Corn Fields To Golden State Bridge

As a Wisconsin girl, I am used to flat plains, cows, and farms. Visiting San Francisco seemed like a mountainous, windy, and populated city. Since I work from home, I decided to take the 5 ½ hour flight to visit my college friend and enjoy a new scenery. This was probably the first vacation I took, traveling by myself. It was scary, but the best things in life are.

My layover was only a few hours, so then I took the quick flight to San Francisco Airport where I met my college friend. The rolling hills of traffic did give me a little bit of car sickness and I was absolutely exhausted from the flight. If you get car sick a lot, like me, I would take dramamine if you’re driving a lot in San Fran. Despite the nausea, I was fully ready for the long weekend in the Golden State.

I flew in on Tuesday, so Wednesday was the first outing. To truly experience San Fran tourism, my friend took me to Pier 39. Pier 39 is filled to the brim with tourists, but with good reason. On a sunny day, you can stroll the wooden decks for hours. Smells of crepes and coffee consume every corner. You could get Biscoff coffee at a Biscoff store and it is worth five dollars. The shops were endless. I went to a vintage poster shop, a huge Christmas Kringle shop, a candy place (The Candy Baron and oh my goodness did I buy so much salt water taffy), and I even went to a left hand store (where you can get all your left handed needs).

My favorite part? The blissful symphony of the sea lion brigade. Close to a hundred sea lions, fill these docks in the water and people just watch them…..almost silently. To be fair, talking would be taken over by any honking of sea lions, but it was cool to watch them regardless. Watching two sea lions fight over a square of space when there’s plenty of space on the other side is just a sight to see. Yes, sure it is a bunch of sea lions, but it’s cool to watch nature just being nature. These sea lions are simply being themselves and I’m grateful that I got to watch nature unfold up close.

There’s so many sites to see in San Fran, but you can’t beat the food. I’d love to talk even more about California food, but first, the biggest question you may ask about California food: is In n’ Out really worth it? Well, I wanted to find out for myself. Every person I know from California is obsessed with In n’ Out. Now, I know it’s not every person in California, but in my personal experience it is. I went the second day, Wednesday, I was in San Francisco just to see what it was all about. I got the standard burger and fries. Now, don’t get me wrong, it was good. It hit so nicely after a long day of walking. However, it is not worth the hype. I know, come for me in the comments. I am a Wisconsin girl, and you can’t compete with the butter burger of Culver’s.

The food really is something to taste while you’re staying in the Golden state. Restaurants are all across the streets (all up and down the hills). You can get Italian, Mexican, Chinese, any type of food you crave all in a span of one street. It’s fun to just be able to walk down the street and pick at a random place to eat. We wandered on a Thursday night, and found La Taqueria Los Mayas. If you’re trying to eat cheap in San Francisco, Mexican food is the way to go. I got a margarita, an elote, and tacos for probably around 30 bucks or so. The margaritas are strong so drink in caution.

If you never had Korean BBQ, I am telling you you’re missing out. My friend and I met a bunch of his friends on Friday at K Elements. You’re given raw meat and fixings and you can fry it up right in the middle of your table. It’s so wild. You can eat all you want for $45 per person which, for San Francisco, really isn’t that bad. I drank this Korean alcoholic drink and oh my goodness did I get drunk quickly. All the meats we tried were extremely well seasoned and delicious. My absolute favorite was pork belly.

If you’re looking to get out of the city of San Francisco, I would take the drive to Sausalito. Not quite the wine country as Napa Valley, but it is still amazing. You can get there by car or bike crossing the Golden Gate Bridge (which is a total sight to see by the way) by car or bike. If you do go by bike, you are a psychopath because it is all uphill. However, the view is absolutely worth it. The bay looks like it goes for miles. Now, if you’re looking to splurge (which we 100% did) you should go to the Barrel House Tavern. My friend had the steak, I had the lobster; both were absolute slices of heaven. The lobster was so buttery it just fell apart in your mouth. It was by far the freshest thing I’ve ever had. $50 lobster, but it was so worth it. I have dreams about this lobster. You have to wash your food down with wine. So we strolled down to the Wine Collective and had three glasses of wine each. I had the best Rosé of my life there and cried when I bought the bottle for $40. Things are expensive here, the last bottle of wine I bought in Wisconsin was $3. While my wallet hated it, it was a great Saturday.

Before you even think about leaving California, see the Golden State Bridge. I know, it seems like a cliche, but it really is just beautiful to look at. There’s plenty of look-outs, but I loved just walking on the beach, being able to take in the sun and this monumental bridge. Plenty of pictures were taken and it is a sight I won’t forget. It was my last stop in a long weekend of fun in San Francisco; however, it was my time to say goodbye to my friend and head home.

Going to the west coast was a big deal for me. Since my junior and senior year of college were taken over by Covid-19, travel time has really been taken away from me. I was fortunate to be employed and healthy and I am grateful for that, but it was hard to not be able to travel. When I took my remote job, I vowed to finally follow my dream and travel more. I am young and still want to see the rest of the world. California is only the beginning of my list.

Overall, there’s thousands of beautiful parks and nature sites in San Francisco, as well as thousands of restaurants and tourist attractions. Some things will break your bank, but the experience will give you memories that will last a lifetime.