Every trip is going to be as unique as the person taking it, due to individual planning styles and approaches to travel, so take any and all travel advice at your discretion, this post included. Some people, like Antho and I, live to backpack our way from one end of a city to the other, taking in as much of the city on foot and by public transit as we can before relying on other modes of transport... because for us, there's nothing like seeing the city from the street level and exploring the winding alleys and walkways the people living there use day to day... but others like to spend their days with their feet up nestled into bed on luxuriously high thread-count sheets and being pampered in spa-cations. To each their own! Don't be afraid to treat yo self! Follow what makes you happy, dolls.
San Francisco and it's surrounding area offers a lot for any traveler regardless of their preferred relaxation predilection. There are beautiful parks, beaches, natural spaces and public streets you can get lost wandering in for hours, but there's also plenty of luxury restaurants and shopping to take in. Whether you're balling on a budget or a high roller with no spending limit, San Francisco has a little something for everyone...
To be totally honest, though, I think San Francisco has long since veered towards accommodating the financially well-to-do, especially in the inner city, as rent has skyrocketed to levels that force many of the residents to move away, adapt to ridiculous living standards to remain living in the city, or succumb to homelessness. Not surprisingly, San Francisco has an outstandingly high number of homeless people. Perhaps it's the fact San Francisco has the greatest wealth disparity of any US city through 2007 to 2012... wages for the poorest dropped by about $4,000 per year, while the top earners saw their income jump almost $30,000 a year...which, considering that I come from Las Vegas (aka Lost Wages), a city whose entire existence is predicated on the broken backs of losers to construct a glistening gilded empire for the winners (and the wannabe winners), makes me quirk a brow.
Thankfully, a portion of the fortunate residing in San Francisco seem to be at least semi-self-aware to the extent that outreach programs for the homeless have been well-publicized. This doesn't mean all of the citizens are, of course, as we certainly encountered our share of unpleasantly entitled assholes during our brief stay, but we also met some truly kind and generous human beings. This is part of why I tried to stay in different areas of the city. All the better to get a rounded view of what the situation really is. It's not great. People are being evicted at record levels, even when they've done nothing wrong by the terms of their lease, simply because building restrictions drive up the price for existing residences. It's not an easy fix.
Our experience in San Francisco was intended to acknowledge this disparaging aspect of the city, so we didn't stay in just one area during our stay. We stayed near Haight Ashbury, in the Tenderloin and Oakland. We stayed in a hotel, hostel and an AirBnB. In the Tenderloin we watched a man kick a homeless woman in the face. In Oakland we passed a bunch of heavy metal heads loading into a venue for a weekend festival.
What you choose to do during your visit to San Francisco is entirely up to you! There are certainly affordable options for visiting short-term, though with our budget we'd likely be living out of our van should we try to actually, you know, move there. Our short visit was fun, and enlightening.
Here are 10 of my suggested things to check out when in San Francisco, for any budget!
This was where we started out, and I think it's a valuable stop. Mission Street has rapidly priced out many of it's residents in rent, and the homeless population here is noticeable as a result. The farmer's market is an affordable, fresh food destination to see the bounty of fresh produce the moderate climate offers at a price point that makes it a bit more manageable for many residents. While I wouldn't necessarily call luxury mushrooms affordable (at $12.50 a pound) there are lots of options, from lemons to squash, cactus to berries, that you can get a fresh and nutritious option at any budget.
This was one of those stops we had to make. Antho is a huge movie buff and the movie "Heart and Souls" with Robert Downey Jr. (Yes, of Iron Man fame) has some poignant scenes that take place in the conservatory. This made it a point of interest for Antho, and the flora residing within made it a real point of interest for me..though we definitely watched the movie prior to visiting so i'd have more understanding of the cinematic significance. Having spent much of my life in a desert, as well as Japan and Korea, I am fascinated by the variety of plant life that proliferates our planet. I'm grateful for places like the Conservatory where the diversity of nature is celebrated and encouraged. There is an admission fee, so plan ahead.
I mean, of course I had to include this, didn't I? It's a quintessential landmark for San Francisco, and you'd be judged as poorly for missing it as you would be for missing the Strasophere tower here in Vegas... (seriously, if you don't visit the Stratosphere on your first trip to Vegas I'm judging you super negatively here). Things I wished I had known prior to visiting: Getting there is a bit out of the way, and takes time. Plan accordingly. The walk across the bridge is long. The walk to the ferry is also long. If you're not prepared to walk just as far as you did across the bridge to catch a boat back, turn around near the end and make your way back. You can also rent a bike, but be aware that the office hours for the bike rental office are limited and you might not have enough time to go across the bridge and back by the time you actually get your butt to the bridge. There's no fee for walking across the bridge, but you might want to catch a bus, taxi, Lyft / Uber, bike rental for the return, especially if you walk to the bridge like we opted to do.
No entrance fee! No cover! You just have to walk your butt up a steep ass hill, or down it. The views are, of course, prettier when you're at the bottom looking up. It was beautiful when we went and there are rumors of wild parrots in the area. We didn't encounter any fancy birds, but we did see nude people in body paint.
Another high-elevation location that you can get to freelyif you're willing to hoof it. You can, of course, opt to try to get a Lyft or an Uber up to the top, as well as a taxi or any other public transit, but we hoofed it. You can, of course, also opt to pay to go up to the higher elevation deck. Doing this will afford you epic views of San Francisco, but you have to pay for the privilege.
While you'll have to pay for the transportation out, once you're there you can wander freely. When we were there, there was a craft fair in the street going on so lots of vendors out showing their wares. It was fun and we met a lot of friendly folks who were happy to tell us about their craft! People were generally nice to us in the area, and a lot of San Francisco locals assumed we were from Berkeley.
Aquariums have long been one of my favorite places to visit in any location, so it was only natural that I'd want to go to the aquarium here in San Francisco. It's a nice one, too, thankfully, and the Aquarium of the Bay is a fun and educational location to add to any itinerary. There is, of course, an entry fee, but it's well worth it. We met a lovely Irish lass who explained things to us at a kiosk in front of the aquarium, but you can also buy tickets online.
I'm a fan of taking boats when possible, like the Star Ferry in Hong Kong or the ferry here from Oakland's Jack London square to San Francisco proper. Take it at least once! There is a fee to board, but it's not that expensive and the photos and experience are well worth it at least once.
Musuems are well worth a visit, and interactive museums doubly so. Take a trip out to the wharfs and stop in to the Exploratorium to dabble in some science-y goodness for the whole family! There's an entrance fee, but once you're in the bulding the whole family can entertain themselves with the experiments and different exhibits for hours at a time. There's also restaurants to grab a snack should you get peckish.
Whether you're big into LGBTQ+ history or not, the Castro district is a valuable stop for any fan of American history. This small area has had a massive impact on the LGBTQ+ movement over the decades and has been the launchpoint for several massively impactful ideologies. Even if you're not a rainbow-superstar yourself, you should still be able to appreciate the impact that having such an accepting and open neighborhood has had over the decades. It hasn't always been easy for American Queers to do their thing, but San Francisco was a long-known bastion of safety for the movement in it's early days. Whether it's still as impactful or meaningful is up to you, but the history of the area remains important.
Thanks for stopping by!
Until next time~
💓
XOXO,
NAU
