Having spent 8 years living in the Bay Area I’m somewhat embarrassed to admit that I spent very little time actually exploring the City by the Bay. You know that old saying… You don’t know what you have until its gone.
The good news is: Its not too late! I still have plenty of great reasons to visit the Bay Area, and to make up for some of that lost wasted time. In fact I recently spent the weekend visiting friends (those great reasons I mentioned), and got a chance to spend a rare girls day out in the city!
Shopping, eating and art were all on the day’s agenda! With an early start we managed to fit it all in including an impromptu visit to one of San Francisco’s most iconic attractions, the Coit Tower, a first for both of us. It was a great day!
Heath Factory and Showroom
Our first stop was the newest Heath showroom & Tile Factory, which is located in the Northeast Mission District. The store is beautiful as is every. single. item. inside. The showroom sells everything from the beautiful tiles they’re known for to one of a kind art pieces, pottery and housewares of all kinds.
As it happens my home has Heath tile in the kitchen and bathrooms, so a visit to their showroom was high on my list. There were so many wonderful items, but I restrained myself and only came home with one piece. A gorgeous ceramic serving platter, which I may or may not put food on.
Beyond housewares the little news shop located within the showroom had a wonderful selection of fun snack, drinks, and my favorite: travel books!
Fnnch
I’ve been following this San Francisco artist for a while now, but only discovered him after I moved away, so I was excited to see a few of his pieces in person.
These fabulous lips in the North Beach neighborhood have been on my list! They’re located on the side of Bodega.
Fnnch has pieces all over San Francisco including these adorable bears in the Mission District, and another set of lips which were located on Haight Street.
Coit Tower
On the way to our next destination we made a wrong turn and ended up at the Coit Tower, which is located on the top of Telegraph Hill. Neither of us had ever been before, and there was parking available, so why not? I highly recommend!
This 210 foot monument was built in 1933 with monies bequeathed by Lillie Hitchcock Coit to beautify the city she loved. Frescoes were painted in the interior of the newly built structure by local artists funded through the United States Government’s Public Works of Art Project. This Plaque is placed by the Recreation and Park Commission October 8, 1983 to mark Coit Tower’s 50th Anniversary and its designation as an historic landmark.
Coit Tower is 210 feet tall, but if you add in the height of Telegraph Hill you’ll find yourself 494 above sea level!
If you visit on a clear day (we had some haze) you’ll be treated to fabulous city and Bay views, which include both the Golden Gate Bridge and the Bay Bridge as well as the Transamerica building, and Alcatraz.
Alcatraz
The Bay Bridge
If you look carefully you can see the Golden Gate Bridge through the haze.
Tickets for the elevator are $8 and can be purchased in the gift shop. The windows go all the way around the platform and allow for photos in every direction. You might also be interested to know that there are multiple restroom facilities on site.
The windows open so you can get a clear photo.
Haight Ashbury
Famous for being the birthplace of the hippie counterculture movement Haight Ashbury hasn’t exactly changed much over the years. As you stroll though this neighborhood you can expect to find funky shops, restaurants, art galleries, and plenty of people watching. A favorite neighborhood of mine this is one place I’ve visited multiple times over the years.
After we walked up and down Haight Street we stopped to grab a late lunch at Cha cha cha a Caribbean Cuban tapas restaurant with delicious but large portions. I’ve never seen this place empty, so be prepared to wait for a table.
We left the kids at home, but if you’re traveling with yours you’ll definitely want to check out the Koret Playground and carousel located at the west end of Haight Street.
Dandelion Chocolate Factory – Coming soon
The new Dandelion factory located at the corner of 16th and Harrison wasn’t up and running yet, so no photos, but it looks like it’s going to be fabulous, so I’m mentioning it here in the hopes that I’ll get back there, and if not, then maybe you will! Look for the combination factory, shop, and restaurant to open soon! In the meantime they do have another SF location at 740 Valencia St (at 18th.)
Street Art… Of Course!
We saw a number of fun street art pieces throughout the city. Here are a few of my favorites:
All three of these colorful pieces were located just next to, or near the Heath Showroom. The above photo is by artist Jonathan Matas and was on Bryant Street at 19th Street. The bear with tennis shoes is part of a much larger mural by Sirron Norris.
We drove by these fun pieces at the corner of Alabama Street and Bernice.
2017 was the 50th anniversary of the Summer of Love. This piece by Apexer is located just off Haight Street on Masonic.
You’ll find this incredibly detailed Nychos piece just next to Aviator Nation on Haight Street.
I’m not sure who created these final pieces. We found them in an alley just off Haight not far from Cha Cha Cha.
Stay tuned for more San Francisco adventures…
You might also be interested in our other San Francisco Adventure: Mission San Francisco
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Would you like directions to these fabulous places? Why not take me with you! You can download this and other fun hilarystyle articles using the GPSmyCity app!
Lisa Marie
Love your itinerary! Definitely saving this for when I finally get to visit this beautiful city one day! #CityTripping
Hilary
Thank you! We had a fun day with lots of variety! Hope you make it to California soon!
thewsmblog
lovely article and photos. good job!!
Hilary
Thank you!
katherinefenech2017
I’ve been waiting to read about your visit here and you didn’t disappoint at all 🙂 There’s a couple of things in your post that I hadn’t heard of before and I want to go visit. Especially Heath, so that I can drool over those ceramics! #CityTripping
Hilary
I’m so glad you enjoyed it! I know you live in the area, so that means a lot! You’ll LOVE Heath I wanted everything I saw!
Mackenzie
Oh. my. goodness! I need to bookmark allll these places. I am kicking myself for not knowing about these spots. I may need to visit tomorrow. Thank you for sharing! XO
Hilary
How fun that you can go visit tomorrow! There is SO much to see in SF isn’t there?!
Mackenzie
Absolutely!!!!! I ended up not feeling well… but I’m book marking these places next time I can make it there!
sensetheplace
I have only been to San Francisco once, and I somehow missed out on all of these things.
#CityTripping
Hilary
There’s always next time!!
Caity Pfohl | The Pamplemousse Papers
Oh my gosh, those honey bears!! I love that this guide focuses on a one-day itinerary. I know it’s always nice to have more time, but many people don’t and I think it’s totally doable to knock out a lot in one day! Thanks for the tips, I’ll be bookmarking this for when I eventually get to SF! 🙂 #citytripping
Hilary
They’re adorable right! I’m so glad you enjoyed the post! I often only have one day so I try to fit a lot in!
MummyTravels
What a fun day – we only had a couple to explore on our visit to San francisco but it’s somewhere i would love to go back to as there’s so much to see. It would be fun for a child-free trip as well! Love your grown-up itinerary. Thanks for linking up with #citytripping
Ben Aqiba
Hi Hilary,
you have a great blog here,and this post is fantastic. San Francisco is wonderful city and you represented that in the right way 🙂 Thank you
Hilary
Thank you!!
Alex - My LIfe Long Holiday
You have a great way of composing photographs – such a lovely collection! SF has been on my bucket list for a long while and when I read posts like this my To Do list just keeps getting longer and longer! I hope I get more than one day there when we do finally get to visit! #citytripping
Hilary
Thank you! I hope you do too, it’s a great town!
Giusi
Always like this! You never think about visiting the place where you actually live 🙂
Hilary
So true, which is why I’m doing my best to make sure that doesn’t happen to me in my current home town!
Bettine
Love this! Great inspo for my upcoming trip 🙂
Hilary
Enjoy San Francisco!