’3 Things in the City’ I Love contest

I can name the many cities that I’ve had a crush on when I visited them. I’ve had affairs with Bangkok, Paris and Santorini but as the cheesy song goes, I left my heart in San Francisco. Traveling is what I live for but there is something about flying into SFO and seeing that familiar fog hugging the hills. There are so many great things about San Francisco—the food, the wine, the diversity of the neighborhoods and the architecture. It’s hard to narrow it down to my three favorite things as I’ve lived here for almost ten years and I’m still finding new things to do and love about my city by the bay.

Coit Tower and Telegraph Hill:  Coit Tower is high atop Telegraph Hill right near the buzz of North Beach. The hike up to the tower will get your heart pumping but the view atop ‘The Hill’ as the locals call it, will be your reward. Telegraph Hill is known as one of the Seven Hills of San Francisco and is home to some of the oldest homes in San Francisco. Along with the stunning views, you also get a chance to enjoy the lush gardens and possibly catch sight of the feral parrots that have made San Francisco their home for the past 25 years. Take a walk through the first floor of Coit Tower to view the Diego Rivera inspired fresco murals and for an additional $6 fee you can take the elevator up the tower and enjoy the 360 degree view of San Francisco. http://sfrecpark.org/CoitTower.aspx


Alcatraz: The Rock, Escape from Alcatraz and the lesser known movie Murder in the First were all filmed, or inspired by Alcatraz. The public has always been fascinated by this tiny island which accounts for approximately 5,000 visitors a day. Take an audio tour which details the days of the notorious prisoners like Al Capone, George “Machine Gun” Kelly and the Birdman of Alcatraz and the ferry ride which is a joy in itself. On a clear day you can see the neighboring Angel and Treasure Island and get a panoramic view of San Francisco, including the Bay Bridge and Golden Gate. Alcatraz is a photographers dream as the textures and colorings of the old buildings are very rich and vibrant. You can stay all day but make sure you catch the last ferry as you don’t want to get stuck on Alcatraz because no one can escape.


Walk across the Golden Gate Bridge:
Even on a foggy day, walking or biking across the Golden Gate Bridge is an exhilarating experience for any visitor coming to San Francisco. To make it a full day, get breakfast at one of the cafes in the Marina, take a walk around Fort Mason to get a great view of the bay, do some people watching and then take the muni bus (#28) to the bridge. It will take about 40 minutes to walk across the 4200 foot main span. Make sure to bring your camera. If you are more adventurous you can keep walking and take the bike trail that connects San Francisco to Sausalito

Whether you are coming to San Francisco to restaurant hop, hike the hills, take a cable car ride or just chill in Golden Gate park, you will not be disappointed. And you might just leave your heart in San Francisco.

This is my submission for the ’3 Things in the City’ I Love contest by Velvet Escape, Traveldudes and Wimdu.co.uk