San Francisco had been on my bucket list for quite a while given all of the beautiful pictures of the Golden Gate Bridge and the bay area and it did not disappoint. My husband and I spent 2 full days in the city so here are my must do activities in the area:

Lombard Street– San Francisco is a very hilly city in general, but Lombard Street is especially steep between Hyde and Leavenworth Streets. It is famous for its 8 hairpin turns within this block that are surrounded by beautiful landscaping. We didn’t get the chance to drive down these turns because we didn’t have a car, but the recommended speed limit is 5 mph!

Baker Beach and Golden Gate Bridge– Baker Beach is along the Pacific Ocean on the Northwest side of the city and provides some of the best views of the Golden Gate Bridge. It is a public beach that is part of the Presidio, a former military base. We walked along most of the beach, but do be aware that the northernmost section is considered a nude beach.

Coit Tower– This landmark is a 210 foot tower located in the Telegraph Hill area of San Francisco that was built in 1933. The inside of the tower has numerous painted murals and there is a $7 charge to ride the elevator to the top. We chose to enjoy the views of San Francisco Bay and Alcatraz from the area surrounding the tower. We were able to walk to Coit Tower via Lombard Street, but I will say it was a fairly steep trek. We took the famous Filbert Street Stairs from the top of Telegraph Hill down to the waterfront to continue with our day.

San Francisco Giants game at AT&T Park– being avid sports fans, we felt like we couldn’t pass up the opportunity to see the San Francisco Giants play in the famous AT&T Park. If you have ever watched a game on television, I’m sure you have seen the boaters and kayakers in McCovey Cove hoping to catch a home run ball. Aside from being a beautiful day for a baseball game, I found the concessions within the ballpark to be quite delicious. Public transportation to and from AT&T Park is very easy and taking the N-train, a metro streetcar, felt quintessential to San Francisco.

Ferry Building Marketplace- My husband knows that if there is a public market in any city we visit, it will be on our list of places to go. I enjoy seeing the local vendors and sampling various foods and the Ferry Building Marketplace was no different. Built in 1898 as the main transportation hub of anyone arriving by train and then by ferry, the building almost became obsolete with the opening of the Bay Bridge and the Golden Gate Bridge. It became the famous food market as it is known today in 2003 and although we didn’t get to visit during the farmer’s market (Tuesday, Thursday, Saturday), we did get to eat some amazing tacos from Mijita Cocina Mexicana.

The Painted Ladies– Located along Steiner Street next to Alamo Square, the painted ladies are Victorian Era houses made especially famous on the television series Full House. Although Alamo Square was closed for renovation during our visit, we were still able to get a good view of the houses with the San Francisco skyline in the background.

16th Avenue Tiled Steps– these 163 steps were tiled in a beautiful mosaic as part of a community project. They are located on Moraga Street between 15th and 16th Avenues. We arrived early in the morning and found no one else around. The steps are in a residential area of San Francisco and can be reached on public transportation by taking the N Judah train to Judah and 15th Avenue and walking up the hill.

Golden Gate Park– You could easily spend an entire day at Golden Gate Park considering it is over 1,000 acres but we chose to visit just a small area of the park. We walked the edge of Stow Lake, located near the center of the park, which also has a boat house where you can rent row boats or pedal boats. We then headed to the Japanese Tea Garden, built in 1894 as a part of an exhibition for the World’s Fair. There is free admission if you arrive before 10 am on Monday, Wednesday and Friday, but we opted not to pay the $9 fee to enter. There are numerous other attractions within Golden Gate Park, including the California Academy of Sciences, the De Young Museum, Conservatory of Flowers and the Dutch Windmill.

Fort Point and Crissy Field– Fort Point is a National Historic Site that was built in the 1850’s to help protect San Francisco Bay. It is located underneath the Golden Gate Bridge and provides some pretty spectacular views. Crissy Field is a former U.S. Army airfield that is now a part of the Golden Gate Recreation Area. There is a hiking/biking path along Crissy Field along with picnic tables and beaches.

Pier 39 Sea Lions– Although now a huge attraction that includes a sea lion center and the Aquarium of the Bay, the sea lions on Pier 39 originally appeared on the K dock following the 1989 Loma Prieta Earthquake. More sea lions kept making this their home due to an abundant food supply and protection from predators and now are a mainstay of Pier 39. I found them to be quite entertaining, with some being extremely large!

Ghirardelli Square– I have a serious love for chocolate, especially the creamy dark chocolate made by Ghirardelli. As you can imagine, a visit to a whole square dedicated to this chocolate was a must see for me. It is located on the west side of Fisherman’s Wharf at the corner of Beach and Larkin Streets. Along with a viewing area of chocolate manufacturing equipment, The Original Ghirardelli Ice Cream and Chocolate Shop in the square sells a variety of ice cream sundaes like the ones you see in the picture below and they are fantastic! I will admit that I didn’t eat the rest of the day though…

Tartine Bakery– Unfortunately, I do not have any pictures of this amazing place but no trip is complete without indulging in their specialty pastries. Located on Guerrero Street, there is often a line out the door on weekend mornings. I highly suggest the morning bun, pain au chocolat or the quiche which changes daily.

***You may have noticed one very famous tourist attraction missing from the list…Alcatraz. With limited time and in an attempt to appeal to my husband, I gave him the option of a San Francisco Giants game or a tour of the former prison and you can guess what he picked.

Tips

• I highly recommend using AirBnB for your trip to San Francisco. I found that the hotels were 2-3 times the price of an AirBnB and I was able to find one right next to a public bus line.
• We did not have a car during our stay as the public transportation is plentiful and easy to use. We simply bought a 3 day visitor pass that allowed us to use the buses, trolleys and street cars throughout the city.
• I would avoid the area affectionately known as “The Tenderloin” at night. It is located between Union Square and the Civic Center and is known for an illegal drug trade and prostitution.
• Plan ahead which places you want to see using blogs like mine or from an awesome guide book from Lonely Planet

*If you are looking for more information on San Francisco, check out this blog as well.

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