san fran-freaking-tastic

Last week, I went to San Francisco, California to visit my roommate from yoga teacher training, Ilaria. Ilaria is from Venice, Italy and she is the most hilarious person with the most beautiful tattoos that I know, and she's living in Cali for the year as an au pere. I was lucky enough to get a cheap flight out for reading week to visit her and wander around a place I've never been.

I can't fully express to you how much I needed this vacation. Grad school is hard, y'all. My ethics was FINALLY submitted during my trip after a months-long, arduous process and a TON of work (pop some champagne for me!). I took it a bit easier this week than I otherwise might have, and it's been glorious. This is also the least prepared I've ever been for a trip. Usually, I like to plan, but leading up to this reading week I simply didn't have any time, so I honestly had no idea what we were going to do, aside from the obvious. Luckily, it's better to be toured around by a local than to plan your own trip as a tourist, so I found a couple of things I wanted to do on my way in the airport, and other than that, I let Ilaria take the reins.

I spent 4 sunny days in SF, arriving Monday night and leaving late Friday night. 4 days was the perfect amount of time. You could do SF in two days if you really pushed it and weren't afraid of missing a couple of the less popular things, but 4 days was busy, a ton of walking, but we got to see pretty much everything and we had time to sit and rest most days.

day 1

We spent our first day exploring Haight-Ashbury (the hippie district). Our first stop was the Painted Ladies, a row of quaint houses across from a park. Ilaria said that area is usually crazy busy, but because it was a week day, there was almost nobody around. I wouldn't recommend going first thing in the morning, though, because the sun is right behind them so you don't get a great view (and you definitely don't get a great picture). Then we walked through the Golden Gate Park, which was absolutely lovely and foresty. We grabbed coffee and lunch at Gus's Market (one of a few locations in the city) and walked Haight street.

Next up was Twin Peaks. We took the bus partway up and then climbed the rest by foot. (You can also drive all the way up, which we did one night to see the city lights). After Twin Peaks, we stopped at Home Cafe, which has the most beautiful lattes in SF. Neither of us were in the mood for one, but there is a rainbow latte that is seriously a work of art.

We then went to the Mosaic Steps, which is apparently such a hidden gem that even many locals don't know about it. Ilaria was only privy because one of her friends lives right there. The steps are beautiful, and once you climb them (there are a lot), there is a bench right at the top and you get an amazing view. This would have been a great place to watch a sunset, but we were getting cold so we left. (If you're going to propose in SF, this is for sure where you should do it).

That night, Ilaria took me to an aerial silks yoga class that she attends weekly at AcroSports. The class was expensive, but so fun.

day 2

On Wednesday, we spent the day exploring the Mission District, which is where Ilaria's host family lives. I went off in the morning to do a few hours of work at Stable Cafe (adorable - unfortunately that was a stressful morning with my writing, and my pictures just don't do it justice) while she worked, and then we climbed Bernal Heights, which is quite a walk but has a great view (and a swing!) of the city. This park is full of dog-walkers and so, so, so many dogs running around, off-leash.

We then walked around Mission and Valencia streets. My favourite part for sure was the Mural Alley - there are so many colourful murals, many with meaningful messages attached. For lunch, we ate tacos at Papalote (the queso!).

We walked past Dolores Park to Castro, the LGBTQ+ region. Castro was so fun, y'all - there are rainbows literally everywhere, and the Castro Theatre is super cool. I stopped at a cafe - Le Marais - for a few more hours of working and a delicious iced chai latte, while Ilaria went back to work.

I wandered into Dog-Eared Books, a new and used local book store chain, bought myself a book by a local author from Sausalito, and took it to Dolores Park while the sun set. I thought there would be more to see, but the sun sets in the opposite direction that the park faces and the sky was too clear to light up. Dolores Park is beautiful regardless - you get such a good view of the skyline, and the day I was there was sunny and warm and full of people coming to unwind (read: smoke weed). I walked back once it got too cold through the Mission. When Ilaria got off work, she took me on a driving tour of SF at night (contrary to the photos you'll see of the city lights, I did actually take some decent pictures of the skyline - but honestly, I liked the artistic shots better - sometimes pictures just don't do a scene justice, and I like how the abstract ones represent that night).

day 3

I had some time the next morning, while Ilaria was working, to hit up another cafe to get some editing done. This time I picked Haus Coffee, in the Mission, which was beautiful. Maybe one of my favourite things about SF was all the outdoor patios that the cafes had, and the fact that it was actually warm enough to sit outside.

This day was dedicated to the Golden Gate Bridge. We took an Uber to the Sutro Baths (underwhelming - and neither of us knew the story behind them), which is the starting point for the Land's End trail. (We drove past Ocean Beach on the way here, where a few brave souls were surfing - it was beautiful, and if I ever come back, I will come back when it's warmer so I can beach hard here). This was a lovely little hike, and you can see the Bridge for most of the way. We st0pped to eat our packed lunch on a bench with a view of the Bridge.

When we finished the trail, we got a ride to the Golden Gate Bridge. We walked along the beach and found 'the photo spot.' (By the way, it wasn't busy here at all. Some tourists, but it wasn't crowded, maybe because it was a week day).

We kept walking to the SF Palace of Fine Arts, which is straight up beautiful - there were engagement photo shoots going on, and you could totally see why.

