City Guide: San Francisco
Waking Up
San Francisco has been home to boundary-pushing coffee since supplying coffee to miners during the gold rush. There are many coffee shops and cafes to visit scattered throughout all the pockets and neighborhoods, so finding a good one near you shouldn't be hard.
Bites
San Francisco is a foodie's dream, but to maximize a short trip I recommend picking up some grub and packing up a daypack so you can enjoy a picnic and snacks at various locations throughout the day. Pick a special spot for brunch and dinner, but take in the views during the day and snack along the way.
If it's your first time visiting, I would start the day checking out Golden Gate bridge and the surrounding viewpoints, even biking across the bridge if you have time!
Then make your way to Golden Gate Park and head through The Panhandle towards the Haight-Ashbury neighborhood, walk up Haight Street to do some window and thrift shopping, then take in the view of the Painted Ladies off of Alamo Square.
Explore the miles of greenspaces and take in the unique arcihtecture and spend the day touring the NW half of the city.
If you want to hit some more touristy spots head downtown towards the NE half of the city and explore the waterfront from the Fisherman's Wharf, Pier 39 towards Chinatown and Union Square, and Oracle Baseball Park. Try to avoid walking through the Tenderloin.
Sites / Activites
North
West
Central
The start of Golden Gate Park starts the western side of the penninsula and fills in towards the central neighborhoods.
Explore Mission District, pick up some street food or burritos from a Taqueria, and take your picnic to Mission Dolores Park. This is the place to be on a weekend! The park is like one communal brunch spot - amazing people watching and good vibes. People bring their blankets and picnic setups, music, and are soaking in sunny days sprawled out on the grassy hills.
East
Other Things
Drive up to the top of the Twin Peaks viewpoint. Or take a drive north of the city along the coast of Sausalito and look at the house boats or drive east across the Oakland Bay Bridge through Berkeley.
Driving up or down the coast?
Check out my other guides for road trip reccommendations for Southern California and the PNW
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