Things To Do
Golden Gate Park
Golden Gate Park is magic! It's where Maggie and Tyler first met (at the Polo Fields during Outside Lands music festival). Our #1 recommendation: Go for a stroll or a roll along JFK Promenade in Golden Gate Park. You can bike car-free via JFK and Middle Drive all the way to Ocean Beach Park (also car free)! Along the way stop by the Conservatory of Flowers, Cal Academy of Sciences Museum (with earthquake simulation, planetarium, and more), de Young Museum's observatory tower (it's free!), and Japanese Tea Garden. Hellman Hollow is a beautiful meadow for a picnic or practicing your hurling skills with Tyler's Irish buddies.
North Beach
North Beach is the best! We recommend getting dinner here on Friday evening before the Welcome Party. It's a historically Italian neighborhood in the northeast of the city, just north of Chinatown (which you should also check out!). It's great for old timey San Francisco atmosphere, live music in the bars on Grant Street, classic Italian food on Columbus. Some tasty ideas: - Lush Gelato (Maggie is a big fan) - Tony's Pizza Napoletana (an SF classic with great Neapolitan-style za) - Cafe Jacqueline (Soufflés! Have to make a reservation on the phone) - Cozy Italian options at Tosca Cafe, Trattoria Contadina, and Original Joe's (one of Tyler's favorite tiramisus) If you want something upscale: - Cotogna: Incredible and inventive pasta - need to reserve 1-month ahead - Trestle: 3-course prix fixe - Bix: An SF classic. 50s-style grand supper club. For bars: Maggie McGarry's, Tupelo, and The Saloon have live music; Vesuvio Cafe (another classic - a favorite of the beat generation)
Arsicault Bakery
The best croissant in San Francisco (and the world?) and our #1 favorite eatery! They are famous for their almond croissants, but Tyler likes the ham and cheese croissant and Maggie likes the chocolate croissant. Don't be discouraged by the long line, it moves quickly. And means that they are constantly churning out warm croissants (you really gotta eat them while they are hot). Come on Sunday morning and you can also take a stroll along Clement Street farmer's market. (There is another Arsicault location in Civic Center with a much shorter line, but the neighborhood is not great - not as pleasant of an experience)
Alamo Square Park, Japantown, Fillmore Street
This is such a great area. Here's an ideal morning to early afternoon itinerary: Start with a pastry and coffee from B. Patisserie, Jane on Fillmore, or La Boulangerie de San Francisco (this one is not owned by Starbucks - we would never). Take these up to a nice bench in Alta Plaza Park to appreciate some nice views of the city and Bay. Then head down to browse the dozens of boutique shops and great vibe on Fillmore Street. All that shopping leaves you feeling a bit low on blood sugar, so grab a mini scoop of ice cream at Philmore Creamery (the best ice cream in the city with new flavors every week) or Salt & Straw. When you get to Post Street, head east to Japantown Mall to see the shops there. For lunch we love Hikari Train Sushi (yay trains), Marufuku Ramen, and Udon Mugizo (add your name to their Yelp waitlists ahead of time!). Finally, finish your adventure at the Painted Ladies in Alamo Square Park. This is our local park! Bonus: watch the dogs. Wow, what a great day.
Lands End Trail
Beautiful trail with view of the Pacific, Golden Gate Bridge, labyrinth, and the spot where Tyler and Maggie got engaged (just above Mile Rock Beach). There's also a golf course and an art museum nearby if that's your thing. The hike down to the water has significant elevation change and scrambly stairs. Start or end your hike with some pastries at Patisserie on California! This is a retired French pastry chef who now sells from his apartment. Only open on weekends.
Dolores Park and Mission District
Hang out in Dolores Park on sunny afternoon to see all sorts of different kinds of people. It's a party and a quintessential SF activity. Take a walk down Valencia Street and experience the local shops. Some food recs: Arizmendi Bakery (great bread, pizza, breadsticks), El Farolito (classic Mission-style burrito), Souvla (fast casual mediterranean), Senor Sisig (Filipino burritos), Tartine (dessert pastries + bread + sandwiches), Bi-Rite grocery (make-your-own picnic for Dolo, delicious cheeses, produce, sandwiches), Bi-Rite ice cream (Maggie's favorite flavors: TCHO chocolate, salted caramel, ricanelas)
Alcatraz Island
In Maggie's opinion, this is the best of all of the classic tourist attractions. You get to go on a boat in the bay. And the audio tour is great. You should get tickets well in advance to get your ideal time. Watch "The Rock" with Nicholas Cage beforehand to get in the mood.
