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7.24.2013

S A N F R A N C I S C O

Since the first time I arrived in San Francisco, I have always said that if I were to move to the US, this is the city that I would want to stay. What is there not to love about this place? Fitted with Californian weather (well... Bay weather), loads and loads of amazing food options, nice people, great sense of the appreciation for being different, this is a place that provides all of that. We stayed in the city for most of the time and feasted.


A C T I V I T I E S

There is so much to do and see in this city. Having been here a few times before we did not have to go and do the same things again but some highlights from this trip included the bike ride across the golden gate bridge towards Sausalito. We also walked through Fisherman's Wharf as anyone would just because it was lively and there was a lot happening there. The Ferry Building is also something we went to see as the farmer's market was going on. So much fresh fruit, produce and flowers. Let's just say that we went a little trigger happy with our cameras here.


Shopping can be had anywhere but we were lucky to have J's Aunt and Uncle pick us up and take us to the Livermore Outlets. Lots of shops here and they were all having their July 4th sales which helped.

One of the best parts about San Francisco though is just how cool it looks. The neighborhoods, the rolling hills... My recommendation? Walk! You'll see some neat things and it gives you some time to work off the heaps of food that you will have undoubtedly gorged yourself on in this city.


F O O D

We went to a number of great restaurants while we are there. Coming from Vancouver, we are really lucky when it comes to good eats. When you're in San Francisco though, it is easier to find a good restaurant than a bad one. Here are some of the places we went to:

plow: One of my favorite places in the city for breakfast/brunch. I wrote up a blog review on this one here. A photographers paradise too as this place has such nice light and big windows.

limon: We got the chance to meet up with a friend who had just moved down to the Bay area while on this trip. Serving Peruvian food meant to be shared with the table, we loved the chicken. Definitely get that if you can come here. The prices were not bad either as you get a lot of bang for your buck. It gets busy though!

house of prime rib: If you like prime rib, this is the place to go. Old school through and through, the inside of the restaurant looks like something that came out of the late 80's. The chef will come over to your table and carve out the meat and prepare the dish right in front of you. A little pricier but we enjoyed it thoroughly.

bi-rite creamery: We heard about this place from friends and from reviews that did some great, great ice cream. Knowing how much we love gelato, we though, let's give this place a try. The line-up on a Wednesday night was about half an hour as it stretched around the corner of the block. They do not have an extraordinary amount of flavors (a good thing as it shows that they specialize and give it some thought) but it was pretty good! I still prefer Italian gelato though :).

sushi sam's: One of the top three sushi places I have eaten at in my entire life. What more needs to be said? The omakase is a must as they have such a great selection of fresh fish on a good day. Tons of returning customers you could tell that locals come here and they come here often. Read my full review here.

coffee: Being in this city, I knew there were a ton of great coffee shops. We did not get a chance to go back to Philz Coffee but we did get a chance to see some others. See the pictures below for a highlight of the better ones we went to.


A C C O M M O D A T I O N S

We stayed at the Warwick Hotel near Union Square. The hotel is very old and it showed in the hallways and in the building. Having said that, it was kept up nicely and the room was actually very decent. Close and convenient as well as affordable for what it was.

O V E R A L L

San Francisco is my favorite city in the US. I am a bit biased because I love the west coast, good food, great coffee, and the culture of creativity and innovation. While I won't be visiting again anytime soon, I am glad that we both had a chance to see this place before leaving! Next blog post: Napa Valley!

4 comments:

  1. Sounds like a great place, definitely on my list! Superb photos too!

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  2. Fab pictures!! The architecture is sublime but the flowers are gorgeous!!

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  3. o wow, such gorgeous photos! Now I want to visit San Francisco.

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  4. Great photography all over the blog! But photos of Golden Gate Bridge are stunning! I am so happy to have this city as my home town now.

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