Weekend in San Francisco!

This year, me and the Hubs celebrated 6 years (holy cow where has the time gone!?).  It truly seems like just yesterday that I was planning our wedding and booking our honeymoon.  But six years and two kiddos later, here we are!  We wanted some “kid free” time with one another so we booked a weekend trip to San Francisco, CA and had the best time!  There is SO much to see and do in this city, and in just three days it was impossible for us to do it all, but here I am breaking down all the fun things we did and all our favorite places we visited!

Where we stayed:

I found our hotel online and fell in love (really hard) with the interior design!  (yes, I booked a hotel solely on how it was decorated and I am not ashamed of it.)  The San Francisco Proper Hotel is truly the most beautiful and tastefully designed hotel that we have ever stayed in.  It is located in the heart of downtown and is within walking distance of many restaurants and tons of shopping.  But the best part is that the restaurant located within the hotel is amazing!  We found ourselves there two nights out of the three!  (One night for dinner and another for dessert!)  The hotel is full of amazing wall art and quirky furniture, tastefully designed wallpaper, and a historical flare.  The Hubs enjoyed the workout room every day (overachiever….) and I enjoyed the comfortable bed! (SO important!)  The staff there was beyond amazing and we truly had a great experience with zero complaints.

What we ate:

Our first night was dinner at Villon (At our hotel) and it just kicked things off in the best possible way!  Be sure to order the Sweet Hawaiian rolls that come with garlic butter, jam, and bacon pieces.  Tony was very happy with his salmon dish and I ate the best scallops I ever had in my life. For dessert, we got the Chocolate Mousse and all I can say is WOW!  We finished it all off with a cappuccino for me and an Irish Coffee for Tony.  We went to bed right after, very fat and very happy.

For brunch, we stopped in at Home Plate where we drooled over their All Star Bacon (Bacon, maple syrup, chili flakes….. amazing!).  Tony loved his meat omelet and I had the fluffiest french toast there ever was.  SO good!  Not to mention the complimentary warm scones with homemade mango and strawberry jam.  YUM!

For dinner the second night, we decided to venture out and take a chance on Italian.  Since we have been to Italy before, we now know what true Italian food is supposed to taste like and we are usually more than disappointed with all the restaurants back home.  We walked into 54 Mint and immediately felt like we were back on Italian soil!  Tony quickly became friends with the bartender (like usual LOL) and came to find that 90% of the workers there were from Italy, born and raised.  AMAZING!  A true Italian restaurant!   We dove right into the complimentary fresh bread and olive oil, followed by the best Bruschetta for our appetizer.  Tony got the classic Spaghetti alla Carbonara (well classic in Italy, not so much in the states) and I went face first into my Buffalo Mozzarella Pasta and loved every single bite!  All their pasta is handmade and you can taste the difference.  We finished with a true Italian espresso (no not like Starbucks….. way better and way stronger) and it was the perfect end to the perfect meal!

What we did:

Day #1 included a drive up to Sonoma, CA to see the wineries.  So beautiful.  The landscape there is beautiful and don’t even get me started on the weather….FABULOUS!  It was a cool 70-75 degrees every day with a light breeze and sunshine from dawn till dusk.  Perfect.  There were two wineries we visited and tasted wines.  The first was a private winery called Stone Edge Farm.  We were invited there by one of Tony’s clients.  This winery specializes in private events, both big and small, and hosts parties for those who want a special and unmatched experience.  AND, the wine was superb.  Tony is the wine drinker in the family, but even I could tell that there was something special about their wines.  Our second winery was the Jacuzzi Vineyards, which is open to the public but also hosts events and weddings. (which it should because the building was spectacular! See pic below).  We had a great time just walking the grounds and enjoying the views. If you know someone who wants to get married in Sonoma, this is the place!

On the way back into the city we stopped to see the sights of the Golden Gate Bridge.  It truly is a great site to see!  It’s easy to think of a bridge as “just a bridge”, but I am fascinated with history and architecture and this bridge does not disappoint. (Plus we like to joke about the countless movies that involve some alien, monster, or X-men blowing up this bridge…its somehow still standing!?)

Day #2 was filled with site-seeing around the city.  We drove for what seemed like hours up and down, and then up and down.  All those crazy streets you see in the movies really are crazy!  I am not sure how those houses stand up straight when they are on a street that is 45% angled!  How!?  Tony thought driving around was seriously the best time.   We then drove down to Pier 39 to see all the shop, docks, boats, lobsters, crabs, and everything else you can think of.  This is a seafood lovers paradise!  You can grab lunch and eat crab legs that they just fished out of the bay that morning.  We then took a drive to see The Painted Ladies (or as Tony called them the Three Sisters, for some reason he couldn’t remember the name) and Lombard Street!  I was truly impressed with Lombard Street just for the fact of how well maintained it is!  The street is well done with beautiful cobblestone and there were blooming flowers all down both sides…it was gorgeous!

What we missed:

We obviously couldn’t do it all.  We only had the two full days!  If we were to go back again, we would be sure to see the Redwood Trees in the Muir Forest.  They are said to be spectacular!  We are sad we didn’t have time for this.  We would also head south and stop in Half Moon Bay.  A cute little beach town full of adorable shops and restaurants. And lastly, there is Alcatraz.  Which I personally have ZERO interest in cause it’s haunted!  (I don’t do ghosts….) But for those who are brave enough, this place would be cool to see!

There you have it!  San Francisco, you were so good to us. If you are planning a trip there, please let me know and ask any questions you may have!  I love to talk travel!

XOXO,

Christine

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