USA: San Francisco

June 17, 2020 2 Comments Rebecca Lake Pool

It’s an odd thing, but anyone who disappears is said to be seen in San Francisco.
Oscar Wilde

I’m originally from Northern California, a few hours north of San Francisco, but I moved away at a very young age. Growing up I’d go back and visit several times a year. I always loved visiting San Francisco and going to Fisherman’s Wharf to see the sea lions. (I love how they laze about with their chubby bodies making barking noises. It’s so cute!) 🥰

When my husband and I began dating I told him this a few times. One day, I had the opportunity to travel to San Francisco for work and I asked my future husband to join me on the trip. He excitedly said yes!

When we got to the hotel it was late at night so they only had rooms located in their older section available, I had booked the newer side, but they promised to move us the next day. We were disappointed because the older section was not very nice and was a bit creepy. 👻🤡

The next morning I headed out to work and my “husband to be” talked to the front desk about moving us. They agreed and said they would call us when the new room was ready. I finished my meetings, came back to the hotel (same room), changed, and we headed out to enjoy some touristy things.

The first thing my husband wanted to do was see the “Full House” house. So we jumped in an Uber and headed over there. We walked around and took pictures in front of the house and then walked to the park with the “Painted Ladies” homes.

We then got an Uber and headed to Fisherman’s Wharf. Our Uber driver was awesome and offered to give us a short tour of the city! He took us down Lombard Street. He would stop to let us jump out and take pictures.

He also showed us some places to eat and told us about some fun things to do. We really lucked out with him!

He then dropped us off at Fisherman’s Wharf. We walked around enjoying the cool touristy things and me reminiscing about childhood visits. We finally reached Fisherman’s Wharf near Pier 39, where the little Light House restaurant is located, and walked to the end of the pier. It wasn’t crowded and we could see Alcatraz, the Golden Gate Bridge, and the sea lions. We stood on top of the steps and this is where my husband to be proposed to me. It was the perfect spot. One older lady observed and clapped happily when I said “yes.”

We then spent some time observing the sea lions, walking around the shops, eating a corn dog, and calling our friends and family to share the good news. I love this area. Yes it’s touristy but it’s so much fun. They have cute shops, good restaurants, and any time I can see animals I’m happy.

After Fisherman’s Wharf, we decided to do the Alcatraz tour. I had never been and I thought going to jail (to visit) is a perfect way to celebrate our decision to be each other’s “ball and chain.” We loved the tour! The ferry over was beautiful and the tour guide filled us with information about the bay (like there are sharks in the bay now! 😳) We purchased the audio tour for Alcatraz, which was perfect for us. We could walk around at our own pace and learn about the different areas. It was a fun afternoon and I highly recommend doing this tour.

After we escaped from Alcatraz, our room at the hotel was finally ready so we headed back. They had moved us to a gorgeous suite that overlooked the city! It was stunning but also so high up the room swayed constantly causing us both to have motion sickness the rest of the trip. (The building sways because of the way the buildings in San Fran are built to withstand earthquakes. I’ll take the swaying if it increases the chances that the building will be ok if an earthquake hits.) Next time we will bring Dramamine.

Over the next few days we visited the Golden Gate Bridge, ate at a small but delicious Italian place (Fior d’Italia), and went to the Exploratorium.

The Exploratorium was a lot of fun! Do it if you have the chance! We loved the hands on activities and playing around like kids. It’s a great way to spend 2-3 hours.

https://www.exploratorium.edu/

On our final night we lucked upon a dinner theatre experience called “Beach Blanket Babylon”, they had these amazing sky high hats, wonderful performances, excellent waitstaff, and hilarious writing. We laughed so hard and had a great time. I even got serenaded by a man on the street when we left (He was begging for money and hitting on me at the same time. I applaud his efforts and I think we gave him $5. I definitely have a soft spot for ingenuity.)

Unfortunately “Beach Blanket Babylon” closed in December 2019.😢 Hopefully they will put a new show in its place that is equally unique, entertaining, and funny.

We were only in San Fran for a couple days, but we really look forward to going back and exploring more!