The Best Travel Guide To San Francisco III
This is the third and last part of my trip to San Francisco. You can imagine how nostalgic I’m feeling just looking at the pictures and writing this blogpost. Traveling is one of things I love the most but when the journey comes to an end I always have this bittersweet feeling: sad because the days go by faster than expected and happy because I’ll always have the memory and personal satisfaction of having the opportunity to see the world. I hope this guide has been helpful if you are thinking about visiting San Francisco. And don’t worry, I’ll share more travel stories later on. I promise you!
NORTH BEACH DISTRICT
This is the Italian neighborhood in San Francisco. The most interesting thing is that it’s right next to Chinatown (I talked about it in Part II), so you can imagine the contrast of culture that I experienced. For a moment I was traveling to “Asia” and suddenly I found yourself in “Europe” in the blink of an eye. In this area you will find plenty bars and Italian restaurants, as well as lots of trattoria, gelateria, and pastticeria. The area is very picturesque and for sure you’ll find an italian guy saying: “A cappuccino, per favore!” while you explore.
PIER 39 & FISHERMAN’S WHARF
Ok. This is a VERY tourist spot, but it is a “must go” (haha!). This pier is kind of outdoor mall overlooking the ocean. Filled with restaurants, shops, cultural activities, a carousel, an aquarium and a beautiful view of the famous island of Alcatraz. Right next to it, there is Fisherman’s Wharf, a popular area for seafood. Expect to find lots of tourists hanging around, so it’s not a place I would recommend to spend the whole day, but it’s worth the visit to take photo, specially at sunset.
JAPANTOWN
This neighborhood is super small, only 6 blocks. You will find many options of Japanese and Korean food; also there is the famous Japan Center, a mall with shops, banks and other locations. Inside there is Daiso, a department store where everything costs US $ 1.50 (yes, yes, as you read!). I wanted to take everything, but I would have had to return in a boat to Santo Domingo. There I got this cute set of plates to decorate.
LA MARINA / PRESIDIO / CRISSY FIELD
This area is located in the northern part of the city surround the San Francisco Bay. Many people rent bikes and ride around it. Here you will find a natural recreation area, the Palace of Fine Arts, and a nice view to the Marina where the boats and yachts embarked. If you want to see the Golden Gate Bridge, don’t forget to go through Presidio and Crissy Field, they used to be a center for the USA army, but today they are public parks.
HEALDSBURG, CA
Finally, this trip could not end without a well deserved tour to the famous vineyards of Califonia. Many of you have heard of the wines of Napa, which I visited last year. However, this time we decided to visit the city of Healsburg ,which is an hour from San Francisco and it’s part of Sonoma County. I recommended to rent a car with GPS and embark on an adventure. They are many vineyards so I recommend you to look into it and do a little research. Each vineyard is different but the system is very similar: you pay a fixed fee (between $ 10-20) to taste 4-6 different wines, and if any one of them (or all of them) captivates your palate you can buy it right there. I visited Bella Vista Winery, Ferrari-Carano Winery and Francis Coppola Winery on this trip. The experience is very friendly, people who work in the vineyards are usually very warm and social because they always get to meet a lot of people from around the world. Some wineries include a tour to their cellars and vineyards, and others have a recreation area for visitors where you can buy a bottle of wine, some meats and cheeses, and enjoy a spontaneous picnic.
*PHOTOS: Nathalia Medina