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| A view of Aquatic Cove, Coit Tower, downtown San Francisco, Ghirardelli Square and Fisherman's Wharf from Municipal Pier. |
I recently returned from my first trip to San Francisco, which quickly became one of my favorite cities. While it is charming and unique in its own right, every step around the city felt like a mini Chicago or Manhattan, bustling from morning until the last cable car stopped. The California sun and the bay breeze were welcome changes from the rainy Minneapolis weather I left.
The initial purpose of the trip was to see the Minnesota Twins play the San Francisco Giants. That’s what happens when you date a baseball fanatic. Our first night in town was spent at AT&T Park—to my delight, the same place Lauren Graham and Parenthood co-star Peter Krause spent their evening. If you haven’t been to the ballpark, it sits on the waterfront south of downtown, a location that makes it especially chilly come nightfall. The layers I brought for the following afternoon’s game proved to be too many as the sunshine reflecting off the bay created the California temperatures I was expecting. From sweatshirts to sunburn in less than 24 hours—next time I’ll be better prepared.
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| It was a beautiful day at AT&T Park. |
Our base camp was Parc 55, a hotel in the heart of Union Square that had a happening Cityhouse Bar on a Friday night. Situated about a block from Market Street, it was an easy walk to the ballpark, Chinatown and historic cable cars.
We hopped a cable car north to North Beach, then walked to Municipal Pier (for views of the Golden Gate Bridge and Alcatraz), Ghirardelli Square and the rest of Fisherman’s Wharf, what I consider the Times Square of San Francisco. It’s certainly as popular for tourists and equally essential for a first visit. I loved the sourdough bread at Boudin Bakery and the novelty shops at Pier 39. The stunning view of San Francisco Bay at the Franciscan Crab Restaurant is reason enough for me to return. The idea of going to Fisherman’s Wharf is to try the local fish, crab and other seafood, right? Well, if you’re not keen on seafood like me, opt for the chicken fettuccine with olives and cherry tomatoes in olive oil. Braver souls should try the roasted crab, served in a secret garlic sauce.
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Riding my first cable car on the Powell-Mason line. It was fun but a
bit nerve-wracking as we traveled up and down San Francisco's
steep hills. |
Other meals sprinkled into the four-day trip included burritos at Andale Mexican Restaurant (the Westfield San Francisco Centre location), a Local Tastes of the City Tour through North Beach (Little Italy) and dinner at the soulful Farmerbrown. Try the grilled country pork chop served with baby carrots, asparagus and sweet mashed potatoes, topped with a whole grain dijon mustard while sipping one of the farm-fresh cocktails. I had the Strawberry Sour, a mix of gin, aperol liquor, lemon, housemade strawberry jam, ginger beer and soda. Cheers!
As a first-timer, I know there is much more to explore. Another trip is a must!
Photos by Amanda Hoffstrom. Click to see a slideshow of more photos from San Francisco.