This was my first trip to mainland USA. I was nervous about San Francisco because we had been warned about high crime rates, particularly car break-ins, and we were hiring a car! Nervously, we checked into our hotel and embarked on 4 days of exploring this vibrant city.
Where to stay in San Francisco
As I mentioned, we were worried about our safety, so chose a hotel that was very central to most of the things we wanted to see. Hotel Zoe was a fantastic choice for us. Located within walking distance of the waterfront with a cool restaurant and bar on the ground floor.
Things to Do in San Francisco
Wander through Fisherman’s Wharf
Boudin Bakery
We arrived at our hotel in the early evening after very long flights, therefor our plan for the night, was to head to Fisherman’s wharf and grab a quick dinner, before having an early night. I have to say first, that we came from an Australian summer to a San Francisco winter and the first thing that hit me was the cold! Brrrr!!! So, it was with much appreciation, we chose to try the famous Boudin bakery‘s nice, warm, clam chowder as our first meal in San Francisco. It was hot, creamy and delicious, and you get to eat the sourdough bowl! The bakery itself is worth visiting with loaves of bread in quirky designs and a unique conveyor belt delivery system as well as a gift shop.
The Seal Colony
Depending on the time of year that you visit, you will find Sea Lions camped out at Pier 39. We visited in December and there were quite a few, but in Summer the numbers drop as they migrate south for the breeding season. The seal lions have taken up residence at the Pier because of the ample dock space to sunbathe and the protected environment. Head down to Pier 39’s K dock to see these ‘SeaLebrities’ 😁
Where to eat in San Francisco
Apart from Boudin Bakery, another iconic destination to get your taste buds tingling is Ghirardelli Chocolate store, located in Ghirardelli Square. Nothing better on a freezing cold winter day than wrapping your frosty hands around a steamy hot chocolate. Grab some sweet treats for the road, to keep your motor running throughout the day.
We ate at In-n-Out-Burger, which is apparently a thing, but I just found it to be like most other fast-food burger places and not worth raving about.
Scoma’s on the other hand…. wow!! Make sure you book this one, it gets busy. Delicious seafood, friendly and attentive wait staff, and the location is stunning. It is said to be one of the best Seafood restaurants in San Francisco and I can see why. It’s not pretentious and over the top, just good food, great service and friendly atmosphere.
Alcatraz
No visit to San Francisco would be complete without a visit to Alcatraz. Tours over to the island prison leave regularly from Pier 33, but you do need to book. I was surprised how much I enjoyed and learnt on this tour. The audio commentary that guides you through the prison and grounds, is voiced by actual one-time inmates and guards of the prison. Personal stories are shared along with the usual information you would expect. Solitary confinement, also known as ‘the hole’, sits on the side of the rock facing San Francisco, and on certain nights, when the wind is right, sounds of partying in the city float across the bay to torture the inmates. I was surprised to learn that there was once a little settlement on the tiny island where the families of the prison personnel would stay, including their children!
Ride the Historic Cable Cars
Be prepared to wait in a queue to ride one of these San Francisco institutions …. but it has to be done! Top tip, which we discovered late in our visit, if you want to avoid the long queues don’t get on at the beginning or end of the route, hop on a few stops into the journey. Alternatively, you can choose to ride on a less popular route, like the Powell-Mason Cable Car line. If you’re like me though, and want to see them turning the cable cars on the large turntable and want to stop off at the iconic Lombard Street, then it is worth the wait to board the Powell-Hyde Line. Being close to Christmas, all the cable cars were decorated in festive finery, which made for some lovely photos.
Ticketing is easy once you work it out. We tried to buy a 3-day pass online, using the MuniMobile app, but we had a lot of drama trying to do this. In the end, we went old school and got our hard copy passport style ticket that gets punched on each ride. Be aware that the ticket needs to be purchased before you board the cable car.
Hop off at Lombard Street and walk down the famous Lombard Street, with its 8 hairpin turns, it is known as the “crookedest street in the world”. It is difficult to get that photo though, that you see in all the guides, as it you need a little altitude to see the whole street in one view.
Explore Nob Hill
I just love the name!! So many thoughts were running through my head before we explored this area…. was not sure what to expect! Nob must have a different meaning over there, to what it does here in Australia😂 This is actually the high-end, exclusive area of San Francisco, with the fancy hotels and Michelin star restaurants. As the name suggests, this posh area sits atop a hill, and you’ll get a bit of a workout walking up the hill, but it is definitely worth wandering around. Don’t miss Huntington Park, Grace Cathedral and be sure to take in the views.
