San Francisco - ABCD
Top foodie tips
• The Ferry Building may just have the best ice-cream I’ve ever had. As usual I had my eye on dessert before my main course, but the mains were equally fabulous at The Slanted Door – a great Vietnamese place with bags of atmosphere.
• Dandelion chocolate in Mission – a flight of brownies, what could be better?
• Boubin’s bakery at Fishman’s Wharf, apart from the heavenly smell of fresh bread, and the huge windows showing you the whole operation, the bread is yummy!
• Back in Mission, Four Barrel Coffee, roasted on site. The locals think its fab, and they are real coffee snobs!
• Wholefoods is still my ‘must do’ whenever I’m in the US. It’s great to grab a bowl of fruit, or a tasty sandwich but also to pick up some treats to take home.
Tourism tips
• The Alcatraz evening tour is a totally engaging audio tour with a good pace. The evening tour gives you more optional mini tours or talks, and there are far fewer people at the attraction. It sells out well in advance so be organised.
• The trolley buses cost $7 a trip but are lots of fun as well as being a very practical way to navigate the hills of the city. The trolley bus that we were on stopped at the top of Lombard St, which was made famous in the film Bullit.
• Cycle the Golden Gate Bridge – we did it! We booked our bikes for the day and were issued with a map and instructions. Many people complete the 11 miles to Sausalito in an hour or two - we did it at a leisurely pace, and it took closer to six hours with a stop for breakfast and lunch. It cost around $45pp.
• Union Square originally got its name because it was used to host rallies to support the Union Army during the American Civil War. Now it is shopping central! There is a great choice of hotels, restaurants and shops within a stone’s throw of the square. It also hosts seasonal events, so there was an ice rink underneath the Christmas tree in December. Great as a spectator sport!
• Fisherman’s’ Wharf is tourist central, so you need to tick it off your list. It is fun, lively and great entertainment. You can hear the sea lions and watch the boats.
