Beforehand, my parents were quite worried, saying \u201cAre you really going to America alone with a 4-year-old and a 1-year-old?\u201d<\/strong> and ended up accompanying us all the way to the airport. At first, I thought, \u201cThat\u2019s a bit much… it\u2019ll be fine,\u201d but honestly, I\u2019m so glad they came along…<\/p>\n Regarding entry into the U.S., security has become quite strict recently, so you need to obtain an ESTA in advance,<\/strong> and when checking in for the flight, you have to enter all details like hotel name and address (I booked my flight through Expedia)<\/span>, which was quite a hassle. At times like that, it was great to have my parents watch the kids while I handled things…<\/p>\n 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)<\/span> That wasn\u2019t here before, I wonder when they added it.<\/p>\n 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)<\/span>, but thanks to SoftBank\u2019s America Hodai plan (even though I hadn\u2019t signed up in advance)<\/span>, 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.<\/strong> (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.<\/p>\n 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<\/strong> (what am I even doing, haha)<\/span>, and if possible, I\u2019d also like to visit the Porsche Experience Center in Los Angeles. I\u2019ll share those experiences in a future blog post.<\/p>\n Actually, this trip was arranged with the help of N-san, a colleague of my husband\u2019s 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.<\/strong> There were many things I didn\u2019t know and found very educational, plus I noticed some things just by seeing the cars on the road. For example…<\/p>\n On some highways, the far-left lane is an express lane that requires a toll.<\/strong> Only cars equipped with a special registered device can use it, and if you drive there unknowingly and get caught by the police, you\u2019ll have to pay a fine. Besides toll lanes, there are also occupancy-restricted lanes (Carpool Lanes)<\/strong> 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.<\/p>\n On highways, everyone was driving at around 120\u2013130 km\/h.<\/strong> 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)<\/span>, but in America, everyone drives fast. I wonder if everyone\u2019s 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.<\/strong> Also, I felt the Autobahn roads were rougher. (Though there were probably more straight sections on the Autobahn.)<\/span><\/p>\n My image of American cars was that they\u2019d be filthy and covered in dirt (thanks to overseas dramas, haha)<\/span>, 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)<\/span>, so more people are driving clean cars.<\/p>\n I don\u2019t know Civics well enough to recognize them at a glance, but my husband kept saying, \u201cOh, another Civic! Oh, there\u2019s another one! Seeing so many Civics makes me want one! Haha,\u201d<\/strong> so I realized Civics are very common. In Japan, only the limited \u201cCivic Type R\u201d was sold from 2010 to 2016, so you don\u2019t see many Civics there. (But I feel there are many Civic fans.)<\/span> Also, a lot of Japanese cars are made for the North American market, so Japanese cars are quite common on the roads.<\/p>\n BMWs caught my eye a lot. Mercedes-Benz was common too, but BMWs were everywhere, from SUVs to sedans.<\/strong> Audis were also quite frequent. And Hyundai, which you hardly see in Japan, was everywhere.<\/strong> At first, I thought the \u201cH\u201d emblem was Honda\u2019s, but on closer look, it wasn\u2019t. I was surprised thinking, \u201cOh, those are all Hyundais!\u201d<\/p>\n That said, we haven\u2019t been to downtown San Francisco yet, so things might be different depending on where you drive. So far, I\u2019ve 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…<\/p>\n Anyway, today we start our full sightseeing tour!<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"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\u2019s been about 14 to 15 years since I last went to America as a student… time really flies. Beforehand, my parents were quite worried,...","protected":false},"author":0,"featured_media":3969,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":"","_locale":"en_US","_original_post":"https:\/\/www.panamera-life.com\/?p=3964"},"categories":[2],"tags":[],"yoast_head":"![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.panamera-life.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/07\/IMG_7145-800x600.jpg\")
<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.panamera-life.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/07\/IMG_7129-800x600.jpg\")
<\/p>\nSafely Arrived in San Francisco!<\/h3>\n
Car Culture in San Francisco<\/h3>\n
\u2460 Toll and Occupancy-Restricted Lanes on Highways<\/h4>\n
\u2461 Almost No Slow Drivers on Highways<\/h4>\n
\u2462 Cars Are Clean<\/h4>\n
\u2463 Lots of Honda Civics<\/h4>\n
\u2464 Many Hyundais and BMWs<\/h4>\n