Trip #03 - San Francisco, California!

Happy Holidays everyone! Is everyone else as over 2020 as I am?! Thankfully this year is almost over. Can you believe 2020 is almost over?!? 2021 is literally THIS week. Crazy. We can finally say hindsight is 2020 and mean it! Hahaha okay, no more cheesy jokes, I promise. As much as I am not looking forward to the rest of this winter, I am happy that 2020 is almost over. Here is to hoping 2021 is less of a mess!

Corey and I (but mostly Corey) have been working hard to finish our new home. In September we closed on a house that is a total rehab. After falling in love, we decided to complete the renovations for ourselves (instead of flipping) and move in. We hope to move mid-January! Once that is done we will get serious about planning a late-winter or early-spring trip. I can only go so long without traveling!!

Now, time to talk about a past trip! Most of our trips focus around hiking and getting to places neither of us have been before. As much as we enjoy experiencing new places together, showing your favorite person one of your favorite cities is also super fun. In May of 2017 Corey and I went to San Francisco for a long weekend. I spent 6 months living in San Francisco in college and absolutely loved it. I seriously considered moving there after college, but then my sister started having kids and I decided to stay close to my immediate family and stuck around the Midwest instead. Corey had never been to San Francisco and I was super excited to show him one of my favorite US cities.

The plan was to go for a long weekend, Friday - Tuesday. We bought our tickets on sale with Frontier, one of my favorite discount airlines. I think both tickets round trip were only about $200. Two of my awesome aunts live in San Francisco and hosted us for the long weekend so that made the whole trip SUPER affordable for us, something that San Francisco is not to known to be - affordable.

We arrived in San Francisco on Friday afternoon. My aunts (Janet and KC) picked us up at the airport and took us to their house, an adorable two family house in Bernal Heights. Their house has an AMAZING view of downtown San Francisco. We spent Friday night catching up with my aunts (who were meeting Corey for the first time) and relaxing.

On Saturday morning we started the day with tea in the backyard and more catching up. Aunt KC made us a lovely breakfast. After eating we took my Aunts' pup, Luccia, on a walk to Bernal Heights Park. Bernal Heights Park is one of the larger parks in San Francisco and provides amazing panoramic views of the city from it's peak. There are lots of dirt trails as well as several acres of off-leash dog real estate. We spent some time wandering around the park while Luccia ran off some of her energy playing with the other pups. The view of downtown from this park is absolutely beautiful. If you ever make it to San Francisco, I highly recommend a trip to this park.

After the walk we had to get ready to go watch the Reds play the Giants! Corey and I specifically picked this weekend to visit so we could watch the Reds play at a new stadium. Since Corey had never been to San Fran before, he had obviously never been to Oracle Park. I went to a couple Giants games while living in San Francisco, so while the stadium was not new for me, it is one of my favorites and I was excited to visit again. The view of the bay from the stadium is unreal. There are few stadiums like it.

Even more exciting than checking out Oracle Park was getting to see one of my best friends from college, Katherine! Katherine lives in San Diego now and came to San Francisco for the weekend to see us and another friend of hers from high school. It was so much fun getting to watch the game and spend some time with my favorite people. Honestly, I can't remember a lot about the game (including whether the Reds won or not). While I enjoy baseball, I'm not a die hard fan, so I was more interested in the social aspect - and the view - than I was in the game itself. After the game my Aunts headed home and Corey and I headed to 21st Amendment Brewery with Katherine. (Apparently we didn't take any photos with Katherine during our visit though?!)

21st Amendment is only a couple blocks from Oracle Park, both located in the South Beach neighborhood of San Fran. We hung out in the outdoor patio drinking some beer until a table was ready. After some delicious food we headed to Black Hammer Brewing. Katherine left to meet up with her other friend, who she was staying with for the weekend.

