A Day in San Francisco: Travel Guide

My first time visiting San Francisco, California was on a sponsored trip so I was not there long. I knew I had to take advantage of the day (I landed at 12pm and had to be back to my hotel for dinner at 6pm) so I researched some places I HAD to see. After dropping my bags off at the hotel, I headed out into the city.

Time of year: End of December 
Total Cost: Since this was a sponsored trip, I did not pay any money for flight and lodging. 
Hotel: Hyatt Regency Downtown 
I would recommend staying downtown because although it always take more time to get to places (because there’s never not traffic), everything is close.

Transportation: 

• Train: Of course I wanted the local experience (and it was cheaper) so I decided to take the train. 2 hour passes are $3. However, if you plan to ride the train or subways the entire time, the Muni app allows you to purchase a $5 day pass.
  
• Uber: Since I was on a time limit, I ended up taking an to the Golden Gate Bridge and the Painted Ladies neighborhood. We also used uber when we went out one of the nights.

Franciscan Crab Restaurant

When I told one of my best friends that I was going to San Francisco, she told me I HAD to visit this restaurant. Luckily, it was only 25 minutes away from my hotel at the Fisherman’s Wharf. I took the F train and since there was construction during the time I visted, I had to get off at the Pier 39 station. I walked down about a half mile to the restaurant. It was a nice area especially during the holiday season.

The restaurant’s style was really cute. The mirrors and the view was everything! You could use binoculars to look out into the ocean and see birds, boats, and more. It was this first restaurant’s experience when I learned people do not drink out of straws in California. I had to get use to this throughout my entire time and I’m honestly still not sure how I feel about it. Lol!

 Dish: Seafood Pasta

This pasta had literally all the seafood you can think of. Shrimp, crabs, mussels, octopus, everything! It was DELICIOUS. 

Cost: $36 
The meals were between $30 and $60+ however, all the meals were a good size. It is also a seafood restaurant so it was expected. I will definitely be visiting again!

 

Painted Ladies

Did you grow up watching Full House? Well, my sisters and I did so the minute I knew I was going to San Francisco, I pictured the Golden Gate Bridge, and the outside of their house. Before coming, I found out the exact house does not exist, but the Painted Ladies houses did and they were similar to the ones from Full House.

A friend of mine met me at the hotel after dinner and we left immediately to explore. We got there around 4:30ish and the sun was about to set but we were still about to get some nice photos!  

From here, we headed straight to the Golden Gate Bridge.

Golden Gate Bridge

We took an Uber and got off at the welcome center. There’s a place you can stand to get a good view of the bridge but it was really foggy and dark so I couldn’t get the best photos. It was still a great experience nonetheless and now I’m even more excited to go back with my family.

After we took a few photos, we walked on the bridge for a very short amount of time. Eventually it started pouring raining and it was extremely windy, so we caught an Uber back to the hotel.

The next two days I spent it at the Verizon Innovative Center for the Military Influencer Summit exploring all of the new technology and their new 5G coverage. It was a great experience and their building had really nice views. I met some amazing military spouses, learned more about the benefits Verizon offers for the military and first responders community and almost met the amazing Jim Karol. It was such a great experience and I am honored that I was able to attend.

Must Do/See:

I would obviously recommend visiting for a longer period of time however, I just wanted to share that it could be done in a day. (And I only had a few hours) 

• Golden Gate Bridge
• Painted Ladies
• Franciscan Crab Restaurant OR eat somewhere at the Fisherman’s Wharf and walk around the area
• Nightlife: We went to a hookah lounge one night however, we didn’t enjoy too much of the nightlife since we were there for a short period of time. This is another reason why I can’t wait to go back!

Looking for more cool places to visit like San Francisco? Check out all of my travel guides.

Until next time,

xo Kenniqua