San Francisco, U.S.A.
San Francisco is one of our favorite cities to visit and also our second home (as we have relatives in the Bay Area).
San Francisco Bay area consists of nine counties:
- San Francisco
- Santa Clara (San Jose, Silicon Valley)
- San Mateo
- Alameda (Oakland)
- Napa
- Sonoma
- Solano
- Contra Costa
- Marin
The Bay Area has over 7.5 million people in over 100 cities.
My top picks for things to do and must see while in San Francisco (depending on the duration of your stay, you might not get to see all these):
- Golden Gate Bridge (Presidio) – 2 best views of the bridge (i) park at Battery East parking lot on Lincoln Blvd; (ii) drive across the Golden Gate Bridge, exit at Alexandrer Avenue, turn left and go under highway, then turn right on Conzelman Road, you’ll then come up to parking on the left…a small walk and great pictures on the bridge with SF in the background…get their early as it can get very busy
- Alcatraz Tour (make sure to buy your tickets on-line about 1 month in advance) Alcatraz Tickets
- Fisherman’s Warf (Pier 39)…check out the sea lions hanging out
- Ghirardelli Square…if you’re a chocolate lover, Ghirardelli Square is a must see/visit Ghirardelli Square
- Cable Car Ride
- Crooked Lombard Street
- Painted Ladies (at Alamo Square Park) – if you were a Full House fan, neat to visit for some pictures
- Coit Tower (at Telegraph Hill)
- Union Square (amazing shopping)
- Tiki bars…SF is the capital of tiki bars…a few to recommend: Pagan Idol, Tonga Room, Smuggler’s Cove, Zombie Village, Shovel’s Bar, Rum & Sugar, Last Rites, Forbidden Island
- Hayes Valley (great shopping and restaurants)
- Ferry Building (at Pier 1)…The Slanted Door restaurant highly recommended and great views of the Bay Bridge)
- Golden Gate Park
- Beaches: Baker Beach, Marshall’s Beach, China Beach, Ocean Beach
- San Francisco Zoo
- Top of the Mark (at the Intercontinental Hotel…amazing at Sunset)
- Exploratorium
- North Beach (Washington Square: great restaurants and beautiful Saints Peter and Paul Cathedral)
- Drive through Seacliff/Lands End neighborhood…amazing houses…Robin Williams house 540 El Camino del mar)
- Cliff House Restaurant (one of our favourites in San Francisco…located looking out the Pacific Ocean…historic and beautiful views)…take a walk to see the Sutro Baths historic site while waiting for your table)
- Sporting Events: SF Giants (Oracle Park), Golden State Warriors (at Chase Center)
- Wave Organ (by Chrissy Field Beach in front of Marina Green)
- Walt Disney Family Museum
- George Lucas Film (LucasFilm) – if you’re a Starwars fan, pretty neat1 Letterman Drive)
A few of our favorite places to eat in San Francisco:
- Breakfast – Honey Honey Café & Crepery (Post & Taylor)
- Don Pisto’s (North Beach)
- Cliff House (located at Lands End…we always visit on every SF trip)
- Slanted Door (located in the Ferry Building…be sure to make a reservation)
- Souvla (Hayes Valley)…amazing food
- Matador (679 Sutter)…excellent Mexican eats (so good)…and drinks
- La Taqueria (2889 Mission Street) – another good Mexican fav
- Tartine Bakery – if you didn’t get your sweet fix at Ghirardelli Square…Tartine Bakery is an outstanding bakery (Mission at 600 Guerrero….there’s no sign, just look for the line outside)
- Top of the Mark (located at the top of the Intercontinental)…go for drinks and apps at sunset for the outstanding views
- Blue Bottle Cafe
North of San Francisco:
- Sausalito – Sausalito is very quaint…get to Sausalito from SF by driving over the Golden Gate of you can take a ferry to and from SF
- Point Bonita Lighthouse – very scenic lighthouse…drive across the Golden Gate Bridge, exit at Alexandrer Avenue, turn left and go under highway, then turn right on Conzelman Road…drive to the end of Conzelman Road to the parking lot…the hike along the trail is about 20 minutes and very beautiful (great views across to SF and Golden Gate Bridge)…when you get to the lighthouse you’ll cross over a suspension bridge to get to the lighthouse (there’s no charge for going to the lighthouse)
- Muir Beach – very nice drive along to Muir Beach/Stinson Beach/Point Reyes…after the Golden Gate Bridge stay on the 101, once you’re near Waldo/Almonte, take Highway 1 (Shoreline Highway)…drive with caution as the road is windy. You will come to Muir Beach, then Stinson Beach, and Point Reyes
- Point Reyes Conservation
- Stinson Beach
- Napa / Sonoma – when we visit Napa, we stay at Vino Bello Resport…decent resort on the South end of Napa (close to Napa town)…the majority of wineries are of Highway 29 (St. Helena Highway) or Silverado Trail. We love stopping in Oakville and St. Helena. A few recommended restaurants in Napa area: French Laundry (located in Yountville), Mustards Grill, Rutherford Grill, Farmstead at Long Meadow Ranch, Bistro Don Giovanni. A few of our favourite wineries (there’s so many to chose from): Hess, Sterling, Pineridge, Henry, Auteur, Trefethen Family Vineyards, Stonehedge
South of San Francisco:
- Half Moon Bay – off Highway 280, take Highway 35 to Highway 92 to Highway 1…nice drive and great restaurants in Half Moon Bay
- Silicon Valley/San Jose (take tours through Google campus, Apple, and NASA. In San Jose Santana Row lifestyle centre is wonderful (also across from Westfield Valleyfair Mall (both great for shopping). Stanford Shopping Center is also a nice outdoor shopping center to visit (located in Palo Alto)
- Mount Hamilton – off Highway 680, take Highway 130…drive up to Mount Hamilton is not a short drive, however once you’ve reached the top, views are wonderful
- Big Basin Redwoods State Park (stunning drive)…off Highway 17 Santa Cruz Highway) take Scotts Valley Drive to Mount Herman Road, right on Graham Hill Road, right on Highway 9…once in Boulder Creek, turn left on Big Basin Highway (Highway 236). Once in Big Basin Redwood State Park take time for a nice hike to see the stunning Redwood Trees. After your hike, highly recommended to continue on Highway 236, the drive is beautiful through the forest (the road can be narrow at times, so drive safely).
- Santa Cruz – the Boardwalk at Santa Cruz is classic…very nice in the Summer months…Winter months it’s only open on weekends and limited rides are open
- Capitola – we love Capitola…great beach area and beachfront restaurants
- Monterey (Aquarium is wonderful, especially for children)
- Pebble Beach – take the 17 mile drive from Monterey through Pebble Beach to Carmel (there’s a fee for 17 mile drive, however worth paying the fee for the drive)
- Carmel-By-The-Sea – Carmel by the Sea is a very pretty town…small shops and restaurants
- Drive on Highway 1 from San Francisco to Los Angeles (highly recommended to go from San Fran to L.A. as you will be on the ocean side of the road…easy for pulling off to vista points. The Drive takes approximately 8 – 10 hours…tons of great photo ops
Tips when visiting San Francisco:
- Bring a sweater…even in the summer months, San Francisco can often have a cool breeze from the Bay
- Bring good walking shoes…SF as you’re likely aware is very hilly….be prepared to walk…good pair of walking shoes is recommended
- Hotels – we prefer to stay around Union Square as is central, great shopping and restaurants
- Like any large city with tourist…be smart and cautious…watch your belongings (wallets/hand bags)…generally the city is fairly safe, however always good to be aware of your surroundings
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