Visiting San Francisco.....
written by our fantastic clients - Leah and Edward
So you are planning your visit America’s prettiest and quirkiest city - San Francisco! To make your stay most enjoyable, we’ve added some tips and ideas for you as you explore.
The heart of our busiest shopping district - Union Square. The stores are plentiful and the malls are pretty. If you’re looking to stay close and shop, you won’t need to go anywhere else.
City Hall is gorgeous, as is the rest of the Civic Center, so do go inside and admire the beautiful architecture of this historic building. Even though it’s only a ten-minute walk from Union Square, we recommend Ubering there. For coffee and a light bite, head west to Hayes Valley, otherwise you can head towards Alamo Square and the Painted Ladies, San Francisco’s famous row of Victorian homes.
At the edge of Union Square, is the Dragon Gate at the beginning of the largest Chinatown outside Asia. People come here for souvenirs, good dim sum, alternative medicine, temples, the Fortune Cookie Factory, and generally to stroll around the very active streets.
A few blocks up from Union Square is Nob Hill, where you’ll find stunning architecture like Grace Cathedral, our replica of Paris’ Notre Dame surrounded by landmark hotels like the Fairmont and Mark Hopkins(check out Top of the Mark for incredible views and tea-time. The Cathedral is must see and then you can get an Uber to nearby Lombard Street. It’s the “crookedest street in the world” and it’s also a must see for SF first timers. From Lombard Street, it’s a five-minute walk to North Beach, our Little Italy.
The Embarcadero waterfront is very popular and we’d recommend you start at the Ferry Building and move north-west along the water towards Pier 39 and Ghirardelli Square; it’s the tourist epicenter of attractions. Explore the waterfront, visit the sea lions at Pier 39, catch a ferry to Alcatraz (but book tickets ahead of time as they sell out quickly!), play at the old school mechanical arcade Musee Mecanique at Pier 45, or just grab a bite at some of the popular seafood places in Fisherman’s Wharf. If you see electric scooters, download the app and try them out! It’ll make the sightseeing more fun and less tiring. There’s also a historic cable car at this area that takes you up the hill, past our famously crooked Lombard Street and right back to Uion Square.
San Francisco is very hilly and the vistas are world famous. If you make it to Coit Tower or Twin Peaks, you won’t be disappointed. You can take the stairs, but we’d recommend an Uber (we don’t work for them but they’re annoyingly and conveniently everywhere).
Fifteen minutes away from Union Square is Golden Gate Park (GGP) - an endless canopy of trees separated by museums, the Japanese Tea Garden, lakes, and a random American Bison reserve. The park is huge but can easily be seen on a bike. On one side of the park is the hippie inspired Haight-Ashbury District (remember Full House?), and on the other side of the park is the boardwalk and our frigid Ocean Beach (do check out the views from the Cliff house if you get a chance)
A few minutes from GGP is Presidio National Park, a former military base being transformed into the coolest urban green space in the country. We highly recommend visiting Crissy Field and the Palace of Fine Arts. From here you can take a break on Chestnut Street in the Marina District. Afterwards, for those that are more physically inclined, you can walk up the Lyon Street Steps to Broadway and Lyon Street and take in one of the more majestic views while standing in the midst of some of the most precariously perched and expensive homes in the country. For those who want to save some time (and energy), you can take an Uber (yes, again) to the top of the Lyon Street Steps. From here you can further explore The Presidio or head down to Union or Fillmore Street, for unique boutiques and neighborhood gems.
If you prefer fewer tourists, head to the Mission District and check out the half Latin, half hipster Dolores Park area. Get pastries from Tartine and/or a hot chocolate from Dandelion Chocolate and stroll the mural-filled alleys (Clarion Alley is one of our favorites) or lay out on the grass getting high with the locals at Dolores Park. The colorful Castro is nearby as well with very lively street life and naked men walking around – we know that’s the reason you’re really coming!
For those wondering about our famous Golden Gate Bridge (if you ever visited Lisbon Portugal, you will find a replica of our bridge there too!), it’ll be visible anywhere on the northern waterfront, fog permitting. You can even walk across it if you desire and walk down into the picturesque town of Sausalito and then take a Ferry back to SF. We can’t stress enough that everything is very close by and can be done in any order you choose. We highly discourage renting a car - you will spend a lot of money on parking and have a big headache even finding it with all the no parking areas.
Further out from the city, if you are making a trip of it, majestic Lake Tahoe(3 hrs north) and our famous Wine Country (Sonoma, Calistoga, and Napa, 1.5 hrs north of SF) are absolutely worth a visit! And 1.5hrs to the south you will find the college town of Santa Cruz with a fun and permanent luna-park on the boardwalk. You should take the breathtaking state route 1(aka highway1) all the way from SF past HalfMoonBay, an ocean front small town with great views and good food that's worth a visit, and a little further down south you will come upon the towns of Monterrey and Carmel well known for their beautiful golf courses and art galleries. To the east, about 3 hrs drive from the SF, you'll find Yosemite - one of the most amazing places on earth best known for its waterfalls, but within its nearly 1,200 square miles, you can find deep valleys, grand meadows, ancient giant sequoias, a vast wilderness area, and much more (oh, be ware of bears!)
There's so much to see and experiences in California, so these are just some of the highlights to help you plan your trip. Be sure to check out SF nightlife, theaters, movies, speakeasies and rooftop bars....
Safe travels and see you soon!
