28 I LEFT MY HEART IN SAN FRANCISCO...


CALIFORNIA DREAMING... WITH THE MCALPIN FAMILY


BY HEIDI MCALPIN restaurants and attractions proclaiming its


IN the second of a three-part special, we catch up with travel writer Heidi McAlpin as she continues her three- week odyssey across the USA with husband Ray and children Scarlett (15) and Freddie (12). Having already experienced the delights of Chicago, following a two-night train trip across the Rockies the family are now in California. First stop… San Francisco. Waking up and observing San Fran from our sky-high suite at the gargantuan Hilton San Francisco Union Square, a tantalising glimpse of the world-renowned Golden Gate Bridge and City Hall not dissimilar to Belfast’s, beckons us to explore. This northern Californian city is one of those destinations that packs a mighty tourism punch into a relatively small space. You wouldn’t want to walk it though, with its hilly streets destined to turn the hardiest of calves to rock – or in our case, jelly. Luckily the famous cable cars are close by and ready to whisk us up those


waterside perch. After chomping on some delicious clam chowder at Wipeout Bar & Grill, the kids were mesmerised by the cute otter antics at the Aquarium of the Bay, also part of the CityPASS family ticket. A hop- on, hop-off Big Bus Tour whisked us round yet more classic sights including squiggly Lombard Street, Coit Tower - built in honour of the city’s firefighters, the beautiful Painted Ladies row of coloured houses and hippy Haight-Ashbury. Dinner in Chinatown rounded off the day in true San Fran style. Day two of our whirlwind visit to this city


that has withstood fires and earthquakes, brought us up-close to our very own seismic event. The California Academy of Sciences is a vast building encompassing a rainforest alive with parrots, butterflies and tropical fish, planetarium soaring you into deep space and yet another aquarium whose star attractions are a colony of penguins and Claude the albino alligator. But a reconstruction of a living room during the Great San Francisco quake of 1906 gives you a safe sense of what citizens experienced all those years ago. Early the next morning we were back onboard Amtrak’s Coast Starlight for our 12 hour trip to Los Angeles. This second of our three great USA rail journeys - the first being the California Zephyr from Chicago to San Fran, involved a half day chug with uninterrupted views of the serene surf of the mighty Pacific Ocean. A relaxing way to spend the day, a three-course meal part of the sleeper ticket we treated ourselves to, ensuring a wee bit of chill-time ahead of two full-on days of Disney… Once in LA, we grabbed an Uber for the


inclines like fleet-foot gazelle. Yet more amazing scenes come into view


as we rattle over the brow and down to San Francisco Bay, Alcatraz - arguably the world’s most famous prison - Fisherman’s Wharf and that bridge vying for our Insta-worthy attention. Having purchased a CityPASS, we jumped aboard a Blue & Gold Fleet San Francisco Bay Cruise for up-close views round Alcatraz’s infamous rocky domain and under the Golden Gate Bridge. An exceptional trip ticking off two of the city’s must-see attractions, with an option to spend a few hours exploring the prison which once housed Al Capone, Machine Gun Kelly and The Birdman of Alcatraz. Docked back at Fisherman’s Wharf, this pier-ful of fun was laden with cafes, gift shops,


final 45min car journey to Anaheim, home of the Magic Kingdom. Most NI holidaymakers head to Florida’s closer, bigger, newer Disney World expanse. Those of us who find ourselves in California, though, are treated to the original Disneyland. Opened in 1955, this Walt Wonderland straddles a mere 500 acres which, according to one website, makes it 51 times smaller than the Floridian behemoth. This


dinkier Disney means you can experience all your favourite rides in one, albeit action-packed, visit. There is no doubt Walt and his team of ‘imagineers’ built the dream, transporting


visitors sublimely


between Tomorrowland, Adventureland, Frontierland, Fantasyland, New Orleans Square and Main Steet USA, with Sleeping Beauty Castle at its fairy tale heart. One minute you can be taking a selfie with Mickey and Minnie, the next hurtling through the wild west aboard the runaway Big Thunder Mountain Railroad. Autopia allows children to take the steering wheel in brightly coloured


cars as the parents relax in the passenger seat. And Space Mountain brings the rollercoaster indoors for the pitch-black ride of your life. We took our own plunge and bought a fast pass ticket, allowing us to book a timeslot for the most popular rides and avoid those interminable queues.


The rides are creatively curated – from the adorable It’s A Small World that will have you singing the theme song for days to the richly hued Pirates of the Caribbean that spawned the megawatt film franchise. The meticulously choreographed parades and shows add a final flourish to the jaw-dropping enjoyment, especially nightfall’s Main Street Electrical Parade where all your favourite Disney characters are bejewelled in lightbulbs and spirited through the park in equally dazzling floats. Top that with each evening’s dazzling fireworks display and you can see why a trip to Disneyland is on every family’s wishlist.


Knowing they’re on to a good thing, in 2001 the Disney bigwigs built the California Adventure Park right next door. A two-park ticket allows you to dip in and out of both in one or more days and so, we hunkered down for a second full-on day of theme park fun. Stepping inside this glossy domain is like holding hands with Mary Poppins and jumping into one of Bert’s pavement paintings. Fact merges with fiction as cartoon colours, illuminated art deco buildings and giant film-style backdrops trick the eye at every turn. This distinctly different Disney experience


also incorporates Pixar and Marvel film franchises with rides inspired by family faves like Inside Out, Toy Story, Avengers and The Incredibles whose scream inducing


Incredicoaster shot me out like a bullet and didn’t stop twisting and turning for a stomach churning 80 seconds. The mercifully less frantic Soarin’ Around the World flight simulator was an altogether more relaxing journey above some of the world’s most magnificent scenery, and a real highlight for all four of us. Yet another amazing evening show ended our adventure, this time a musical kaleidoscope of water jets and fiery pyrotechnics shooting into the sky to create a jaw-dropping blaze of colour. There’s no doubt, Disney sure knows how to put on a show. Our theme park assault wasn’t yet complete… with one final day at yet another Anaheim stalwart - and one which pre-dates Disneyland itself. Way back in the 1920s, another Walt, this time Walter Knott, opened a roadside boysenberry stand selling fruit-filled produce from his family farm. Over the decades this grew to become Knott’s Berry Farm, California’s original theme-park, and one generations of locals and visitors hold dear to this day. It’s Wild West meets Peanuts as Snoopy, Charlie Brown and chums take centre stage as the park’s cute and cuddly stars. Juxtapose this with some of the fiercest rollercoasters you’re likely to experience, and all ages can’t get enough of this visitor attraction with a wonderfully down-home vibe. It’s cheaper than Disneyland, and water fans will love neighbouring Knott’s Soak City whose 23 thrilling speed, tube and body slides will guarantee a dreamy drenching in that hot California sun. For us, three theme parks in three days had us staring into the abyss of blissful exhaustion. But continue we must with LA, Universal Studios and a final two- day train trip back to Chicago to conclude our trip. Who says holidays are relaxing?


Nov/Dec 2022 Travel News


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