1. Its a state law now that you have to pay .10 cents for bags, so you need to carry bags everywhere with you. I left my biggest bag in Utah because I didn't think I would use it... wonderful.
2. Driving is pointless. The city is so compact that honestly you have a small heart attack every time you get in the car because there is hardly any room on the roads to drive, and every one here is reckless. Parking is ridiculous, if you find somewhere to park its usually 10 blocks away from your destination making it less worth the drive. Don't waste your time renting or bringing a car. Save your money.
3. You can walk everywhere, this coincides with the "driving is pointless". Bring lots of good walking shoes because like I said this city is compact you can walk everywhere here. There are a few places that you would need to drive but there are so many means of public transportation, cable cars, trolley, and buses that would be much more worth using then the frustration gained from driving.
4. If your a priss like me, bring super power hair spray. There is a breeze almost every day and I cant even count how many times I show up to work looking like a rag doll because my hair is demolished by the time I get there. (a 8 minute walk)
5. You need to like sour dough bread... every restaurant serves it.
6. Eat as much clam chowder as you can, cause honestly its all amazing.
7. Research the different beaches in San Fran.... a lot of them are nude so if you aren't into that.... this is your warning. Bakers beach is a super popular beach because it has the best view of the bridge. Half of that beach is nude and the other half isn't. The closer you get to the bridge means your crossing into nude territory.
8. The San Francisco Museum of Art is free the first Tuesday of every month.
9. Chinatown honestly isn't that fabulous. I probably had way to high of expectations but it really wasn't as cool as i thought it would be. If you plan on seeing it. Don't plan on it taking a long time. Walking through it takes about 15 minutes and Union square is about 10 minutes away so make sure to visit the shopping center of San Fran and take a picture with all the different "hearts" located in the center.
10. The restaurants you least expect are the best ones. The small nooks in the wall you would never consider are the most amazing ones. So give things a chance you normally wouldn't consider.
11. The San Francisco Zoo has resident days when you can get in for free. So if your lucky watch the calender and you might get lucky!
12. Everything here is expensive so plan well, Alcatraz is about $25 each person, whale watching tours are about $70 a person, biking across the bridge is $30 a person and the list goes on. Just remember if its something super awesome it is probably expensive.
13. January and February are the slowest times of the year, usually Tuesday through Thursday are the calmest.
14. Lombard street is extremely bland during the winter months. Nothing but branches and sadness. So prepare yourself that it might not be as pretty as you see in the pictures if you go during the colder months.
15. San Fran stays a constant 50-75 degrees all year long... which sounds amazing but always remember to factor in the bay breeze... it can be biting. Some days we don't notice but it never fails to be cold when the sun goes down.
16. Enjoy the culture there is so many different people and they are amazing.
17. walk along Fisherman's Warf and pier 39 on the weekends around 5. So many things are going on, there are 5 guys that play this crazy awesome music with metal bowels. A Jamaican that is always playing the bongo's, guys completely covered in metallic paint dancing to usher, painters, and a lot of people doing miscellaneous acts trying to make some cash.
18. Farmers Market is at the Ferry building every Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturday from 10-2.
19. San Fran has a lot of history, so if you do your research you will always have something to do. There is never an excuse to be bored.
20. Buy comfy shoes for church... driving sucks and the only LDS church close to us is a 40 minute walk and mostly uphill.
I am sure I will have more as time goes by. But this is what I could think of for now. San Fran is a beautiful city with a lot of adventure and culture.
No comments:
Post a Comment