From there, we took another Uber back to the Mission, through Presidio, so Ilaria could get back to work, and I stopped on the way for happy hour at Media Noche, which I'd found on Pinterest because it is absolutely freaking adorable. I thought, being in the Mexican district, that this would be a Mexican restaurant and I'd be chilling with a taco and a margarita, but it is in fact Cuban. I wasn't hungry enough for one of their Cubanos so I got the mariquitas (plantain chips) with their 'famous green sauce' (and THAT SAUCE though) and a delicious lime/guava mimosa.

This place didn't have wifi, so once I was done with my food and drink, I left in search of internet so I could call Mitchell, and found it at the Dolores Park Cafe (which is nothing special, but the patio faces the park and it's lovely). On the way there, I stopped at the second Dog-Eared Books location and wanted to check out Smitten Ice Cream, but it was crazy busy!

day 4

On Friday, my final day, we took an Uber out to Fisherman's Wharf, which is the most touristy part of the city. We stopped at the Mr. Holmes Bakery on our way out - you gotta, for the sign, and the croissant was delicious, too.

We then made our way towards Lombard Street. Ilaria showed me pictures of this street in the summer, and it's absolutely gorgeous with all the flowers; in the winter, though, it was nothing special.

The Coit Tower was our next stop, which has a great panoramic view of the city, and from a very different point of view than the other heights we'd climbed. You have to buy tickets, but ours were discounted with Ilaria's resident card and came to only $6.

We then walked the Wharf. We loved the tucked away 'greetings from SF' mural nearby, as well as the sea lions at the pier, and Ghiardelli square (which would have been so pretty at night with all the lights). We spent as little time in this area as we could - despite the rest of the trip feeling very local SF, this place was mad busy with so many tourists.

We passed up more time at the wharf to walk through North Beach, which is the Italian district. Ilaria, right at home, took me to get gelato (which is served at a gelateria, don't you know), outside of Washington Square. She took me to the oldest book store in the city and we stopped for a coffee at an adorable place called Beacon. I really liked this part of the city. It felt like a friendly little neighbourhood.

Then it was time for Alcatraz! We walked to our tour's pier, and Ilaria explained to me on the way that all of the trams in this area are real, vintage cars from other parts of the world; as we crossed the street, we saw one from Milano, where she's lived for years - I wish I'd gotten a picture. Our Alcatraz tickets were for 3:50pm, and we booked them months ahead of time. We had great views of the Golden Gate Bridge, Alcatraz Island, and the SF skyline on the boat ride out.

The Alcatraz audio tour is very well done, and the tour guides and employees were great. The tour mostly focuses on Alcatraz when it was an active prison, as well as the process of shutting it down. I had learned on the plane to SF, courtesy of Drunk History, that Alcatraz was occupied by Native Americans after it closed, as per a law that stated that they could claim abandoned federal land. They were eventually forced out when the government cut the water and electricity supplies (as I understand - again, I learned this from an intoxicated actor). You can still see 'native land' spray painted on towers and buildings. I thought this part of the island's history was super interesting, and I'm glad I knew about it before visiting. (Thank you, Air Canada).

The timing was perfect. The sun was setting as the 45-minute tour finished. Making sure I had front-row seats to watch the sun set over the Golden Gate Bridge, I sat myself down at the most western point you can access with my camera. Ilaria joined me for a bit, but she got cold and went inside (Canada for the win). Other tourists came and took pictures over my head, too, but they also left with the wind. This was probably my favourite moment of the trip - I was just so content to sit there and watch an amazing sunset in an amazing place. (Brace yourself for a LOT of sunset photos!).

After Alcatraz, it was time to pack and go home! It was an amazing trip overall and I wished I could have stayed longer, if only for the sunshine and the escape of my school work. In the end, I didn't get to live out my taco-and-margarita-at-the-same-time dream, but it was a beautiful experience nonetheless.

Overall evaluation of SF:

Tacos: 7/10 (would be 10/10 if it was easier to find them alongside margaritas)

Housing for all: 0/10

Sunshine: 10/10, but I was lucky!

Murals: 10/10 - they're everywhere, and they're beautiful

Hills: 10/10 (not in a good way)

Cafes: 10/10 - I found some really great ones, and latte art for days

Ability to dress appropriately for the weather: 2/10. You need minimum four layers. Why is it a different climate every time you cross the street??

Views: 8/10 - there is no shortage, although I'm not sure you need to see every single one of them

Wealth equality: 0/10. I watched a man eat a sandwich out of a garbage can. I stayed in my own private house that Ilaria's family owns.

Nature: 9/10: there are mountains, beaches, and lots of parks

In short, I loved SF, and I'd highly recommend spending a few days there if you're lucky enough to get the chance. Ilaria is moving in a few months, so I'm so thankful that I got to go on this truly once-in-a-lifetime trip. It came right at the perfect time (if you go somewhere warm, you go in February/March. There's no worse time to be in Ontario). I got to see my sweet roommate and spend more quality time with her than I thought I would get to ever again. I felt recharged and content by the time I left, and somewhat ready to face the rest of this term. I got to pin a new city in my world map. I got so much needed sunshine and many, many steps. And overall, I got to experience another amazing adventure, and for that, I'm so incredibly grateful.

If you'd like to see almost every single photo I took in SF (yes, there are more than this), you can check out my gallery for this trip, as well as all of the other trips I've taken in the past few years, right here.

Namaste.