Our time in San Francisco

San Francsicso is one of our favourite places to visit. We wanted to give you a snapshot of our time in San Francisco including our must visit, must eats, keto finds and our favourite experience. We hope you love San Francisco as much as we do.

When

We visited in October and it was a great time of year to visit San Francisco! The weather was sunny and warm with blue skies and there was no fog covering the Golden Gate bridge at all during our five day stay. Previously, we have visited in July and December and found the weather to be colder and foggier.

We stayed

We stayed in the Marina district on this visit in an apartment we had rented before. The host, Laura, is lovely and even offered us a discount on our return visit. We love this location as we could walk to the end of the street and see the bay and the Golden Gate Bridge. Also, you can walk through Fort Mason to the Fisherman’s Wharf area in about 15 mins. Access to downtown or other parts of the city is easy using public transport or Uber.

The Marina district was a great spot when we were in San Francisco on the 4^th of July on a previous trip as we could walk to the waterfront at the end of our street and watch the fireworks over Alcatraz. We also really enjoyed the food truck park, Off the Grid, which is held in Fort Mason a few minutes walk away.

On our latest visit, it was Fleet Week! So again all the activities and the air show were accessible from the end of our street. There is a Safeway supermarket and Starbucks around the corner from this apartment which is really convenient. Chestnut Street, which is a few blocks away, has some lovely shops and restaurants.

Getting around

We chose to take an Uber from San Francisco Airport to our accommodation after we arrived and it was approximately $USD50. After a long day of travelling from Melbourne, Australia we decided on this option for pure convenience and comfort.

The Uber set up at SFO was easy and fast. On our first visit we arrived late at night and chose to book a private transfer with Execucar for peace of mind. There is also public transport available from the airport on the BART to downtown.

Must visit

Dan

Alcatraz – On our first visit to San Francisco we went to Alcatraz and just loved it! Visiting museums is not usually high on our agenda but the whole experience when visiting Alcatraz, including the ferry ride and audio tour, are really engaging and definitely should not be missed. I would recommend booking in advance if you can, as it does book out at peak times.

Erika

Ferry Building Farmers Market – I love a farmer’s market and this one is the granddaddy of them all! This is a huge market selling loads of seasonal produce and artisan food. I loved wondering around and checking everything out and picking up a few snacks.

Must eats

Dan

In n Out Burger– This is the keto burger holy grail and it certainly did not disappoint. We had the double double protein style and it was delicious!

Erika

Tartine Bakery – After following Tartine online for years I was very excited to finally get the chance to visit and try their buttery delights. We lined up for approximately 40 minutes to purchase our takeaway pastries, which wasn’t too bad considering it was a Sunday morning.

The morning bun was our favourite of the selection we tried and I would recommend walking the few blocks to Dolores Park to enjoy your treats in the sunshine as it is lovely.

We both wanted to put in a special mention for Lazy Bear where we spent our wedding night. It was such a unique experience from the communal tables, open kitchen and delicious food, to the interaction with the chefs.

Highly recommend visiting Lazy Bear if you are celebrating a special occasion or just want a great night out. You do need to book and pay in advance and the tickets go on sale midway through each month for the next month.

Keto finds

In n Out Burger– Order any burger ‘protein style’ and it comes in a lettuce wrap rather than a bun.

Asian Box – You can completely tailor your meal here, starting with Asian greens and adding your choice of meat and sauce for a super tasty keto option.

Poki Time – Another option where you can choose the ingredients for your poke bowl as you go. Start with mixed greens or kale for your base for a great keto option.

Favourite experience

We both agree the day we spent walking across the Golden Gate Bridge and down to Sausalito was a great experience. This felt like a real bucket list moment. We were very fortunate to have sunshine and lovely weather, even though there was some smoke haze in the morning from the fires in the Napa and Sonoma area.

You don’t need too much time in Sausalito in our opinion, just enough for lunch and a quick wander around the shops. We then caught the ferry back across the bay to the Ferry Building, another great place to have a look in all the gourmet food shops.

A special mention also to our wedding day of course! We eloped at San Francisco City Hall which is such a beautiful building and you can read more about that in our wedding post coming soon!

Wish we had

Dan

Sporting event – Unfortunately the timing of our trip did not match up with going to any big sporting events. The NBA was in the pre-season but the Golden State Warriors were playing in China!

Erika

Napa and Sonoma – Due to the terrible fires in the Napa and Sonoma region we were not able to visit as planned. This is definitely on my list for next time I visit San Francisco!

Give it a miss

Dan

Powell Hyde Cable Car – This is always super crowded and you can wait for up to an hour at times to be crammed on. There are other old-style street cars and cable cars on different lines that are not as busy and give a similar experience.

Erika

Fisherman’s Wharf – This area is so touristy and crowded. I am not a fan and I don’t think it gives you the true San Francisco experience.

Check out our other ‘Our Time in’ posts for more travel inspiration!

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