California
the golden state
Whether it be vineyards and fog in the north or sunshine and beaches in the south, California has something for everyone
san francisco
I remember going to San Francisco as a kid when my family drove round-trip from Indiana to California. Of all the places that we visited during those two weeks, this hilly city on the bay was by far my favorite destination. Known as Fog City for the frequent low-lying clouds that envelop the town, San Francisco is one of the most scenic places in the United States from its steep rolling hills to its trademark cable cars. We only spent two days there as it was the starting point for our drive down the California coast, but we could have spend weeks and still not seen a fraction of what the city has to offer among its sprawling thirty six neighborhoods.
One of the most visited places in San Francisco is Fisherman’s Wharf. It is home to the Ghiradelli Chocolate Shop, Hyde Street Harbor, Boudin Bakery Cafe, and the Maritime National Historical Park. It is the Northern border of the city, making it a great spot to see buildings and trolleys rising up the hills toward the city or the Bay and Golden Gate bridges sprawling out front. It is a family friendly area full of restaurants, shops, and piers. We enjoyed relaxing at the maritime park beach to watch groups of swimmers doing laps across the partially enclosed cove.
On a side street a few blocks from Fisherman’s Wharf is a permanent food truck called The Codmother Fish & Chips. It has small, fenced-in dining area containing only a few picnic tables. The menu is very limited, which I loved, consisting of New England clam chowder in a sourdough bowl, fish and chips, and seafood tacos. We didn’t try them, but they also have deep-fried oreos for dessert. It’s a fun place away from the busier waterfront restaurants and the food was tasty.
north beach neighborhood
One of the oldest and most iconic neighborhoods of the bay area is North Beach, located between Chinatown and Telegraph Hill. It it most notable for housing San Francisco’s Little Italy as well as being the hub for the Beatnik era of the 1950’s and 1960’s. City Lights bookstore was founded in 1953 by poet Lawrence Ferlinghetti and Peter D. Martin and continues to be an independent bookstore to this day. It was a known as a safe haven for unconstrained intellectual curiosity and also for anti-authoritarian politics. Next door is the famed Vesuvio Cafe, which was known as a hangout for popular Beat poets such as Allen Ginsberg, Neal Cassady, and Jack Kerouac, the latter for whom the alley adjacent to this building is named. I visited mainly because one of my favorite movies is So I Married An Axe Murderer, where Mike Myer’s character is a resident poet at Vesuvio Cafe.
Located in the heart of Little Italy is an authentic Italian style bakery and pastry shop. They serve a variety of cookies, cheesecake, tarts, cannoli and laminated breads along with espresso drinks to enjoy in-house at one of the few small tables nestled along the wall. Opened in 1942, the retro vibe of this shop remains from the neon blue sign out front to the black and white checkerboard floors inside.
coit tower
The crowning jewel of the Telegraph Hill neighborhood is Coit Tower. Completed in 1933, it was built as a monument to honor volunteer firefighters with an endowment from Lillie Hitchcock Coit. Eccentric for her time, Coit was a wealthy woman who was known to dress as a man in order to gamble in all male establishments in North Beach. She added to the controversy by smoking cigars and wearing trousers in public before it was socially acceptable for women to do so. Lillie was fascinated with firefighters and was even known to jump in to help, giving her the nickname Firebelle Lil.
Inside the tower are fresco-style murals depicting San Francisco during the Great Depression with themes including agriculture, immigration, politics and capitalism. Taking the elevator to the observation deck allows for the some of the best 360° views of the city and bay, including Alcatraz.
mission district
A few miles south of Telegraph Hill is the Mission District. Named after Mission San Francisco de Asís, which was built by the Spanish in 1776, it continues to be a hub for Chicano and Latinx communities. This vibrant and popular neighborhood is packed full of art, music, and boutiques. The variety of food is vast, ranging from Central American fare to Asian cuisine.
Climbing to the top of Dolores Park will give you breathtaking views of not only the Mission District but also downtown. It is a beautiful and tranquil park with loads of green space for relaxing, picnics, reading or meeting friends for a casual soccer game.
Following the dot-com boom of the 90’s, the Mission District became one of the most gentrified neighborhoods in San Francisco. With larger companies like Google moving into the bay area, it created a huge demand for housing, raising rents and displacing long time residents and families who could no longer afford to live there.
Statements about gentrification and other social and political concerns are depicted in alleyways throughout the district by hand-painted murals. Cultural heritage and personal memorials are also a highlight of these beautifully adorned walls and garage doors.
Two words: Go early! That is my main advice for visiting the famous Tartine Bakery. This unassuming shop, which doesn’t even have an exterior sign, is best known for their sourdough breads and desserts. We went there in the afternoon and unfortunately they were already sold out of sourdough but we were lucky enough to snag pastries including a large French gougère, a classic savory choux pastry made with cheese. We also bought a tarte au citron, a creamy lemon tart, to take back to our hotel for later. They were both amazing, making me regret not going sooner to buy bread. We didn’t try it, but the Banana Tart mounded with whipped cream and dark chocolate looked divine.
In the back is a huge deck oven that is open to the hallway so you can see the bread making magic in action. As a pastry chef, I was definitely drooling over the enormous size and capacity of it. It was such a highlight for me to be able to peek into the daily operations of this legendary bakery.
gracias madre
Established in 2009, Gracias Madre blazed a culinary path in San Francisco with their trademark vegan Mexican fare. When my friend who lives in the bay area took us there, I thought “vegan Mexican” food sounded like an oxymoron since it is typically known for cheese and cream sauces. Both Toby and I were pleasantly surprised that the food was not only good, but it was some of the best Mexican food that we have eaten. With offerings like jackfruit carnitas and esquites made with cashew mozzarella and brazil nut cotija, it was hard to even notice that there is no meat or dairy.
Note: Gracias Madres has since closed their San Francisco location, but I highly recommend visiting them in Newport Beach or West Hollywood if you venture into Southern California.
Around Valencia Street are some amazing, locally owned businesses like Dog Eared Books, District Tea & Linea Coffee.
ocean beach
South of the Golden Gate lookout on the west coast of the city is an expansive stretch of sand and shore known as Ocean Beach. While a popular spot for experienced surfers, the waves and riptides are too dangerous for swimming or beginner surfers. It is a great place to walk along the water and bird watch. We did walk down to the shore, but it was too windy that day to take our breakfast of local pastries to the beach like we had planned.
Across the street is Golden Gate Park, a massive green space stretching toward downtown. It is home to the Western Snowy Plover, a threatened bird species that rests there in the winter. There are also miles of hiking trails through the park and two functioning windmills, which were built in the early 1900’s for irrigation.
Ocean Beach has a different feel than other San Fran neighborhoods because there are no tall buildings. It definitely has a laid-back beach community vibe with bungalow houses and local eateries lining the side streets. We stopped at Devil’s Teeth Baking Company, which was not too far from the waterfront. We bought breakfast sandwiches, coffee and a few of their pastries, including one of their signature thinly-layered cinnamon rolls that was an absolute treat to unravel.
