If you have been to San Francisco many times, you can also take this as your cue to schedule a trip. Because no matter how many times you visit San Francisco, there is always something new to see. I've lived my entire life near SF and have visited literally hundreds of times, yet there is still a ton I haven't seen. Steve actually works in SF and still has plenty he hasn't seen. Thus, when we got the chance to play tourist for a day, we were all in.
This sundial was a gift from Vallejo's sister city: Akashi, Japan. I had just enough time to check that it was accurate (yes) before boarding the ferry.
The orange lines you see by my feet are part of a map of the entire San Francisco Bay. The ferry terminals are marked with discs. I'm standing by the marker for Vallejo.
. It couldn't be easier! I love hop-on-hop-off bus tours, because they're such a great way to learn more about a city and visit a large number of sites. Big Bus' Red Line tour takes visitors to San Francisco's most iconic locations, has 16 stops, and offers audio commentary in 7 languages. Because I blog about educational travel, I received complimentary tickets for the Big Bus Tour. As always, how much I paid or didn't pay does not affect my review.
The first part of our tour took us to Union Square and Civic Center. The views from the top of the double-decker bus were great and the audio commentary was really interesting.
At City Hall, they were setting up for the inauguration of Mayor Daniel Lurie the following day.
Next was Alamo Square, Haight Ashbury, and Golden Gate Park.
Even though I'd been to virtually every place the narrators pointed out, I still learned a ton of new information. One example: I've been inside Davies Symphony Hall and didn't realize the architect designed it to be subtly piano-shaped!
The Jimi Hendrix House is currently home to a dog groomer. Interesting.
If you've ever been to San Francisco, you know the dress code: layers. The city has a ton of microclimates that will have you taking your jacket on and off all day (yes, even in the summer). If you're riding in the top of an open double-decker bus, expect it to be breezy (to say the least) and a bit chilly. Tie up your long hair or wear a hood. Trust me.
Didn't believe me about the wind? Check out the hair of the girl in front of me.
People always ask when is the best time to visit San Francisco. You can't really go wrong any time of year, but if I had to pick a month it would be January. The weather is usually pretty nice with minimal fog and no crowds. Look carefully at the next few photos. There is almost no traffic on the Golden Gate Bridge...
... there are almost no tourists at a major tourist spot...
... and the bus we're riding is mostly empty.
I've never seen so few people at Pier 39.
Same with Fisherman's Wharf.
Bear in mind: I hate crowds and don't mind cooler temperatures. If you want warmer weather and don't mind more people, try the early fall. Pack layers or you'll be buying them in San Francisco. I guarantee it.
We hopped off the Big Bus at Fisherman's Wharf and set out to find lunch. If you like seafood, there are dozens of fantastic options. If you detest seafood so much you can't even eat in a restaurant that smells like seafood but you are married to someone who loves it, you have to look a little harder.
We often eat at
Boudin, a San Francisco institution that I highly recommend. It smells like sourdough bread. It's heavenly.
But we wanted to try somewhere we'd never been. We ended up at
Crepe Cafe. I had a fantastic crepe, Steve got clam chowder that he enjoyed, and we split some of the best fries we've ever had in our lives.
After lunch, we went to the
SF Maritime National Historic Park Visitor Center. I've been to the park and museum many times, but had never actually been in the Visitor Center. I was really missing out - it's fantastic! (And free.)
The Visitor Center tells the story of the maritime history of the Bay Area and looks at the impact of the immigrants who came through the Golden Gate. The immersive displays make you feel like you are jumping back in history.
Tens of thousands of people sailed into San Francisco Bay in 1849 hoping to strike it rich and most of them abandoned their sailing ships in order to take other transportation to Gold Country. This exhibit shows where those ships eventually sank and displays some of the artifacts.
If I have anything negative to say about the Visitor Center, it's that there isn't much that's hands-on. So it's not great for young kids. But teens and adults will find the many signs and exhibits absolutely fascinating.
This is a
Fresnel lens from the Farallon Islands Lighthouse. It's as beautiful as it was innovative in its time.
The SF Maritime National Historic Park Visitor Center is housed in a historic brick cannery, once home to Del Monte Plant No. 1. They found that original can as they were doing renovations for the Visitor Center.
The NHP itself is 50 acres and includes a beautiful museum, whose history as a WPA project is absolutely fascinating. Hyde Street Pier has a collection of six historic ships. Unfortunately, both were closed the day we were visiting - the Museum is always closed on Tuesdays and Hyde Street Pier is being renovated. We've visited both before though, so we didn't mind. We walked along the beach Aquatic Park Cove, enjoying the beautiful weather and the lack of people.
There's the Golden Gate Bridge and Ft. Point beneath it. That's another SF location I love to visit.
This plaque at Aquatic Cove Park marks the first ship to sail into San Francisco Bay on August 5, 1775.
The seating you see here is part of the NHP, put in for spectators to watch swimming and boat races. Ghirardelli Square is right across the street. It's another SF institution. You should definitely have a sundae when you're in town.
Even if you choose not to ride, stop by in order to see the turntable in action. You can hear the cables, which is really interesting.
We left the NHP and crossed the street to make a quick stop at
Umbrella Alley.
According to the website, it's sometimes open on Tuesdays, but it wasn't open when we were there. This is all that we could see through the locked gate.
Steve and I were both visiting for the first time, so that was fun. It's a neat place.
There were modern comics, like Pearls Before Swine, and much older ones, like this drawing from the Disney that won the first Academy Award for Short Subject (Cartoon) in 1932.
There was a lot of Disney material, as well as a bunch from Hanna-Barbera. I loved looking at the character sketches and concept art.
I remember the Strawberry Shortcake cartoon! My sister loved it.
The Cartoon Art Museum has a nook where you can watch cartoons. We enjoyed several episodes, including this one with Sylvester and Tweety.
There's also a large reading room. There are comic books, books about making comics, and books about the people who make comics. And a whole lot more.
There's a separate gallery at the Cartoon Art Museum across the hallway. Don't miss it. We almost did.
It's currently housing the Batman Armory, with replica movie costumes and props. There's a mystery you can solve if you have the time.
We opted not to, but we did solve Bugs Bunny's Great Carrot Caper and got a prize. I definitely recommend a visit to the Cartoon Art Museum.
We headed back to the Big Bus to hop back on and continue our tour. Buses come every 15 minutes, which is really nice. As you can see, there was plenty of room!
We rode through North Beach, Chinatown, and Embarcadero Center before getting off at the Ferry Building. As before, the commentary was really interesting and we learned a lot about a city we already knew pretty well!
Are you noticing how empty the streets are? And clean! If you are hearing propaganda about San Francisco being filthy, I'm here to tell you it's not true. Like any city, some parts are cleaner and safer than others, but as a tourist you wouldn't be visiting iffy areas anyway. So don't let anything stop you from visiting San Francisco. It's a wonderful place.
Time to head to the Ferry Building.
Steve is there every week, so he held a place in line while I went inside to see what had changed since the last time I was there. There are so many delicious food options there; this time, I was most tempted by the smell of empanadas. Yum!
We boarded at just the right time for the start of a gorgeous sunset.
A ferry ticket is currently $9.60. How much would you have paid for these city views?
That's Alcatraz. It's also a must-see when you visit San Francisco.
Steve and I had such a fun time playing tourist in a city we already know well. As I said before, if you haven't visited San Francisco, you should. And if you've been there hundreds of times like we have, you should try seeing the city through the eyes of a tourist. It gives you a fresh perspective and a new appreciation for one of the world's great cities, the City by the Bay.
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