Lucky us...
This trip we stayed in one of the best hostels ever, The Fisherman's Wharf Hostel, in Fort Mason. (Note that it is a hostel, not a hotel...) and enjoyed a great meal at Bistro Aix (on Steiner, near Chestnut).
San Francisco is a pure walking city. You can walk anywhere, from anywhere in the city. This trip we walked from the hostel across the Golden Gate Bridge, back over to the Palace of Fine Arts, through shopping on Union Avenue and Chestnut Street before wandering back through Fort Mason. It was about 11 miles total (according to MapMyRun dot com) and we wrapped it all up with pizza at our favorite: Amici's on the corner of Steiner and Lombard.
People watching in Union Square, cafe sitting at a sidewalk bar, wandering each neighborhood, up and over Pacific Heights, down through the Castro and over to Mission. Fresh, hot fortune cookies in Chinatown, the cable cars, the Muni system that uses old muni cars from around the world, Pier 39 and the sea lions, crab cocktails on Fisherman's Wharf, the street performers, public art, outdoor ice skating in the winter and fresh food and produce in the Ferry Building at Pier 1 all year long... SF MoMA and the de Young, Golden Gate Park, world class shopping, outdoor art, sitting in Union Square people watching, the events like Bay to Breakers and the Folsom Street Fair... It is all good fun here.
How can we not return again and again?
Here are a few photos of this trip.