48 Hours in San Francisco: Hills, Bridges & Cable Cars
In last week’s blog post, I covered the first few places we’ve been to in California. The post ended with us leaving Napa Valley, and I’m pretty sure you can guess where we headed to next? Yep, that’s right, San Francisco. This city is hyped up like no other on the west coast, so be prepared for our adventures there and my – personal – opinion on the town.
When coming from the northern part of California, it is obvious you enter the city via the iconic Golden Gate Bridge. Luckily, on the highway there are lots of signs for viewpoints, so missing the exit is nearly impossible. So, we cruised around the hill until we arrived at 2 different viewpoints of the bridge. One thing you need to keep in mind ALL THE TIME in San Francisco is that it is a safe city for people, but not or cars. Break-ins are normal, and therefore, you can find millions of signs that advise you not to leave ANYTHING valuable in your car. Even in parking garages you never know what happens to your vehicle overnight. To be honest, I was quite shocked that the first thing I read was one of these signs, and so I was pretty worried while taking lots of pictures of the bridge.
Another great place to view the bridge is the Point Bonita Lighthouse. You can get there pretty easily by following the signs, but sadly, on the day we visited the lighthouse, and the path to it was closed. But on the way there we were already able to spot some seals resting in the bay, so it was not a disappointment heading there.
Afterwards, we decided to really enter the city. Honestly, driving the Golden Gate Bridge is much like driving any other bridge, and for me, it was not a thaaat impressive experience. From there we headed straight to Lands End. This is a lookout, a park and a trail all combined, and when following the path, you get to another great viewpoint of the Golden Gate Bridge. Somehow, we got lucky once more and spotted some dolphins playing around, close to a shipwreck.
After a quick lunch break and bringing our belongings to the hotel, we then went on to the famous Lombard Street. As you probably know from pictures or if you’ve been to, San Francisco is a quite hilly city and so walking 20 minutes can feel much longer than it actually is. Also, the summer sun and heat were not making it easier. But Lombard Street was definitely worth it, as this tiny street with millions of curves on the steep hill is one of the most iconic streets in San Francisco. But be prepared to share the place with millions of other tourists from all over the world.
From there, we decided to head on to Fisherman’s Wharf. This is one of the other main hotspots of San Francisco, and the harbour is charming. You can find lots of souvenir shops, seafood restaurants, boat tours and ice cream there. Also, you can spot Alcatraz from there. Next to Fisherman’s Wharf, there’s also the Aquatic Cove, a little beach in the bay an- believe it or not – we actually witnessed some seals swimming around (and following a guy on a paddleboard). After a quick stroll through Fort Mason, a park right behind the beach, we called it a day.
The next day started for us at the Conservatory of Flowers, which could also be called the botanical gardens of San Francisco. The Conservatory is not too big, so I’d say you’ll spend around 1-2 hours there, depending on how interested you are in finding out more about the flowers. If you’re like me and simply want to admire their beauty, it’s the perfect calm start into the day. Also, you can buy some exotic plant seeds, even some for growing your own redwood tree at home. Flowers and trees that are already growing are also available for purchase. Still, I guess custom controls might not like them, so if you’re from overseas, better opt for the seeds.
Our next stop was the Twin Peaks. Those hills, pretty much in the centre of the city, are the perfect lookout and you can finally comprehend a bit of the size of this city. Also, this area is the last habitat in San Francisco for a species of butterflies that is going extinct. We were not able to spot it, but this might be caused by the vast number of tourists around there. The last stop before lunch break, were the Painted Ladies. Those are several painted houses, but all I could think of was how annoying it must be to live in one of these houses that are being photographed by such a high number of people every day.
Our program for the afternoon was a boat tour around San Francisco Bay and Alcatraz. Sadly, we were not able to visit Alcatraz, as all the tours were sold-out. If you want to visit, keep in mind that these tickets sell out MONTHS in advance, so for a tour that was as spontaneous as ours, it’s nearly impossible to visit. But the tour was great nevertheless! We were able to see the Golden Gate Bridge as well as the Bay Bridge from below and got really close to Alcatraz. Also, the audio guide was quite interesting, so we were able to listen to the story of a prisoner of Alcatraz.
After the tour, we first went to relax at the Aquatic Bay, then we went for dinner in one of the fantastic seafood/Italian restaurants near the pier and then we went on a trip with the iconic Powell and Market Cable Car. We may have waited in line for more than an hour, and it got quite cold in the evening, but it was a very funny experience, and I can only suggest you do this as well. For us, it was the perfect end of our stay in San Francisco.
To be honest, I liked San Francisco, but it was by far, not one of my favourite places in the US. I think it is hyped up so much that I was expecting a bit more. Also, knowing that driving a car is so unsafe in the city is something that worries me a lot, and I just wish it wasn’t such a chaotic city. Nevertheless, I had lots of fun there, and I know that’s just my personal opinion. I can only suggest you go there yourself to find out if you like this kind of city.
Now, we’re already at the end of this, rather long, blog post about San Francisco and I can’t wait to tell you more about our next stop of the road trip next week when it’s going to be all about Yosemite National Park!
