After 5 years of not going outside PR for a vacation because of the economy, my family and I were finally able to go to San Francisco! 1 week of pure fun! The thing that i was most concerned about that i have gone to other trips before, way before the blog started and with out me knowing about the food allergies, so this was my first trips with the food allergies. i found it kind of interesting because many confused being allergic to gluten and lactose to being vegan. so to places that didn’t get the food allergies at first, i explained to them what things contain gluten and that i could eat meat; the fact that you are allergic to lactose doesn’t make you vegan. other places, it was easy to explain, i just had to say it to the waiter, and all was to be taken care of because they had it marked on food items or at the end of the menu “gluten free, vegan, vegetarian options available”Be ready for some erratic weather, you’ll need long sleeve shirts, spaghetti strap shirts to wear underneath the long-sleeves, light coat and winter coat. yes all of that for summer. yes, you heard me summer. its cold all the time in San Francisco, the complete opposite to PR, where its always hot.its pretty easy to get lost in San Francisco since allot of roads are closed for fixing and construction; so i recommend a gps to get around.
http://www.sanfranciscochinatown.com/Chinatown: allot smaller than New York’s chinatown but still interesting to see, specially with all the dried food they have, they dry up just about anything to fruits, fish, meat, and things I’ve never seen. its like going to another place of the world without going to far from your hotel.
http://www.goldengatebridge.org/Golden gate: its pretty impressive how you feel the traffic when you walk it. many people go through it on bicycle (if you don’t have a bike you can rent it, but walking is for free). its also pretty cool when it gets covered in fog, its literally like they say “its like going nowhere”.
http://www.palaceoffinearts.org/Welcome.htmlPalace of fine arts: its a nice place to sit back relax, have a nice picnic with some napa/sonoma wine, eat cheese with local made honey, and contemplate the Romanesque architecture. check what play is on during the night and go see it.
http://www.sftodo.com/lomabardcrookedstreet.htmlCrookedest street: people who dare drive down this street have mad skills, i wouldn’t dare not even in my dreams. so, you can conclude from this that i walked it. its gardens and flowers look so perfect and fantastic.
http://www.redandwhite.com/Bay bridge tour: they take your around Alcatraz and underneath the golden gate for breath taking your, refreshing winds and temperatures, perfect for a fog less/cloudless day of walking on the fisherman’s wharf.
http://www.nps.gov/muwo/index.htmMuir woods: tall red wood trees and trails for every type of walker, from the main trail which is for every one to the mountain, fern and other adventurous trails that have hills, obstacles and cliffs not for people how are afraid of heights. there are also trails closed off, only used exclusively for educational purposes. the tallest tree of the forest is hidden so you’ll not see it.
http://www.pier39.com/Pier 39 and fisherman’s wharf: its easy to get here if your follow your nose, you can literally smell the wharf’s food and sea from blocks way. you can visit the Ghirardelli square, the maritime national park, the aquarium, eat in bubba gump, go to boudin (where they make bread into bears, crocodiles, turtles, and any kind shape you want. don’t believe me see pic above). you can shop for chocolate, any kind and flavor and good news they come vegan! the available flavors for vegan chocolate are dark chocolate (70-90% pure, the higher the % the better, it means less animal products), sea salt, sweet and spice, and lemon ginger.
Alcatraz: its much more than a prison, its was an Indian territory, and a strategic place to ward of the British. its cool the enter, c and d block, sit where they ate, hang out where they had recreational time, see the shower station, hear the escape stories, and learn that if a big earthquake comes go here (its survived the really big bad ones). the official site to get tickets is http://www.alcatrazcruises.com/; there are other sites you can Google to get in the island but please check that they are official, legal and serious in their service. there are allot of shady places that will try to sell you tickets at a very expensive ($100 plus) price and will probably give you a fake ticket that will not be accepted. you can i identify shady places, when you see a person with a small stand or no stand, hesitantly and a bit annoyingly offering you a brochure that looks professional and will offer you Alcatraz in a combo pack tour (when read at first , your fooled by all the names mentioned, leading you to think its a good offer but no when read closely it offers you multiple sites that you visit without paying). i recommenced buying tickets in advance or buying in red, and white fleet/ grey line, big bus tours, tower tours, or any company that has a big store that has Alcatraz not bundled with other sites.
http://sfjapantown.org/Japan Town: if never been to japan but if seen pictures, read about it, read manga and watch anime; so i know a little of japan, and this is pretty close. to the super modern, organized and traditional style architecture to the super crazy and cool harajuku and lolita clothing; they got every thing. even my favorite: sailor moon merchandise! ❤ (its not a phase, its a life style. i’m obsessed with the series since it came out in the 90’s, i grow up with that, so its very near and dear to me)
http://sfrecpark.org/reservablefacility/union-square/union square: there is an exhibition of hearts in the union square and pier 39 that are nearly impossible to take photos of without people on them; you’ll at least get a little kid in front of it or beside it trying to hug it. the union square is famous for its outdoor activities from concerts, festivals, games, fashion shows, restaurant, and more. we went to the J-pop festival and an MBA activity by pure accident, we didn’t know they were having it there.
http://sfrecpark.org/destination/telegraph-hill-pioneer-park/coit-tower/coit tower: in honor to the fireman who helped in the great earthquake, its looks like a fireman’s water hose. the line can be long so get here early, and the good thing is there’s an elevator that takes you up and just 2 flights of stairs. best thing about is the 360 view. i found it cool that the elevator has the old lever mechanism still there even though it dosent work anymore and they have a digital system now.
http://www.gracecathedral.org/visit/cathedral-tour/grace cathedral: its a beautiful church near the Fairmont Hotel, with great coffee. I didn’t go inside, because it was closed. they tell me it has beautiful glass windows, labyrinths, and these huge doors at the entrance.