A Recent Visit to San Francisco
To be where little cable cars climb halfway to the stars.
Growing up in Lake Tahoe in the 70s there were few cultural experiences to be found, so to fill this gap we frequently visited San Francisco on the weekends. It was in San Francisco that I was first exposed to real culture: art in museums, classical music, ballet, and Broadway shows. Our family ate Chinese food in Chinatown, finishing the meal with fortune cookies. We were required to dress up, which was always a treat. Cable cars, the smell of salt air from the ocean and roses from the flower stands formerly stationed on the corners at Union Square. I always looked forward to staying in the high-rise hotel or the bed and breakfast, which were just becoming all the rage. The Golden Gate Bridge, Lombard Street, Ghirardelli Square, Pier 39, Golden Gate Park, and Alcatraz. And I can even remember the first Cost Plus Imports store (now World Market) on Fisherman’s Wharf.
Our family would leave the lake mid-afternoon Friday and arrive in the city early evening. The city lights glowed as we crossed the Bay Bridge, and I would feel a buzz of excitement that I still feel upon entering the city.
We were there not too long ago and again had a magical time. Below are some of the highlights of our visit.
MUSEUMS and EXPERIENCES
There are loads of museums to visit in San Francisco, almost too many to list. We always try to visit at least one. Here are a few.
The San Francisco MOMA
The De Young/The Legion of Honor
California Academy of Sciences, which houses a planetarium, natural history museum, and an aquarium.
The Jewish Contemporary Museum
The Asian Art Museum
If you have young children, the Exploratorium is perfect.
And a ferry ride to Alcatraz Island and a tour of the landmark Alcatraz Prison is very interesting. Views of the bridge, the cold water, and squawking seagulls make the experience immersive. Dress warmly.
During our recent visit, I went to the Museum of Craft and Design. It featured an exhibition with the concrete journals of Anne Hicks Siberell. But I was most interested in her handmade accordion books.
The concrete tablets of Anne Hicks Siberell.
The accordion paper journals (“bookworks”) of Anne Hicks Siberell.
Golden Gate Park is lovely and huge. They have a botanical garden, as well.
The Ferry Building is a terminal for ferries traveling all over the bay, an office building, and a marketplace.
The Ferry Building Market features merchants with specialties- butchers, bakeries, olive oil, cheese, crepes, coffee, wine, cupcakes, and even pudding. Yes, just pudding. A fresh farmer’s market takes place three days a week.
A view of Bay Bridge, from the ocean side of the Ferry Building
RESTAURANTS (in addition to the Ferry Marketplace above, of which I could happily eat breakfast, lunch, and dinner)
Below are a few of our favorites:
Yank Sing is a must-eat for Dim Sum every time we visit.
Mission Rock Resort for Brunch and beautiful views of the Bay.
We enjoyed a late lunch at the Michelin Star, Spruce. Amazing.
We were also told Boulevard is fabulous.
Sears Fine Food is a San Francisco classic, for breakfast.
And the Tonga Room and Hurricane Bar located in the basement of the Fairmont is worth a visit for either Chinese food, or just a drink and listen to the live music.
Also, it’s hard to find bad Italian food in San Francisco, but one of our favorites is atop Nob Hill, the Nob Hill Café.
Oracle Field hosts the San Francisco Giants. It is a great venue, sitting right along the edge of the bay.
HOTELS
I’ve been wanting to try the following:
Hotel Via (it’s directly across from Oracle Park).
There is no denying that San Francisco is struggling…homelessness, drug use, shoplifting, crime, an exodus of retailers, and a boatload of unleased commercial and residential spaces. A “Doom Loop” hovers like storm clouds. But despite it all, the city has spirit, and its heartbeat can still be felt.
In a high-end shop situated on Union Square, we struck up a conversation with the store manager. He was an immigrant who moved to San Francisco in the mid-1990s. He was drawn to San Francisco because of the artists and the “welcoming feeling” he described when first visiting. “I felt a freedom here I have never felt anywhere else,” he shared. He then went on to describe how the city struggled during the great recession of 2007-2009 but rebounded with vengeance in the next decade. The dot-comers flooded the city, blowing up real estate prices and forcing out the artists and creatives (of whom he was originally drawn). He shared that he hoped that those artists and creatives would return with San Francisco’s next evolution or reinvention.
While it all unfolds, we’ll continue to visit- to experience the arts, culture, and sports, take in the ocean and bay views, have amazing meals- and, more than anything, share our support.
