what we learned in San Francisco
As mentioned in our first post on San Francisco- Get Your Tourist On - we may have been ill prepared for our trip, and on more than one occasion we found ourselves wandering through the city figuring our next steps. Learn from our mistakes before you head to the City by the Bay.
#1: Don't Miss the Boat
My friends main desire was to visit Alcatraz, so we decided to do that first. I had read that you needed to purchase your boat ferry tickets beforehand, so our first night we went to reserve our tickets- because responsible people do everything the night before. Turns out, tickets from the National Park Service authorized concessioner, Alcatraz Cruises, were already sold out for the length of our trip.
A google search then informed us that the next best way to get tickets is through a tour company, but companies are only allowed to provide tickets to Alcatraz if it is included in a package of other events/activities. And tour packages were quite a bit pricier. We persisted, and set about googling every possible company we could (Viator Segway Combo or Blue and Gold Fleet's Bay Tour) with no luck.
We decided to try the brick-and-mortar tour companies down at Fisherman's Wharf the next day, and we were quickly informed that no one could have tickets for us- companies reselling tickets have to give the name of all passengers 4 days in advance. I have a feeling that poor tour salesman gets that question a lot- his answer rolled right off the tongue.
Apparently, you do have one more option- the park service offers a few tickets each morning. According to Dylan's Tours, you have to start lining up at 4 am during the busy season to get tickets. As you might have guessed by our procrastination tendencies- we didn't even attempt this option.
Do yourself a favor, and plan this part of your trip well in advance or at least 4 days in advance at a minimum.
#2: Showing Up Unannounced
In our next blunder, we decided to hit up one of the most popular restaurants in SF, Tartine Manufactory, on a Friday night with no reservation. Its so popular, it was booked for rest of the night, and there wasn't an empty chair to be found in the bar area. It looked and smelled delicious- so we do recommend making a reservation for this place on your trip.
We salvaged the night at Southern Pacific Brewing Co, within walking distance of Tartine and enjoyed our bar food and drinks. The quesadilla was 🔥
The next day, we tried to get a reservation to Tartine and the earliest available was at 9pm. Midday, we were not feeling a last dinner, so in another stroke of last-minute luck we got a reservation at Locanda instead. We enjoyed Pizza Bianca, Rigatoni alla Carbonara (guanciale, coastal hill egg, pecorino, black pepper), and Bucatini all'Amatriciana (guanciale, tomato, pepperoncini, pecorino).
We also treated ourselves to some Tartine treats at the bakery instead of the manufactory. Tartine bakery was a relaxed environment - we chose a flaky, crunchy croissant and chocolatey tart.
#3: Empty House
If its not clear yet, we were winging this whole trip. And so, on a whim, with only a bit of daylight left we googled the Full House home, hopped in a Uber and then dutifully hopped out when the driver said we reached our destination. As he drove away, we started to realize we had made a mistake. In front of us was the house used in the opening sequence, but what we hadn't known was that its not really a sight worth seeing and the neighbors are clearly sick of the unwanted attention.
This house is just sitting in the middle of this neighborhood street- either being reconstructed or deconstructed - with plywood sides and a blocked off bottom floor. There is another to do but read the passive-aggressive signs from the neighbors.
We had a good laugh, then learned from google that what we really wanted to see was the Painted Ladies- the beautiful San Francisco homes behind the Tanner family as they picnicked in the opening sequence. This view did satisfy our Full House nostalgia. If you want to relive every aspect of Full House glory, this youtube video diligently breaks down the location of every scene in the openings.
Also, Alamo Square park across from the Painted Ladies gave beautiful views of the city- especially as the sun set and the sky lit up with pastels worthy of this 90's throwback scene.
Here's the thing- at the end of the day- you could ignore all these tips and still have an amazing time in San Francisco. We may have made these mistakes, but San Francisco is a forgiving city full of opportunities. We loved our trip - even if it didn't go as planned - or I guess, unplanned 😉
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