A couple weeks ago I was in San Francisco for a Social Media conference for the travel industry. I used to go to San Francisco quite a bit with my Dad and while he worked, my brother and I would roam the city exploring. We would go all over downtown, through Chinatown, Little Italy, to Fisherman’s Wharf and back on foot. It’d been about ten years since my last visit so I was really excited to see if the city was as I remembered and what new places there were to discover.
While nothing ever stays the same it was cool to recognize streets and shops, like seeing an old friend. I had a couple days before and after the conference to walk around and lucky me, the weather was perfect.
I have said time and again that we’re pretty spoiled here in Vancouver for culinary treats but no matter where I go, I’m always on the lookout for good eats. San Francisco didn’t disappoint. Whether it was waterfront dining or street cart snacking, delicious meals were never far.
On a recommendation from a fellow conference attendee, my colleague, Amber, and I had dinner at Waterbar. Since it was a bit far from the hotel, we took a cab. And did we ever luck out with our driver! He ran a red, we almost got hit by a bus and he had quite the mouth. Oh, and he wasn’t shy in sharing his opinion about Octo-mom. Random right?
But I digress.
Once safely inside the restaurant, we had great views of the Bay and really fresh seafood. We sat at the bar but on a warm night, the patio outside would be perfect.
Our hotel was a block away from the Westfield San Francisco Centre which meant a mandatory visit. Most American shops are now here in Canada so the shopping isn’t much of a thrill anymore but the gorgeous dome ceiling is worth a look.
Something that we don’t have in Canada is the totally clever frozen yogurt shop Yoppi. Choose your yogurt from a bunch of delicious flavours (like cheesecake or strawberry tart), then toppings and pay by the ounce. It’s genius for satisfying the sweet tooth without a ton of calories.
During our last day in town Amber and I walked to Hayes Valley and along the way stopped at the Civic Center. I love fiddling around with all the camera apps on my iPhone.
It was around noon and the food trucks were out in full force. Sure, we have mobile food establishments here and there in Vancouver but Off the Grid brings you a whole bunch of vendors along with music entertainment. The lines were long but my Salt and Caramel cupcake was worth the wait! (OK, Amber waited in line to get me the cupcake but it was still totally worth it).
Check back soon for my next post which features some of my favourite shops in Hayes Valley – a must visit for any designer.
~ Cassie
{ pictures taken by Cassie }
{ 2 comments… read them below or add one }
Great pictures!
Thanks Tien! I have more coming with the next post