For about three years in my early thirties, I was self-employed and worked as a consultant. The title of this post isn’t one hundred percent accurate because I had support from family, friends, mentors, and clients! I didn’t do it all on my own. Initially it was scary to be a consultant, to be self-employed, Continue reading
Hi friends,
As you probably know by now, my hubby and I travel quite a bit. He travels more than I do and often invites me to join him on trips. When my schedule permits, I go along. Sometimes the trips are too quick, like 24 or 48 hours, so I decide to pass on them. We have a second home is San Francisco, so we go there often. My hubby had to handle some matters in the city and asked me if I wanted to join him for a quick 24 hour trip. He booked the departing flights for Friday afternoon in order for me to join him. After my workday, we headed to the airport for our 24 hour visit to San Fran.
We arrived in the city in the evening and stopped for dinner, that was it – flight, meal, sleep. The next morning we handled his matters and had a few hours left in our day. I enjoy going to the Fisherman’s Wharf area and Embarcadero area. My hubby is not a big fan of going to the Fisherman’s Wharf area, he says it is too touristy and is always packed with people, and he is correct, but I still like going, ha! We agreed on going to the Marketplace at the Embarcadero. It is an indoor market with interesting shops. It is comprised mostly of shops selling: food, coffee, ice-cream, garden items, vegan or organic items, and a few restaurants. It is always fun to walk in the Marketplace, buy an ice-cream and sit outside to enjoy the view. That is exactly what we did, we also bought some sourdough bread (a must in San Fran) and some drinks. The weather was beautiful and we enjoyed the view from the bay.
Afterwards, we crossed the street to Embarcadero Center for a late lunch at a Osha Thai restaurant we visit often. The decor of the restaurant is very nice. My hubby had some fried rice and I tried something new, fried California Roll. It was not quite what I expected. I was envisioning more of a crunchy sushi roll. It was crunchy & tasty, but a bit too greasy.
After lunch, we headed back to the airport to catch our flight home. We always get a rental car and have to take the air tram to the terminal. The tram ride takes a few minutes and always reminds me of Disneyland, of course their monorail is a lot larger, but that is what I think of when we are on it. I like to sit at the front of the tram and follow the path as we pass multiple stops. It is a routine part of each trip we make to the city, but I still enjoy it.
We departed from the new terminal, it has a modern decor, with new chairs that look like pods, and long counters with plug-ins for laptops or phones. I sat in the chairs and they are quite comfortable. Luckily, we were upgraded for our flight home, which always makes for a more comfortable flying experience.
Just like that, we were back at home sleeping in our own bed 24 hours later. Even though it was a of a hectic trip and I was tired on Friday evening, it was worth it in order to spend time with my hubby and enjoy time with him in the city.
Have you been to San Francisco? Do you take quick out of town weekend trips? What is your favorite travel destination? I’d love to hear from you!
Hugs,
Paola
PS – Birthday Vacation at Calistoga Ranch in Napa and Orlando Get-Away.
The Marketplace.
We got some organic soft-serve ice-cream….only in San Fran! The warm weather resulted in a longer line than usual.
The other ice-cream shop also had a long line.
We stopped for some sourdough bread, a must when in San Fran!
Osha Thai Restaurant
The airport tram.
The new terminal at the SFO airport.
This past weekend we visited San Francisco (SF). We have our second home there and it has become my second favorite city! My hubby was born in SF, so this is his hometown. This time we hadn’t been there since June due to our busy schedules. Since we are up there often, we don’t do the typical touristy things, but we do like to get out and explore the city. We enjoy visiting the restaurants, the shops, and just driving through the city, by the bay, seeing the architecture, homes, and people watching is always interesting in SF! We have friends up there, so we usually do something with another couple while we are there. I usually do not take pictures while we are in SF, unless it is something special, but this time I decided to take some so I could share the experience with you, hope you enjoy it!
Friday, we ended up getting in late because our flight was delayed, which is very common for SF. On Saturday, we relaxed in the morning, which I really like to do in SF – I am able to disconnect because when I am home there is always something that needs to be done. In SF, I sit in the living room and enjoy the view of the bay, while I have breakfast or read a book. I was able to write a blog post, then we got ready and hit the city.
A location we must visit every time we go to San Francisco is my hubby’s favorite German restaurant, Suppenkuche. He gets his German fix! I usually order a soup or salad – and love their bread. My hubby rarely drinks, but at this restaurant he usually orders a beer with his dinner. It is a small place and gets very crowded and loud, so we learned the trick is to get there as soon as it opens. We arrived five minutes before the door opened and there were already people in line waiting for the restaurant to open! That says lots about a place! It is a casual restaurant and they sit you at tables with other people. After dinner, we like to walk around the area on Hayes Street, do some window shopping and stop by a few key stores we like, in particular two travel stores and I like an Italian shoe store called Paolo. We noticed a new mens clothing store and a coffee shop that are built out of containers. San Francisco has so many unique shops, always interesting!
Have you been to San Francisco? What is your favorite thing or place to visit at the city?
Hugs,
Paola
PS – Our trips to Hawaii and Baden Baden in Germany.
We went for a walk by the bay, and a drive through Fort Mason and the Presidio. It is a national park and beautiful! I like seeing all the tall trees in the area!
Driving through the city allows me to see a new street or houses we had not seen in past visits.
While we are in SF, I always like to get a glimpse of the bridge…
…and of course, going over it never gets old.
Sunday, we met some friends and went to the Walt Disney Family Museum. It is run by the Disney Family Foundation. I did not even know it existed. It was a nice place to visit, lots of information regarding Walt Disney and his family, his beginnings, plans, and many successes! It was very interesting and informational! Plus, it has the Disney magic touch, with lots of nice exhibits and videos! I may do a separate posting on the Museum, I have more pictures to share and it was that interesting! It was also inspirational – Walt Disney was a visionary, artist, and driven! He wouldn’t give up on his dreams and visions, and created an amazing company that is known around the world!
By Sunday night, it was time to come home….we love visiting San Francisco (and will be back soon), but it is always nice to come home to San Diego!