Four Days By the Bay

San Francisco was a dream. I don’t think I realized how much of a winter slump I had fallen into until we touched down. Even in the rain [5 straight days of rain in California and you still tell me my bad weather luck is just a coincidence?], it rivaled Paris in colorful corners and photogenicity.

We had the privilege of attending the wedding of two of the kindest humans I’ve ever met, but apart from that, we had next to no plans. WANDERING man. Wandering is good for the soul. The closest thing to a guide we used was Victoria Smith–aka sfgirlbybay‘s See San Francisco book, which gave us the skinny on all of the neighborhoods we had to touch. And your suggestions! Thank you for those; they were worth it as the few places we actually mapped out ahead of time. But boy oh boy did my FitBit have a field day with our exploring. And man oh MAN those hills are not a joke.

So this is less of a travel guide than a photo diary with a few hopefully somewhat accurate points of interest…the downside to making it up as you go is not necessarily remembering where you ended up…!

If you want a true San Francisco travel blog, I suggest trusting Victoria, but I can certainly tell you where to find some prime choices for the following::

artisinal toast:: the mill
brunch:: le zinc
cookies the size of your face:: Sausalito Bakery & Cafe
cruffins, and other sweet things:: Mr. Holmes Bakehouse
[waiting in line isn’t necessary if you’re skipping the ‘ruffins!]
chicken pot pie:: Flour & Co.
fresh florals:: Flowers of the Valley
ice cream sandwiches:: Miette
lattes:: Wrecking Ball Coffee Roasters 
[the Rifle Paper Co. wallpaper wasn’t what drew me in at all…]
lodging:: Chancellor ($) | Westin St. Francis ($$)
pastel houses:: Russian Hill | North Beach
tacos:: Tacolicious
tapas:: Thirsty Bear
views:: Macondray Lane | Coit Tower | [Cocktails at] Top of the Mark
wine:: Goosecross Vineyard

I get it now. I just really may have left my heart in San Francisco.

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