California (San Francisco)
Trip Summary
Having lived in California for years, I’ve been all over the state, but even so, San Francisco stands out as one of my favorite spots–if not THE favorite to go to, so you know it is a fun city to visit! I had a chance to go back twice recently, so it was fun to revisit old haunts!
Now when I talk about hotels and attractions, I’ll mention a lot about safety and that is because while this is a beautiful city, it has one of the biggest homeless populations of the state, and while they largely keep to themselves, you do want to be smart when walking alone and/or at night (as you do anywhere). Spots like Fisherman’s Wharf and parts of Chinatown are safer, but other areas like the Tenderloin are ones you want to be more careful in. The public transportation is also excellent and safer during the day (you don’t want to rent a car in San Francisco–the break-ins have gotten bad lately, and it’s stressful and expensive to try to park in the city, so just use public transportation, and you’ll be fine and save a lot of money).
When booking hotels, I always wanted to find a spot walkable from a BART station, so all my places to stay are going to be along the red and yellow lines downtown. My absolute favorite spot was on my most recent stay–a hotel called Orchard Garden Hotel–right next to the Chinatown gate. This place was ironically the cheapest AND safest place I ever stayed in while here and that is a hard combination to find in San Francisco. The rooms were clean and spacious, the location was awesome, and the staff very courteous and helpful. They even have a small restaurant area where you can eat breakfast and a terrace on the top floor where you can look out and enjoy the moon at night.
Walkable to all the popular sights in San Francisco, this place was in a prime location–so prime that I was skeptical of the price being so reasonable. Knowing that there are pockets of San Francisco to avoid (and I’ll tell you about those in the next couple of hotel reviews), I was worried that this cheaper place was going to be in a dangerous area, but it was actually the safest by a long shot. My husband and I felt comfortable walking outside at all hours of the day and night, and that is not something you can say about all of San Francisco.
So for its prices, amenities, excellent staff, and safety, this hotel gets a great score. I found myself wishing that I had booked this place earlier and stuck with it every time I went to San Francisco, because it was truly a favorite! Highly recommend.
Orchard Garden Hotel: A
The other spot my husband and I stayed in while visiting was the Staypineapple Hotel on Union Square. Also ironically, this was one of the more expensive spots AND it was not in the best area–illustrated by the homeless person throwing up on the sidewalk as soon as we walked up to the entrance. Having been to San Francisco before, I had warned my husband of what we might see, and he had brushed it off, but then after seeing that, he turned around with a face, like holy crap, you were right…
As I said before, though, they are mostly harmless, and it’s just sad to see so many without homes or food. Once you go inside the hotel, though, it’s like you went through a portal to a different place, because there is all sorts of grander that contrasts with the reality that is outside. The gold decorations, the fancy rooms, and the amenities all yell luxury, so for the hotel itself, it lived up to the pictures, and we had a good time.
Everything was clean, too, you got a daily food/beverage credit, and free pineapple cookies, so the hotel definitely worked hard to make the best of their location. The staff was nice and was happy to offer suggestions on good places to eat nearby.
So for this hotel, it gets high marks for the rooms and the decor, but as soon as you go outside, it is a different world, so just factor in all those things when you book. After staying at the Orchard Garden Hotel, I decided that safety in a less frilly (and cheaper) hotel was much better, so that is the main reason for the difference in grades.
Staypineapple Hotel San Francisco: B
One other place I stayed at–when I met my grandmother and her boyfriend for a weekend stay–was at Kensington Park Hotel. The hotel is older and showing its age, but it has great staff and has all kinds of little extras that I had never seen before in other hotels. In the lobby, they put out coffee and biscotti in the mornings and sherry and tea in the evenings. The hotel itself is also very cool to walk around–the big staircase is also fun to see as it has a scary vibe to it as you look all the way down all those floors.
The room was beautiful, too, and was clean. The decorations are modern, the room and bathroom updated, and the space quiet. Depending on the room you get, the view can also be pretty as it is right in the middle of the city. The hotel is a very convenient walk to a lot of restaurants as well as close to public transit.
Kensington Park Hotel is just a few streets over from Staypineapple and while those streets help, it is still not the best area, so I would definitely recommend Orchard Garden Hotel over this one, too.
