Why We Love to Visit San Francisco

San Francisco is one of our very favorite cities that we have visited, It has a really casual and friendly atmosphere and has a ton of cool attractions! Our visits always leaves us always wanting to come back for more. When I remember San Fransisco it harkens back to all my senses with the abundance of sights, sounds and smells. It’s a city of great golden gate views, crazy streets, cable cars, movie settings and historic tours. Be sure to set your itinerary and book in advance. You will want to make the most of your trip and if you’re anything like us you will have a lot to squeeze in!

Fishermans Wharf

One of the more touristy spots, Fisherman’s Wharf has all the souvenir shops and restaurants. Tasting some fresh seafood while you are here is a must. While we were there we stumbled upon Musée Mécanique. It is a museum full of tons old timey penny arcade games. It’s free to go in and check them all out or you can pay to play many of the games too. Although the price has gone up a bit since the days in which they cost a penny. It was an unexpected gem amongst the usual touristy stuff which lets be honest, we enjoy all that too. Who doesn’t love picking up a truly tacky memento to bring home?! We also tried out my first oxygen bar at Vitality International. Still not convinced it does anything but it was fun to try.

Alcatraz Island

There is something that always catches your fascination when it comes to prisons. I mean think about it, why else would there be all those different versions of the Locked Up shows on MSNBC? Alcatraz Penitentiary is no exception. It also has the added intrigue of being home to some of history’s most notorious bad guys. There is a great audio tour of the prison that includes going inside the cells, describes harrowing escape attempts, reviews their more famous residents and a explains a lesser known history from the seventies when Native Americans took claim of the site. We were fascinated. We also happened to be there on a day when a former Alcatraz prisoner was there promoting his book in the gift shop and got to take a picture with him. In addition, there are some attractive views of the San Fransisco harbor skyline as shown above. Make sure you book your tickets ahead of time to ensure you get a tour, they sell out.

Angel Island

Angel island is a lesser known site to Alcatraz that has it’s own historical significance. I have heard it called the west coast’s Ellis Island. It was where immigrants came in when they entered from the west coast, mostly persons from Asia. In addition to this important history it has beautiful natural spaces. They take you on a trolley tour round the island to see the different buildings and beauty of the island. You can book it as a combo with the Alcatraz tour which I highly recommend doing. Plus more pretty views, this one of the golden gate bridge along with the skyline.

Boat Tours

A great way to view the Bay and it’s related sights is by taking one of the numerous boat tours available for tourists. They will take you right up close to Alcatraz and the Golden Gate Bridge. Plus, the boat ride itself is a fun and relaxing experience, especially in the lovely weather we had that day. Apparently, if you are lucky you can see dolphins or whales too but we weren’t lucky that day.

Bike Rentals

A more active way to see the golden gate bridge is by biking right across it. Ryan and his groomsmen did this on their bachelor’s trip before our wedding. There are various bike rental companies you can use that will also give you a map. It’s a more active way of touring the city and the bridge. This bike trip will likely take you two to three hours so it’s not for the faint of heart. It does provide you with an intimate perspective of the bridge, with a few great stop offs for photos so you can take it at your own pace.

Sea Lions

For reasons not fully known, sea lions have been congregating at Pier 39 since the late eighties. Though initially a huge inconvenience for those trying to use the marina for other purposes, it is now a uniquely adorable site for tourists to view wild sea lions. They mostly just lounge around together on the docks but they are seriously cute. There are bleachers set out so you can sit and watch them comfortably as long as you like. I suggest you grab a yummy snack from the various offerings in the Fishermans Wharf just next door and have a seat and enjoy. On the edge of Pier 39 is also the Aquarium of the Bay for even more sea creature viewing or you can take tours of the Marine Mammal Center where they work to rescue and rehabilitate the marine mammals.

Chinatown

San Francisco has one of the best Chinatowns that we have seen. It has a lot of cute shops and food vendors with plenty for sale. We enjoyed exploring them and picked up a couple items to bring home. We were fortunate enough to happen to be visiting when a wedding party was exiting a building onto the street. They were accompanied by traditional dragon dancers, which was extremely cool to see.

Quick Spots

If you have time, take a pit-stop at the following sites. They are the kind of spots where you will go , look at it , take a couple pictures and then move on, but they are a lot of fun. So hop on the trolley, go check them out, and head on to the next one.