San Francisco trip, December 2001

Seven of us went from Los Angeles to San Francisco and back. We saw parts of Monterey, Napa Valley, and San Jose. This page is here to show the photographs and put in one place my account of the trip, so I don't have to repeat it over and over.

We were seven: KD, KP, Srirang, Kunal, Anand, Ashish, and me. Sachin joined us in SF late night on day 1 and left in the evening of day 3. KD, KP, and I are roommates, along with 2 others who were not with us for this trip.

This page is mainly meant for the pictures we took. Maps are here Click on the small pictures to see the full image. The pictures are mixed digital and film camera shots. One image is scanned.

Day 1, Dec 28, 2001 Leaving Los Angeles (or, The Hobbits)
Day 2, Dec 29, 2001 San Francisco and the Golden Gate
Day 3, Dec 30, 2001 Napa Valley (nowhere near Mordor)
Day 4, Dec 31, 2001 The Return of the Kings

Day 1, Dec 28, 2001: Leaving Los Angeles (or, The Hobbits)

Despite plans to leave at 0600, the van started rolling at 0745 because no one woke with the 0400 alarm that I had set -- least of all me.

We eventually hit US 101 northbound, passing quickly to the Santa Barbara coast. Breakfast on the pier, at a place called Moby Dick, was excellent.

[Santa Barbara, pier] [Santa Barbara, pier]
Marina west-ish of the pier Easterly, blocked by buildings on the pier
[A pelican] [Group]
A pelican? Group shot

Heading north along US 101, our next stop was a beautiful Dutch village called Solvang. We only stopped for half an hour due to lack of parking.

[Group shot near Solvang] 4-way clock
Near Solvang 4-way clock in Solvang

Continuing north-west, we passed Vandenburg AFB where we learned that tours were closed for the day. Further north, Morro Bay, a wind-swept village on the coast. Hearst Castle was another tourist attraction on our route which we did not have time to visit. Advice to tourists: stopover in Buellton and San Luis Obispo if travelling from LA to SF like us.

[Morro Bay]
(Morro bay)

I don't remember when this was taken, but just look how roomy the van was (not)! That's KP and me in the front seats, Ashish and Anand in the middle, and KD (visible), Kunal, and Srirang in the back.

[Inside van]

By this time it was evening. After a hair-raising drive by KP (safe driver) along the rocky and precipitous coast, we reached SF and the Travelodge motel.

Day 2, Dec 29, 2001: San Francisco and the Golden Gate

SF was very rainy.

[Crookedest Street] [Indian restaurant in SF] [Golden Gate and van] [Golden Gate, KD, Ashish]
The Crookedest Street Morning lunch at an Indian restaurant
(van in the foreground) KD and Ashish
Northern end of the Golden Gate

The area around the north end of the Golden Gate:

[Golden Gate 1] [Golden Gate 2] [Golden Gate 3]
A misty pier "Very Yorkshire" Foggy hills

Pictures of Civic Center:

The evening was spent wandering around Union Square.

Day 3, Dec 30, 2001: Napa Valley (nowhere near Mordor)

A tour of the Robert Mondavi Winery in Napa Valley, followed by an early dinner at Max's Diner in SF.

[Robert Mondavi Winery] [Winetasting group] [Diner]
The badge for the tour Wine tasting Max's Diner

Day 4, Dec 31, 2001: The Return of the Kings

Whaddya know, we begin to leave and the sun comes out!

Stopped over in Berkeley, UCB. On the campus:

[On UCB campus] [UCB Tower 3]
On UCB campus

[UCB tower 1] [UCB Tower 2] [UCB Tower 3]
Various views of a tower (Sather Tower?) on UCB campus