Travel Guide: San Francisco & Sausalito
You can check out our vlog from this trip on my YouTube Channel here.
Over Labor Day weekend, Fred and I took a trip out to the Bay Area of California. We stayed in San Francisco but also took a few day trips to surrounding cities like Sausalito & Napa (which will have its own standalone post coming soon). It was such a wonderful weekend doing all the touristy things and making so many great memories of Fred’s first visit to San Francisco.
Our trip began Wednesday, September 1st when we took the direct flight from Miami to San Francisco. We arrived late in the evening so we just took an Uber to our hotel in Union Square and got settled in. Originally, we had a hotel booked near the Fishermen’s Wharf but I was happy we decided to stay in Union Square instead because we were just a few blocks from where the cable car line was located as well as shopping and restaurants.
Thursday - our first full day - we took advantage of the free cable car ride from Union Square to the Fisherman’s Wharf to check out the area and have some clam chowder (in a bread bowl of course). There are several places that serve clam chowder at the wharf but we chose “Chowder Hut” because they offered outdoor but enclosed seating as it was a little windy. We also ordered a crab sandwich which was just ok. The clam chowder, however, was delicious and was perfect for a chilly day.
That evening, we had dinner at Rooh, a Michelin Star Indian restaurant. Not only was the food phenomenal, but the decor was modern & sophisticated. For appetizers, we ordered the tandoori octopus and cauliflower koliwada and then for dinner, we shared the butter chicken accompanied by saffron rice and garlic naan. All of the food was exceptional and the presentation was exactly what you would expect from a Michelin Star chef.
Friday was our second full day but we took a day trip to Napa Valley (which as I mentioned will have its own post with all the details). On Saturday we started our day with breakfast at a French cafe called Maison Danel.
Fred had the croissant perdu and I had one of my French favorites - the croque madame. Not only was the food delicious, but it was also filling for our adventurous day ahead.
After breakfast, we hoped into an Uber and made our way to (in my opinion) the most iconic place in San Francisco - the Golden Gate Bridge. Fred was so excited to see the bridge up close for the first time and I was also stoked to walk the entire bridge for the first time. It was pretty windy and a little foggy at the beginning of our trek but once we made it to the end of the bridge (approximately 2.1 miles), it was sunny and beautiful. The views while walking the bridge were truly incredible. It is worth noting that if you plan to get an Uber after crossing the bridge on foot it can be a little difficult. We ended up having to walk a little bit further towards Sausalito (which was our final destination) in order to request a ride.
Our Uber dropped us off in Sausalito early so we had a chance to walk around and do some shopping at the boutiques and souvenir shops before our lunch reservation. I found the cutest shop, 2Bella and bought a few items to remember our trip.
We had lunch at Scoma’s and were lucky enough to be sat at a table in their “front room” which has an amazing view of the bay. For our appetizer, we shared a dozen fresh oysters (which were some of the best I’ve ever eaten) and for lunch I had an arugula pear salad with grilled prawns and Fred had the lazy cooppino (Fisherman’s stew of crab, prawns, mussels, clams, fish and calamari in a tomato clam broth). It was a scrumptious meal and the service at Scoma’s was wonderful as well.
For a change of scenery we opted to take the ferry from Sausalito back to San Francisco. It was such a perfect day for a boat ride across the Richardson Bay; we even got some amazing views of Alcatraz just before pulling into Fisherman’s Wharf.
Our last full day in San Francisco started out with breakfast at a Thai Restaurant just a few blocks from our hotel called Lapisara. We had never had Thai food for breakfast so I wasn't sure what to expect but then I saw a Thai tea latte on the menu and had a feeling we chose a great spot. I ordered the “Holy Chili Bomb Basil Omlette” which as the name states, was bomb, and Fred ordered the French toast set which he exclaimed was one of the best French toasts he’s ever had!
Breakfast concluded and we grabbed an Uber to a place that took us right back to Rome - The Palace of Fine Arts. Its Greco-Roman rotunda and colonnades left us stunned at the beauty that was before us. There was also a wedding that was happening as we walked around and it definitely had me a little jealous. Lol!
After getting some incredible photos at the Palace of the Fine Arts, we decided to make the hike (if you know San Francisco you understand how steep some of the streets can be) to see another San Fran icon. Growing up in the 90’s, “Full House” was one of my favorite shows, so I had to stop by and show Fred the “Full house” house. Although I must say it was a little disappointing because the steps & door have been repainted from its original red shade. It’s been said that this may be to detract tourists from visiting as it is actually someone’s home.
From there, we made our way to Steiner St to check out the famous Painted Ladies. This row of Victorian style houses is best viewed from Golden Gate Park just across the street. Once you climb to the top of the park you can see not only the row of houses, but also the skyline of San Francisco behind it. Since we visited on a holiday weekend, the park was quite busy but we were still able to snap a few great photos!
Dinner on our last night was at the House of Prime Rib. If you love beef and you’re able to snag a reservation at this Restaurant, consider yourself lucky! Their menu consists of the different types of beef they offer as well as their signature accompaniments like creamed spinach and Yorkshire pudding.
Once we wrapped up dinner, we took one last ride on a cable car before heading back to our hotel. This trip was truly one of the best we have taken. The weather was perfect, the food was incredible, and the memories will last a lifetime.
We are also currently working on editing a vlog that we will upload to my Youtube channel soon, so make sure you’re subscribed and have your post notifications turned on because you’re not going to want to miss it!
I really hope that you all enjoyed this post. Getting to take these trips is fun, but I also really love getting to share my travels with others to help inspire you to visit these places too.
