Friday in San Francisco

When I first laid eyes on San Francisco I was astonished. The countless houses cascading down the hillside, the intricate network of streets weaving between them, and an abundance of trees and greenery woven throughout the city. It was truly a sight to see.

I only had about 24 hours in the city to look around and explore before starting our roadtrip down the Pacific Coast Highway. So from Thursday evening to early Saturday morning, I made the most of my time discovering this remarkable city with my family.

So, come along with me as I take you through a Friday in San Francisco.

By the time I flew into San Francisco and we were all ready to head into the city, it was sunset. Watching the sunset was definitely something I wanted to do during my time here. But knowing that San Francisco is foggy with Karl (SF’s summer fog) always rolling in, and after hearing about June Gloom in California, I made peace with simply catching whatever light or color managed to break through the clouds. So we made our way outside as our Waymo made its way towards us.

It was only a couple of days before coming to SF that I discovered that Waymo’s (a self-driving car service) was an actual thing. But as I got in and it drove us to our destination, I was pleasantly surprised by how smooth and efficient it was.

So after a quick car ride, we made it to Alamo Square Park, home to The Painted Ladies are. It was so cool to see these colorful Victorian - and Edwardian - style residences with their intricate details. I was truly captivated by these houses. We captured countless photos and took in the beautiful scenery. And honestly, the clouds created a beautiful, moody atmosphere that made the moment feel so cinematic.

Now well after sunset, and blue hour had set in, so it was the perfect time to soak in the atmosphere alongside the few people walking around.

It was very peaceful and picturesque at the park. You could see the Painted Ladies, the cityscapes, churches and other historical buildings in the distance. But it was also the natural environment that caught my eye the cresent moon above the beautiful Monterey cypress trees, the lush greenery amidst houses, and the amber glow of the street lights. There was something so unique and captivating about the trees and the surrounding landscape that made me stand in silence for a while, simply taking it all in.

It was getting even darker, and we had yet to have dinner. So we made our way out of the park and walked to the closest bus stop.

Eventually, we made it back and decided to go to Mel’s Drive-In, a diner in San Francisco.

This diner is definitely one of those places that transports you back in time. The colorful furniture, the classic photos, the vintage wallboxes, and the overall retro atmosphere of the resturant all make it feel like you are a character in a movie or TV show.

They had numerous classic American dishes from pancakes to burgers. I decided to get a French Dip sandwich with fries, which was delicious and really hit the spot. (And fun fact, the French Dip Sandwich is an American dish that originated in Los Angeles, California. I actually only found this out while writing this, and I had no clue about that beforehand.)

After dinner, it was after 11p.m., and it was time to head back home.

As I was reflecting that night, I realized that being in a city like San Francisco reminded me of Sydney. The public transportation, the people walking around the city, the parks…. It all gave me so much nostalgia.

Also, even though I haven’t visited Greece yet, when I first saw the layout of SF it made me think of Greece for some reason. I found that super interesting, but one day soon I’ll see if my instinct was right.

Now it was Friday morning, and since it was my first night away from the East Coast, I woke up around 5 a.m., which was 8 a.m. back at home. But I thoroughly enjoyed it, because I got to wake up early and watch the city slowly come to life. Because it was cloudy, I did not get to see all of the colors of the sunrise, but it was still nice to see the first light of the day seep in.

I did some Bible study, had a little of my leftover sandwich from the night before, and got ready to go on a run with my brother.

We went on a 3 mile run up and down the hills of SF. It was super fun, but also really challenging towards the end. As we were running, it was so nice listening to music while listening to him point out and tell me about the different neighborhoods we were running through.

Our run ended at Mission Dolores Park. It was super cool getting a lay of the land through the run, and I would definitely recommend going on a run or long walk through San Francisco (or any city really) to better familiarize yourself with the area.

Once we rested for a couple of minutes, we decided to hop on the rail and get a coffee.