After checking out the breweries, Corey and I spent some time wandering around the area. We ended up at a cute little park that we spent some time relaxing in. I honestly couldn't even tell you what park it was (we were a couple beers deep by this point), but it was very cute. Eventually we headed to meet back up with Katherine and her friends at their apartment. We spent the evening chilling, drinking beer and catching up.

Sunday we did what my aunts call the 'Trifecta'. The Trifecta is the perfect day trip from the San Francisco area. You don't travel far from the city but you get to experience woods, mountains and beaches (AKA the trifecta) all in one day! This was my third time doing the Trifecta with my aunts and I loved it as much this time as I did the first time, and this time I got to experience it with Corey!

The first stop of the Trifecta is Muir Woods National Monument. Muir Woods - named after the famous naturalist, John Muir - is a 554 acre forest, most of which is Redwoods. There used to be an abundance of Redwoods in the area. However, due to logging in California, by the early 1900s many of the forests had been cut down. One forest remained primarily untouched as it was considered inaccessible. The Kent family, William and Elizabeth, purchased 611 acres as a way to protect the forest. In 1907 a water company planned on damming the area, which would flood the valley and forest. When the Kents refused to sell or approve the plan, the water company threatened to use eminent domain to take the land. The Kents donated 295 of their acres to the federal government, going over the head of the local government and therefore saving the forest. In 1908, Theodore Roosevelt declared the land a national monument, making it the first to be created by private donation.

Muir woods is $15 per adult to visit, but well worth the entrance fee. There are 6 miles of trails within the park with three main trails to choose from, each designated by their duration (1/2 hour, 1 hour, 1 1/2 hour). There are also trails that connect Muir Woods to adjacent parks so it is possible to some of the hikes into several miles. Many of the main trails are asphalt or boardwalk, but the canyon trails are dirt and rougher terrain. Not on this trip, but a previous trip to Muir Woods my aunts and I actually saw a deer hoof slap (yup I said it) another deer in the face. Depending on the time of year and how crowded the park is, you can see some wildlife. I saw my first banana slug at Muir Woods too!

This is a great location to appreciate just how tall Redwoods can get! Check out below to see a panorama photo my aunt took! Can you spot Corey and I? She had to use the panorama feature on her iPhone just to get the full height of the trees in!

Stop two of the Trifecta is Mount Tamalpais State Park. Known to locals as Mount Tam, this state park is one of the oldest and also most popular state parks in California. The peak sits at 2,571 feet and is the remnants of a long extinct volcano. Mount Tam State Park was originally developed in the late 1840s as a recreational spot for residents that flocked to the area during the Gold Rush. Due to being so steep in nature, the peak was originally only accessible by a railroad completed in the 1890s. This railroad was known as the crookedest rail in the world due to all of the circles the path completed and all the curves the train had to navigate in order to get to the top.

Mount Tam has 60 miles of trails, many of which connect to a larger trail system that extends outside the park. You won't have to hunt long for some good hikes, as there are several all over the park. The one we did was paved and was a loop trail that was a little over a mile long. We did spend some time exploring other little off-shoot trails. The views of the surrounding area are breathtaking. We spent about an hour or two wandering around and checking out the sights and local foliage.

The third and final stop of the Trifecta is Stinson Beach. From Mount Tam you take the Panoramic Highway, which is not for the faint of heart, down the mountain to the water. I recommend anyone who gets carsick (like me) sit in the front seat. Stinson beach gets it's name from the largest land owner in the area, Nathan Stinson, in the early 1900s. It became a state park in the 1950s. It is well maintained and has nice amenities such as restrooms and campgrounds. The beach is quite large, but parking can still be a bit tricky on days with nice weather.

After a few loops around the parking lot we found a spot and and then hunted for a spot on the beach. The day we did the Trifecta, the weather was nice and sunny (I'm thinking it was in the mid-60s maybe). The temperature can also change pretty drastically from site to site so dress in layers! We laid in the sand and enjoyed the sun for a bit. I am pretty sure we may have even fallen asleep for a couple minutes. South from where we were laying there was a quaint little shack restaurant that is more of a concession stand than anything but has good food. We ordered some food and sat outside enjoying the sun. After enjoying the beach for awhile it was time to make the trek back to the city.

