As soon as you land in San Francisco and get to the streets you feel like part of one of the Hollywood Movies, it’s streets are so famous and characteristical that you cannot avoid to get excited… excited and a little afraid when riding a car that seems like going in a rollercoaster.. on it’s way down!
I went to San Francisco with my family and boyfriend. We stayed at the Whitcomb Hotel, which turned out to be “OK”. Best of it was the breakfast, each and every meal i tried the 3 mornings i woke up there, were fabulous!
On the first day we went to one of the most famous tours on the area: Alcatraz. I was pretty excited to finally get to know the truth about this place. The boat ride is beautiful as, in one point, you get to see Alcatraz on one side and San Francisco Bay in the other. You must have the camera ready, a cozy sweater and a hairbrush cause the air will turn your hair into a mess!
Once in Alcatraz, you can let your mind fly while listening to the narration of some prisoner’s experiences as you go by the halls, picturing what it must have been like being imprisoned in there. To our best of lucks, that exact same day, one of the famous ex prisoners Bill Baker, who was an inmate in 1957, was there signing his book and answering questions.
What we asked him? you are in front of an ex prisoner, whom seen on the street would seem lovely, one person that spent time with AlCapone, Machine Gun Kelly and Birdman. Our question was simple: “What can you say about Scarface and Birdman?” He answered: “Great guys!”
How’s that for an end to a prison visit?
After that, we went to Fisherman’s Wharf which is walking distance from Alcatraz Island Dock. We entered to Fog Harbor Fish House Restaurant to have an original bread bowl clam chowder. Best place in town to have it! Also the service was very nice (specially considering my family were 12 people and each and every the hard-to-please kind of person, so restaurant visits become a huge challenge for managers, waiters and the rest of the staff). If you go to this place, also DON’T MISS the tuna tartare, it is kind of my favorite dish so i order it anywhere i go and i can say that the one they prepare in here is one of the best (and i would dare to say the best) i’ve ever had.
Later that day, we went to famous Lombard Street; we walk around it, took some photos, passed it through in our rented van (which was kind of prohibited due to vehicle size but adults didn’t care), etc. My boyfriend and I took this lovely picture that is now in a frame, decorating our living room:
Next day we did what became my favorite tour ever, the Golden Gate Biking Tour.
In this tour you basically rent a bike, follow the route, make stops to take some amazing pictures of the Golden Gate behind you, then cross the Golden Gate and get to this little beautiful retirement-dream town named Sausalito. It was a whole experience, and i will now tell you why:
To begin with, my boyfriend and I rented a Tandem, which is a double bike. I should highlight that Andres is an experienced biker while i’m.. let’s call me a rookie. Of course that for this reason we decided he would go in front and i would just follow the rhythm, sounds easy huh? Well.. i’ll just say it sounds easier than it is to coordinate, especially when you are on a hill where you can’t stop pedaling. Karma got me, since i first started laughing at other couples fighting for the Tandem situation and even told Andres: “See honey? We have great communication skills when it comes to facing challenges” 10 minutes later, it was another story.
We forgot all of this when we got to the Golden Gate, i got so busy taking pictures & video and enjoying the view that i even went back to say: “I’m so glad we rented the Tandem bike!”
Then we continued on our way to Sausalito, not before having a flat tire.. TWICE. So we basically had to walk all the way down (luckily) pushing our heavy Tandem.
Once in Sausalito, we sat on Napa Valley Burgers. Best burgers ever! No matter which one you choose, all of the options are delicious and huge. The only risk is that no burger will ever taste the same again.
Next morning, our last in San Francisco, we woke up early hoping to get a table in this high-rated breakfast place called Mama’s but by the time we got there, the line was about a block long and we were hungry as monsters so we just asked for recommendations and ended up in Joe’s. Good place, very retro decorated and huge dishes (you would definitely like to share). A nice way to end our vacation and drive back to Nevada.
Definitely San Francisco is a great vacation destination with a lot to offer. My only advice? Don’t expect to see people wearing flowers in their heads, cause you won’t.