JamieBLT

This year I received an amazing birthday present from my favorite travel partner : A weekend getaway to San Francisco ! This fascinating destination is only an hour plane ride from San Diego, and I’ve been to San Francisco a couple times before , but I never felt that I actually saw and experienced what this charming city by the bay had to offer.  And you know what? Before this little getaway I never visited the Golden Gate Bridge! Who goes to San Francisco and doesn’t see the bridge?!?

We were all set to jet off  after work on a Friday evening and enjoy dinner in a different city, but –of course- this was the weekend that a crazy storm descended over the Bay Area AND Southern California. We had sunny, perfect, Southern California weather all week until now. Our quick one hour flight turned into a seven hour delay at the terminal but…at least our flight wasn’t cancelled right?

When we finally arrived in San Francisco it was 1:00 AM , so we didn’t get to enjoy a welcome dinner that night , but that was not going to deter my plan to have a good time.

Besides all it’s unique wackiness and charm , San Francisco is known for it’s vast array of delicious cuisine . Everyone that travels with me knows that I rarely sleep or relax on my travels . I want to see it all while I’m there so there’s no time for lollygagging. I woke up ready to devour the sights, smells , sounds , and tastes of the city.

Here are a few places we stopped:

We started with breakfast at Roam Artisan Burgers on Union Street . Yeah, you read that right! Burgers for breakfast .

Can you see that we have three different burgers in this picture? We ordered one burger each but also ordered something on the menu called “French and Fries” thinking that it would be “French Fries.” It was actually another burger with Truffle Parmesan Fries, Gruyere, Avocado, Caramelized Onions, Watercress, and Dijon Mustard inside. Not what we expected but a very pleasant surprise. There were no left overs at the end of this meal!

After filling our bellies with hearty goodness , it was time to commence the seeing of the sights. Since “a lot of time” was not a luxury we had on this trip , we decided to book a bus tour to help us explore and cover as much ground as possible. It was pretty awesome seeing the sights from the top of a Double Decker bus . I would definitely recommend this tour to everyone , especially if you are a bit pressed for time , don’t have transportation , and do not have any idea about where to start your sight seeing. It covered every spot that a first time tourist would be interested in seeing like the Painted ladies also known as the Full House Houses , Pier 39 and Fisherman’s Wharf , North Beach and Little Italy Area, Union Square, Haight Ashbury, Chinatown, and yes , the Golden Gate Bridge. Plus you get “hop on” and “hop off ” privileges all day so you can take your time at places you’re more interested in .

The hills in San Fransisco are NO JOKE. I never knew how out of shape I was until we decided it would be a good idea to walk from Fisher Man’s Wharf to Lombard Street. After many “short breaks”  we finally reached the crookedest street and I think we sat at the top of it for a good hour just to really “take it in.” In truth, I just didn’t think I’d be able to get up after walking up and down all those steep hills.

Using the promise of excellent Italian Food as my motivation , we finally made our way down the crookedest street and down the steep hills into the Little Italy area.

We went to a restaurant called Sodini’s and I have to thank my good friend Melissa for this restaurant recommendation .  It was so good that we went there twice. Every single thing on the menu looked delicious, and I’m honestly thinking about making another trip up to San Francisco just to eat here again.  I ordered the Gnocchi, and the only way to describe this dish is that it was like biting into little pillows of love !

We also went to this excellent prime rib place called House of Prime Rib just to be fancy. It was a great experience ,  the service was first rate, and all of the dishes were delicious. They prepare the salad in front of you which is pretty cool to watch.

The last day of our San Francisco adventure was spent at the fabled Alcatraz Island. The weather was a bit dreary and drizzly which was the perfect ambiance for a tour through the old haunted (?) maximum security prison. I was tickled at the fact that prisoners who were brought here were dying to get out and now all of us were paying to get in.

And, I finally got my Golden Gate Bridge picture ! It has been added to my travel scrapbook finally! Can’t wait to see you again sometime  San Francisco!