20240324_094859Golden Gate Bridge in the spring (March 2024)

My partner and I had a packed, second day in San Francisco, as we ended up seeing a lot of the major landmarks and neighborhoods in town. It was a long day from start to finish, as we took public transport all over, as well as spending an afternoon in the larger Bay Area. Exhausted as we were in the end, we had a fun time, and even better that the weather was really good– blue skies and sunny– which is a rarity in the city!

We started our day with breakfast at a French pâtisserie, which was just a short (and downhill) walk from our hotel. There was a line when we arrived, but it moved quickly, and we ordered our pastries, along with a unique sesame latte. We ordered a small spread of a chocolate kouign-amann, a chorizo quiche, and a pain suisse— everything was INCREDIBLE, even the drinks! The pastries were baked fresh, beautifully-laminated, and utterly rich. It was all so good that we ended up returning just before we left SF!

20240324_085206From top right counterclockwise: chorizo quiche, pain suisse, and chocolate kouign-amann

Breakfast fulfilled, we then caught the bus over to the Golden Gate Welcome Center, which of course has iconic views of the iconic Golden Gate Bridge. The bridge isn’t golden itself, but rather gets its name from the Golden Gate Strait on which SF and the Pacific Ocean meet. It’s also painted a vibrant red for visibility, as most of the time, SF is shrouded in fog– however, it was an absolutely clear day when we went, blue skies and all, which made for perfect views and photos of the bridge and even the city of SF in the distance. You can’t go to SF without visiting the Golden Gate Bridge, that’s for sure!

20240324_100834Walking on the Golden Gate Bridge

Next was a bus ride over to Fisherman’s Wharf, another SF tourist attraction. It’s essentially a large and long boardwalk that stretches along the north shores of town, and it’s filled with plenty of restaurants, shops, and fun-fair activities to pass time with. To be honest, I felt Fisherman’s Wharf a bit underwhelming, as I found the attractions very gimmicky and generic, especially Pier 39. I’ve seen similar wharfs/piers like it in places such as Santa Monica Pier, which are closer to home. Not my thing, but I did appreciate the lovely views of the Bay and even the haunted Alcatraz Island in the distance.

20240324_104835Welcome to Fisherman’s Wharf

20240324_105517On the boardwalk

20240324_105621Alcatraz Island

From Pier 39, we caught another bus up to Telegraph Hill, a neighborhood situated upon one of the many hills in SF. We visited Coit Tower, built in 1933 and dedicated as a memorial to the city’s firefighters; we paid $10 USD each to climb the tower, where we got sweeping views of SF as far out as the eye could see, as well as the sweeping Bay Area (e.g. Marin County, Oakland). We admired the views before descending the tower and Telegraph Hill.

20240324_114443Ascending Coit Tower (with some lovely murals)!

20240324_113518Views of SF from Coit Tower

My partner and I took the scenic Greenwich Steps down from Telegraph Hill. As we descended, we couldn’t help but feel like the characters in one of our favorite books, Last Night at the Telegraph Club, by Melinda Lo. The novel is set in 1950s San Francisco, during its glamour years. It was a lot of fun (and a bit surreal) to visit the sites mentioned in the book– all that was missing was the ginger gelato and the night life! 🙂

20240324_120027Greenwich Steps with Coit Tower in the background

Once we made it to the bottom of the steps, we got a quick Uber to Little Italy for lunch. Of course, we had to get Italian cuisine, and we settled on a simple, no-frills restaurant that served fresh pasta with some of the creamiest and richest sauces like alfredo and pesto. My partner and I enjoyed our pasta, happy to be eating some solid Italian food in the area.

20240324_124050Alfredo and pesto pasta

We spent the afternoon outside of SF, taking a Lyft across the San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge over to Oakland and Berkeley, two neighboring cities in the Bay Area. The two of us spent a few hours exploring the shops there before we headed back to SF later in the afternoon, encountering horrible Bay area traffic before we made it back in the early evening.

There was a new dim sum restaurant that’d just opened a few weeks prior to our arrival near our hotel, so we got dinner there. I’ve had many occasions for dim sum growing up, but my partner had never had it, so we ordered a reasonable spread for a first-timer like herself: har gow, siu mai, and most importantly, xiao long bao (soup dumplings). The dishes were pretty solid, and my partner especially enjoyed the xiao long bao. Afterwards, we grabbed some milk tea (also very solid) just across the street and headed back to our hotel, utterly tired, but happy to have explored so much that day.