We got to a street my brother was familiar with, and got off the rail to walk to the coffee shop. On the way, I noticed a photo booth shop that I had seen during my San Francisco research, Photomatica. We decided to go in and get our pictures taken! I had been wanting to go to a photo booth especially in California, so I am so glad we found one. It had several photo booths - around four to seven of them. (I would recommend the one by the window so that your pictures can be as bright as possible).

It was such a fun and cool experience! We got three to four photos per stript in the photo booth, and then we had to wait about three minutes for them to come out. Once they did, we had to dry them with a blow dryer which I thought was so interesting. Our photos came out kind of dark unfortunately, which was a little disappointing but they still looked super cool and vintage. Overall, it was a great experience.

Now it was coffee time! During my time in California, trying really amazing coffees was on my bucket list, so I definitely needed to get one during my time in San Francisco.

We went to one of my brother’s favorite spots, Verve Coffee Roasters. I wanted an iced caramel macchiato with cinnamon, but they did not have that so the barista recommended I get their house coffee, which was a similar drink but with some kind of vanilla instead of caramel, so I just got that instead.

When I was served, I was welcomed by a really delicious looking cup of iced coffee. I took my first sip and was absolutely stunned by how much I loved the flavor of this drink. It tasted familiar to the drinks I usually order back at home, but it was still different. It was so refreshing and flavorful and I was genuinely shocked at how good it was every time I took a sip. I give this coffee a 10/10 and I recommend Verve for anyone who is looking for a memorable, delicious coffee in San Francisco.

It was afternoon now, and it was time to go on a vintage streetcar. We had to wait about 45 minutes to get on it because there are only about three to five original ones that are still in operation in the city.

This was definitely a cool experience. The ride lasted around 15 or so minutes going up and around the unique streets of San Francisco. The streetcar that we took dropped us off near the San Francisco Maritime National Park, next to the Fisherman’s Wharf, Pier 45, and Ghirardelli Square. From these points, you could see Alcatraz as well as the Golden Gate Bridge from a distance.

We were defintely surrounded by so many places, but since we did not have much time, we just walked around the park and briefly through Ghirardelli Square.

I definitely recommend staying and exploring SF for about three to five days to be able to experience more of the area, because there is truly so much to do and see in this wonderful city.

Soon, we were off to one of the places I was most excited to visit during my Friday in San Francisco: the Palace of Fine Arts!

The Palace of Fine Arts absolutely blew my mind. It was grand and stunning! It was much larger in person than what I saw in pictures online. We spent so much time here taking photos and observing all of the natural and architectural beauty.

This lovely structure was built for the 1915 Panama Pacific Exposition to exhibit different works of art from around the world. It definitely felt like a monument meant to be somewhere in a different country. It almost transported me back to Europe.

This was just a small portion of the structure. At the Palace of Fine Arts, there is a large walkway that wraps around the entire place. There is also a manmade lagoon surrounding the beautiful palace, as well as so many gorgeous, lush plants and trees.

Now it was time to grab some dinner. We went to this burrito place my brother always raves about and ordered some food before heading to a WNBA game. After eating, we headed to the game, which was at the Chase Center/Golden State Warriors Stadium. It was my first time watching a professional basketball game, and it ended up being a great way to end the night.

The next morning, it was time to leave San Francisco. I definitely had a brief introduction to this amazing city, but it definitely has me wanting to come back and explore so much more of what it has to offer.

At this point, I had not seen the Golden Gate Bridge up close yet, and I wasn’t sure if I would even be able to. But as we headed out of the city we got to drive across the bridge which was spectacular, and also stop to view and capture photos of it from a very cool viewpoint before setting out for our road trip.

The viewpoint was full of people taking photos and talking to family and friends. There were also food vendors selling delicious smelling foods and appetizing-looking fruits.

I was so thankful in this moment to be able to see this monumental bridge with my own eyes, and to have spent time adventuring and exploring this city with my family.

Manhattan Moments: 48 Hours in New York City

Golden Hour Moments