San Francisco

My body still may be reeling from the jet-lag and the aftermath of an 18 hour flight, but wow, what an incredible first full day in San Francisco.

The journey to the states was long and painful as expected. Changing planes in Reykjavik and Seattle and the associated layovers had left me questioning whether or not the cost-cutting measure was worth it, but what I do know is that I’m here now and San Francisco is like no place I've ever been before.

I arrived late on Tuesday night, having seemingly passed through the stage of immense tiredness. I’d gone from being unable to keep my eyes open on the plane a few hours earlier, to somehow not being able to sleep despite my body working at 8am UK time once I got in bed.

I eventually managed to grab what could have been no more than five hour kip before going downstairs and signing my name up to the hostel walking tour.

Signing up for the tour is definitely the smartest thing I’ve done so far during my time here. The knowledgeable tour guide led us around the city showing us the various sights and vantage points to photograph the stunning cityscape.

San Francisco is like hilly like no other. The hills are an intimidating prospect to walk up but the views at the top make the struggle well worthwhile.

Our tour initially led us to Union Square, a compact space which is the setting for many important episodes in the history of San Francisco.

From here our tour progressed through the fascinating Chinatown, onto Little Italy before descending down to the sea front which displays stunning views of the Golden Gate Bridge and Alcatraz.

Each district of the city oozes its own culture and identity and San Francisco emanates a very bohemian and mellow vibe.

The place strikes me as a tolerant city, where the people who live there are free to express themselves however they see fit.

Many of the landmarks are recognisable from various media and a walk around one district led us to a bar where the likes of John Steinbeck used to hangout, not to mention the church where Marilyn Monroe once tied the knot across the road.

All-in-all a very successful first day, met some cool people, got my bearings and finished off with a fantastic calzone and a beer in the searing afternoon heat.

Eagerly anticipating what the rest of my time in San Francisco has to offer.