Overall, this is a pretty awesome day trip. Doing all three in one day allows the perfect amount of time to be spent at each location. I highly recommend anyone visiting San Francisco, who wants to do something a little more 'local' and has access to a vehicle, check out the Trifecta. Bonus: All three locations allow dogs so Luccia got to make the trip with us!

Monday Corey and I spent the day being touristy in downtown San Fran. We started the day by taking the BART from the 24th St Mission stop into downtown getting off at the Embarcadero. We wandered Embarcadero until we got to the hidden stairs to Coit Tower. There are several ways to get to Coit Tower, including by car, but the hidden stairs are my favorite. My favorite part about these stairs are the gardens and hidden homes / apartments along the way. I wish I had taken more photos of this trip in general. This was back before I started documenting everything to help remember (and for better blogging). There are two sets of 'hidden' steps that get you up to Coit Tower. We did the Filbert steps (as opposed to the Greenwich). These steps start at the corner of Filbert and Sansome. There are 600 steps so plan on taking your time and going slow. There is much to see so taking frequent breaks is not difficult. There is always something to look at! Be sure to look behind you as you climb and take in the views of the Bay Bridge as well!

Once at the top, you can take in the beautiful 360 views that Coit Tower offers. I have been to Coit Tower several times, though I have never been to the top (there is a small fee). I personally think the view at the base is good enough that I have never been motivated enough to pay to go higher.

After Coit Tower we headed towards Fishermans Wharf. In my opinion this is one of the most touristy areas of San Francisco. Picture shops that sell apparel that says 'San Francisco', street performers, and lots of restaurants serving sea food. We wandered around the area for a bit checking out the different shops. Pier 39 is probably the most touristy spot at Fisherman's Wharf. I would say avoid this area, but one of my favorite spots is on the pier. It is where you can see the sea lions relaxing and playing on the floating docks. With the sea lions comes a pretty awesome sea lion smell as well!

From Pier 39 we headed to Ghirardelli Square. Of course we had to stop in and take an ice cream break. I never say no to ice cream! After enjoying our ice cream we headed back towards Fisherman's Wharf to catch our ferry to Alcatraz. In all my visits to, and time living in San Fran, I had never actually been before. I was looking forward to experiencing something with Corey that neither of us had done before! I also love the movie The Rock, so I was excited to see the island in person!

The ferry ride was relatively short and provided nice views of the city. When you first get off the ferry it is quite crowded, but once you are on the island and make your way towards the jail, the crowd dispersed pretty quickly. Corey and I decided to do the self-guided tour with headphones. It was a great way to do the tour at our own speed but also get all of the information. After we finished the tour we wandered around a little more and came upon someone telling stories about some of the different people who had stayed in the jail. The trip is definitely one of the more touristy things you can do in San Fran, but it was very cool and informative and I would recommend, especially to anyone that likes history.

Once the ferry docked back at Fisherman's Wharf, it was almost time to head back to the Aunts' house. We had one final stop we wanted to make, The Full House houses of course. The row of houses and park that are seen in the opening credits of Full House are Alamo Square Park and what is now called Postcard Row (or the Painted Ladies). We were planning on getting there by taking the famous red trolley (also seen in the opening credits of Full House) and then walking, but when we got back to Ghirardelli Square the line for the trolley was super long. We decided to walk instead. Overall we spent a LOT of time Monday walking, but there are so many cool houses, fun sights, and hidden gems in San Francisco that walking is always worth it, in my opinion.

Our flight back to Cincinnati was a red eye flight that left San Fran around midnight and landed in Cincinnati about 6am. Just enough time for me to make it home, change, and then head to work. It was definitely a brutal Tuesday at work, but worth it for the awesome weekend we had. I can't wait to go back and show Corey some more of my favorite spots!