San Francisco Travel Diary

We made it back from our trip late Saturday night. In case you missed it, we did a whirlwind tour through California, and it was so great to have some fun with Russ. We’ve been together for 13 years (married for 7), and we are definitely set in our ways and routines. We are so ready to have a baby and welcome all the change it will bring. I think it makes me savor our time as a twosome a little more though. We flew in to San Francisco, rented a car and drove down the coast staying one night in Carmel and Santa Barbara, before ending in LA. Today I thought I’d share my San Francisco travel diary with others to come. We arrived on Sunday afternoon giving us time to get our bearings and explore a little. We spent all day Monday there before leaving Tuesday morning. I will say, out of all our stops this was our least researched which I think ended up making it less fun. Here are some highlights with my recommendations. This is by no means an exhaustive list.

San Francisco Travel Diary

What to do in San Francisco

1. Golden Gate Bridge – Unfortunately it was foggy most of our visit. Though we saw the bridge from a distance, we didn’t get any good photos.
2. Union Square – Great shopping if you are interested.
3. Ferry Building – A neat market place with lots of stops and food. Unfortunately we went on the 4th, and many of the shops were closed.
4. Cable Car Ride and Museum – The old cable cars are so neat! The line was very long at Union Square, so we walked up a couple stops and hopped right on. FYI, the cars get pretty crowded. We didn’t make it to the museum, but I bet it would have been cool.
5. Giants Baseball Game (pictured) – We got to watch the Giants on July 4th. The game included a flyover and military reuniting (including a proposal). It was really a fun experience and cool ballpark with views of the pier.
6. Tea Garden – We didn’t get to try this, but it looks amazing.
7. Explore neighborhoods – see below
8. Check out Chinatown – Wish we’d made it to this! Ran out of time, but it is supposed to be one of the best.
9. Fisherman’s Wharf – Not worth the time in our opinion, very touristy.
10. Alcatraz – I was so sad to miss this! Not realizing you needed to purchase tour tickets in advance, we looked into it a week before our trip only to find everything sold out. Don’t be like me!

Where to Eat in San Francisco

1. Hayes Valley – Cool neighborhood to walk around in and get a bite to eat. We ended up eating Thai, and it was my favorite meal in SF. Miette (mentioned below) and Loving Cup Ice Cream are located there as well.
2. The Mission District – Ran out of time to check this out.
3. Filmore Street – I’m kicking myself about this one. I didn’t learn about it until Monday evening when we finished the game and were close to the Ferry Building, so we just ran out of time. Filmore is supposed to have awesome shops and eateries including the well known La Boulangerie bakery. Bakeries speak my love language if you cannot tell…
4. Mr. Holmes Bakehouse (pictured) – My favorite stop of the trip! Warning: be prepared to wait in line. The treats are worth it though.
5. Ferry Building – We ate at the Slanted Door, and it was delicious. Everything looked good though!
6. Miette (pictured) – Cutest bakery/sweet shop located on Hayes Valley and inside the Ferry Building

Things to Note

1. We learned San Francisco was all about the neighborhoods. I wish I’d done a bit more research about the areas.
2. It was also much colder than I expected, especially in the shade and at night. Pack layers!

Outfit Details

Top and Sandals c/o Goodnight Macaroon // Jeans: Gap maternity (I have and love the non-maternity version too!) // Bag: Rebecca Minkoff c/o Shopbop

Sorry, I know this post is already long, but I had to tell you Shopbop is offering 25% off their “designer” (from what I can tell, not too restrictive) sale with the code DESIGNER25. Of course that means I looked at the shoes. Duh. So many good options on major sale including my favorite Rebecca Minkoff nude studded sandals.