A trip to San Francisco is most enjoyable when you include both city highlights and hidden gems. Of course, if it’s your first time in the city, you will want to visit the Golden Gate Bridge, Fisherman’s Wharf, Ghirardelli Square, and Golden Gate Park. But you can enrich any visit to the City by the…
Touring the lobbies of historic and iconic hotels in San Francisco may not be on a visitor’s itinerary, but I accidentally discovered this is fun and free and makes for a memorable morning. On a recent trip to San Francisco, we stayed at the Hilton on Union Square and enjoyed this sunrise view of the…
Touring Alcatraz should be top of your list of what to do in San Francisco, even though it may seem strange to plan a visit to a former maximum security prison. You will find The Rock a fascinating place to explore, and the tour comes complete with a boat ride on the bay. Here’s an…
San Francisco offers so much for the young — and the young at heart. Having grown up in California, I’ve explored San Francisco many times. My family traveled here when my kids were growing up. I have my favorite activities. And now I’ve been able to enjoy the city with three of my grandkids, seeing…
San Francisco at Christmastime is a charming place to enjoy the holidays. You will find seasonal decor everywhere, with lights in the windows adding to the usual ambience. There are an abundance o Christmas trees and decorations to cheer you. Here are a few highlights from our recent visit to San Francisco at Christmastime. The…
San Francisco is one city I will never tire of visiting. It’s a city built on steep hills navigated by iconic clanging cable cars. The wharf offers a variety of seafood and goodies to tempt your appetite. A world landmark, the Golden Gate Bridge, stands guard across the inlet. And world class museums and parks…
A visit to Fisherman’s Wharf in San Francisco is a must. Of course it’s touristy and can get crowded, but if you go a bit off the main path and venture beyond the official boundaries of Fisherman’s Wharf, it’s lots of fun. The piers of the wharf were built on the rubble of the 1906…
The California Academy of Sciences in San Francisco’s Golden Gate Park is among the largest natural history museums in the U.S. With an aquarium, a rainforest, a swamp, and a planetarium, all under one roof, it’s a great place to spend a day. We recently went with our grandkids, ages 10 and 11, who have…
Did you know that San Francisco’s cable cars are officially a “moving” National Historic Landmark? The cars first clanged their bells on the steep streets of this city in 1873. Andrew Hallidie began to build the cable car lines after he saw an accident that injured and killed horses that had been drawing carts on…