How to reach San Francisco?
Well, you can drive or take a train, flight or bus to reach the beautiful city. It is well connected. This lovely city is located on the west coast of the USA in a state called California.
Best time to visit SFO?
Well.. any time of the year is a good time to travel to California. However, it is said that Fall season (Autumn) is the best time to visit when the ‘Indian Summer’ hits the area for perfect temperatures, blue skies, fewer crowds, and better deals everywhere vs peak summer season.
Just remember to dress up in layers. One fine moment it would be nice and sunny, and next, you know the temperature has dropped 10-20 degrees due to fog. There is a rainy season from Nov – April. May and June are also humid seasons. So temperature is moderate here, if you are from a warm city like me, you might need your winter clothing here. Actually, summer months (June to August) are supposedly the coldest months of the year, due to fog (lovingly called Karl The Fog).
How to commute in SFO downtown?
Parking here, just like any other city downtown is a pain and even if you get parking in public parking place, they are very pricey. So, the best ways to travel with the city would be public transport. Train lines are J line, K Line, L line, M line, N line, F line and T line. And of-course then there are Muni buses, and open-top sight-seeing buses as well.
We are staying at a cousin’s home in San Jose, a 40-minute drive from San Francisco downtown. We drive to the downtown and park our van in parking lot close to the train station and use trains and trams to commute across the city.
There is a Park near Children’s creativity museum near South Park, SF near Pier 23. You may explore the museum or choose to explore the Park.
We simply walk along the Pier 23 to Fisherman’s Wharf at Pier 39.
The Fisherman’s Wharf
It is a historic neighborhood in downtown San Francisco, which constitutes most of the northern waterfront area and Pier 39 is just one section of the vast Fisherman’s Wharf.
Financial District
The 30-minute walk is to be enjoyed as we walk right through the financial district, which is one of the best blends of modern, compact but yet full of culture. You can hop on the railway line that runs right along the Pier if you need a break from walking. The railway trip is full of excitement, you may come across a lot of locals as well as enthusiastic tourists from around the world.
Exploratorium
From Pier 23 to Pier 39, we walk along the Embarcadero and stop by the Exploratorium for few hours of indulging young minds in arts, science, magic, engineering. This is one of the largest science centers for kids. Our boys have blast here.
Alcatraz island
Pier 33 is where you can get the ferry tickets to Alcatraz island, which was one of the most unique jails in the world. The ferry tickets are not available on the spot, they have to be booked a couple of weeks in advance.
Pier 39 (SFO’s numero uno attraction)
Thus, ends our eventful walk on the Bay, enjoying the zeal of the people around here, reaching our destination Pier 39. Here there are several attractions like the 7D experience, smart water stage (street performers), frequent flyers (trampoline), mirror maze, musical stairs, sports arcade, carousal, the sighting of sea lions (which we avoid as we heading to San Diego – multiple sea Lions in Ja Jolla) etc. Check out more details on their website.
We enjoy the acts of zany performers who bring laughter and cheer to the visitors of Pier 39. The acts and the number of performers here depend on the weather conditions. These are all free and open to the public, and we can donate as per our wishes to these talented ones as a token of our appreciation.
We enjoy a late lunch at Bowdin bread café. Mind-blowing food here, one of the best sourdough bread and soups I have had. We even take a walking tour of the bread-making factory here.
There are several boutiques around the café, carrying beautiful designer apparels. I enjoy my window shopping here.
Ghirardelli square
Next stop is the Ghirardelli square, a speciality retail and dining complex and a bayside landmark since 1862. It was originally a chocolate factory established by Ghirardelli, now housing unique shops and restaurants. Here is where we enjoy our desserts at the nearby Ghirardelli ice cream. We also buy quite a few products from here, chocolates, hot chocolate powder etc.
This is the queue for the tram at Ghirardelli Square. The look of boredom on each person’s face is priceless 
Vegan strawberry ice cream
Hyde St Tram
Next, we stand in the long queue to the Hyde St Tram (one of the last remaining tram systems in the USA) and head straight to Lombard street (one of the most crooked streets in the world). The cable car is the most unique experience in SFO. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED.
Lombard street
Also known as “Crooked street” due to its zig-zag road. The street is a hike up and down walking past some of the oldest and most artistic floral homes one will get to witness. And needless to say, this street is a photographer’s delight.
China town
We Continue down the Hyde street in the tram, to take a quick peek at the Dragon gate in SFO China Town. San Francisco China town is spread onto a large area, just as in New York. These both are the largest China Town Areas in the USA. If Orient attracts you, this is THE place to spend some time. You can indulge in a variety of Oriental cuisines, buy Oriental groceries and other products made in China. There are several Green tea shops here, who can address your health concerns and suggest certain specific teas, infusions, blends, herbs etc. They sell a variety of natural products and remedies that can aid towards the betterment of your health.
Union square
From China Town, we head straight to Union square. It is a haven for the young at hearts (like us RAHYs) to party, indulge in a variety of cuisines (from 1 star to 7-star ultra-luxury fine dining options to choose from), wine, shopping, night clubs, game arcades etc. I loved the Union square, so happening, so much full of life and of course shopping is the high point over here. I added a lot of weight and volume to my luggage from Union Square.
