I will always have a soft spot in my heart for San Francisco. It is such a fun town with so many wonderful vibes. And there’s something for everybody: beaches, museums, forest, sports parks, food, shopping. I’ve been able to visit San Francisco over the years with friends and family, but never by myself.
When I told my friends that I was going to San Francisco over Labor Day weekend, they asked me what I was going to do in town. While I had a few things planned in Oakland, Sacramento, and Mill Valley,I decided not to plan anything in the city. I wanted to try just showing up and going with my gut. I’ve heard about people doing this in other parts of the world and they usually came away with a memorable experience. Why couldn’t I do that too?
After spending a few hours in Muir Woods, I found that I had half a day to be a tourist in San Francisco. Since I didn’t have anyone in tow, I was able to go at my own speed. So what did I do? Did I see new places? Revisit favorites? BOTH!
Since I was doing this trip solo, I wanted to slow things down a bit. I wanted to sit out and enjoy the weather. I miss being on the coast. I drove towards Old Mason street, thinking that Chrissy Fields would be a great stopping point. Tourist moment: I missed the parking for Chrissy Fields, so I ended up driving more into the Presidio. I found an awesome FREE PARKING LOT fairly close to the Golden Gate and set up camp.
I didn’t bring my laptop this trip, but I was dying to get something written down. I pulled out my notebook from earlier and just started writing; nothing that I necessarily want to share. No ground-breaking revelations were written down…just the freedom of expression that I tried to formulate into sentences.
(and a pretty horrible sketch of the Golden Gate Bridge…not ashamed that I can’t draw)
Okay, the look on my face in this next picture requires explaining. I was trying to get a selfie with the bridge, but it just wasn’t working out. Out of the corner of my eye, I noticed a girl around my age doing the same thing: arm outstretched, knees bent, slowly rotating and shrinking to get the gate in the frame without looking like we were growing a horn.
We offered to take pictures for each other. When she started taking pictures of me, I wasn’t ready. I was actually talking to her and saying something along the lines of:
“I don’t like normal pictures, but what am I going to do…say ‘this is the Golden Gate’ and pretend like I made it?”
Of course, she decided to take the picture of me as I was gesturing towards the bridge. And you know what? I like it.
The spot I was sitting at started to get a little crowded. Apparently other people discovered my secret free parking spot. So I moved on. I knew I was close to the Palace of Fine Arts and wanted to check it out.
The only thing I knew about this place was that a part of “The Rock” had been shot here. I knew it was pretty and wanted to see it for myself.
Unless you’re here for a show or shooting a movie, there’s not much to do but look around and enjoy the architecture. It’s stunning. I wish there wasn’t a ton of people around, but that’s what I get for traveling on a holiday in the afternoon. The upside was that I found someone to take a picture of me!
I really need to get a tripod and camera. Trying to balance my iPhone on my bag just wasn’t cutting it this time around.
A trip to the Bay Area wouldn’t be complete without a hot fudge sundae at Ghirardelli. No matter how many times I have one here, they’re always amazing. The craziest part? Nobody was in line. Usually you have to wait as large parties try to figure out what they want…always waiting until they get to the counter to start thinking about it. I walked strutted right up to the register and ordered my standard: hot fudge sundae without nuts. I picked a seat next to the little display they have in the shop and was in heaven.
After filling up on the hot fudge sundae and not spilling on myself (#forthewin), I was feeling brave: I walked a few blocks to Fisherman’s Wharf. Gasp!
Even on a weekday in the off-season, Fisherman’s Wharf is crazy. Most locals try to avoid it because Fisherman’s Wharf is a major tourist trap. Regardless, I needed to get to Boudin. I was ready for clam chowder.
As usual, the chowder was amazing. I also ordered the tomato and basil pizza, which I’d had before and loved. Sadly, it was one of those moments when the memory of the flavor was better than the 2nd-go-around. After lunch, I wandered around the store a little bit, looking at the cool and kitchy shwag. When I asked my family what they wanted from the city, they asked if I could ship them some Boudin sourdough in fun shapes.
Years ago, as a thank you, my family shipped 2 loaves of sourdough bread in the shapes of crabs to my sister’s in-laws. Apparently, that memory stuck in my brothers’ minds and they asked for sourdough bread. Isn’t that cute?? And to top it off, I’d gotten in the habit of shipping stuff to them while traveling: coconuts from Hawaii, crab from Seattle, etc. Fortunately, amidst the cookbooks and cans of chowder for sale, there are 2 kiosks where you can place an order for loaves of bread. How cool is that? There were many different designs to choose from: animals, shapes, and CABLE CARS! Perfect! It was so easy to order, pay for, and ship 2 cable car-shaped loaves of bread.
I know you can order them online from the comfort of your home, but it’s so much more fun for my family to know that I was actually there and not at home when I ordered them!
After I’d had my fill of Fisherman’s Wharf, I grabbed a Lyft back to my car and plotted my next stop. At 3:30 in the afternoon, I had to choose carefully. Residents were starting to get off of work and the bridges were filling up. Getting around was going to be slow-moving and my parking karma might be waning. While I was thinking, I looked up and realized that the sky was clear.
Seriously, how had I not noticed earlier?
I immediately looked West and saw that the top of Sutro Tower clearly visible. Sa-weet! I knew where I was headed next!
I’m a sucker for epic views and had always wanted to see San Francisco and the bay from Sutro Tower. This was my chance! Winding my way through downtown took a little longer than expected, and the entire way I was just pleading for the weather not to change. By the time I reached the tower, not knowing what to really expect, I saw signs for “Twin Peaks.” Intriguing. I followed.
So Glad I Did.
Twin Peaks, as I found out, are 2 hills that offer breathtaking views of the whole Bay Area. There are a few small parking lots on various sides of the peaks, and a rustic pathway leads to to the top of both. Since I wasn’t planning on hiking at all, I was wearing my flip flops and didn’t have a jacket. Oops. Although the pathway is totally doable in flip flops, it sure was windy at the top!
There weren’t too many people at the top, and those who made it up didn’t stay that long. Yes, it was windy and cold. But where else could you get such an amazing view of the city to the East/North, and the Pacific to the West?
After getting my fill of the view (okay, maybe not fill…but I couldn’t feel my toes any more and my nose started to run), I decided to return to a few more places: Haight-Ashbury and the Painted Ladies. Fortunately, they were on the way out of town and not too far away from each other.
So Haight-Ashbury…not the most uplifting place in my mind. Last time I was there, my group just drove around a bit to get a feel for the place. The people I was with didn’t want to stop, so we took in what we could from the car. It was probably for the best because it’s not really my scene. The SFGate has a pretty good synopsis of what you can expect from this “flower-power, incense-burning, acid-dropping, tie-dye-wearing, peace-and-love-vibing” neighborhood. Literally, the 60’s threw up in this neighborhood. Add to that tons of crazy tourists, pushy pan-handlers, and half the trash accumulated in Golden Gate Park. Needless to say, I just drove around again. This was still not my scene, but I wanted to give it another try. To each their own.
The Painted Ladies are a group of houses across from Alamo Square Park (which is currently under construction…looks like it’s going to be an amazing park when they’re done). Most people associate them with Full House, even though there are quite a few blocks separating the places. Even though there isn’t much to do than get on the grass across the street and take a selfie with them, the Painted Ladies are always on my San Francisco must-see list!
There is so much to do in San Francisco! I wish I had more time to spend in the city, but duty calls. I headed back to work the following morning. I can’t wait to go back…and hopefully see the 49ers new football stadium!
Have you ever been to San Francisco? What are your must-dos for visiting San Francisco?
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