san francisco winter // daydreaming

I'm quarantined and bored and reminiscing. I already wrote a post about my trip to San Francisco in February, but now that I've got nowhere to be and no new stories to tell, I figured I'd revisit SF because 1) it was wonderful and 2) it was mad hard to pack for!

I wasn't sure I was sold on a February trip to northern California while all of my friends were off to Cuba or Florida - is it really warm enough? I was visiting a friend in San Francisco, and reading week was the free time I had, so it made my decision easy, but I was a bit worried I'd be disappointed by the weather. I was not. It may not have been beach weather or even t-shirt weather all week, but holy crap was it ever nice to have the sun shining on my face every day. My fellow Ontarians know how brutal our cold, grey winters are - the sunshine makes a huge difference.

That being said, SF has the weirdest weather of all time. The friend I was visiting said that even she doesn't know how to dress for the weather. Every time you cross the street, it's a completely different climate. I checked the weather ahead of time, of course, and what I learned on Pinterest was layers layers layers layers layers, which doesn't necessarily make for easy packing. I don't believe in checking bags. I just don't. I travel with a carry-on and a personal item - I have the perfect, maximum-carry-on-sized rolling suitcase, and then I have a a maximum-personal-item-sized duffel bag that attaches on top (it's been durable over the past two years I've had it, and it cost $15). Together, those two bags provide lots of space, and there's absolutely no reason to check any additional or bigger luggage unless you're traveling for longer than 3-4 weeks. Even then, you probably don't need to. The only time I've ever checked a bag was a hiking backpack when I went to India and Nepal for 6 weeks.

Anyway - I'll get off my checked luggage soap box - I'm a pretty light packer, and it was tricky to pack for a San Francisco winter. I planned out all of my outfits ahead of time and tried to reuse as many clothing items as possible. I stayed for four days and four nights, and this is what I ended up bringing...

I had originally packed two jackets (a jean jacket and a light puffer jacket) and then at the last minute threw in a light windbreaker, too, because I had the space. The weather forecast had me packing mostly sweaters and long pants, but I also added a few t-shirts and tank tops at the last minute, and they totally saved me. I packed one workout outfit, because I had an aerial yoga class booked, but I probably should have brought more - I wanted to look nice, but two pairs of jeans was definitely overkill for the amount of walking up hills that we did. Luckily I only buy comfy jeans. For shoes, I brought Keds and short rubber boots, and that was a huge mistake. Next time I will be living in my running shoes and my Birkenstocks. The big scarf I brought was a lifesaver.

If you're going to be visiting heights, you're probably going to want warm layers. But if you're walking the way up, you'll want to be able to strip down to a t-shirt or tank top for the hike.

I brought two bags with me: a large over-the-shoulder purse and a small backpack, just big enough to fit my laptop for the plane. It ended up making more sense to take the purse most days, and I found that it was really helpful to be able to drape all of my layers over the purse when it got warmer.

One day, which was spent exploring the Castro and Mission districts and Dolores Park, I didn't have a short-sleeved shirt that I hadn't worn yet, but I did have a cute sports bra and high-waisted pants, so I made do. And PS - these pants above are my favourite of all time. I bought them at a thrift store years ago and I have never made a better $8 purchase. They're essentially sweatpants, but because of the high waist and disguised elastic waistband, they could pass for even business casual.

Sunglasses were also key (I brought two pairs). And speaking of accessories I'm glad I brought: mostly neutrals as far as clothes go (I almost brought only a leopard-print scarf and that wouldn't have been great, because I wore the neutral scarf that I did bring every day). I like to bring a few pairs of fun earrings and hair accessories to spice up outfits, because they're small but they add a bit of fun to all the black, white, and denim. For a short trip of 4 days, you have the space to pack a full outfit for each day and not to mix and match (and I only reused a few clothing items plus my plane outfit), but neutrals are extra helpful if you need to make a little capsule wardrobe.

If you're doing the Alcatraz tour (which I highly recommend - book your tickets online far in advance!) you will want to wear as many layers as possible, especially if you go at night. And you should go late if you can - we took the 4pm ferry and it was the perfect time slot. We got to watch the sunset and then boated home, and watching the sun set on Alcatraz Island was maybe my favourite moment of the whole trip. It did get quite chilly though - if you have more to wear than a crop hoodie, a jean jacket, and a big scarf, take it with you!

All in all, I had a wonderful time in San Francisco, and my wardrobe served me alright while I was there - definitely some room to learn from my mistakes. If I were to do it again, I would have brought more tank tops, more cardigans, and better walking shoes. I was really thankful for the comfy pants, work-out clothes, and warm jackets that I packed.

Happy daydreaming of California travels! Hopefully by next winter, this pandemic will be resolved and you'll be able to make it to SF. It was a really lovely time to go, especially if you're escaping from the Canadian winter.

Namaste.