Being a true foodie at heart means I will go anywhere for good food whether it’s the trendiest small plates, wood fired pizza or a local italian homemade company. San Francisco, according to Michelin, is the place to go as the reigning culinary capital of the U.S. But traditional, award winning and up and coming restaurants is not all San Francisco offers.
The San Fracisco hub and it’s surrounding Bay Area can boast about their beautiful sunsets on the water, unique vintage shops, famous houses, and unique entertainment to keep you busy for a long while!
Though the flight from L.A. to San Fran is only about an hour, we decided to drive to keep it relaxed…leave when we want….
Our first day, we stayed by Ocean beach and were happily occupied collecting the perfect sand dollars on the shore. Usually in L.A. you’d be lucky to come across one, so it was a fun little treasure hunt. I’ve never seen so many in one place just waiting to be picked up!
Before we left, we bought tickets for a mystery theatre, called The Speakeasy. I had always wanted to do an interactive theatre ever since I saw Bill Murray’s The Man Who Knew Too Little. And known as one of the best possible date nights in North Beach. So for my husband and I, the magic of The Speakeasy did not disappoint!
The adventure begins well before you arrive. On the night before the show, we received mysterious instructions to look for a woman in a red trench coat on the street to find the secret location. There you would have to search for the secret entrance for the night. We had to give up our cell phones, to keep the illusion alive.
Even Yelp doesn’t even have pictures so everything was indeed a surprise 😉
When you go to the Speakeasy website, you can see that the location is close to Washington Square Park station at Columbus Ave across from the Basque Hotel. Make sure you open your bar tab for this park tavern online before heading out for the evening. The casino doesn’t take cash onsite. Also, brush up on your baccarat skills for a super fun filled night!
My best advice if you do this show is to visit the vintage shops in the Haight-Ashbury area before you go. The 1920s costuming is required. And H-A has lots of fun ’20s finds to put you in character. We ended up buying a bowtie for my husband and some long black gloves for me to complete our looks.
Since the Pacific Heights Painted Ladies Painted Ladies are pretty close to Haight-Ashbury, we went to visit those famous Victorian houses and hung out on the green. What a fantastic, panoramic view from that hill!
Next up was Alcatraz. The best way to see Alcatraz is the sunset cruise. You could go on a day trip over and see the prison/island, but why do that when you can view the city at sunset over the water?
Tickets are booked months in advance for this, so if you choose to go last minute, make sure you call to get your tickets. Sometimes they still have some tickets available over the phone.
Before you end the night, check out the California sea lions who reside in plenty at Pier 39 K-dock and can be seen on the migration pattern at many spots along the California coastline as they travel from Vancouver to Baja . Another Pier 39 landmark is the Wyland lifesized mural painting on the side of the building. To visit the Wyland gallery in the area, you can take a detour to Monterey Bay, south of the city.
There’s also a great area to shop and hang out at the pier. For the most delicious french toast, try Eight AM at Fisherman’s Wharf at the end of Columbus Ave. For anyone first dining at Fisherman’s wharf you should be warned that eating outside can end in a showdown with the hungry seagulls who are perched at every corner to grab anything out of your hands. So best to eat in the restauranat or make sure your food is well packaged before venturing down the pier.
Of course if you’re in North Beach you absolutely must grab Italian style pizzas at Tony’s Pizza Napoletana by famous local pizza king, Tony Gemignani.
Stay tuned for Part 2 for my food tips in San Francisco!
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