There’s a reason why the term, “Left my Heart in San Francisco” is used so often. There’s a little something for everyone—the foodie, the shopper, the sightseer and the yogi. The best part? It’s small enough that you can accomplish a lot in just a couple days! My friends and I took a 30-hour girls trip to the City by the Bay. Here’s a rundown of what we did.
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The Night Before: We flew into the Oakland Airport because it is way cheaper/had non-stop flights on Southwest. We took an Uber to Downtown San Francisco and checked into The Marker hotel at Union Square.
10:00 AM- We ordered an Uber from our hotel in Union Square to start our day sightseeing. We ate Breakfast at a little cafe in the Castro District, and it was delicious. Then, off to the Painted Ladies we went! These iconic homes were the face of the popular show Full House in the 90's.
11:00 AM- From there, we took an Uber to the top of Lombard Street to show the newcomers the famous curvy road. Pretty cool. You can walk alongside it and take some pictures. Here's a sweet drone shot of it:
11:30 AM- After that we took a Lyft to Crissy Field so get a good view of the Golden Gate Bridge. Some days it is almost too foggy to see it, so beware, it may be a little too foggy to even see the bridge.
Did you know? The Golden Gate Bridge got its color from the paint primer! The original plan was to paint the bridge yellow and black...STRIPES!
12:10: Next, we were off to the Wharf. You can either take bikes, scooters or an Uber.
The Wharf is also a great place to see the Golden Gate Bridge, Alcatraz and the Bay. Pretty much anything you eat around here will be awesome, so take your pick! My personal favorite is Boudins. The bistro is a nicer, sit-down restaurant, and the cafe is a grab + go type. Both serve the famous sourdough bread San Francisco is known for. Try the soup in a bowl with Clam Chowder, you’re going to love it.
After lunch, we walked over to Ghirardelli Square and split a sundae. The line out the door is deceiving...but, don't worry! It goes quick.
We were done by 2 PM and had a lot of wiggle room, so choose your own adventure.
From there we took a cable car back to Union Square to do some shopping and eat dinner. There is a giant Nordstrom and a giant Macy’s along with stand-alone big brand stores, like Nike and Sephora.
Honorable Mentions if you have more than one day or choose not to shop at Union Square:
Alcatraz: First things first, get tickets in advance!! You can actually take a ferry to the famous Alcatraz Island where some of the highest profile criminals went. They have an audio tour you can take as you walk around. It's awesome, because it has interviews from real prison guards that worked at the prison.
Pier 39: By Fishermen's Wharf, go see the sea lions sunbathing and do a little bit of shopping. Sometimes they even have a farmer's market here, which is way rad!
Coit Tower: This monument was built to honor the firemen of San Francisco. You can go up in it and get some great views of the city. The church nearby is where Marilyn Monroe and Joe DiMaggio got married.
