Up early for my second day in San Francisco, and what a gorgeous day it is! My tourist bus ticket is valid for 24 hours, so I caught the bus in Union Square down to Fisherman's Wharf. I visited Pier 39, walking in the direction of the Golden Gate Bridge, weaving in and out of the various piers and lanes. A submarine and a warship are moored alongside one of the piers, which gained a lot of attention from passersby. I walked as far as a park, and then stopped for lunch at a Mexican restaurant. It just seemed right to have a margarita sitting in the sunshine. An absolute bonus.

The Ferry Building is the other end of the waterfront area, so I decided to hail a cab. Only I would end up in a taxi where it was the driver's first day, and he told me he didn't know San Francisco! So he keyed in the Ferry Building to the SatNav and of course it started to take us in completely the opposite direction. I kept asking the driver to turn around and head the other way, but he kept following the SatNav which was taking him in circles. I eventually persuaded him to turn back and then proceeded to direct him. It made me laugh, as after only 24 hours in the city, I knew the town better than my cab driver (and of course trust me to have jumped in that particular taxi)!

The Ferry Building is a food market. It reminded me a little bit of Covent Garden. People are really willing to queue. They queue for coffees, bread, cafés. You name it the lines were really long. I decided to sample some Californian cheese and wine, and once again was lucky in that I didn't have to queue long. Serendipity! I tried two Californian Sauvignon Blancs, one from the Napa Valley and one from Sonoma County. They had a cheeseboard made up of two goat, one sheep and one cow's milk cheese from UK, California, Wisconsin and France. All interesting in their own way, even though I'm not that keen on sheep or goat's cheese. I revisited one of the stalls and bought two small Japanese dishes. I couldn't resist. I always seem to buy Japanese pottery when I'm visiting other countries (I did the same in Jamaica). I've now got to carry these with me for the rest of my trip!

After a quick Skype call to the UK from a Starbucks in the financial district, I then caught one of the famous trolley cars, which I thought was the best thing about my visit to San Francisco. I missed my stop and got in trouble with the conductor, but he let me ride back for free. Another bonus as I got to see more of Nob Hill, the beautiful mansions and the stunning views. Those hills are steeper than they look. I was glad of the ride.

Macy's and Saks Fifth Avenue are on Union Square so for my last evening before heading to my next stop, I did some window shopping. I sat in the Starbucks in Macy's and had a great view watching the traffic and people beneath. The Square looked stunning at night, all lit up, sparkly lights in the palm trees, a Christmas tree centre stage and skaters having fun on the ice rink.