Made it safely to San Francisco, my first port of call. You don't really appreciate how huge the Pacific Ocean is until you spend 15 hours flying across it seeing nothibg but a few tiny atolls. (oh, and New Zealand, but we all know that doesn't count)

I like San Francisco...

I know you hear that half the cities on the planet are 'just like Melbourne' but SF really is. It's got the same cosmopolitan feel, similar ethnic minority areas (Italian, Chinese) and the same 'pace' of life.

It even has the same weather...

Yes! it is raining in SF. Just like it rains in Melbourne ie grey and depressing. It really does put a damp-ener on the whole experience (pun intended).

But still, San Francisco is very nice when it's wet...