Kensington Park Hotel: B
One of the perks about the locations of these hotels is that you never had to walk far to find a fantastic place to eat. One place I went to eat (twice) was just down the street. I tried it with my grandmother the first time, then when I was in the city a second time with my husband, I remembered how good the place was, so I took him there, and it lived up to expectations! The place was called Tacorea, and serves a number of dishes ranging from soup bowls to quesadillas to burritos filled with an assortment of ingredients (including tater tots!).
The place is popular, so be prepared for a line, but the wait is worth it as the food is tasty, fresh, and doesn’t cost an arm and a leg like some of the more upscale eateries in the area. The seating is very limited, so we ended up just taking the food back to the hotel and eating (both times), but for both meals, the food was delicious and just what was needed to hit the spot!
So for its cheap prices, fresh food, great variety of choices, and location, this place gets a lovely score! Definitely stop by if you are in the area, because the menu has something for everyone, and you can’t beat getting the quality/quantity of food at these prices in San Francisco!
Tacorea: A
Another place we stopped by was Tropisueno, a more upscale (but still good!) Mexican eatery that was located closer to the Yerba Buena Gardens. It has a lot of seating, inside and outside, with an especially nice patio where you can sit outside and enjoy the afternoon/evening.
It is a pricier spot, so go during their happy hour, and you will get much better prices for drinks and appetizers. The service is good and the location is lovely which makes it a great spot to relax and enjoy a snack/drink.
When I went with my grandmother and her boyfriend, we split some drinks and their chips and salsa sampler which was good. The sampler comes with three salsas with varying degrees of spiciness, and each were delicious. The chips are also fresh, and the basket comes with plenty to go around for multiple people.
So for its delightful atmosphere, good food and service, and lovely patio, Tropisueno gets high marks. We would have stayed longer for a meal if the prices were better, but it was a good place to chill and relax for a snack.
Tropisueno: A-
However, you can’t just eat one type of cuisine while in San Francisco! There is so much there! Pizza! Dumplings! Seafood! Basically anything you can think of! So when I went back this last time with my husband–a pizza lover–we walked to Little Italy where the famous Golden Boy Pizza awaited!
I had scoured the food forums before visiting, so I knew this place was highly recommended, and sure enough, there was a line when we got there! But they know what they are doing, so they had all kinds of pizza ready, and we quickly got a slice to try!
The slices are delicious and honestly so fresh, because the marinara, the spices, and the cheese just melt together beautifully. It was also the softest pizza I had ever eaten. It was a strange sensation–almost like biting into a cloud–but it just spoke volumes about how carefully it was made
So definitely try it out! It’s a fun walk over there and you see a lot of Little Italy, and the pizza is a nice bonus!
Golden Boy Pizza: A
However, you can’t go to San Francisco without visiting Chinatown, and knowing that this part of San Francisco had a ton of restaurants, I wanted to make sure we ate at one of the best ones. After the searching the internet, Hunan Home’s Restaurant seemed the standout in terms of good reviews, variety of items on the menu, and location. And the restaurant was so good, I went there twice–once with my grandmother and her boyfriend and the next with my husband–and it was lovely both times!
The streets are full of shops and eateries and are decorated all throughout, so it is definitely a scenic walk and makes for some colorful pictures as you walk up and down the streets.
Hunan Home’s Restaurant is on the far end of Chinatown. After you are seated, the waiter gives you tea, and we sipped on that while we ordered. On the most recent trip, we ordered some dumplings that were tasty! Their entrees are also excellent–everything from the chow mien to the sweet and sour chicken to the dipping sauces were impeccable. The food was hot and fresh, and the service was lovely. We were full when we left and even as we were walking back to the hotel, we were still commenting on how tasty the meal was!
So for its excellent food, big variety of entrees available, good service, and location, this place gets a wonderful score! I highly recommend the place if you want some truly good food while you are touring Chinatown!
Hunan Home’s Restaurant: A
However, you have to try the sushi when you are in town, too! Knowing that the city was full of such restaurants, we actually asked a local what their favorite sushi place was, and we were actually directed to a place close to our hotel–Elephant Sushi! The place is super tiny, but what it lacks in size, it makes up for in taste!
Seriously, everything we ate at this place was delicious, and after talking to the couple next to us (you make friends very quickly in this place due to how close you are sitting next to people, ha!), they suggested some other dishes for us to try. One of them was a warm sushi roll that is actually wrapped in foil and cooked in front of you!
The flaming seabass was by far our favorite, and we were grateful for the suggestions! The couple–locals–said it was their favorite sushi place in the city, and we could see why! A definite favorite from our trip as well!
