San Francisco

Luciana
Oct 4, 2018
3 min read

Updated: Jan 3, 2019

I had high expectations for San Francisco. I travelled around the world from a young age, but for some reason I had never been to the West Coast of the US. It was much more than I thought . I don’t know if it was the nice weather we had, that we stayed with such a loving family of friends, or that I was so tired after travelling non-stop in Canada and the US, but I loved this city. SF was smaller, much more welcoming and quieter than I had expected.

We drove around the hilly streets and we visited every neighbourhood. I loved the colourful victorian houses and the San Francisco Bay Area. I could totally see myself living here. It’s a combination of a good size city, outdoors, nature activities, good restaurants, beautiful wine, architecture, and smart, interesting people.

We stayed in Novato, in Marin county, in the north bay region (on the other side of the bridge, let's say). It was the perfect base for our 5 days out exploring the area.

Our 5 days tour highlights

This is our top 12 things to do in San Francisco

Stop at The Golden Gate Bridge of course (could we really start our tour anywhere else?) one of the most visited landmarks in the world.

Mummy....Why is it called the Golden Gate Bridge, when it's actually orange?

Probably the biggest mystery to many, including myself. I had to google this one, to find out that this is because it was named after the Golden Gate Strait it stands over.

Pier 39, a popular tourist destination, good selection of restaurants, shops and gorgeous views of the water that surrounds San Francisco, we went there for lunch with friends.

The Castro District, a symbol of both the SF culture and the LGBTQ movement (remember the movie MILK, with Sean Penn?)

Rainbow crosswalks, Victorian houses that have been converted into shops, the Rainbow Honor Walk paying tribute to heroes and heroines of LGBTQ communities, rainbow shop window (lots of rainbows everywhere). Wave your rainbow flag!

Kitesurfing in SF Bay

Edouard had the good fortune of kitesurfing on the shark infested bay in what appeared to be a horribly cold, windy, rough and overcast day. However, he came back ecstatic at having viewed the Golden Gate Bridge, Alcatraz and the Bay Bridge from the water. (Who understands kitesurfers?)

Muir Woods National Park

A peaceful place to escape from the city noise. The main attraction of Muir Woods are the huge coast redwood trees. They are known for their height, the tallest tree in the Park is 258 feet (79 m). The trees ages range from 400 to 800 years old. It's a great place to take the kids, you can do the visit in about 1.5 hour. It is a nice, different way to spend a morning out of SF.

The Discovery Museum

So impressed with this kids activity centre in Sausalito. I wish there were more like it in London. There is a learning experience hidden in every activity. Lots of building, hands on activities for curious children. It has amazing indoor and outdoor playgrounds, art room, muddy room, music room, science room. And on top of that, there's stunning views of the Golden Gate Bridge. 1000 times recommended.

Sausalito

Just north of the Golden Gate Bridge, this quaint neighbourhood on the water is definitely worth a visit.

Somona Valley vineyards

Our wine tasting tour of this lovely area North of the city was unfortunately cut short by the unbearably hot weather. There is only so much wine one want's to drink in sauna like conditions.