Fun things to do in San Francisco.
Did you get the day off from work yesterday? What did you do? We spent the day bopping around in San Francisco. It was the perfect blend of touristy and local. We rode the ferry to Fisherman’s Wharf, then walked up to Coit Tower and through North Beach until we got to Chinatown, where we ate lunch. We finished the day by walking along Market street back to the Ferry Building, where we caught a ferry back to Oakland.
It was such a gorgeous day!
The ferry ride from Jack London Square in Oakland to San Francisco takes about 30-45 minutes, depending on where you get off.
The views from the ferry are always amazing.
Once we got off the ferry, we walked over to Pier 39 to wave at the sea lions.
Then we walked from Pier 39 to Coit Tower. This is about a half-mile walk. There are a lot of stairs and hills involved, so it’s a little bit of a workout.
The photo below is my son Bear walking along the wooded path below the tower. It’s hard to believe this park is in the middle of the city; it’s so peaceful and quiet, and it smells amazing – so woodsy and fresh.
We walked up and over the hill. Here’s Josh with Coit Tower in the background.
Right below Coit Tower is the neighborhood of North Beach. You can see tons of iconic San Francisco spaces and places as you meander through the streets here.
If you keep heading south, North Beach blends into Chinatown, which is a great place to grab lunch.
From Chinatown, you can continue walking south until you hit Market street. Pop into Daiso if you can – it’s a Japanese dollar store, and it’s got treasures galore inside.
See’s Candy is a few doors down. Select a piece from their huge array of choices. (Hint: they also give entire pieces as free samples!)
The Ferry Building is at the end of Market Street.
It’s a beautifully restored building, with the feel of an open-air market inside.
The building is filled with dozens of gourmet and specialty shops.
This is a great spot to grab coffee or a snack before you get back on the ferry.
Spend a few minutes to soak up the incredible views from the docks.
Here’s a map of where we walked. The entire route was about 3 miles. It took us all day to walk it, but that was kind of the point. 😉
Have you been to San Francisco? Do you live here, as well? What are some fun things that you like to do in the city?
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thanks for the ideas.
There is an original Banksy in North Beach too.
I live here and work very near the Cliff house which is way out of the way to walking tourists but an absolute must if you have a car. The hiking trails around the Cliff House toward the Golden Gate are on par with the French Riviera in my mumble opinion. But the real treats are in Marin.
2. Again in a car, cross the Golden Gate (never walk it as the car sounds ruin the walk) and then turn west up into the Marin Headlands. The views of the City are beyond majestic. #1 on list…..a must do.
3. Sausalito as you are already in Marin. Here you park and walk the entire town and again the views as you walk are over the top eye candy.
4. Muir Woods. Since you are already in Marin you should see this sanctuary that will just over power you into humility in the best sort of way. A wow moment in life!
5. Since you are already in Marin, you should have dinner at Picco. Bistro on one side and pizzeria on the other. The bar stools are to fight for and if you go on Monday you will eat all natural local grown with a California flair. If you really need to go uptown, then you have to go back across the Golden Gate into the city and go to Gary Danko which remains the city’s best fine dining that is safe and reliable.
The light hike from the Sutro Baths to the Labyrinth is awesome!
tri – 🙂
me – Cool. Lots of treasures!
JustSaying – Wow, this sounds like a great day. Thanks for including all these details. Really good stuff here!
pinkisnice – Thanks for adding this gem!
On the off chance you’re taking requests, I’d love a post on the North Bay. 😉 I know SF well but somehow never made it to Sausalito, Tiburon, etc. Need 4 IHG nights for my Big Win and cannot get away for a long trip b/t now and April so I might pick up a cheap flight from So Cal to spend a few days in SF — which conveniently has many good (for my particular promo requirements) and cheap (enough) IHG options.
As a fellow Boarding Area blogger I’d be happy to share my insights on Marin……..it is the jewel of San Francisco minus Biserkley………….IHG in Marin has one choice which is not what I would call the Ritz as it is a Holiday Inn Express in Mill Valley…….but alas it is near Muir Woods and it is very close to Sausalito………and also near to the Marin Headlands and if you are a swimmer it is close to a great pool at Tam HS one of the great undiscovered gems in Marin and probably the best high school in America………oh and just down the road from a Charlie Victor Sierra store that almost always has VR cards
jolly@ggmatrix.com…………….
And just because I didn’t mention the East Bay doesn’t mean I don’t have a respect for the seamier side of life………….that’s another day in and of itself…………..
We visited SF over the summer & I just wrote a post on it on my blog! We LOVED the city and can’t wait to go back someday. Sounds like we need to go to Marin too.