SAN FRANCISCO | TRAVEL – CRAVING CHICAGO

San Francisco reminds me so much of where I’m from – Cape Town, South Africa. It’s a gorgeous bay city, filled with friendly people, old buildings, winding roads, and amazing food. The San Fracisco bay air just makes me feel at peace, and at home.

We enjoyed the 4th of July weekend in SF, and got to check out lots of places that were on my bucket list (yes!). It was late afternoon when we checked into our suite in the PARC 55 hotel in the Union Square neighborhood, and the city couldn’t have looked prettier. The hotel itself is in a perfect location that’s close to public transportation and shopping. From the hotel, everything seemed to be about a 5-10min uber ride so it was a good central place to be. It’s an older building, but the suites were larger and nicer than I expected for SF. Cozy. How lovely is this view from our suite?

Our dinners were nothing short of amazing.. and possibly life-changing, but I’ll elaborate more on that in a separate post. Here, though, are snippets of our bites and sights during the weekend.

BLUE BOTTLE – MINT PLAZA CAFE | latte, toast with almond butter & jam

FERRY BUILDING

FAR WEST FUNGHI | cultivated and wild mushrooms, fresh seasonal truffles and unusual forest products — **FAR WEST FUNGHI** | cultivated and wild mushrooms, fresh seasonal truffles and unusual forest products

FAR WEST FUNGHI | imported truffle products — **FAR WEST FUNGHI** | imported truffle products

BOCCALONE SALUMERIA | artisanal salumi venture from Chris Cosentino and Mark Pastore — **BOCCALONE SALUMERIA** | artisanal salumi venture from Chris Cosentino and Mark Pastore

BOCCALONE SALUMERIA | mixed salumi cone $4 — **BOCCALONE SALUMERIA** | mixed salumi cone $4

FERRY BUILDING views — **FERRY BUILDING** | waterfront views

PIER 39

GOLDEN GATE PARK – JAPANESE TEA GARDEN

We rented bikes inside the park, and attempted to bike over to Golden Gate bridge… mission aborted. Not only was it much colder in SF than we expected, but the obvious uphill biking was a much bigger feat than imagined. We made it to Presidio Park, where I found my dream home.

How cute is this house? LOVE. We then biked downhill (thank goodness) back to the park, and returned our bikes. We did make it to the bridge that afternoon – thanks to Uber. :-p

This bridge though… Surreal views. It’s beautiful, and worth visiting whether you bike there, bike across, or just get a ride to it.

San Francisco definitely tugs at my heart. I could see myself living there, enjoying the outdoor activities, the amazing food, and the ever-evolving city vibe. It’s easily one of my favorite cities in the world. Aside from the places mentioned in this post, if you visit SF, here are a few more you should visit. {More detailed posts on each to come next}

Bakeries: Tartine, b.patisserie

Restaurants: Zuni Cafe, La Mar, Coqueta

~ Thank you to the PARC 55 hotel for hosting us over this weekend. We loved it.

PARC 55 | 55 Cyril Magnin St, San Francisco, CA 94102