Around the World: San Francisco!
It is surreal to be on our expedition around the world. It has been in the works for a while, yet it came on us so fast! Like we mentioned in our previous post, the cheapest tickets to Iceland were from San Francisco, for $120. This flight was ideal for three reasons: (1) It was cheap, (2) we could fly through the night, which was better for Addison and cheaper for us since we didn’t need to pay for a hotel, and (3) it provided for a bonus party in San Fran! When we bought our tickets to San Francisco from Salt Lake, we made sure to get a super early flight so that we would have a full day to play.
When we landed in San Francisco, I went to talk to the people at baggage claim to see if they could keep our bag for the day until our flight to Iceland that night. Meanwhile, Austin was grabbing our bag from the baggage claim. Apparently, if you don’t touch your bag when it is in the baggage claim area, they can hold it for you for the day! Ha! Knowing that Austin was looking for our bag at the same time, I ran into the baggage claim area yelling to Austin “DON’T TOUCH THE BAG!!!” haha I’m sure I freaked some people out. BUT, they kept our bag and we didn’t have to haul it through the city all day and we didn’t have to pay for a locker. So that was nice, and something to keep in mind if you plan a similar itinerary where you have all day to play and don’t want to haul your bag around the city. I’m sure every airline’s policy is different, but it could be worth looking into.
Here’s a little layout of our day and some pictures to go with it!
First Stop: Ferry Building Marketplace. I highly recommend this place! It’s a super fun farmer’s market with live music, fresh flowers, fresh produce and AMAZING food vendors with plenty of samples. Food always gets us. We grabbed a delicious bacon, egg and tomato breakfast sandwich and sat on a bench looking out at Oakland Bay Bridge (another one of San Francisco’s huge bridges that connects San Francisco to Oakland). I loved the vibes and the ambiance around us. I’m a sucker for a good ambiance. I have always been a fan of farmer’s markets, so this farmer’s market plus the view was a perfect setting for me.
After breakfast, we decided to make our way up to Pier 39. We were debating between catching the trolley or walking. I know trolleys are a must in San Francisco at least once in your life, but we opted for the walk. And I’m so glad we did because it ended up being such a highlight for us! We stopped at several different piers on the way. They were all unique, and we loved exploring each one! Addison was getting tired so we scouted out a napping spot (a bench on one of the piers seemed like a good makeshift crib). We helped her fall asleep and chilled for an hour while she napped! Haha! It was an easy-going morning and a lot of fun to take our time making our way along each pier. This was only day one of our trip, but already we realized that it was all going to work. This hour that we sat there waiting for Addison to get her nap in, is a fun one to look back on because Austin and I were able to see that what we were just starting was going to work and it was going to be a lot of fun. Sure, we were going to have to take breaks and sit on a park bench for an hour, but it was no big deal!
Nap time was over and we continued our walk and checked out Pier 39 and Fisherman’s Wharf area. Super fun and more exciting vibes. I snuck away from Austin and was going to come back with a triple scoop ice cream cone because all the other tourists were doing it! Haha! But the dang ice cream was $12 and I couldn’t do it! I make a really good tourist and I enjoyed Pier 39, but overall I felt like it was overpriced when you could get the same thing a couple blocks away for a way cheaper price.
We continued along the bay and stopped to explore Ghirardelli Square, a popular spot for shops, restaurants and chocolate in Fisherman’s Wharf area. Live music sucks Austin in and they had a concert going on. I LOVE the style of Ghirardelli square. The lights, the brick, the design. It’s all so cute! At the bottom of Ghirardelli Square, there’s a big area for people to sit on that overlooks the bay. We grabbed some food from a food truck and sat there while we ate it!
After Ghirardelli Square, we met up with OurVieAdventures (my brother and his cute family)! Check them out on Instagram if you haven’t heard of them! Over the last year, they have been traveling to every national park in the United States. They are getting very close to their goal, but the adventures never end with those guys! We met our nephew, Theo! He made us an aunt and uncle and we’re stoked about that! The OurVie team picked us up and we drove out to the Golden Gate. We first went to the actual bridge and the lookout that is right before it. It was PACKED with tourists. We struggled fitting in there to take a pic! So, here’s a suggestion: go to Baker Beach instead!! Each time I have been to this beach, there really haven't been too many tourists. It’s a way awesome place to get some cool pics of the bridge.
We finished our stay in San Fran with a trip to 16th Avenue. Just a couple of days before flying to San Francisco, I was looking around on Pinterest for ideas of how we should spend our day. When I typed in San Fran, tons of Golden Gate pictures popped up, as well as these really cool mural tile stairs. I’m kind of a weirdo when it comes to tiles. I LOVE THEM. So we drove over to 16th Avenue to go check them out and they didn’t disappoint. Not only were the stairs super cool with a mural of the sea that leads to the stars, but the view from the top of them looks out into the ocean AND there are succulents galore along the staircase. Strategically placed in front of the stairs, there was actually a picture of a lady who was caught on camera stealing some of the plants around the stairs. That’s how cute they are. Maybe when you visit, you'll see a picture of me right next to the succulent thief. haha! Just kidding. Tiles. Succulents. Views. You should go and check it out!
And that’s a wrap. After our full day of fun, it was time to head to Iceland! Day 1 of 33 of our journey was an excellent kick-off to our trip around the world.
