Another day, another state – and while I have been to this one before, I did achieve a first moments after arriving in San Francisco: Taking a cable car.

I hopped on the rickety Powell and Hyde cart from Union Square, hanging off the side as we whizzed up and down the city’s undulating streets. I have no idea how the cart managed to crawl up the hills but the tetchy driver’s huffing and puffing no doubt gave it some steam.

After the 20-minute ride – during which time we swung past Chinatown and Nob Hill (yes, I giggled like a 13-year-old schoolboy) – I arrived at the Marina to see the sun setting over the Golden Gate Bridge.

After my trips to Seattle and Portland, where everywhere seemed within a half-hour walk, I was surprised at how far away the bridge was. So I perched on the top of a hill and watched the skies deepen with reds and blues before treating myself to a milkshake at Ghiradelli Square #wheninRome #itsfatfreehonest

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