Elephant Sushi: A+
When I went with my husband, we passed by Lady Luck Cafe, a boba tea shop, and knowing how good boba is, I stopped for a quick drink. My husband, having never tested it, was skeptical as he watched me go inside, asking “What is boba?”
They have all sorts of flavors, so after getting a coffee flavored one (my husband loves coffee, so I figured this would be the easiest flavor to introduce him to the drink). And sure enough, he liked it, but I guess I should have warned him that the boba pieces do go up the straw when you take a sip! It wasn’t until he started sputtering and looked at me, like what was that…before promptly taking another sip because it was so good, ha!
The store has lots of other flavors, too, so whether you are a bubble tea connoisseur or are trying it out for the first time, definitely make a stop! It’s a lovely place!
Lady Luck Cafe: A
But what about breakfast? You need a good breakfast spot in San Francisco, so I’ll recommend our favorite from the last visit–Honey Honey Cafe and Crepery! This was a quick stop before heading to the airport, and it hit the spot in all the best ways!
They have a massive menu with any sort of crepe you could possibly want–savory or sweet–along with a bunch of sides, and they were all delicious! The food was hot, the service quick, and the seating plentiful, so it was honestly all we could ask for–highly recommend!
Honey Honey Cafe and Crepery: A
Of course, San Francisco is full of amazing restaurants, and I wish I had more time to try them, but with whirlwind trips, you can only pick a few spots to go to, so that is what I did. Being a California native, though, I had to squeeze in a late night trip to In-N-Out Burger when I was by myself (my husband isn’t the biggest fan of In-N-Out, but I AM, so this was a must-see when I was on a solo visit!).
A lot of other people had the same idea as it was packed with people at 11 p.m., but it was still the tasty place that I remembered! Besides a trip to California is not complete until you visit this staple fast food spot, so at least try it–you may become a lifelong fan!
Even though all my trips to San Francisco have been short, I still managed to get a little sightseeing in. Before walking around Chinatown, we went to Fisherman’s Wharf and Pier 39 on the north side of town.
We went in the morning to avoid the crowds, and it was a great place to wander and enjoy the sights of the fresh market, the ocean, and even Alcatraz from a distance!
The weather was also nice, too, and we spent a few hours walking, taking pictures, and even riding the carousel on the pier!
The carousel is ridiculously expensive and really no different than other carousels, but my grandmother mentioned that she had always wanted to ride it when she was a kid, but never did. So we did right then and there! It made for some fun pictures and just goes to show you that you are never too old to have fun!
So if you go and see San Francisco, be sure to visit Fisherman’s Wharf and Chinatown! They are both iconic spots and are part of San Francisco’s culture.
On my most recent trip to San Francisco with my husband, I wanted to prioritize some tours, so we took two this last trip–a tour to Muir Woods then a sunset bay cruise, and both were fantastic!
We booked the Muir Woods and Sausalito Half Day Tour which was a bus that took you to see some of the main sights of San Francisco before going to the Muir Woods and later Sausalito. You could then decide to return to San Francisco via bus or boat. We picked this tour, because it would give us the most time at Muir Woods–and time is needed there!
The Muir Woods is gorgeous, and while I had seen the redwoods before, I hadn’t been to this place specifically, and it was such a peaceful time being among and breathing in those woods! There are several trails that you can walk, and knowing we had to be back to meet the bus before too long, my husband and I speed walked to Cathedral Grove and back. Cathedral Grove is so gorgeous and I can see why there are so many benches in the park–justing sitting in nature and taking in all this wonderful beauty is so restorative. The freshness of the air is hard to describe, and you honestly felt cleaner the more you breathed it in!
I really wish we had more time in the area, because I could have honestly stayed there all day. In order to reach Cathedral Grove and make it back in time, we had to rush (many of those on the bus just explored the main entrance area and didn’t go as far as we did), and that took a bit away from the experience, but I am still glad that we got to see everything. Because what a place! Definitely a bucket-list item–make sure you go here if you go to California…there’s nowhere else on earth like it!
The bus took us to Sausalito next, and it is a nice town to explore (but nothing in comparison to Muir Woods!). My husband and I decided to stop at a restaurant for lunch at Copita. Because Sausalito is a wealthy city–and a tourist spot–prices are extremely expensive, so our lunch ended up being a lot more than we planned. The tacos weren’t very good, but the margaritas were excellent, so if you decide to stop, maybe just get a drink? It’s what I wish we had done, but in any case, the area is nice and chill, and if you walk by the water as you wait for the bus/boat, you can get some good views of San Francisco in the distance.
