SAN FRANCISCO See’s and Do’s
My goal with my visit to San Francisco was to walk around as much as I possibly could to see the different areas in the city. And try the local food long the way. I didn’t go to Alcatraz or went across the bridge to see the redwoods at Muir Woods National Monument – I wanted to see the city itself.
Fisherman’s Wharf
So, let’s get this over with. Having booked hotel 10 minutes away from the wharf, I had, at some point, make my way down to see it. Maybe I’m a little to hard on this (major) tourist trap because I can see the allure if you’re below 15 years of age, but I haven’t been to a place with this many tourists since that time at Time’s Square. And the reason why I booked hotel so close was mainly because it happened to be an In ‘N Out in the middle of it all.
Enough with the bashing. Fisherman’s Wharf does have some worthy sights. Pier 39 with its sea lions is one example. Here’s an aquarium, rides, bay cruises, shoppings, restaurants. All impressively crammed into a rather small space. I spent little less than 40min walking through it; to the sea lions and back. Again, if your company contains children, this is a fun place. Otherwise, it’s worth visiting, but not for a prolonged period of time.
Next to Fisherman’s Wharf is Ghirardelli Square with over 40 shops and restaurants. The main attraction of this landmark is Ghirardelli Chocolate Factory. Famous for its sundae’s, this establishment dates back to the 1850s when Domingo Ghirardelli came to San Francisco and started his chocolately business endevaours. I came here on a Tuesday morning when there was little to no people around. The Ghirardelli Chocolate Experience ( https://www.ghirardelli.com/stores/sf-experience) was unfortunately closed so I basically just wondered around and bought a bag of chocolates from one of the shops. I’ll give it an other visit next time I’m in town.
Land’s End Trail
I almost skipped out on this due to being absolutely exhausted after walking up hills all day. I’m glad I didn’t.
Before I came to San Francisco, I had looked up where to get the best views in the city. Land’s End at sundown was one of those places. It’s a short hike that takes about 25 min to complete and is well worth it due to the great views. Especially at sunset.
About an hour before sundown, I took an Uber from my hotel to Sutro Baths parking lot at the western coastline of San Francisco. It had been a clear day with pretty much no clouds so there were quite a few people when I got there, but not crowded by any means.
Starting at Sutro Baths (picture above), I made my way up the hillside and got a great view of the site before continuing up and found the Land’s End Trail.
Along the winding road next to the cliffs, the walk is fairly easy with only a few minor inclines. There are several spots along the trail where you can descend closer to the water. I highly recommend heading to the cliff that juts out over the water. It’s about a 20-minute walk from Sutro Baths, and if you’re looking for the best spot to catch the sunset, this is definitely the place to be.
I stayed here for 45min watching the sun go down, ending my first day in SF.
Crissy Beach and the Bridge
Visiting San Francisco without strolling along Crissy Beach to the Golden Gate bridge is a bit like going to Cairo and skipping the pyramids. Touristy or not, on a sunny morning, it’s a great walk which I recommend anyone to do.
I did the walk on my first morning in the city with clear skies and pleasant temperature. I started at my hotel in the Marina District and ended up by the bridge an hour later. It was a Sunday morning with lots of people around.
There is a shop when you get to the bridge where you can by overpriced water, which I totally did, and various merchandise.
Other Must-Do’s and Must-See’s
Below you find a short summary of all the other places I visited during my days in this diverse, fantastic city.
The Mission District
The neighbourhood for all the taco fanatics. It’s a different vibe and feels like a different city when you walk around these streets. This was my ultimate goal after a long day of walking so I didn’t spend too much time here. My mind was set on tacos and thereafter napping.
I ended up eating at El Patrón which you can read about here: https://twoshoesandabackpack.com/what-i-ate-in-sf/.
Chinatown
Chinatown in SF is one of the biggest Chinese enclaves outside of Asia. And it’s big, indeed. I’m not a huge fan of Chinese culture, so this wasn’t a priority of mine to visit, but as soon as you step inside its borders, it felt like another country altogether.
I had heard about one particular pastry I needed to try here – the egg tarts. This legendary Chinese pastry is a small, circular tart of flaky pastry, filled with a smooth, lightly sweetened egg custard. Allegedly, there is one bakery that has the best egg tarts in town – The Golden Gate Bakery. Unfortunately, they only sold mooncakes when I was there due the approaching autumn festival season. Instead, I looked up two other bakeries that sold them and bought one at each place; Garden Bakery and AA Bakery. They were okey, nothing special. The pastry was nice, very flaky, but the custard could’ve been sweeter.
Nonetheless, Chinatown in SF is definitely worth visiting. I wish I had tried some actual food here but there wasn’t time.
