Nesting With Grace

by Brooke Christen

2 Days in San Fransisco and Top Things to Do

We recently traveled to Northern California, near San Fransisco, for my daughter Ella’s soccer tournament. We had never been to that area, and was excited to see a few popular tourist attractions. I can honestly say I thought the city was so charming. I would recommend visiting! I feel like we only scratched the surface of what we could see and do here! I’ll share what we did and give tips so you can enjoy your time here too! And PLEASE comment what I missed, share your favorite things to do in San Fransisco.

What to See and Do in San Fransisco-

  • Pier 39- go see the sea lions, shopping, restaurants and more
  • Alcatraz Prison tour- make sure to schedule this ahead of time
  • China Town- we liked walking around and eating lunch here
  • Musee Mécanique- vintage arcade games seen in Princess Diaries
  • Ride a cable car
  • Lombard Street- the most crooked street and seen in a lot of movies
  • Postcard Row and the Fuller House
  • The Golden Gate Bridge- best views from Fort Point or Marshall Beach
  • Ride bikes across the Golden Gate Bridge- several places to rent bikes
  • Muir Woods- a National Monument, 1,000 year old redwoods, that reach heights of more than 250 feet
  • Visit Sausalito and the beaches
  • Hayes Valley- cute shops
  • Big Bus Tour- I do love a big bus tour, we have done them in NYC, Nashville and Boston
  • Alameda Antiques Faire- I wanted to go to this! First Sunday of the month antique faire!

What to Eat in San Fransisco-

  • Trish’s Donuts- at Pier 39 so good!
  • Boudin Bakery- clam chowder in a sourdough bread bowl and fun shaped bread- at Pier 39
  • Ghirardelli Square- yummy treats
  • Tony’s Pizza-  home of 13-time World Pizza Champion Tony Gemignani
  • House Of Nanking- in China Town, was in the movie The Matrix, famous for their Peanut Sauce
  • Ferry Building- outdoor market and lots of food options
  • Scomas- at the Warf, Kevin has ate here before and loved it
  • Bi-Rite Creamery- homemade organic ice cream
We did not stay in San Fransisco, we drove into the city everyday. We stayed in Lafayette at the Park Hotel (it was really nice, with a great pool!). We had to pick a location that was in-between where Ella was staying and San Fransisco (about 20 min drive) so we could access both quick. If you are going to stay in the city (my sister was there just a week before and stayed in the city) she recommended a hotel with it’s own private parking. From what I had heard (and the signs I saw everywhere) there are lots of break-ins. So private parking would help prevent that. A tip we got was to not leave anything in the car and keep it unlocked. Once we found good parking we would leave our car and walk the area.
PS- Ella was with her soccer team for most the trip, (we missed her with us!) and we were watching her game until close to 3 in the day, so we didn’t have a lot of time, but we packed in as much as we could! Luckily there is a lot to see right in San Francisco.
Our first trip into the city we went to Fishermans Wharf. Pier 39 is the most trafficked Pier with the most to see and do. We loved it! There were lots of cute shops and yummy food places.
Not to mention the sea lions all huddled together putting on a good show for us. We could have stood their all day watching them! It is rather windy in this area. We visited in April but I’m sure a jacket in hand would never be a bad idea.
Lola and Finn loved the trampoline at Pier 39.
We recommend having a sourdough soup bowl with Clam Chowder at Pier 39. We actually had Clam Chowder at three places at Pier 39, our favorite place for Clam Chowder in a bread bowl was Chowders. Kids loved see all the shapes of bread at Boudin’s Bakery. And don’t forget the mini donuts at Trish’s!
Lots ofl cute shops at Pier39, including a Lola store, which was cute, but not as cute as actual Lola!
After touring the Pier we wandered past the giant Fishermans Wharf sign, great place to snap a pic, to the end of the street where there was a little beach to get close to the water and see The Golden Gate Bridge in the distance. Then, up the hill to Ghirardelli square.
There is a little shop at the bottom for a quick grab. But if you want to sit down, head upstairs to the bigger store
(it was under instruction when we went).
We took a tour of Alcatraz Prison. I highly recommend this! We did the self guided audio tour and I was surprised how much Finn enjoyed it, he learned so much! He loves to share that the prisoners got 2.5 hours outside a week, everyone wanted the cell where the sun shown the brightest, and you could earn activities and books. We spent about two hours on the island looking around.
You can see Alcatraz in the distance from Pier 39.
My parents drove their Camper Van to meet us! We enjoyed the day tour with our kids, if you are looking for a little scarier visit, I would recommend the night tour. In this picture the prison is at the top of this staircase.
There are some gift shops but no food on the Island, you can bring your own food. They also allow dogs but no strollers. There are a few different guidelines I would read up on before you visit. When we got home I ordered this book, about the Alcatraz Gardner, Elliott Michener, so many people recommended.
I took so many photos! The island was so charming. Who knew?! The island was developed in the mid-19th century with facilities for a lighthouse. A military fortification and military prison. In 1943 the island was converted into a federal prison. Alcatraz Federal Prison.
On our last day we packed in a lot! After Ella’s game we went straight to China Town to explore and have lunch.
We ate lunch at House of NanKing. It was so good and came highly recommended! Keanu Reeves is a big fan of the food. The restaurant was in The Matrix Resurrections. The fried rice was good, they finish cooking it at your table, and they are famous for their Peanut Sauce.
We drove over The Golden Gate Bridge to Muir Woods National Monument. Muir Woods contains 6 miles of trails. There is a 1/2 hour loop, an hour loop, and 1 1/2 hour loop as well as longer hikes on trails. Wish we had more time to spend here!
Some of the Redwoods are nearly 1,000 years old and reach heights of more than 250 feet!
There are so many cute houses in San Fransisco. This was down the road from the Painted Ladies (from Full House).
Painted Ladies was fun to see, it is in the opening scene of Full House. But, if you are short on time this is something I would skip.
Lombard Street, the most crooked street! We drove down, then walked up. Fun to see and it has been in a lot of movies.
We had to go back one last time for Trish’s Mini Donuts at Pier 39!
We really enjoyed our time in San Fransisco! Hope to go back soon and spend more time in Sausalito, “the boutique town by the bay”. (Photo taken at Pier39)

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Comments

  1. Karen says

    I can’t believe that you have never been to San Francisco before!! There are so many fun things to do and you sure packed in a lot in your short stay. You have to come back and hit up the Alameda Antique Fair. So much fun stuff to see! Did you guys get to ride a cable car? That is definitely a highlight not to be missed!!

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