before i start in on the stuff we did (other than eat), i realize i forgot something from the food post...Off the Grid! While we didn't actually go to this food truck gathering, it sounded amazing so kinda sad we didn't have time to fit it into the schedule.
okay now on to where we went...really easier to say where we didn't go since we walked all over that city! we didn't make it to the Mission district (supposed to one of the top 10 new restaurants in the country) or to haight-ashbury, but other than that you name it and we saw it! we walked through fog, wind, a little rain and a few moments of sun....prepare for every type of weather if you're heading to the city by the bay...we'd be sweating on one block and then wrapping ourselves in sweaters and scarves on the next. true story.
here are some highlights (or you can just click this link for the pictures if you don't want to read!):
Alcatraz Tours - book in advance and make sure it's a day that you're willing to be tolerant of a million nincompoops all trying to take in this site.
Golden Gate Park - this place is enormous! we walked through most of it and then got picked up by david to get to the beach for lunch. while you're in there, check out the conservatory of flowers (even if you don't want to pay to go in, there are nice flowers outside). it also houses the deYoung museum...again we didn't pay to go in, but you can go up to the top of the observation tower to get a view of the city. the botanical garden, arboretum, buffalo paddock and model boat yacht club can be found in this gem too. really wish we had something like this, even on a slightly smaller scale, around PA!
Union Square - it seemed like there was ALWAYS something going on here, very cool spot and just so happens that our cousin is going to be doing a dance performance there later in the month!! tons of nice stores around there as well...some way out of my price range but many 'normal' stores that just seemed larger than life since there are a lot of flagship stores there.
Golden Gate Bridge - duh. we walked about halfway across and had to battle a lot of confused looking tourists and bikers, but it was a great experience!
Fisherman's Wharf - we walked through this area on our way to dinner and that 5 seconds was more than enough to let me know i never needed to go back there! haha very very commercial...kinda like the jersey shore boardwalk stores on crack.
Ferry Building - although crowded, i loved this place. reminded me of chelsea market in NYC but with an amazing farmer's market. we went here a couple of times, including saturday morning when the market wraps around the entire building...be sure to make it to the back of the market too, we almost missed it!
Muir Woods and Mount Tamalpais - you'll need a car for these trips (and a whole lot of 'parking karma'). awesome trees and gorgeous views...only wish we had brought better hiking clothes so we could've done more exploring. we drove to the top of mt. tam and walked the path around it and soaked up the (obnoxious!) sun :).
Thanks to Uncle David, we were able to see much more than we ever would've expected. We drove through the Presidio, including the palace of fine arts and Legion of Honor, and through a few different towns across the bay. I'm so thankful that he was willing to put up with our touristy ways for a couple of days!!
I stayed in a terrible hotel the first few nights when I was there for the conference. Thought for sure i was going to get murdered in the place or jumped on my 2 mile walk from Japantown to the Moscone center each morning, but luckily I survived! For the weekend we moved over to a nicer area and a grand, old hotel with newly decorated rooms; big improvement!
A few final words of advice - pack layers (LOTS!) and wear good shoes. mostly everyone there wore flats or TOMS, the style is very laid back and functional compared to other big cities. Also, I downloaded the GuidePal San Francisco app for android to use in conjunction with my fave phone thing ever - google maps - and it was pretty decent for a free app.
And last but not least, here are the PICTURES!! Enjoy and happy weekending! :)
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