“San Francisco has only one drawback. ‘Tis hard to leave.”

-Rudyard Kipling

Growing up, I was used to watching the iconic Golden Gate Bridge in movies and tv shows like Full House. Ever since then, San Francisco had been on my wishlist. I was able to cross it off my bucket list about 3 years back when we celebrated our first wedding anniversary in this beautiful city! ?

Now I’ll tell you a little secret of mine – as much as we love visiting new places, we like to take things slowly and make sure we get adequate time to relax. Who wants to come back from a vacation and feel all the more tired?! You know what I mean right? So here’s how we spent a few awesome and memorable days in the city by the bay –

Walk the Golden Gate Bridge

Of course, the first day we landed, we went to see San Francisco’s poster child – the Golden Gate bridge. Seeing something you have always wanted to see since you were a kid makes it a special experience of its own kind.

Make sure you take a walk on the bridge to capture some of the best scenic views that the city has to offer. And if you are someone who loves biking, you can even choose to rent a bike and ride your way up the bridge.

Visit the famous Lombard Street

The next day we decided to explore the city. We went to a few of the famous, touristy places in the city like Union Square and walked all the way to ‘Lombard Street.’ Also known as the ‘Zigzag street,’ they say it is one of America’s most crooked streets.

Now my photo skills may not be on point but I tried my best to capture a pic (If you don’t like it, you can blame my camera for it ?)

You can hop on the cable car ride and get off at Lombard street. But if you don’t mind getting a workout, you can even take a steep walk all the way up! (Mind you, it is not that easy as it looks ?) Make sure to stop and watch all the cars slowly maneuver themselves along that super steep road. It’s a little nerve-wracking but super-fun at the same time.

Make your way to Chinatown and Eat your heart out

Chinatown is pretty close to Lombard Street and if you want to enjoy some lovely food, do not bat an eyelid and just make your way to this place. You’ll be spoilt for choice. Plus, getting to see fortune cookies and fresh dim sums being cooked right in front of me was a treat in itself.

Fisherman’s Wharf – Pier 39, Ghirardelli Square and Alcatraz Island

Unarguably, one of the busiest places in San Francisco is the Fisherman’s Wharf – you can walk along this waterfront all the way from Ghiradelli Square to Pier 39. From local restaurants to food chains, street performers to novelty shops, there is a lot to explore.

Now, there are plenty of ways to spend your money here, but one place where you don’t need to spend money is by catching a view of the hundreds of sea lions sun bathing, welcoming you with their barks at Pier 39.

 

We ended that day with a cruise to Alcatraz Island. Booking in advance definitely saves the hassle of having to stand in line to buy tickets. The crisp air and the view of the Golden Gate Bridge from the cruise makes the experience a breathtaking one.

 

Google & Apple HQ

Okay, so technically this is not in San Francisco and not many people may do this. But we couldn’t just travel half way across the country and miss the chance to get a sneak peak at these tech giants.

The Google campus is a super chilled out place. Ughh… I so envy all the Google employees? They have an Android statue garden which creates a perfect photo op for visitors. If you are, well, a nerd ?  this short trip away from the city is totally worth it!

As with any place, walking is a great way to explore this scenic city. There are tons of other things to see like the Golden Gate Park, going to the Twin peaks to check out the view of the city, getting all nostalgic by looking at the Painted Ladies (the ‘Full House’ Houses), visiting the Aquarium Bay… the list goes on. If only time wouldn’t have been a constraint, I would have loved to explore even more.

There are probably a million ways you can capture this beautiful city and this was just a glimpse of what it has to offer. 

To sum it up,  all I can say is – I left a part of my heart back in San Francisco!

 

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XOXO