Golden Gate Bridge

December 2015 This weekend I had the opportunity to revisit one of my favorite U.S. cities, San Francisco. I was taken back to this special place via a spontaneous offer from Airbnb to pilot their latest program. I was able to experience the shared economy in a brand new way, experiencing SF through local hosts. I brought my childhood best friend along for the ride and we enjoyed every bit of it. I am calling out this visit from last by denoting the visits with different colors.

August 2013 Just had one of my best trips of the year so far, our to San Francisco. I was able to get a ton in. I have kept the Yosemite National Park post separate to avoid this one getting too lengthly.

Hiking Mt. Tam

EXPERIENCE

On our first day in the city, we indulged our culinary side then headed to Fisherman’s Wharf to meet up with our boat captain for the afternoon, Gerog. He hosted us for an incredible sailing day on the Bay. We sailed under the Bay Bridge, past Yerba Urba, around Alcatraz Island, near Angel Island then under the Golden Gate bridge. We were shocked by how rough the water got once we went under the bridge and hit the ocean seas in an area our captain refered to as the washing machine. After this trip we walked back to the Wharf from Pier 40 to check out the sea lion colony that resides there. We walked up passed the cable cars and Lombard Street from here on our way to a pedicure (had to warm up after our day on the open water) then headed to our dinner engagement.

Lands End

Our final day was spent exploring SF’s many coasts. Our day began in charming Mill Valley at the IllumiGarden. We hiked in Marin County to the top of Mount Tam with our guide. We loved the charming town and the lovely shops and eateries near the square. After our hike we skipped over to The Sutro Baths and from there checked out the Camera Obscura and Lands End Trail for an iconic coastal experience in SF. We drove through the Presidio and walked Ocean Beach. We also checked out The General Store. 

The General Store

While out itinerary was action packed, there never seems to be enough time. I have a few fun additions to my list for my next visit including Baker Beach, Clarion Alley for street art, Mt. Davidson Park for iconic tree scenes and hiking Angel Island. Next time I’d also love to hit Mollusk Surf Shop, Dolores Park and the Women’s Building.

Ocean Beach

I just had an amazing trip to SF. This is a city I had visited as a youngster and been looking to get back to for quite some time. Flying into SFO, I got right to it, spending the trip on a combination of priorities. First off, I made a trip out to the Facebook/Instagram HQ to visit with a friend who works out there. This drive was easy, and a good reminder of how quickly the landscape changes once you head out of the bay area. In SF I loved walking Chinatown, the Castro and the Mission Districts. I did more shopping than anticipated and ate way more delicious meals than anyone should. One lovely dinner spot was the Cliff House on Ocean Beach, which provided great view of the surfers and choppy Northern Cali coast. Also spent time at the Golden Gate Bridge, Golden Gate Park, Lombard Street and other iconic destinations.

I was also able to get in a number of attractions outside the city, including a bike trip weekend to Sonoma wineries. I would recommend this as a means of seeing Sonoma, it as a lot of fun and less expensive than hiring a driver. Sausalito was another great day excursion. It’s very touristy, but we really enjoyed the floating houseboats and view of the city from across the bridge. A third excursion, which I really enjoyed was Oakland. This was a fun ferry trip from the Ferry Building, and made for a nice morning of exploring another Chinatown and walking this historic part of town. 

Top of Mt. Tam

STAY

This trip was hosted by Airbnb, so it is no surprised they had arranged an Airbnb accommodation for us. We had a lovely property in Lower Haight on Germania Street. This worked as a great home base for us and we were easily able to walk to the Castro and Mission for meals, coffee and people watching. 

San Francisco Port

For the beginning of the trip, I had the good fortune of staying with a friend near Lombard Street. This was a lovely spot and easy to get around to restaurants and bars with cabs and local car services.  From here we booked a hotel in Sonoma for the pure sake of convenience (cannot recommend it). Upon my return to SF after a few nights tenting it in Yosemite (see other post), I stayed in a lovely spot at the base of Chinatown called the Hilton Downtown Financial. Despite the formal name and brand, this hotel offered a lot of Asian inspired charm, as well as amazing views of the bay.

EAT

On the latest visit, much of my culinary tour was off the grid and hosted by local chefs and cooking enthusiasts. On our first night in town we were hosted by Miss Flores at her home where she prepared hand rolled pappardelle pasta with braised short ribs. Maria works with a new start up called EatWith that facilitates dinner parties and dining experiences in the city. The multi-course meal was very special and completed with a sea sale caramel creme brûlée that blew our minds. 

We started our first full day with Four Barrel Coffee and pastries at Tartine. We were hoping for fresh seafood at the hard but instead ate a simple picnic and champagne lunch aboard the boat. We had a tortilla and empanada making lesson that evening at Bob’s house. He ended up being a talented bartender as well and had even dehydrated his own Pacific Ocean sea salt to rim out glasses with.

Our final day was spent enjoyed coffee from Equator in Mill Valley then had lunch on the trail from M&I Bakery. We had the evening free and enjoyed a great Thai meal at Krua Thai in the Mission followed by fresh whipped nitro ice cream from Smitten. Before arriving I had picked some local foodie hit lists and will have to visit these spots on my next visit: AL’s Place, The Progress, Soulva, La Taqueria in the Mission and Rintaro.

San Francisco Bay

Food was certainly a highlight of this trip. I can’t wait to return so I can try even more places.  I had a beautiful brunch with girlfriends at Starbelly in the Castro. Favorite evening dining spots included a truly unforgettable meal at State Bird Provisions, a tapas style farm to table restaurant. Another incredible meal was ICHI sushi, if you go here, be sure to sit at the counter and interact with the very talented chef’s who prepare each piece of sushi with incredible care and precision. Both of these meals were just fantastic. Before heading out I was also able to sneak in a beer at the Biergarten on Octavia and a quick meal at Nopa. Tartine, both the bakery and the Bar Tartine were memorable stops as well. I was so inspired by this bread, it has launched the start of some bread making for me at home. Great coffee stops while in SF included Blue Bottle, Four Barrel and the Mill.  My favorite bar this trip was the speakeasy inspired Bourbon and Branch. Best dessert goes to Craftsman and Wolves in the Mission, where I had an amazing cake and Sightglass espresso.