So all in all, a good way to see Muir Woods! If they switched it up and cut the Sausalito part and shifted that time so that you could spend all of it in Muir Woods, I would go on that trip again in a heartbeat, but the guides mentioned the rules being very strict on how long you could park at the Muir Woods, so that was why they only offered shorter tours. So just be prepared to walk quickly if you want to see all of the woods, bring more money than you think you might need for Sausalito (or pack snacks!), and enjoy this beautiful part of California!
Muir Woods and Sausalito Half Day Tour: A-
The last tour we took right before flying home the next morning was the San Francisco Bay Sunset Catamaran Cruise. Having seen the Golden Gate Bridge from several vantage points on land, we wanted to see it from the water–and what better time than at sunset?
It ended up being a lovely tour as it sailed out on the water at the perfect time right as the sky colors were starting to turn, then as we reached the bridge, it was peak sunset! Such perfect timing, and the boat’s crew was wonderful–friendly, courteous, and safe–all while giving those on the boat the views of a lifetime!
They even had ways you could participate if you wanted–my husband helping hoist the sails–and this was a fun memory to add to the experience. The ride back was beautiful, too, as even after the sunset, you could see San Francisco and its lights from afar then get closer and closer as you approached the docks.
Honestly, such a wonderful evening, so I highly recommend the tour!
San Francisco Bay Sunset Catamaran Cruise: A+
Granted, there is so much more to see, but it takes time to see all the spots, so knowing we only had a short time, we prioritized the places we could. But we loved everything we did see! So if you go, see everything! This city is so full of gems–big and small–so enjoy it to the fullest!
Favorite Experiences
San Francisco is really amazing, so it is hard to nail down a favorite. I enjoyed all the places we were able to see, but I think all the unexpected memories being made with my grandmother and her boyfriend were among my favorites. From impulsively riding the carousel on Pier 39 and laughing the whole time to enjoying amazing food at Hunan Home’s Restaurant in Chinatown to showing them Uber (my grandmother’s mind was absolutely blown that you could summon a car ride and pay for it via an app on your phone), it was an exceptionally fun trip full of little gems that I will remember forever.
My most recent trip with my husband was also amazing as we could add on excursions like Muir Woods and the sunset cruise, and that added so much to an already magnificent trip to the city! It is a magical place and one of my favorite cities in California!
What I Wish I Knew
Of course, I wish I could have stayed longer each visit. You need more time if you go–especially if it is your first time there. Sites like Alcatraz, Coit Tower, Twin Peaks, and Baker Beach would have been fun to see, but there just wasn’t time.
If you do go, don’t bother renting a car as the streets do get quite congested and there are not a lot of convenient (or cheap) places to park. Just use the public transportation (which is easy to use) or rely on Uber. Uber was very easy to use and I never had to wait long to find a car to get us from place to place. This was a great way to meet new people, and I was especially surprised to see a lot of women driving Ubers at night. On my first trip, I took an Uber late at night right before my flight, and this helped set me at ease traveling so late in a big city.
I know that San Francisco does have some spots you want to be wary of, especially at night, so be smart and be watchful everywhere you go. When my husband and I were staying at the StayPineapple, we walked from there to the Golden Gate Theatre, and it was not the best idea at night. At night, the vibe really changes and the sad scenes just get sadder with open drug use and urination/defecation on the streets. When we stopped at a stoplight, a pastor was nearby with his mission group passing out care items, and he even made a point to tell us that we shouldn’t be out–it’s very dangerous here, he said. And I believe him as we saw someone openly brandishing knives as they walked down the street, so I was all too happy to get back to the hotel afterwards. So even if your destination is close by, consider taking an Uber at night–especially if you are by yourself.
But don’t let that scare you off! All cities are going to have their faults, so just be smart, do your stuff during the day, and enjoy this city because it really is wonderful. Bring comfortable shoes, prepare for a lot of hills, and take lots of pictures! Forums like the one here are helpful when planning out your itinerary, so be sure to check that out, too. Of course, if you come across some fun spots, let me know–I go back to California periodically, and San Francisco is definitely worth a repeat visit!
I also post reels and TikToks regularly of all the places I’ve reviewed on here, so if you want to see some videos of what to expect, check out my social media here:
TikTok: @touristyteacher
Instagram: @touristyteacher
Facebook: @touristyteacher
Happy travels!
