Hubby and I saved our pennies over the past few months and decided it was now or never to take the trip to San Francisco, a part of California that neither of us had been to. This was such a learning trip for me! San Fran has so much history I felt like I was a student sitting in a class trying to take down as mental notes as I could so I wouldn't forget anything!
We did a 4 day 3 night trip to San Francisco and decided after seeing the hotel prices in the city that it would be best to stay a little outside of the city in a town called Burlingame. I'm glad we did after hearing from a few people if you stay anywhere near Fisherman's Warf that the noise would just be constant.
On our "to do" list was of course seeing the Golden Gate Bridge, Alacatraz, tour of Muir Woods, Sausalito, Alamo square and of course get the whole tour of San Fran the city it's self.
There were so many things I learned about the city--some things shocking, some things I wasn't surprised! The first interesting thing I found out/saw was that San Fran is a VERY pet friendly city. We saw so many people out walking their dogs, playing with their dogs. There was so much dog interaction it made my heart swell with happiness. I loved this about the city. LOVED IT. I also saw a ton of Frenchies in the city! Apparently that was like "the breed" to have!
Parking. Is slim to none all the time 24/7 7 days a week. And when do you find it, its NOT CHEAP. Some parking meters we fed coins to were $4 for an hour of parking! Parking garages were anywhere from $20-$25 dollars for a few hours. Compact cars are a must and way easier to cram into small spaces. I Saw very few trucks or Suvs. That was really surprising to me. We saw more Teslas (electric fancy cars) than we've ever seen here in AZ.
Public Transportation....everyone rides it. And I do mean everyone. My husband and I referred to the random people of San Fran riding on these as "packed sardines." I often remarked to my husband that I would probably be only thinking if I had to ride one each morning gosh I hope no one stinks and all have deoderant on! There was so many forms of transportation, buses that ran off wires not gasoline, subway looking type cars, trolleys, biking is huge, as well as good old walking.
Speaking of walking, i did not see ANY women wearing heels. I think it would of been like social suicide to walk on such an incline in heels! hah Having a jacket with you is a must, since the weather changes so much along the coast! Clothing wise I also noticed wearing your work out clothes as your outfit is like the "thing" to wear. IE I saw tons of women dressed really cute in really cute work out clothes mainly lululemon of course but like from head to toe they were rocking matching shoes with their leggings and work tops and headbands.
My husband and I also noted that people in general were way better mannered than what we encounter here in AZ. People in the city especially the drivers (SHOCKER!!) the drivers don't seem to want to run pedestrians over and don't honk at them to hurry across the street. Anytime we went into a store, restaurant a man or woman always held the door open. It was so nice.
People in general are also 10-20 lbs lighter than people we see in AZ. No joke we didn't see anyone over weight at all. Everyone is somewhat slim as we are confident with this being due to all the crazy inclines that city people must walk on a day to day basis.
Food, room and board.....are all EXPENSIVE. Our tour guide told us that San Fran has officially surpassed New York as the most expensive city to live in in the United States.
Here's what I didn't like about the city:
Super Touristy. Being from the Chicago area, I can honestly say I've never felt more packed in a city than I did in San Fran. There were literally people everywhere and my husband and I often joked that this is what it must feel like to live in China.
How expensive everything was...let's be real here...there's no way a teacher could live in the city. The rent alone is more than what my husband and I ever paid on our mortage on our over 2,000 sq ft home! I can't even fathom paying 3k for 500 sq ft 1 bedroom apartment! That's insanity!
The weather. I'm complaining about the weather? hehe a little bit! It kind of drove me crazy that I had to take my coat everywhere or wear it everywhere since you can drive a few blocks over to another section of san fran and the weather would be completely different than what it was. Ladies don't bother curling your hair and be anywhere near the bridge or any water...even the best hairspray won't help you out. lol True story. I tried. Epic fail. Cali=1 C Mae= 0.
With that being said, we had a great time, and I'm so glad we took a few days to check out the city. It truly was a learning experience!
A few fun facts we learned:
We drove by OJ Simpson's high school, which I guess had the field named after him, but since his accused murdering days they had to change the name of the field. That same high school was also where Joe DiMaggio attended (He didn't graduate though)
I had no idea Danielle Steele owned one of the biggest homes in San Fran or that Both Bob Marley and The Grateful Dead resided in San Fran for several years (we drove by their residences)
That's all I'll write for now, stay tuned for tomorrow's post with pictures of our trip!
Glad you had fun!
ReplyDeleteDid you get some clam chowder while there?
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