Where we stayed:
The Marker is a boutique hotel in the heart of San Francisco! It is just feet from Union Square with every retail store you could ever want! It is in an amazing location and we were able to walk almost everywhere. Not to mention the colorful wallpaper! This hotel was beautifully decorated and the perfect place for our stay in San Francisco.
Where we went:
Fisherman’s Wharf &?Ghirardelli?Square
We walked from our hotel to the Fisherman’s Wharf & Ghirardelli Square, and let me tell you- nothing can prepare you for the hills of San Fransisco. I was huffing and puffing up those hills! But, the view is so incredible! It was well worth it. There you can grab a bite to eat at Scoma’s, get a sundae at Ghirardelli Square, and visit Pier 39 and see all the Sea Lions! Logan and I loved the Sea Lions, and I truly could have watched them for hours!
I hope that you can tell from our photos, Logan and I had the best time at the Color Factory. It was definitely one of our favorite things that we did the whole trip-it was two full hours of feeling like a little kid in a playground! Color Factory is a pop-up art museum that is only open for a limited time in San Francisco! Artists and sponsors have created a two story interactive exhibit, that was well worth the hype. We sunk into a massive ball pit, played with a life size light bright, entered a room entirely covered in balloons, and colored a life size coloring book! If you are heading to San Fransisco in the next few months, I would highly recommend Color Factory, or their sister exhibit the Museum of?Ice Cream.
The Painted Ladies
As a religious Full House watcher, I had to visit the Painted Ladies while in San Francisco. You better believe that I played “What ever happened to predictability? The milkman, the paperboy, evening TV” while sitting on the hill in the park right across the street! It was a cute little area to sit and enjoy!
Alcatraz
I really enjoy history museums and could listen to audio tours for hours, weird I know. So, I loved Alcatraz! Logan and I tried to get tickets for the night tour, because we had heard that it was fun to experience the prison in the dark. Almost like a haunted house, I assume! But, it was booked almost a month in advance! If you are planning far in advance, I think the night tour would have been amazing. We took the last day tour leaving at 3:50, and returning at around 6:30! It was perfect and we were able to see the sunset on the way back on the boat. Make sure to buy the tour tickets through Alcatraz, because there is only one company that actually tours the prison- the others just boat around it! You can find the tickets here.
Lombard Street
When visiting San Francisco, Lombard Street is a must. With the beautiful blooms and view, the most crooked street in America lives up to its name! The homes are beautiful, and I found myself wishing I could just peak inside every single one. Also, a ride and a photo on a cable car is obviously a must while in San Francisco. But, do not wait in the lengthy lines! Just hop on when you see one stopping!
Slackers Hill and Twin Peaks
Logan and I have a very different ideas of vacation. Mine is spent shopping and relaxing, and his is spent hiking and doing every physical activity possible! So, we compromised and did a little bit of both on this trip. However, I will say Slackers Hill and Twin Peaks were definitely worth the view! It was incredible to see the entire city from so high up. For Twin Peaks, we drove the entire way up. For Slackers Hill, we drove part of the way, and then walked up about half of a mile! But, be sure to avoid the fog when visiting these places. It was so thick the first time that we tried to hike these trails, that we had to make another trip where there was better visability! The fog in San Francisco actually has been named Karl and has its own Instagram account because of how often it is visible!
Union Square
This was walking distance from our hotel, and had every possible clothing store you could imagine. Not to mention the largest Nordstrom I have ever seen. Poor Logan had to endure me shopping in a 7 story Nordstrom, oops!
Where we ate:
Mr Holmes Bakehouse
This was a cute little bakery not too far from our hotel. They are known for their iconic neon sign that says “I got baked in San Francisco.” Logan and I went mostly to check it off our our “tourist” list, but we had the best churro croissant that made the trip well worth it!
Ike’s Place
This came highly recommended to us when traveling, and it was very good for a casual lunch! They had sandwiches similar to a Which Wich, but were interesting combinations that were fun to try! You could tell by the line that this was a place loved by both locals and tourists.
Bar Bocce
We went to this restaurant twice for two reasons: the food was great and the view was incredible. We got their Chicken Pesto Pizza and Garlic Bread both times, it was that good! This restaurant in actually in Sausalito across the Golden Gate Bridge. It is quite possibly one of the cutest towns I have ever seen! Logan and I both said we would love to live there one day when we get older.
Lappert’s Ice Cream
After dinner, we took the Ferry back to San Francisco around Sunset with Ice Cream in hand from Lappert’s Ice Cream shop! The Ferry from Sausalito to San Francisco landed us at the Ferry Building. It was such a fun atmosphere with a farmers market feel! It had the cutest local shops and restaurants!
Scoma’s
Scoma’s was a seafood place that was directly on the pier! It was so good and the view was incredible. Sadly, I did not get any photos while I was there, but I did not want to leave it off of my San Francisco Itinerary!
Pin this photo to reference later for your trip to San Francisco:
