The SF List: Your Second SF Trip
After six months of living in SF and playing tour guide to 8+ friends & family members, here are my favorite places to visit in San Francisco you may not find in a tour book.
Where to go on your 2nd trip to San Francisco…
You’ve been to SF before and seen all the “quintessential SF tourist things” (fisherman’s wharf, china town, the GG bridge, North Beach, Haight Ashbury, the Ferry Building, the cable cars, etc). San Francisco has a lot more to offer than can be fit into one trip. Here are my favorite recommendations for your second (or 3rd or 4th…) trip to the city on the bay!
1.) The Mission District
Lots of yummy restaurants, bakeries, fun bars, & cute shops! A personal favorite: grab burritos & hit the park (Dolores Park). If burritos aren’t your thing (I can’t imagine this would be the case but nonetheless…), Tartine Bakery is amazing. The grilled cheeses are pricey, however, they are so big that one can last me several meals. Visit Bi-Rite Creamery after for some of the creamiest soft serve of your life.
2.) Richmond/Clement Street
Highlights here include:
The restaurants!!! SO many great places for anything from Dim Sum to Burmese food to Turkish food.
The farmers market. You’ve been to the Ferry Building Farmers Market already and you’re looking for something a bit less touristy. Look no further than the Clement St Farmer’s Market. Fewer crowds & less expensive than the Ferry Building market.
The boutiques. Very cute stores selling books (Green Apple Books), household items (Park Life), and even sustainable beauty products (Foggy Notion).
The criossants at Arsicault. These croissants alone are worth the trek out to Inner Richmond.
3.) City hiking!
Get in some steps & pretty views✨ Some of my favorites include Land’s end trail, Mt. Sutro, Bernal Heights Park, Twin Peaks, & Lovers’ Lane in the Presidio. Some ideas:
a morning hike at Twin Peaks followed by coffee at Neighbor’s Corner Cafe. Or maybe
A hike up Mt. Sutro followed by a warm pot of chamomile tea at Crepes on Cole or a pastry from La Boulangerie.
4.) The Sunset Neighborhoods
Another fun, off-the-beaten-path neighborhood is the Sunset district. Grab a coffee & pastries at Tartine, the BEST milk tea at Yifang Taiwan Fruit Tea, and a book from Green Apple (Inner Sunset location) before you visit GG park. Play board games with friends at The Game Parlour. Grab fresh fish burritos or tacos at Hook Fish Co. and watch the sunset from Ocean Beach.
5.) Golden Gate Park
Ok—If you’ve been to San Francisco before, chances are you’ve been to Golden Gate Park. BUT GG Park has so much to offer—I thoroughly believe it deserves a visit on each SF trip. Gloomy weather? Visit one of several museums in the park (de Young, California Academy of Sciences, etc). Like gardens? Visit the Japanese Tea Garden, the SF Botanical Garden, or the Conservatory of Flowers (these cost $)! Or picnic in the Rose Garden or Tulip Garden (these are free). There are several lakes in the park and even a waterfall. Visit the Bison Paddock (yes, there are actual bison in the park) if that’s your thing.
6.) Leave the city! Head north!
If you have a car, spend an afternoon in Marin, the county just north of the Golden Gate Bridge. Grab lunch in Sausalito or Mill Valley. Go for a hike in the Marin Headlands, Mt. Tam State Park, or Muir Woods. Watch the surfers & sunset from Rodeo Beach. On a clear day, catch a view of the Golden Gate Bridge from Battery Spencer.
7.) Ignore my advice
and explore the city for yourself! There are so many wonderful parts of the city I have yet to visit as well—even as someone living here. Safely (with a fully charged phone and your wits about you) set off to discover all the unique things San Francisco has to offer on your own.
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Things I’m loving right now (& discounts)
Pique Tea! Use code EROSIE at checkout for 5% off
Purity Coffee (I am working on getting an affiliate link for discounts)
This lamp from Hay Design
The Gifts of Imperfection by Brené Brown, Ph.D. (I was given a copy by my grandma)
Borosilicate glass mugs from Hay Design