72 hours in San francisco

San Francisco will always have a special place in my heart! This is were my now husband and I had our first apartment together and we have sweet memories from our time in here. SF is by far my favorite city in the US and sometimes I wished we never left! Why do I love it so much?? there's soo many reasons but I'll say my top three would be: 1. The views 2. It's food and wine scene and 3.it's laid back and open vibe. 

We recently went back for a long weekend trip to visit friends and I created a short and sweet itinerary for this trip... you could easily spend a week or more over here and at the end of the post I'll give some recommendations of day trips and other things to do if you have a bit more time. 

Day 1: 
I'll recommend to stay in the Union Square area; even though is touristy its the perfect location for a short trip because it is right int he middle of everything... don't be afraid of the Tenderloin area... it might be a bit grubby but it is not unsafe. 

Get your sneakers ready (SF's uniform anyways) and head out to explore the City. 

• Walk to Embarcadero towards the Ferry Building and grab a coffee, pastry, ice cream or lunch. On Thursday's and Sunday's they have a Farmer's Market that's worth the visit. They have tons of food options and pies. If you walk along the water line there's awesome views of the Bay Bridge. I don't personally recommend going to Fisherman's Wharf unless you really have lots of free time... it is very crowded, touristy and food is not very good over there. 
• Walk back to the City or take the Cable car and explore the shops around Union Square and Market. 
• Head to SoMa and visit the newly renovated SF MoMa. It is amazing! and has a delicious cafeteria on their terrace. 
• A bit of rest and recharge at your hotel and back to action to the best part of the day... Diner of course! There's so many good restaurant options that's a never ending list.

Here are some of my fave in the downtown/SoMa area:

• Bellota: great  if you are with a group or want to try different dishes. 
• Coqueta: located in the pier near Embarcadero and offers great tapas and cocktails.
• Marlowe: for the BEST burger ever!
• Bar Agricole: named the best bar in America last year and has great food too. 

Day 2: this day you can see some of the best streets in SF for people watching, shopping and eating. 

• Work your appetite by climbing Nob Hill through California St. (it is totally wort it and you'll get some of the most amazing views of the City from here). Walk over to Polk St and stop for coffee and breakfast at CAW - Craftsmans and Wolves second location after their super successful one at the Mission.  
• After your belly is full you guess it climb a bit more to Lafayette Park, here most likely you'll only find locals and it is on the very top of Pacific Heights and has some of the best water views and it is surrounded by beautiful houses everywhere you turn to look at. Start your descend to Union St another street filled with shops and restaurants but I mean you deserve it after all this walking. 
• After making a pit stop at Union Street and shopping a bit head down towards Chestnut St which is the centric street at the famous Marina District. Grab lunch at Delarosa my favorite "tapas" style Italian restaurant where you can't miss their burratta and meatballs. 
• Head over to the Marina Green and admire the Golden Gate Bridge, walk along the water and even dip your toes in the cold water if you feel like it. I love to walk around this neighborhood since all of their house are so pretty and well kept. The Palace of Fine Arts is within walking distance and it is worth a visit. 
• For dinner take an uber from your hotel or walk over there if you still have the energy to Fillmore St. My favorite restaurant over here is Fresca which serves Peruvian cuisine with the freshest seafood. If you feel like splurging a bit more my top choice would be Spruce which has one Michelin star and it is located in Pacific Heights, one of the last restaurants in SF where people actually dress up for dinner. 

Day 3: On the last day in SF take an uber, cable car or walk (so you can earn some extra calories) to the Mission District. The Mission District to me is where all of what SF represents comes together! I love strolling it's streets and peaking in on the many little shops, cafes and restaurants. The best streets are Valencia St and Mission St and of course Dolores Park. 

There's tons of good food over here and something for every appetite. In the Mission District you can find the widest array of international food. 

• Start on 14th St and Valencia St and make your first stop at Four Barrel Coffee and make sure you'll get at least one bag of their coffee home with you... you'll thanked me later!  Go on and browse all the shops and pick up some cool finds for your home or as a souvenir... there's also awesome antique and second hand shops here. 
• Make your way to the famous Tartine bakery and grab a pastry or two and eat them at Dolores Park. Great for people watching and soaking up some sun. 
• Have brunch at Foreign Cinema and enjoy a movie too. 
• After brunch you can head back to your hotel strolling through Mission St or just take the BART to the airport. 

Some of my other favorite restaurants: 

1. Flour and water
2. Lolinda
3. The Vestry 
4. Frances
5. Californios
6. Beretta

If you have more days in SF these are also other cool things to do around: 

1. Alcatraz: although touristy it is actually fun, interesting and gives you great views of the bay. Make sure you book in advance since it is usually booked on the same day. 
2. Golden Gate Park: rent a bike and ride along the park, stop at the Japanese Garden, get a bite at Nopalito at Divisadero St (not too far from GG Park). 
3. Rent a bike and cross the Golden Gate bridge and keep going down to Sausalito for a fresh seafood lunch and head back on the ferry. 
4. Go hiking to the Marin headlands or Angel Island. 
5. Of course go on a day trip to Sonoma or Napa. 

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