San Francisco, CA

Booked a few months in advance (meaning I almost forgot about this trip after the previous adventures in California), I went to visit some friends who had moved to San Francisco. I was looking forward to a more "metro" trip experience, enjoying the coffee and pastries rather than hiking and exerting myself!

I stayed with my friends who were living in the Mission district at the time. Mission Dolores Park was well within walking distance and absolutely worth walking through. If you walk right to the top of the park, you have this great view over the park and on a clear day you can see well to downtown SF.

Stopping in for coffee and almond croissant from the esteemed Tartine bakery was a must-do!

The Ferry Building is an iconic piece of SF which houses many specialty vendors in a market-style arrangement. There is good food in there also, and you are able to keep walking along the pier. If you have all day, you can walk the entire way from the Ferry Building around to the Golden Gate Bridge. It's about 8.5km walk, however you are walking alongside water the entire time!

The Golden Gate Bridge, of course. It does get quite congested walking along the bridge, be careful for folks moving fast alongside you. Nearby the café, there's a cross-section of the cable which gives you an interesting idea of the engineering and materials behind the bridge! It's easy to take public transport from the bridge back to downtown.

Another activity worth doing for the views over downtown is Coit Tower. You can ride the iconic trolleys to get there. Be warned, there's a few steps involved, but the view is worth it on a clear day!

Finally, to cap off a busy but sight-filled trip, the Painted Ladies! These were only a short walk from where I was staying in the Mission district.

I really enjoyed this trip to San Francisco, there's plenty of iconic sights that are all very accessible if you are staying in proximity to downtown SF. I think SF has its challenges (what US city doesn't...), but there's still a culture and experience in SF that is unique and worth consuming. Beyond SF, you're in great proximity of some driving trips to parks and locations like Yosemite, Monterey, and Big Sur!