San Francisco
Before the free tour even began, the SF City Guide started talking about POPOS and I quickly debated with myself whether I should casually walk away, since I had no idea what she was talking about and other people were nodding as if they understood. I decided to stay, and for the next two hours I thoroughly enjoyed the City Scapes and Public Spaces walking tour. The guide explained that POPOS stands for Privately Owned Public Open Spaces – a development requirement since 1985 to ensure San Franciscans would have access to open, green spaces amid the office buildings. If you look carefully you can find a few plaques on buildings around SF.
We began with the rooftop garden above the Wells Fargo bank at One Montgomery, accessed through the Crocker Galleria and finished with the redwood forest at the Transamerica building.
The weather was perfect…sunny, dry and in the 50’s for our four day visit.
I have grown to appreciate a walking tour on my first day in a new place as a way to get oriented and to learn something not easily discovered on google. After the tour and then lunch at the Grove on Fillmore, I set out for a view of the Golden Gate Bridge. My route took me down the Lyon Street steps, through the Presidio…
to Crissy Field and these spectacular views of the Golden Gate Bridge.
The Golden Gate Bridge opened in 1937 and was the world’s longest suspension bridge at the time. An engineering marvel and a world famous landmark, the bridge connects San Francisco to Marin County and offers breathtaking views.
Walking in San Francisco requires some serious hills so stopping for food provides a welcome break for the legs. We had several memorable meals…lunch after our flight at Bluestem, delicious pizza at Pachino’s, coffee and ricotta toast at Mazarine, ice cream at Salt & Straw and Bi Rite, delicious mexican at Nopalito’s, small plates at Terzo’s and sourdough bread to die for at Tartine Manufactory.
On Saturday morning I set out early to find the Golden Gate Fortune Cookie Factory It’s down a tiny alley in Chinatown and welcomes visitors to watch the cookies being made. You can even write a personal fortune to be folded into a cookie. They also sell x-rated fortunes! I was handed a free sample that was still warm as soon as I walked in. They won’t tell you the recipe but will tell you the ingredients – vanilla, flour, sesame, butter, sugar & eggs. I have never had a fortune cookie that wasn’t wrapped in cellophane…these were really good!
Wandering the streets of San Francisco is a fun adventure.
Colorful food trucks, streetcars, cable cars, rainbow flags and incredible architecture.
The San Francisco cable car system is the last manually operated system in the world. The iconic cable cars are a significant tourist attraction in the city providing some spectacular views. The Powell Street cars were built to only move in one direction so the turntable that allows the car to change direction is a unique attraction!
I didn’t have time to visit the Cable Car Museum pictured below but I did notice the parked cars on the street next to the museum. Apparently you can get a ticket in SF if you don’t turn your wheels in when parking…yikes…hills are steep!
Every street provided picture-worthy homes with incredible entrances and detail. The SF City Guide talked about looking up in the city since so many buildings have elaborate detail at the top. I looked up — and I looked right in front of me — and loved what I saw. I tried to be discreet when taking pictures of someone’s home but it was challenging not to stare and wish I could peek inside!
We had dinner in the Castro district on our last night in San Francisco. We had a little time to walk around before our reservation. The main street was colorful and fun and edgy. Just as you would expect.
Since the weather was so perfect, we wanted another view of the Golden Gate Bridge so we went to Lands End, described as the wildest part of San Francisco. The Coastal Trail follows the rugged cliffs and ends with some beautiful views of the bridge. The signs warn you to stay on the trail or risk being stranded by incoming tides or being swept away by high waves! We stuck to the trail and made it back safely!
Four days was a reasonable amount of time to cover some decent ground in San Francisco but there is so much more to see and do and eat! We will be back!