Wanderlust Ten – San Francisco Edition

“Everywhere you look, everywhere you go

There’s a heart (There’s a heart), a hand to hold onto.

Everywhere you look, everywhere you go

There’s a place, of Somebody who needs you

Everywhere you look.”

I feel pretty confident that for most people traveling to San Francisco, this song is streaming through their minds & heart, and sure enough the same applied to us. Next up on our edition of Wanderlust Ten is beautiful, San Fransisco.

We had never been to the West Coast until a year and a half ago and since that time we have been back three times. We absolutely love everything about life on the west coast, definitely a lifestyle we could get use to living. So in compiling this list of Top Ten Must-Sees and Dos of San Francisco, California, I definitely focused on a lot of things that we did as well as a few things I wish we were able to do.

Wanderlust Ten – Top Ten Must- Sees and Dos of San Francisco

1. Bike across the Golden Gate Bridge. This definitely was one of my favorite parts of the entire trip. We rented bikes from a local bike rental company, Blazing Saddles and set out on our tour throughout the city (up several hills) to bike across the Golden Gate Bridge. We picked up our bikes at the Beach Street address and spent a total of four hours there and back on our trip. We both are pretty active people and if I had it my way I would explore every city via bike and again, this was definitely a highlight of the trip.

2. Take the ferry to Sausalito and explore the coastal city that was the inspiration for the song “Sittin’ on the Dock by the Bay.” We took the Golden Gate Ferry to Sausalito and had a lovely afternoon exploring the city filled with shops, great restaurants, and floating homes. The views to and from on the ferry were also amazing (beautiful skies, the view of Alcatraz, and the Golden Gate Bridge). Good eats: Barrel House Tavern and Bar Bocce (both with amazing views).

Barrel House Tavern – Sausalito

3. Drink and dine and enjoy the beautiful views at a rooftop bar. (lots of really great ones) including El Techno de Lolinda in the Mission District (we went for drinks & apps and then dined a late night dinner at a local burrito shop (that was amazing). Another wonderful bar with a view that we enjoyed was the View, with beautiful views of the city.

4. Explore the ruins at the Sutro Baths. This also ranks highly as one of my favorite things we did in San Francisco. We uber-ed to the Sutro Baths, ruins of what once was a very large indoor swimming pool that opened in 1890 for the workers of the city and closed in 1966. The ruins that remain are a beautiful playground near the bay. We spent all morning exploring the ruins, finding hidden coves & treasures, and experiencing the cold, sobering temperatures of the water. Also, you can reach the beginning of the Land End’s Trail from the Sutro Baths. 

Ruins at the Sutro Baths.

5. Hike and explore the Land End’s Trail. Embark on a beautiful hike (& climb) as you enjoy beautiful views of the San Francisco Bay & Golden Gate Bridge. The trail ends at China Beach and a residential area full of beautiful homes with absolutely gorgeous views. After a walk through the neighborhood, you can arrive at Baker Beach and find yourself nearing the entrance to the Golden Gate Bridge. (On this particular day our phones had clocked us at walking over 18 miles!!) Absolutely worth it for all the views that we saw!!) 

6. Take a ride on a Cable Car. This is most likely a must for everyone. Pick a station and hop on & hold on & enjoy another way of travel through the hilly city. 

7. Embark on your own self-guided walking tour throughout many of the wonderful, diverse San Francisco neighborhoods. Seriously, there are SO many different wonderful neighborhoods to explore: North Beach, The Castro, Haight, Chinatown, Nob Hill, The Mission, SoMa, Russian Hill PLUS so many others. (Plus go and see the Pink Ladies, Lombard Street ~ all of the staples) 

Lombard Street

The Pink Ladies

8. Take a quick road trip to the Muir Woods and feel like Alice walking in Wonderland. Also, one of my absolute favorites. Take your time and truly explore this beautiful creation. 

9. Watch a game at AT&T stadium. *This is most definitely a must. The stadium has the coolest vibe and the fans are awesome ~ so much so that these die-hard Atlanta Braves fans found themselves wearing some Giants gear! 🙂 

10. Head over to Angel Island and explore. Angel Island was used as the immigration processing center of the West Coast (history teacher nerd) and now is a beautiful park full of trails to explore.

Other Notables:

• Head to the Ferry Building to enjoy wonderful artisan shops & markets. Located along the Embarcadero home to some of the highly sought after tastes of Mariposa Baking Company, delicious ice cream at Humphry Slocombe, Hog Island Oyster Company, Gott’s Roadside, El Porteño Empanadas, Cowgirl Creamery & Cowgirl Sidekick, Blue Bottle Coffee, & Acme Bread Company, plus many other great merchants.
• Check out local breweries: Cellarmaker Brewing Company, Fieldwork Brewing (amazing ~ we had some of the best IPAs from here while in Napa at their tasting room at the Oxbow), Bear Republic Brewing Co., and 21st Amendment Brewing. (21st amendment is located very close to AT&T stadium and is a super fun place to go for drinks before a Giants game)
• Excellent restaurants to try: Waterbar (Excellent views & really tasty food), brunch at Brenda’s, just to name a couple!

Brunch at Brenda’s French Soul Food.

San Francisco local or avid traveler yourself, please comment below on your favorite San Francisco spots! Traveling and have questions, feel free to ask!!

xo. Haley