Shoes To Wear & Things To Do In San Francisco
This past weekend I took a fun and spontaneous trip to San Francisco with my Fiancé. I learned some valuable lessons that I’m about to share with you. You can take them and run with them or just laugh at my pain or gain. You decide!
First off, let’s go over the ground rules. I have very flat feet; we are talking platypus-flat. Therefore, when you are walking miles and miles up and down the hills of San Francisco at a 30% incline, you need extra support. I have running shoes that have insoles to help me out in that area, but my typical last-minute-traveler-brain forgot to bring them. I did manage to bring some cute tennis shoes that I wore every day, but I still left with shin splints, tight calves, and sore glutes. (Not mad about the last one.) That sums up my first tip: bring your best supportive shoes, ugly or not, if you are going to San Francisco. Walking is required if you want to see the good stuff…
Let’s get started! I’m not going to go into crazy detail about ALL of the things to do in San Francisco because this would be a short essay and we both don’t want that. The number one thing to do in San Fran is a tie between Alcatraz Tours or seeing the Golden Gate Bridge. Both are so legendary and unique to the city. Sometimes it’s hard to see the Golden Gate Bridge because of the fog, but once it clears, get that camera out and snap it while you can! Another way to see the bridge is to bike across it, walk across it, or just go to Fort Point to take insta-worthy pics.
Now, if you are a history lover then purchase those Alcatraz tickets like yesterday. This is such a popular tour that you will want to purchase them at a minimum of 2 weeks out. After purchasing my flight (which I saved $432 thanks to ilovecheaptravel.com), I immediately searched for Alcatraz tickets. I lucked out and scored two tickets for one of the Alcatraz Day Tours, but couldn’t get my hands on Alcatraz Night Tour tickets unless I wanted to go next month. An audio tour is included with your ticket purchase and I highly recommend that you listen to all of it! The narrators are guards and prisoners that lived on Alcatraz Island. Then, you can explore the island as long as you want. Just be sure to catch a boat back to San Francisco. I learned so much while I was there and loved every second. It was truly incredible how they lived and even more so how they tried to escape Alcatraz. Enough said, visit!
Earlier I said that you will walk miles and miles, well besides sore feet you also work up quite an appetite. One of my all-time favorite San Francisco restaurants would have to be (drumroll, please…) Scoma’s! Scoma’s is a Fisherman’s Wharf favorite that sits slightly tucked away on the waterfront. If you like food at all and especially seafood, then you must go here. Every time I go, I get their Clam Chowder that is to die for. They have perfected everything since they have been around since 1965. Seriously, go there.
Another one of the best San Francisco restaurants serves my favorite meal of the day; breakfast. There is an abundance of choices, but none compares to the overflowing fresh fruit bowls and the world’s best mocha coffee like Hollywood Café does! This Hollywood themed café is smaller than normal restaurant chain but has so much character. You will literally want to order everything on the menu. Hollywood Café it is located a short walk from Fisherman’s Wharf (no hills to walk up I promise). Come hungry; you won’t be disappointed!
Have I written enough? I could go on for hours about this unique city and the multitude of things to do in San Francisco, but I want you to experience it for yourself. Stay hydrated, bring good shoes, and I will leave you with the most important tip of them all; don’t be afraid to try new things and never take the same street twice. You won’t regret all the fun new things you will stumble upon. Cheers to future travels!
#ILoveCheapTravel
