On the second and fifth days of our trip to San Francisco we continued to explore the city itself, inclusive of the residential neighborhoods. During this time the grittiness and artiness of the city began to reveal itself as we left the shiny tourist strongholds.

To be completely honest, being visitors from New York City where neighborhood gentrification has happened in rapid fire over the past twenty years, we were shocked by two things we saw in San Francisco:

1. the lack of other human beings on the sidewalks walking from point A to point B.
2. the number of homeless people living on the streets.

Additionally, the Uber car service app is quite common in San Francisco to get around town, and we used it frequently for two specific reasons: avoiding unsuspectingly tall hills and troubled neighborhoods. Uber is relatively affordable, too, especially if you are travelling with more than one person. The Uber Pool carpooling option was an attractive $7 per ride to get both Derek and me around the city. Although using the car service brought up our estimated transit costs for our trip, we typically arrived at our destination much faster than we would have if we had used the bus or the BART train.

Day 2 Overview:

We woke up in the morning in our hotel room and wandered outside to find breakfast – specifically wanting to seek out a local café rather than head to our typical go-to Starbucks. And we were in luck! We stumbled upon Bartlett Hall Café, where we ordered breakfast sandwiches and mochas to bring back to our hotel room’s patio.

Once we wrapped up breakfast, we took an Uber to the home where the 90’s show Full House took place, while simultaneously meeting up with Derek’s brother and our friend Liz. The “Full House house” had been painted a darker color since the show ended, and I most likely would not have recognized it had I been quickly driving past in a car.

Next we walked to Alamo Square, where we took photos in from of the Painted Ladies antique row houses (which were where the Tanner family picnicked in the opening credits of Full House). Although it was a cloudy day, the distant downtown skyscrapers hovering in the background made the photo iconic. Incredible.

After wondering around Alamo Square and taking in the view, we grabbed a late lunch at a local pub called Fly Bar. The individual pizzas we ordered were delicious, but unfortunately took a long time to arrive at our table. By the time the food arrived we were STARVING, so the pub fare helped restore our energy.

From the pub, we walked towards Golden Gate Park to meet Derek’s cousin David outside of the California Academy of Sciences building. The park is long, narrow, and lush, with winding roads that reminded me of Manhattan’s Central Park. Museums dot the landscape, and David took us up to a free observation deck at the de Young art museum that overlooks the entire city via a 360-degree panorama. Being up there brought back fond memories from the Gravity Bar at the top of the Guinness Factory in Dublin.

After our time in Golden Gate Park, David motioned us toward the nearby neighborhood of Sunset where he lives. We grabbed a pint at a neighborhood bar called Blackthorn, which had a pretty back patio seating area, several pool tables, and an open-mindedness towards dogs off their leashes. Overall, it felt like one big living room where I was sipping my cold cider next to locals only.

After leaving Sunset, we grabbed our bags at our hotel and waved goodbye to the city for a few days while we headed up north to Sonoma County. More to come in a future blog post on our trip through vineyards and valleys as we road-tripped to the Dry Creek and Mendocino – but for now I will skip to our return to the city on day 5.

Day 5 Overview:

After the weekend road trips, we came back into the city of San Francisco on Memorial Day to check off the remaining sights on our sightseeing itinerary. Yet again we stayed at a hotel in Union Square – this time Hotel Fusion – but quickly hit the pavement.

After we met up with our friend Daniel-Linh, we looked at the map and decided that it would make the most sense to walk to the Mission District rather than take a bus due to the close proximity (as well as to avoid the body odor of the homeless man at the bus stop). However, we did not realize that the neighborhoods we were about to traverse would be practically deserted for the holiday weekend. We were fine. We were completely safe, even though we walked passed a fight on the sidewalk on Mission Street. Mostly, it just didn’t feel like home, so it was a healthy dose of departing our comfort zones.

Once we reached the Mission District area, I was so hungry from the walk that we yelped a nearby taqueria in hopes of finding some authentic Mexican food. And we were in luck! We found a place called Taqueria Los Coyotes that was exactly what the doctor ordered. Derek and I are very picky about the authenticity of our Mexican food, and this place filled the bill.

After lunch we walked to Mission Dolores to take some quick snapshots, and then to the nearby Mission Dolores Park. Unfortunately the park was under heavy construction, so we decided to meander through the Mission District as a consolation prize. Luckily, the area is filled with beautiful street art and murals, and we were able to capture photos of several that intrigued us.

After an afternoon of walking, we waved goodbye to Daniel-Linh and made our way back to our hotel to freshen up. For our last evening in San Francisco before our flight the next morning, we wanted to grab a drink with my childhood friend Rachel one last time.

So, we used the Yelp app to locate a top rated bar in the Tenderloin neighborhood near our hotel that had recently opened called Piano Fight. The venue hosted a free comedy show at 9pm, so we ordered a drink and watched several comedy sketches over the course of an hour. Spending time with my old friend laughing and drinking a local California wine was the perfect way to spend my last night in San Francisco.

My Important Traveler Takeaway:

Overall, Derek and I enjoyed learning about the residential neighborhoods of San Francisco as we were led around by our friends who live in the city. As a traveler, my experiences are the most meaningful when I see how other cities and countries have dealt with problems that they face, so I can learn about the effects of those choices.

With San Francisco, its foggy, temperate weather can be both a pro and a con for the city. Certain SF neighborhoods rarely see the sun and locals wear jackets and pants into the depths of summertime in order to accommodate the climate. Additionally, while America typically does not support the same gypsy culture that travelers encounter in Europe, many homeless Americans wind up in San Francisco. In order to survive, the homeless have created communities among themselves and support each other. Lastly, the dichotomy between the poor and the rich (and highly educated) in San Francisco is palpable as you walk the streets. The residents of San Francisco have adapted and found their own solutions to these problems, and appear to live in harmony together.

All in all, it’s admirable to see San Franciscans literally come together and boost themselves up out of the fog to help their city remain one of the most beloved and iconic places on the planet.

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