San Francisco Day 1 - Lombard St, Piers, & Seafood

by Vicky - 1:16 AM

One of my best friends, Lisa, and I decided to take a spontaneous trip out to warmer weather! I decided on San Francisco, through a random conversation with another friend. I started planning the sights and destinations inside of San Francisco that I wanted to see. Lisa hopped on board. We booked our room and tickets then we were out of the cold, wet, and gloomy city of Milwaukee. After going through the hassle of delayed and long flights, we finally ended up in San Francisco. Only to discover, it would probably be raining all weekend. Bummer. Super bummer. But with the weather in Wisconsin dropping below the negatives, we were happy to explore an all new city, IN CALIFORNIA, in 60 degree weather (despite the rain).

After we checked into the hotel, we got ready and started to explore. Lisa and I stopped by the Franklin Market, a tiny liquor store and deli, to buy Lisa an umbrella. Afterwards, we trekked East on the famous Lombard Street. These steep hills are murderous on your feet and sanity! Pictures do not do these streets justice, you have been warned! But the views once you reach the top of all the hills you've climbed are amazing and breathtaking. We got our first peek of the Bay at the top of Lombard.

At the bottom of Lombard!

We continued eastbound towards...
Coit Tower, which is closed for remodeling but we climbed the hill nonetheless to see the amazing views.

After many pictures and snapchats, we headed northeast where we discovered some beautiful trails and stairways with the view of the bay sneaking up on you and the aroma of trees, flowers, and other plants. The stairs on this walk are quite steep too and, with the rain, it was very slippery.

Once we got to the bottom of the endless stairs, we walked 3 minutes to Pier 23. We stopped at the famous Pier 23 cafe for dinner, right by the water on their covered patio. It wasn't as busy as we thought it was going to be, so we scored a table overlooking the water perfectly. For appetizers, we ordered a cup of the crab bisque and the bacon fried oysters.

For entrees, Lisa got the steamed mussels and clams, I ordered the crab and shrimp sandwich; two of their specialty dishes. Everything was beautifully presented and tasty.

I loved every thing about this place. the ambiance and the sight of the ocean is so calming and relaxing, even the rain pattering on the windows was mesmerizing. I can only imagine how amazing this place is when it's summertime and the patio is wide open instead of covered.

After dinner, we walked to Pier 39. I loved the atmosphere here. I've always wanted to visit one of these famous California piers, and even though the rain never let up, it was still beautiful. We did a little souvenir shopping for family and friends back home. I also bought a chevron scarf, which I love! Prices here for all the clothing and souvenirs is way cheaper than I thought it would be! At least in comparison to other touristy cities.

One store had bins of old license plates from nearly every state. I bought two California plates as souvenirs! We explored Pier 39 all the way towards the end, where we were greeted by the sounds of sea lions barking in the water and this amazing view of the San Francisco skyline.