Miscellaneous places to eat
Burmese food: Burma Love/Burma Superstar/Mandalay Dumplings: Dumpling Home (best soup dumplings, long line), Dragon Beaux (great BBQ pork buns), Shanghai Dumpling King (best value and great soup dumplings) Croissants: Arsicault, Neighbor Bakehouse, Jane the Bakery, b. patisserie Nice dinner spots (most require being on the ball for reservations): Nopa, Foreign Cinema, San Ho Won, Cotogna, Penny Roma, Flour and Water, a Mano, Red Window, House of Prime Rib, Dalida, Copra, Saru Sushi Casual dinner spots: Taqueria Vallarta (they got temporarily closed down for a rat problem, but their tacos are amazing), The Pizza Shop (best pizza by the slice), Pizza Hacker (great pies), Perilla (AMAZING garlic noodles), House of Thai II (great gang dang curry), Marufuku Ramen,
![[Day Trip] Muir Woods National Monument](https://images.zola.com/54ffeefb-1798-46d4-b2a4-85890db12355?h=150)
[Day Trip] Muir Woods National Monument
[Day trip] Muir Woods + Mount Tam have beautiful hiking trails. The Muir Woods visitor center abuts a wheelchair-accessible boardwalk through giant old redwoods trees. If you've already been there, we can suggest: Steep Ravine Trail, Dipsea Trail, or Bootjack Trail. Or in a different part of Mount Tam: Phoenix Lake, Cataract Falls. Muir Woods Visitor Center requires parking reservations / shuttles on popular days (ie most weekends) -- check their website. Other parts of Mount Tam do not require this, but we always recommend getting an early start. If you do want to try this on Saturday morning, it's doable, but ambitious. Just remember to build in a lot of buffer time! City and Golden Gate Bridge traffic can be unpredictable. And you'll still need to bring energy to the dance floor =). Food rec: Sol Food -- delicious Puerto Rican Food. Maggie loves the bistec encebollada and the tostones and sweet plantains.
![[A couple extra days] Wine Country: Healdsburg, Anderson Valley, Dry Creek, Sonoma](https://images.zola.com/c52659cf-e9b6-47b3-b4ae-3226d14939ce?h=150)
[A couple extra days] Wine Country: Healdsburg, Anderson Valley, Dry Creek, Sonoma
If you're sticking around for a few days, you can head up to wine country! Everything will be nice and green in the spring. The further you go from SF, generally the less corporate and expensive things will get. TBH we aren't huge wine experts, but we like the towns and the scenery. Some recs we have saved over the years, but haven't necessarily been to: Navarro Vineyards & Winery, Bella Vineyards and Wine Caves, Porter Creek Vineyards, Unti vineyards (affordable tasting), Rafanelli winery (affordable tasting). There's also the Napa Valley Wine Train (which doesn't really stop at vineyards, but is more of a drinking wine on an old-timey train experience) and the Napa bike trail (car-free biking in Napa + Yountville, home to Chez Panisse and Bouchon Bakery). 2-3 hrs drive from SF -- typically much warmer weather
![[A few extra days] Lake Tahoe or Yosemite](https://images.zola.com/cd633da5-fae6-4b0c-815c-ce1c7f14cecf?h=150)
[A few extra days] Lake Tahoe or Yosemite
Spring is shoulder season in Lake Tahoe, but it's a great time for hiking and biking. Tahoe East Shore Trail is pretty much guaranteed to be good for biking and walking. And if enough snow has melted, a lot more trails open up. You can take a tram up at some of the ski resorts too to great views. It's about a 4-hr drive from SF. Spring is not *too* crowded at Yosemite, also about a 4-hr drive from SF. The waterfalls will be at full power at this time. We always love the Mist Trail, which connects to Vernal and Nevada falls.
Rainy Day Activities
Rain here is usually (hopefully) not torrential, so you can hopefully do whatever you planned to do anyway. - Museums: Cal Academy of Sciences, SF MoMA, Exploratorium (hands on, great for kids) - Moody gardens: Japanese Tea Garden (has a nice covered area to sip tea / eat udon) - Games: Musee Mechanique, Free Gold Watch has a bunch of pinball machines, SF Emporium has a bunch of arcade games, Mission Bowling Club - Japantown Mall, Ferry Building shops - Live music shows: http://www.foopee.com/punk/the-list/