SAN FRANCISCO 2020

MUST SEE EAT DO HITLIST

by CHEEKY WOMBAT 04 October 2020

Check out our MUST SEE EAT DO HITLIST video above for the sizzle reel of our trip abroad to the windy city of San Francisco in January 2020.

SUMMARY

First impression

It took us around 4.5h to drive from Yosemite to San Francisco in our oversized hire vehicle (Chrysler Pacifica minivan) so when we finally arrived, we were excited to check-in and stretch our legs. 

I remember driving across this huge bridge several lanes wide to get into the city (not the Golden Gate Bridge). We had plenty of time to admire the view of the city and water because the traffic was absolutely mental (and this is in the opinion of two people from Sydney!) Apparently at the time we were entering the city, the San Francisco Women’s March had just kicked off and caused a huge traffic blockage. Not an ideal introduction to the city but we eventually reached our hotel, Castle Inn, and checked-in.

Accommodation

Our King Room at the Castle Inn was pretty basic but it was affordable and the location was perfect. We parked our giant minivan in the underground car park and hauled our luggage up to the check-in desk (the elevator was out of order). The concierge was really friendly and we chatted about where we could grab lunch nearby.

Our room was cosy and the decor was nothing flash but it was more than sufficient for an overnight stay. We barely spent any time in the hotel room - just to store our luggage while we were out, and to sleep before we checked-out early in the morning and drove to the airport (San Francisco airport is about 20 minutes’ drive from Castle Inn).

MUST DO: Lombard Street

It took us about 15 minutes to walk from Castle Inn to the steepest, winding section of Lombard Street where all of the tourists visit (at the intersection of Lombard Street and Hyde Street). This worked out perfectly because it was en route to our lunch reservation at Palette Tea House. Don’t train legs before tackling Lombard Street, the gradients will punish and humble you! We stood at the crest of Lombard Street and took some snaps with the city and San Francisco bay in the background.

We stood and watched for a while the cars driving down the super steep and winding section of Lombard Street. We didn’t see any cars enter or exit the driveways of the houses along this section but it would have been quite a spectacle. There were groups of tourists ascending and descending the stairs that serve in place of a kerbside footpath.

When Ruth first suggested visiting Lombard Street, I was skeptical that it would be fun. I mean, at the end of the day it’s just a road! I was pleasantly surprised to find out that it was pretty interesting and lots of other tourists seemed to think so as well. There was a group of tourists taking photos on the pedestrian crossing at the bottom of Lombard Street, and one of them was nice enough to take a snap for us. 

MUST EAT: Palette Tea House

It took us 10 minutes to walk to Palette Tea House (@paletteteahouse) (we walk faster when we’re hungry!) They had plenty of space both indoors and outdoors. We opted to sit outdoors to enjoy the view (and to people-watch, of course!)

The food was absolutely amazing - several rounds of dumplings with an accompanying pot of jasmine tea kept warm over a candle.

These weren’t your regular garden variety dumplings, either. Their signature dish, the palette soup dumplings, are all different flavours and colours and each come with their own little spoon. 

The plates were also really creative - they looked like artists’ colour palettes (get it?) which was also functional because you could put soy, vinegar or hot sauce in each of the little divots without them pooling together on your plate.

While we sat outside to enjoy the view, the decor inside was rad. There were cool lanterns on the ceiling that looked like Mahjong bricks and one of the tables had an aquarium built into the table! I feel this would be the perfect place to bring a group of people for a banquet-style dumpling feast, although I’m not sure how you’d go about putting the shareplates in a mutually-accessible location in the centre of the table. Unless your chopstick skills are on point, I’d recommend sticking to your own side of the moat to avoid sending slippery dumplings downstream.

Overall, we highly rate our dining experience at Palette Tea House and look forward to going back there when we’re next in San Francisco!

Later that afternoon, we wanted something light in lieu of dinner, so we went to the Cheese School of San Francisco (@thecheeseschool) for paired cheese and wine. It was perfect.

This deli-style venue felt really homely and the staff were really friendly. There were quite a few customers in-store that seemed like regular customers who knew the staff well and were buying cheeses, bread and other groceries from here.

They have seating out the back where we enjoyed a selection of assorted local cheeses and paired wines. The staff wrote down the names and origins of the cheeses and wines for us, some of which are only available in-store.

Palette Tea House and The Cheese School of San Francisco are both located in Ghiradelli Square (@ghirardellisquare), which is a plaza near San Francisco bay full of co-located restaurants, bars, ice creameries, gift shops and other stores. There was plenty to see both while we ate at Palette Tea House and afterwards when we went for a walk to explore. There’s a fountain, buskers and Christmas tree lights strung up overhead that look amazing at night.

MUST SEE: Pier 39

It took us about 20 minutes to walk from Ghiradelli Square to Pier 39 (@pier39), but there was plenty to see on the walk along the waterfront streets of San Francisco Bay. It was cold and windy beside the water at night but we were rugged up so it didn’t bother us much (those sensitive to the cold like I am should take note!) Pier 39 is a collection of restaurants, bars, confectionary shops and other stores united with a waterfront carnival vibe. There are lots of boats moored either side of Pier 39 and when we went we spotted heaps of sea lions hanging out on the moorings. Most were sleeping but some, especially the pups, were causing a ruckus playing with each other and frolicking around in the water. They had drawn a crowd of tourists that were eagerly watching and taking snaps (including us!)

Some noteworthy shops we visited at Pier 39 included a huge confectionary store, The Candy Baron, located at the northmost end of Pier 39, where they display barrels full of lollies.

We also visited Lefty’s San Francisco Left Hand Store to pay homage to Ruth’s left-handed brother. They stocked left-handed scissors and all kinds of pro-left merchandise.

There were heaps of other attractions and stores at Pier 39 that we haven’t covered in our video or blog, so we recommend you check out the Pier 39 website in advance to see what stores you want to visit and make sure they’re open when you plan to visit (some stores weren’t open in the evening when we visited). Overall, Pier 39 was a really fun experience and we’ll definitely have to go back, especially to visit our seal friends.

Golden Gate Bridge

In the morning we woke up stupidly early to sneak in a quick visit to a vantage point overlooking the Golden Gate Bridge before driving to the airport. It was cold and windy but totally worth the early start to experience this amazing world icon bathed in morning light. 

Our drive to the vantage point at Battery Spencer involved some careful navigation to get into the correct lanes, go through single-lane tunnels and drive along windy bayside roads to reach the spot. I’d recommend anyone going here to leave plenty of time like we did so that you’re not in a rush. We stopped at three different locations before we made it to the closest and best vantage point - don’t worry about missing the spot, you’ll know it when you see it and there are turnaround bays so you can always backtrack. There’s a small car park and the lookout is a short walk away. There are signs up reminding drivers to lock their vehicles because allegedly theft can be a problem at these lookouts. Make sure to wear warm clothes as it can be very cold and windy, especially early in the morning!

Next time: Alcatraz Island Prison

There was one place we didn’t get to visit because we didn’t book it early enough and it filled up. Tour companies run both day and night tours of Alcatraz Island Prison, which was once home to some of America’s most notorious criminals. Ferries run to and from the island several times a day and the level of engagements offered range from self-guided to “exclusive behind the scenes tours”. We plan to book one of these tours well in advance next time we visit San Francisco. Keep an eye out for the video!

Reflection

While we were only in San Francisco for 24 hours, that was enough for us to realise that we would have to come back. The city is alive with energy, fun and culture and we highly recommend everyone pay a visit at some point to the windy city to appreciate its charm.