San Francisco was always “The City” and it was usually reserved for visiting to watch the Nutcracker ballet with my grandma during the holidays (and was a BIG to-do), or for our annual Christmas Eve visit. Now that I’m older, it’s been a lot of fun to head up for day trips or overnights.

Fun Fact: We honeymooned in San Francisco, but my husband chipped a molar, so we had to drive back to his childhood dentist in San Jose and I had pneumonia, so it wasn’t a stellar honeymoon.

We have our lives to make it up!

TO DO:

• PRESIDIO TUNNEL TOPS

I have a whole post dedicated to this incredible park! The Park itself is great for kids ages 5-12. The “upstairs” is a great area to picnic with breathtaking, panoramic views.

• THE FERRY BUILDING

There are very few times we make the trek up to the city and don’t pay a visit to the Ferry Building. It has it all; Blue Bottle Coffee, Gott’s Roadhouse (really great food), and one of our favorite places to get seafood, Hog Island Oyster Company. Their Chipotle Oysters are TO DIE FOR. It has an insane view of the bay and Bay Bridge, so you can bring your treats and treasures out back and enjoy the view. The Ferry Building also has an insane Farmer’s Market like nothing you’ve ever seen (double check on the link, but current hours are Tuesday and Thursday 10am - 2pm, Saturday 8am - 2pm).

• ALCATRAZ

  Confession: I have lived 45 minutes from the city most of my life and have never visited Alcatraz! I don’t even know how it’s possible! Visit The Rock and “take a tour of Alcatraz maximum-security prison, and hear tales about it’s infamous residents.” You can book a day tour to The Rock, or a night tour… if you dare!!

• WALT DISNEY FAMILY MUSEUM

A Fun museum to visit for Disney Fans! If you are wanting to visit multiple museums during your visit, look into getting a GoSF or CityPass.

• ALAMO SQUARE

Quintessential San Francisco! Visit the PAINTED LADIES can grab a cup of coffee from the parked coffee van in the park: Lady Falcon! Note to self: this is NOT the Full House House. These homes are featured in the Full House intro, but the Full House exterior shot is across town.

• PALACE OF FINE ARTS

Touristy? Sure. But that doesn’t make it any less incredible and a great place to visit. Pack a picnic and enjoy the inspiration for the Little Mermaid ride in California Adventure! The Palace of Fine Arts is ‘monumental structure originally constructed for the 1915 Panama-Pacific Exposition in order to exhibit works of art.’

• STOW LAKE BOATHOUSE

Inside the park, a complete oasis! You would never know you are in the heart of the city. Rent a boat at the Stow Lake Boathouse and explore historic Golden Gate Park!

• ANGEL ISLAND

You can buy tickets to take a ferry over to Angel Island and hike around! “Hike to Mount Livermore, bike around the Perimeter Road, or just picnic at Ayala Cove, you can see everything from wildflowers to whales and local landmarks to international icons” (angelisland.org).

Fun Fact: My sister and I were contestants on a reality tv show pilot that came to a culmination here and I don’t think either of us have ever been so frustrated in our existence on earth.

• ALAMEDA FLEA MARKET

Just outside the city on the first Sunday of each month is a truly epic flea market where you can score anything from vintage furniture to jewelry and decor. #Tracistip: start on the back and move towards the entry, as the booths near the front tend to be overpriced. Our rules for the flea market is to roam down the aisle, then you have to wait for everyone at the end before moving on. This is especially helpful as the cell hone service sucks here. Ideally, I like to bring $200 if I’m not looking for any big furniture, etc. You can always keep the extra cash, but I hate paying the atm fees. Some vendors do accept cards too.

TO EAT:

I recruited my childhood friend, Tara Block, who is an uber chic Deputy Editor at PopSugar (I knew her before she was famous;) for her top recommendations in the city. Here are her go-to favorites!

• TONY’S IN NORTH BEACH

“Tony’s in North Beach is the best pizza in the city!” Neopolitan style and award winning.  

• KOKKARI

“Kokkari is fantastic.” Serving “Modern Greek cuisine driven by the philoxenia, the art of making a stranger a friend” (how rich is that?). I have read multiple people say this is their favorite place to eat EVER. Make a Reservation!

• MISTER JUI’S 

Mister Jui’s- sleek, upscale Chinese food. “One MICHELIN Star: High quality cooking, worth a stop!” Make a reservation! “Mister Jiu’s is a testament to the best of Chinese family-style dining (from the flashy gold lotus chandeliers to the indoor tables’ built-in lazy susans) with a Bay Area sensibility that just works. It has redefined Chinese American food in America, and we absolutely love it.” (Resy.com).

• LIHOLIHO YACHT CLUB

Liholiho is super yummy Hawaiian and they have a newer location in the Mission. Korean Short ribs, Poke, fresh and delicious seafood.

• A MANO

“A Mano means ‘by hand’ in Italian and refers to the way in which the kitchen and the bar approach the creation of each and every dish and cocktail. Each morning, our cooks make our pasta fresh by hand” (amano.com). Make a Reservation!

• PAGAN IDOL

My favorite Tiki bar! Get a reservation and order a Painkiller. They have cute little huts

• WAYFARE TAVERN

‘Authentic American’ cuisine. We stepped inside and I immediately thought “I am not cool enough to be in here.” The staff didn’t seem to notice the imposter and pampered us with their complimentary popovers (make sure to request!) and world class service. We felt SO well taken care of. We had only intended to pop in for a nightcap, but everything looked so good and we were enjoying ourselves, we ended up ordering multiple dishes and drinks and everything was top notch.

STAY:

• WESTIN ST FRANCIS IN UNION SQUARE

The location is right in the heart of the action and close to Market street. This historic hotel has everything it takes to feel like a PROPER visit to The City.

HARBOR COURT HOTEL

This repurposed YMCA was the perfect place for my husband and I to stay for a night during our recent trip to the city (and I loved all the little nods to YMCA in the lobby). The room rate was reasonable (and valet was $60) and the location was incredible. We were walking distance to the Ferry Building and we walked to Wayfare Tavern for a nightcap.

A FEW MORE IDEAS FROM TARA BLOCK:)