Honeymoon in San Francisco

I've been to SF three times now, once with a local. There's so much to do that I've never done the same thing twice. Wait - that's a lie. I went to the Palace of Fine Arts on two different trips. But my favorite places in the city were the ones the local guy took me to:

Coit Tower - GREAT views

Palace of Fine Arts - so pretty, good place to have a little picnic and to wander around and take pictures. The Exploratorium is also pretty cool.

Fort Point - at the base of the Golden Gate bridge, there's info on what went on when it was a working fort and you can climb up to the top and it's very pretty and very, very windy, but in a fun way.

The Holocaust Memorial at Legion of Honor - very moving.
sanfrancisco.about.com/od/sanfranciscophoto1/ig/outerrichmond/rcholocaustmem.htm

Tank Hill - best views of the city and very romantic. Even though I went there with a friend and there were kids drinking beer, I can imagine that it would be a great spot on a honeymoon. I don't know if it's public transportation friendly, though. Or if you took a cab there, if you'd be able to get one back. But you could ask at your hotel.

And then for food, I LOVED Miller's East Coast Deli. I know, you don't go to SF to find a Jewish deli, but it really is awesome. Homemade applesauce served with the latkes, egg creams, the best pastrami ever. Mmmmmmm

I also had an insane burrito from some little hole in the wall in the Mission, but I'd never be able to tell you the name or the intersection. I do know that my local friend was trying to decide between 3 different places to take me, so there's more than one good option there.

And if there isn't a game on, there's a pier next to the baseball stadium that shouldn't be all crowded. I was there af the end of the August and I think there were 5 other people out there with us.

I didn't mind Fisherman's Wharf, but then I work in Georgetown so am used to throngs of tourists. The Ghiradeli store gives away free samples and the seals are fun to watch. Plus tourists make for great people-watching (and you can pretend that you aren't one of THEM)

Oh - other tip for food. If you're unsure about where to go, stop in at the concierge desk at one of the big, fancy hotels and ask them for advice. They don't ask if you're staying there and are a wealth of advice. My last trip, my friend convinced me to do this and it was so worth it. We ended up at some tiny little place and on the concierge's recommendation, didn't wait for a table and sat in the bar area instead. Our bartender/server was great and then gave us a recommendation of a bar to go to afterwards.

Wine country - if you're in Napa, don't go to the Rutherford Grill. Everyone will tell you that it's awesome, but it isn't. It's incredibly generic and overpriced. We had better luck just picking something off of www.opentable.com. That place was good, but not enough for me to spend time digging up the name.

And whatever you do, make sure you tell everyone that you're on your honeymoon. At minimum, you'll get a lot of strangers' good wishes.

Congratulations!

PS - don't forget to bring warm clothes and layers! Especially if you're going up somewhere high or out on the water.

My daughter went earlier this year and says Sonoma is way better than Napa. Less touristy and more laid back. Cheaper as well.

I've never been.

Congrats on the upcoming nupitals! I hope your life together is magical.


This tiny pic was taken at Twin Peaks (not sure where that is in SF, exactly).
As you can see, she's wearing a fleece. During the day. Bring warm clothes....