire State Buidling NBC Studios Shopping Check out a Sample Sale - there's websites that will list the dates and location of the sample sales Times Square - Lots of tourists. Avoid during holidays if you don't like big crowds. |
What to Eat
Katz Deli - Scene from "When Harry Met Sally" was filmed here. There are tables by the walls which you will get served by a server. The tables in the middle of the restaurant are self-serve. Best Sandwich Ever: Pastrami on Rye with Mustard (remember to tip the guy - he'll give you extra meat), Fries are delicious as well. Shake Shack Ippudo - Pork steam buns, ramen Oysters - Grand Central Station Juniors - NY Cheesecake Korean - Pochu 37 - Watermelon Soju Pizza - Grimaldi's, Lombardi's (clam pizza), Artichokes, Ray's, Joe's Victor's Cafe - Cuban food Serendipity - Frozen hot chocolate Schnipper's Quality Kitchen Veselka - perogies Xian Famous Food - Lamb with Cumin Noodles, Lamb Dumplings ABC Kitchen - Jean Georges Cafeteria Lukes Lobster - Lobster Roll Joe's Shanghai - soup dumplings Pastis - Brunch (Sex and the City was filmed here for one of the episodes) Magnolia - Red Velvet cupcake Burgers - Shake Shack Negril's - Caribbean Food Mamoun's Falafel Eataly Russ * Daughters - bagels Veselka - perogies and open 24 hours Chinatown - One of the oldest in the US Morimoto NYC - Tuna Tartare, Dessert Tim Ho Wan - michelin dim sum Joe's Pizza |