This morning in Monterey, I convinced my creature-of-habit husband to walk in the opposite direction we walked the previous day. We went toward San Carlos Beach and we were rewarded with close-ups of sea lions and otters!

And it wasn’t crowded at all. After returning to the hotel, we enjoyed the complimentary ham and cheese croissant at the Victorian Inn before getting the kids up. We went back to the wharf since my son also wanted to see the wildlife we saw.

Saw more otters, sea lions, and lots of nesting cormorants. We said goodbye to Monterey and made our way to the Santa Cruz wharf and got some lunch before heading on the drive north. We stopped in Pescadero to see the tallest lighthouse on the west coast of the United States.

We made it to San Francisco, checked in to the Westin St. Francis, drove to Golden Gate Bridge, and drove down Lombard Street before returning the car at SFO.

To get back to the city, we caught the BART for the first time. It would have been about the same price for us to catch a taxi or an Uber but I wanted to learn how to navigate the BART system for future trips. It was easy to figure out and if I don’t have much luggage, I’d consider taking the BART into the city on future trips.

For dinner, we got a table at Akiko’s Sushi Bar after a bit of a wait. This is a tiny restaurant with only 6 tables. If you don’t have to wait too long, this is a nice place to get some sushi near Union Square. Living Hilo Style ending our PCH road trip.