San Francisco Travel Diary

While I don't understand the allure of most big cities, after a day and a half in San Francisco and one of the most intense leg workouts ever (the hills are killer y'all...), I didn't want to leave. I don't know how else to describe the city besides excitingly vibrant; I felt like there was color and happiness around every corner! Hopefully I can give y'all a better idea as to why I loved this city so much as I go through everything I did! 

We pulled into San Francisco early on a Thursday evening, and while the traffic was not nearly as a bad as we expected, the hills we had to drive up and down to get to our hotel were slightly terrifying. As soon as we pulled up to our hotel we knew that we would not be moving our car until we were set to leave. 

We checked into Hotel 32One, a boutique hotel located near Union Square, which was a fairly central location in relation to everything we wanted to do in the city. The room we stayed in was tiny, and my mom might have crushed my wrist trying to get the luggage cart out of the elevator. But it served its purpose as a comfortable place to crash at the end of our busy days.  

After we dropped off our luggage, we took a minute to refresh then set foot out into the city to see as much as we could before the sun set. With dinner on Pier 39 in mind, we took a walk through Chinatown. This was just the first of many times the we saw how quickly the San Francisco could change by just walking across a street!

After a quick walk through Chinatown, we made it to Pier 39 right before sunset. I'd have to say watching the setting sun give the bay a golden glow was one of the prettiest sights in San Francisco! After overlooking the bay we grabbed a bite to eat at Luigi's Pizzeria. I'm not sure why, but by this point in the trip all my siblings and I had a strong craving for pizza, so Luigi's definitely hit the spot! 

Also, when we were eating pizza, my mom tried dabbing the grease off my brother's pizza, and after a couple expressions of horror, she quickly learned that the grease is my brother and I's favorite part of restaurant pizza haha! 

The next morning we rose bright and early to get the most out of our day possible, and the concierge at our hotel recommended that we head out to Fort Point for a view of the Golden Gate Bridge. We called a cab to drive us out, and it was definitely a cool spot to see the bridge, especially before all the fog came in.

Also, while I should have grown accustomed to crisp morning chill after traveling the Pacific Northwest for nearly a week, the clear skies in San Francisco fooled me, and my legs were in for a little shock that morning. The crazy wind by the bay didn't help either! 

After getting some bagels at the welcome center by Fort Point, we walked along the water to seek out a few more views of the bridge before we headed off to lunch, but as we were walking, the fog started to come in so heavily that the bridge seemed to disappear at some points! 

We eventually stopped at the marina between Fort Point and Crissy Field. Thankfully the fog started to subside a little, plus it wasn't quite as busy as Fort Point, making it a great place to stop, take pictures and watch the fog roll through the bay. 

From there we called a cab to take us to the Ferry Building where we met some family for lunch at Gott's Roadside. The line was ridiculously long at the peak of lunchtime, but the burgers were delicious!

After lunch we decided to try to tackle the public transportation system and catch a ride to Alamo Square. 

We took the F-Line as close to the square as possible, and then walked a couple of intense blocks to the square where we instantly collapsed onto the grass. Prior to my trip, whenever someone would mention San Francisco the image that would immediately pop into my mind was that of the Painted Ladies, so while it may have been a far trip just to see some houses, it totally matched and completed my former image of the city. 

Once we were done recuperating and catching our breath at Alamo Square, we set off to see what else that side of the city had to offer. Unfortunately, we didn't find much besides some pretty houses, so we hopped back on the F-Line (on which we almost all fell asleep) back toward Fisherman's Wharf. 

Once we were back to where we were familiar with we took a walk over to Lombard Street before dinner. Now none of the hills in San Francisco were fun to walk but the one leading up the Lombard Street was the worst. I'm pretty sure I had to stop three times on one block to catch my breath. Anyways, enough of me complaining about how out of shape I am, once we were at the base of the "crookedest street in the world" we snapped some pictures and watched cars inch their way through the hairpin turns. 

Once the sun began to set again we made our way back to Fisherman's Wharf where we caught a bay cruise at the last minute. I was pleasantly surprised by how much I enjoyed it too! It gave a beautiful view of city from afar, the bridge at sunset and Alcatraz Island. 

We weren't able to find tickets to actually tour the notorious prison (they sell out months in advance!) but seeing the island so close from the bay was a nice alternative.

Finally, as our cruise was pulling back into the pier we were able to catch a glimpse of a few sea lions! Apparently at peak times of year there are tons of them at Pier 39. 

Also on the topic of animals, after spending so much time in California last month I think seagulls are my new favorite birds haha! I know some people think they're annoying, but I think they're hilarious! For example, when we were walking along Fisherman's Wharf I saw one slip and fall on the concrete, and I couldn't stop laughing! 

Lastly, after our bay cruise we ate some dinner (not at Joe's Crab Shack, I just liked their wall) at a seafood restaurant on Pier 39, and then with sore, worn out feet, called it a night! 

That concludes my day and a half in San Francisco! Have any of y'all been to San Francisco before? What did you think of it?