20240324_172808(1)Clockwise from top left: veggie dumplings, xiao long bao, and har gow

Day 3 of SF will be coming soon. Stay tuned! 🙂

— Rebecca

Unknown's avatar

Published by Rebecca

Blogger, world traveler, poet, foodie, part-time penguin. Welcome!

45 thoughts on “Destination: San Francisco, California (Incredible French Pastries, the Golden Gate Bridge, and Climbing Telegraph Hill– DAY 2)”

    1. Thanks, Rebecca! I used a combination of Yelp, Google Maps, and Reddit posts when it came to recommendations to see and eat. They were all very useful in helping me plan a wonderful stay!

      Liked by 1 person

      Reply

    1. I’m glad you got to try dim sum: it’s like afternoon tea, lunch, and brunch all roll into one! I especially love the har gow and custard buns. I hope you get to have it again sooner than later! Our second day was lovely in SF, and thankfully, the weather remained solid for the rest of our stay! More to come 🙂

      Liked by 1 person

      Reply

  5. You must have brought some SoCal sunshine with you to San Francisco. Glad you had lovely weather for sightseeing! ☀️That’s true about traffic in The City – it can get pretty gnarly. I prefer taking BART or the ferry because it’s less stressful. Looking forward to reading more about your visit!

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply

    1. Perhaps! Aside from the first day of rain, it was nice and sunny during the remainder of our stay. I suppose traffic is inevitable in any big city, SF included. More of SF to come soon!

      Like

      Reply

  8. You packed a lot in (as you always seem to!) and in beautiful weather 🙂 Your pasta looks really good! I agree about Fisherman’s Wharf, although I did like seeing the sea lions there.

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply

    1. Haha, it’s how I travel, I guess: I like to see as much as possible each day I’m in town, but strangely enough, it doesn’t feel too rushed! The Fisherman’s Wharf was a bit kitschy, but I agree the sea lions are a real treat to observe!

      Liked by 1 person

      Reply

  9. Wow, the Golden Gate Bridge looks marvellous, Rebecca. It’s not just a beautiful landmark; it’s an engineering marvel, a work of art, and a symbol of resilience. The food looks yummy too, especially those pastries. I am glad to see that you had wonderful weather for exploring the city. Thanks for sharing, and have a good day 🙂 Aiva xx

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply

    1. Indeed! The Golden Gate Bridge is iconic of SF, and all the better to see it fog-less, in all of its glory! It was a lovely second day in, and there will be more great adventures in SF to come. Stay tuned! 🙂

      Liked by 1 person

      Reply

  10. Looks like another great day in SF! When it comes to public transport, I wonder what options are available in the city since it is my preferred means of transport whenever I explore a new place. The bakeries and the pastas you and your partner had look really good!

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply

    1. Some cities (even countries) are better at public transport than others: while SF’s might not seem that great compared to, say, the public transport in cities like London or Tokyo, it’s a lot better than what we have here in LA, so that’s something! We’ll be enjoying more delicious food in SF, so look out for those posts soon!

      Liked by 1 person

      Reply

    1. I know! We got really lucky with the weather during most of our stay in SF. Because of that, we got to see the Golden Gate Bridge in all of its glory!

      Like

      Reply

  15. What a find – those pâtisseries look like such a treat! I agree that the Fisherman’s Wharf/Pier 39 is pretty touristy, but I enjoyed seeing the sea lions there 😊 I also loved the panoramic views from the Coit Tower. Looking forward to reading what else you got up to in SF!

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply

    1. Thanks, Rosie! The pâtisseries were a delight, to the point that we went back for more! The Fisherman’s Wharf is a bit kitschy, but I agree the sea lions are lovely to see. More of SF coming soon!

      Liked by 1 person

      Reply

  17. That pasta looks mouthwatering! Fascinating tidbit about how the GG bridge got its name. I did not know that! And I like how you returned to the breakfast place another day. I like to return to places when traveling, often doing breakfast in the same place. As a creature of habit, it’s nice to have some familiarity when traveling.

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply

    1. The pâtisserie was so good that we had to return before we left! It’s the places you least expect that end up being your favorite on a trip. I definitely recommend that shop to anyone who visits SF!

      Liked by 1 person

      Reply

    1. Indeed! Karl the Fog is ever so present at just about most times in SF. I was very fortunate not to encounter the fog for most of my time in town. The pâtisseries were so good that we returned for more before we left (more on it soon). Thanks for reading!

      Liked by 1 person

      Reply

Leave a comment