Explore the Haight Ashbury region
The Haight Ashbury region was my favourite part of San Francisco. I loved the architecture with the famous Painted Ladies, but also many other gorgeous Victorian houses. This area is the home to the 1960’s counterculture movement and shadows of its hippie past are evident, although the area is becoming more and more gentrified. The Grateful Dead and Janis Joplin’s house is in this neighbourhood. Loved, loved, loved the store, Love on Haight, for bit of a hippie vibe. Walk along Haight Street for vintage shopping heaven.
Visit Chinatown
The Lonely Planet recommended exploring Chinatown, so we did. It was much the same as any other Chinatown in any other city that I have been to. If you haven’t been to one before by all means visit, eat some food, and look around. Otherwise, if you’re short on time, you could easily pass on this one to spend time seeing other things.
Walk through the San Francisco Golden Gate Park
The Golden Gate Park, which has an incredible history dating back to 1870, contains the Botanic gardens, the Japanese Garden and the beautiful Conservatory of Flowers. The park is huge! We planned to walk the length of the park along the main road, John F Kennedy Drive, which is about a 5 kilometre long road. We almost opted to jump on one of the free shuttle buses that run regularly once we started to get a little weary, but I’m so glad we didn’t. We may have missed the Bison enclosure! This was a highlight for me, I have never seen a Bison before and there were many just laying around in the winter sun.
Make sure you stop at the Conservatory. The building itself is beautiful but also the atmosphere and variety of plants inside is lovely. Near the West end of the park, in the Queen Wilhelmina Garden, is a cute Dutch windmill, with a lovely tulip and bulb garden. We didn’t plan our visit to the gardens very well and we were running out of time to visit all of the gardens. I would have loved to see the Japanese Tea Garden and explore the Botanic gardens. If you walk the length of the park, you will reach the ocean. We rewarded our walking efforts with a lovely dinner at the Beach Chalet restaurant and watched a gorgeous Californian sunset. Note: check for park closures because as at time of publishing, parts of the Golden Gate Park were closed for public safety, due to recent coyote activity in the area.
Muir Woods
Muir Woods is where you can see some of the Giant Redwood trees. It is also just a lovely peaceful place to walk through. Getting to Muir Woods without a car is a bit of a hassle but worth it. Actually, even with a car it is a bit of a hassle because you need to prebook parking and download your reservation in advance because there is no Wi-Fi service to retrieve it once you are there. We ended up hiring a driver for the afternoon, which worked out beautifully. He dropped us at the entrance of the national Monument (interesting story about how the park was named a monument by President Roosevelt, thus enabling it to be preserved). Our driver picked us up at a predetermined time, which his handy when you don’t have any phone signal! He then took us to a prime Golden Gate Bridge viewing area that the locals know. We got some fantastic photos of the bridge, and he even took some photos of us, so we didn’t have to do the selfie thing!
Have a Drink in the Oldest Bar in San Francisco
On the recommendation of the hostess at our hotel bar, we stopped in at The Saloon, San Francisco’s oldest bar and home of great live Blues music. I loved the atmosphere of this place. It has survived the San Francisco earthquakes and fires and is a San Francisco institution. Nothing fancy here, just good music, friendly locals, and stiff drinks! Note to wine drinkers like myself – this is no wine bar! When I asked if they had any wine, after giving me a queer look, the barmaid replied, “In a box”😂😂. I ordered a margarita and warning …. Not sure how much tequila they put in that margarita, but it knocked me for 6! I remember the fantastic band that was playing, and I remember talking to my new friend on my neighbouring barstool about the merits of the band KISS, and in particular my teenage love of Ace Frehley, but I don’t remember much after that. Luckily, my traveling companion is a little more of a seasoned drinker than me and got us home safely (see my post about traveler’s fears on keeping safe when traveling). What I do remember, however, is how sick I was when I did get home and how hungover I was the next day. Lesson learned.
Drive over the Golden Gate Bridge
Last but not least, no visit to San Francisco would be complete without driving over the Golden Gate Bridge. We chose to leave this one to last as we had hired a car for the next leg of our journey – driving down the Pacific Coast Highway to LA. So, with the roof down and the wind in our hair, over we went, ticking that one off our list. A quick drive around pretty Sausalito on the other side of the Bridge ended our visit to San Francisco.
Was it Safe in San Francisco?
Returning to my opening comments about San Francisco, did we feel safe there? In short, I would say yes, at no time did we feel threatened or in harm’s way. Having said that, though, it is important to note that we avoided certain areas such as the Tenderloin area – which many locals told us was a no-go zone. We did drive past it in our Uber on the way to pick up our hire car and it did look a little sketchy. We were also sensible and stayed in crowded areas after dark, walking quickly and directly back to our hotel, which was nearby.
Don’t be put off by the reports of high crime in San Francisco, if you want to see it, I say go! Be sensible, be alert, and enjoy everything this diverse, colourful city has to offer.
