We decided to take the 1.5hr plane journey to San Francisco, rather than the 13 hours bus journey. We checked into a hotel and checked right back out, first thing the next day, after we realised we were staying slap bang in the middle of Tenderloin (the actual ghetto!).

We headed over to Haight Ashbury the next day and spent the day in downtown San Francisco. The next day we moved again, to the Union Square district, in central San Francisco. We walked through the Financial District, China Town, North Beach (Little Italy) up to Fisherman's Wharf where we caught a glimpse of Alcatraz and the Golden Gate Bridge (literally a glimpse as the clouds fall really low at this time of year!). We took the cable car (tram) back to Union Square along the steep streets of San Francisco passing Lombard Street (the crookedest street) and (S)Nob Hill where George Bush is currently staying during Tony Blair's visit (we saw sniper's on the top of the surrounding buidings - we hope they were for protection?!).