Golden Gate Park
On the 2nd day at San Francisco, we head straight to the golden gate park. And take a 30-minute Segway ride. Just a walk around this beautiful park is rejuvenating. We spend a couple of hours here, absorbing the nature around and watching the human race around us. It’s the third most visited park in the USA. There are a museum, carousel, aquarium and a garden with a Japanese tea house design. You may walk around at leisure or involve in any of the activities hosted in it. The most popular activity is the Segway tour. Check the website for detailed event calendar and plan your day as per your preferences.
Golden Gate Bridge
There are several options to enjoy the great Golden Gate Bridge. One – You may drive from one end to another. Two – you may ride a bicycle from one end to another. Three – you may take a segway ride. Or Four – you may hike/ drive/ ride till one of the several viewpoints and enjoy a great photoshoot. From the park, we head to the Conzelman road vista point for some mind-blowing views. This point is a local’s secret view-point, its a hike up the hill to reach the viewpoint, but so totally worth it. Just about as we reach the peak, weather ditches us. It gets dark, foggy, windy, the worst weather for kids who are already prone to seasonal allergies. So we quickly rush back to our car and go for a drive on the Golden gate bridge.
So now you know why I have not uploaded any pictures of Golden Gate – The Fog barely gave us any time to take pictures.
Sausalito
It is a small laid-back town just across the Golden Gate strait, having a Mediterranean vibe. A haven for those who love to shop and eat. Its a beautiful town and I could spend a whole day here; unfortunately, we do not have the luxury of time today. The main highlight of the city is the shore where a beautiful sight beholds. There are around 500 houseboats in the home marinas, and they are, for sure a sight to see. Check out their webpage; maybe you could manage to book a tour to see these houseboats from inside.
Cycling/walking is the best way to explore and appreciate this beautiful town. However, we simply drive around due to lack of town and 3 tired kids in the car. Seafood is the speciality here. But being vegetarian, we do not eat anything here, but we do indulge ourselves in refreshing ice cream at Lappert’s Coffee and Ice-cream.
We do not take a ferry ride here, but it is highly recommended if you have spare time at hand.
Muir Woods
At the base of the forest 
End of the trail
A 6 ft person looks wee in front of these massive trees 
Interesting hollow at the bottom of the tree
Muir woods is a National monument in California, an old-growth Redwood forest. With Mammoth redwood trees everywhere, we start our trek and go all the way up till the end – a couple of hours approximately. If this is not on your itinerary, then you are surely missing something.
Stanford university
Earlier in this month, we had taken kids to Harvard University, MIT and Boston University, all situated in Boston, Massachusetts. We wanted to show the education culture here in the USA to the kids, as eventually, they would be coming here for their undergraduate studies. With similar intentions, we decide that since we are in San Francisco, we have to visit one of the universities here.
After we visit Sausalito, we head towards Stanford university campus. I must say I am fairly impressed by the vast structure of the university here. The universities at Boston seem cramped compared to the colossal campus of Stanford. We visit the library, restaurant, cafes, food court and all here, with our kids having a gala time.
Shopping –
- Fisherman’s Wharf – If you are looking for souvenir T-shirts, all along the Fisherman’s Wharf there are lots of vendors selling t-shirts and fleeces jackets, with city logo printed or embroidered on it. I buy a Fleece jacket with embroidered SFO logo.
- Pier 39 – There are very interesting boutique shops, selling unique wares, here.
- And of-course Union Square boasts of all the brands in the world. You can get anything and everything here.
- Sausalito -Small time shop owners, selling one of a kind items.
- And last but not the least Chinatown is a shoppers delight.
What we did not do, but maybe you could?
- Children’s creativity museum –we choose the Science centre, but for younger kids, a creativity museum is also a good option.
- SFO Zoo – we are visiting San Diego Zoo, that comes in top ten zoos of the world.
- SFO Museum of Modern Art – because we are not artsy types.
- Madame Tussauds Museum – already seen in New York, so we do not repeat here.
- Walt Disney family museum – we have visited Disney World last week itself.
- SFO Cable car museum – because kids did not seem too interested in this.
- Fort mason centre for arts and culture – same as above.
- Fort point national historic site – same as above.
- Bicycling over the Golden gate bridge.
- Ferry ride from San Francisco to Sausalito
- Bicycling in Sausalito
Karl the Fog
As my readers know that I am obsessed with stories, Here is a story about SFO fog lovingly called as “Karl the fog”. Imagine, you are out travelling in SFO on a sunny day and suddenly this fog comes up lowering down the temperature and creating a depressing environment. An anonymous person decided to uplift the spirits of the people when this fog would suddenly appear from nowhere, instead of lamenting about another day ruined. In 2010 he/she created a Twitter account @karlthefog. When people find out about Karl the Fog, it actually made the fog a friendlier presence and more of a neighbor than just bad weather. Now the fog had a way to defend itself, to make friends with humankind, even at times adding a mysterious, even romantic side to it.
The tagline of @karlthefog is “All that is sunny does not glitter, not all those in the fog are lost.” So true, do not let the weather deter you from travels, there is a silver lining behind every cloud. Just be out there and enjoy life, live in the present.
Update as on Nov 6, 2020 – Mysterious disappearance of Karl the fog. Many noticed that Karlthefog stopped tweeting back in January 2020. Yes, he stopped right before the Super Bowl. City residents have said the person behind Karl the Fog Twitter’s account moved out of the city, but no information has been confirmed. Disappeared as mysteriously as it arrived!!! A life of 10 years, entertaining the residents of the Bay area, uplifting their moods with witty tweets, now gone – into thin air.