A Family Trip to San Francisco

From July 28 to August 3, we are traveling to San Francisco (+ Los Angeles) in the United States. My husband had work in San Francisco, so the plan was for me and our two daughters to join him as soon as he finished. It’s been about 14 to 15 years since I last went to America as a student… time really flies.

Beforehand, my parents were quite worried, saying “Are you really going to America alone with a 4-year-old and a 1-year-old?” and ended up accompanying us all the way to the airport. At first, I thought, “That’s a bit much… it’ll be fine,” but honestly, I’m so glad they came along…

Regarding entry into the U.S., security has become quite strict recently, so you need to obtain an ESTA in advance, and when checking in for the flight, you have to enter all details like hotel name and address (I booked my flight through Expedia), which was quite a hassle. At times like that, it was great to have my parents watch the kids while I handled things…

After successfully checking in, dropping off our luggage, and passing through the departure gate, we found a play area for kids at the international boarding gate! (And no one else was playing there) That wasn’t here before, I wonder when they added it.

Safely Arrived in San Francisco!

Our flight was slightly delayed but took off safely without any storm issues. After about 10 hours on the plane, we arrived safely in San Francisco. Flying with a 4-year-old and a 1-year-old was quite tough (we barely slept, haha), but thanks to SoftBank’s America Hodai plan (even though I hadn’t signed up in advance), my phone connected fine and I was able to meet up with my husband without any problems. We had expected to rent a GLS, but instead got a Toyota 4Runner. (Apparently the GLS is the rental car for Los Angeles.) Its real name is the Toyota Hilux Surf. It was my first time driving one, but it was more comfortable and spacious than I expected.

After arriving at the hotel and resting for half a day yesterday, our sightseeing starts today. During this trip, I plan to photograph every Porsche I see in America (what am I even doing, haha), and if possible, I’d also like to visit the Porsche Experience Center in Los Angeles. I’ll share those experiences in a future blog post.

Actually, this trip was arranged with the help of N-san, a colleague of my husband’s who used to live in San Francisco. On the way to the hotel by car yesterday, we learned a lot about the local car culture in San Francisco. There were many things I didn’t know and found very educational, plus I noticed some things just by seeing the cars on the road. For example…

Car Culture in San Francisco

① Toll and Occupancy-Restricted Lanes on Highways

On some highways, the far-left lane is an express lane that requires a toll. Only cars equipped with a special registered device can use it, and if you drive there unknowingly and get caught by the police, you’ll have to pay a fine. Besides toll lanes, there are also occupancy-restricted lanes (Carpool Lanes) on the far-left lane, where you must have two or three or more people in the car to drive there. Driving there without meeting the occupancy requirement also results in a fine.

② Almost No Slow Drivers on Highways

On highways, everyone was driving at around 120–130 km/h. Our car was going about 60 mph (almost 100 km/h), but we were constantly being passed by other cars. When I drove on the German Autobahn before, there was a clearer difference between slower and faster cars (everyone moves aside when a fast car approaches from behind), but in America, everyone drives fast. I wonder if everyone’s really in that much of a hurry (laughs). However, since there are about four lanes and the lanes are wide, it might be easier and more comfortable to drive faster than on Japanese highways. Also, I felt the Autobahn roads were rougher. (Though there were probably more straight sections on the Autobahn.)

③ Cars Are Clean

My image of American cars was that they’d be filthy and covered in dirt (thanks to overseas dramas, haha), so I was surprised to see how clean the cars actually were. According to N-san, in the past many cars in San Francisco were covered in dust, but recently more families buy new cars on loans (America is a loan society, which is also a social issue), so more people are driving clean cars.

④ Lots of Honda Civics

I don’t know Civics well enough to recognize them at a glance, but my husband kept saying, “Oh, another Civic! Oh, there’s another one! Seeing so many Civics makes me want one! Haha,” so I realized Civics are very common. In Japan, only the limited “Civic Type R” was sold from 2010 to 2016, so you don’t see many Civics there. (But I feel there are many Civic fans.) Also, a lot of Japanese cars are made for the North American market, so Japanese cars are quite common on the roads.

⑤ Many Hyundais and BMWs

BMWs caught my eye a lot. Mercedes-Benz was common too, but BMWs were everywhere, from SUVs to sedans. Audis were also quite frequent. And Hyundai, which you hardly see in Japan, was everywhere. At first, I thought the “H” emblem was Honda’s, but on closer look, it wasn’t. I was surprised thinking, “Oh, those are all Hyundais!”

That said, we haven’t been to downtown San Francisco yet, so things might be different depending on where you drive. So far, I’ve only seen four Porsches (Boxster, Panamera, new Panamera, Macan). I brought my DSLR to take lots of photos, but so far I only have quick shots from my iPhone…

Anyway, today we start our full sightseeing tour!