One of my favorite parts about being a consultant is that I get to travel all over the place to work with different clients. If you are newer to Diary of a Dirty Blonde, you can check out some of my previous work travel posts to Germany, Ireland and Amsterdam! My first work stop this year was San Francisco, California. I ended up having time to do a ton of exploring and am so excited to share everything I did with you! This is a long one so get ready!

THINGS TO DO

Golden Gate Bridge: You can’t go to San Francisco without getting a picture of the golden gate bridge. When you go make sure to stop by Dynamo Donut & Coffee to grab a delicious doughnut while you take in the views!

The Ferry Building: This is the cutest place to walk around! There are a ton of amazing vendors there! I didn’t have a chance to eat at any of them but I heard they are AMAZE! They also have a farmers market right outside the building every Saturday with a great view of the Bay Bridge! Highly recommend waking up early to go to this if you are there on a Saturday! Make sure to stop by Blue bottle coffee to grab a cup of Joe while you walk around!

Dolores Park: Bring a blanket and wine and get ready for some fun people watching! This park gets pretty rowdy!

Shopping on Fillmore Street: There are a lot of cute boutiques in this area! And a lot of adorable houses!

Painted Ladies: If you grew up in the 90’s and watched Full House – then you can’t not get a picture with these colorful houses.

Castro: The Castro is filled with amazing murals on every corner! I only saw a few and I wish I could have explored it more! You can get a FREE walking tour of this area (and a lot of others) through the library (kind of a hidden gem)! Residents volunteer to give tours of places that they love!

Palace of Fine Arts: It’s like a little slice of Europe in the city. I LOVED walking around here.

Ghiradeli Square: Three words – Free chocolate samples…

Ride a Trolley: It’s a fun way to get around the city! and the hills are REAL – so if you’re not in the best shape you might want to think about taking an Uber or trolley around.

Iconic Lombard Street: the windiest street in the world! It was a weird time of year to go (everything felt kind of dead), but if you venture down the streets surrounding Lombard Street it’s way less touristy and there are some gorgeous properties to swoon over.

de Young Museum: Go to the observation deck for some great views! There is also a Japanese Tea Garden right around the corner from it.

China Town: The OG of China Towns!

PLACES TO EAT/DRINK

Mr. Holmes Bakehouse: This place is TINY (no tables) but worth it for the picture and yummy baked goods!

Jane: delicious healthy breakfast / lunch spot located on Fillmore Street! I had their Avocado toast and was not disappointed!

Media Noche: Adorable cuban restaurant!

Reveille Coffee Co.

The Riddler: Cute Champagne bar!

Joe & The Juice: Another great coffee spot in SF! It has a really cute interior and the coffee is great! Also – who doesn’t love a pink cup. Apparently we just got one of these in Chicago which makes me so happy!

Park Tavern: Highly recommend the Huckleberry Fritters. They are a pretty big portion so if you aren’t in a group of 5 I would ask for one per person. I also loved the pancakes!