We had many good experiences in San Francisco, the list is long and oh so lovely. But there are the extra good ones that took our trip to a whole other level. Staying for as long as we did, we were slightly worried that we would get bored, but this was not the case. Our mission in SF was to explore and see as much of the city as we could, so much of our stay was exploring the different districts or areas. We only spent some 3 days total in the city center. Shopping was not on our agenda, even though San Francisco would certainly not disappoint any fashionista. We had more than enough to fill our 3 weeks there. The good thing about San Francisco is that you can easily take day trips to fantastic spots outside of the city. Such as Muir Woods national monument, Muir beach, Monterey, Sonoma, Napa Valley, hiking at Big Sur or Golden gate national recreational area. Here are our top.

# Warriors vs Lakers game

As a former basket ball player and Lakers fan, experiencing a basket ball game in Oakland California with all the madness that comes with being present at a live game. The greasy hot dogs, the cheer leaders dancing, the kiss and dancing cam, the atmosphere…oh ofcourse…the game itself was incredible. It was a loooong awaited experience and a childhood dream come true.

 

 

# Road trip

Road tripping in the US of A…or along the Californian coast is by far one of the best experiences. This is a MUST, an amazing way to see the sheer beauty of the coast. This road trip required good planning and research, we wanted to make sure to discover the hidden gems and experience the great spots. The last thing we wanted was to arrive back home and find out we missed out on incredible places. So plan well and choose a good route. We will write a separate blog post on this.

# Parks

You will find some amazing parks in San Francisco, visiting parks and having a picnic became a habit for us on Sundays. There is a nice culture amongst locals for spending time in parks and it is refreshing that the city takes pride in keeping them well maintained. Giving its people the opportunity to retrieve from buzy city to green open spaces. An instant nature gratification. There are apparently more than 220 parks and places, so there is a park for each taste. Our favorites were the Golden gate park and Palace of fine arts park. Buena Vista park, Alamo square park and Alta Plaza park for great views of San Francisco.

 

# Golden Gate Bridge

What can you say about the legendary Golden gate bridge…..that has not been said. The bridge is one of the most iconic structures in the world and seeing it “live” is like seeing a major celebrity. I mean it is only a bridge afterall, but it has a lot of history. It opened to the public 1937 and connects the city of San Francisco to Marin County, California. Spans almost two miles across the Golden Gate, the narrow strait where San Francisco Bay opens to meet the Pacific Ocean. It is probably the bridge that has appeared in most movies.

TIP! Rent a bike at Golden gate park, then cycle to the Golden Gate Bridge and Crissy field and to Marina district for some lunch at Tacolisious.

 

# California academy of sciences

We are science lovers so this renowned science museum was perfect for us to spend hours of our day. Based in the Golden Gate Park and home to a world-class aquarium, planetarium, and natural history museum. The planetarium experience was superb and recommended. The tickets are a bit pricey, but hey….I guess a small price to pay to help maintain this incredible place.

 

# Exploring the different neighborhoods / districts

As cliche or obvious this may sound, put on your walking shoes and start exploring the many neighborhoods in San Francisco. As mentioned earlier, our mission was to get to know SF and that meant visiting various districts. The distances between the neighborhoods are not that big, so we could actually walk from one to another in 20 minutes or so. When we wanted to get there quicker, we just hopped on a Uber pool. We knew there were many hills in SF, so we were prepared and geared up (good shoes and water). Walking through the neighborhoods gave us a real opportunity to see, experience and feel the vibe of the City. We loved it!!