San Francisco Travel Guide

July 13, 2016

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San Francisco, California
Sleep
Fairmont San Francisco
Eat
Helmand Palace | Mr. Holmes | Trou Normand | The Cavalier | Bohemian Cigar Store Cafe | Taqueria Cancun | In & Out Burger
Shop
Cuyana | Everlane
See
Marshall Beach | Telegraph Hill and Coit Tower | Golden Gate Fortune Cookie Factory

I could have stayed in San Francisco forever. Just as we were leaving, I talked about my pre-teen love for California, but seeing the state through adult eyes exceeded every one of my expectations. I am not the kind of girl who falls in love with every city – my standards are exacting, and I compare everywhere in the world to Paris, which means that a lot of destinations fall short for me. But San Francisco is perfect. We were spoiled by perfect, blue sky views from our tower room at the Fairmont San Francisco, which sits at the top of Nob Hill. There was a bit of classic San Francisco fog on our first morning in the city, but after that, it was nothing but sunshine and pastel sunsets. We checked all of the important tourist attractions off our list, some of which were more worthwhile than others – Fisherman’s Wharf reminded me of Disneyland, it’s been so spoiled by chain restaurants and gift shops; the cable car, expensive and impractical, was highly overrated and we rode it only once. But every view of the Golden Gate Bridge was majestic – we particularly loved seeing it from Marshall Beach, although beware, it is a nude beach and some of the regulars are overly friendly. (The photos were worth it in the end, though, I think.) The Golden Gate Fortune Cookie Factory, while seemingly silly, was actually a fascinating stop in Chinatown; you haven’t really lived until you’ve eaten a fresh, hot fortune cookie. And speaking of eating, you really can’t go wrong in San Francisco – the hardest thing was narrowing down exactly what we wanted to eat and choosing between all of the possible restaurant options. The mission-style burritos at Taqueria Cancun were a real highlight and so representative of authentic San Francisco cuisine, but we also loved the cocktails at Trou Normand, the pastries at Mr. Holmes, the out of this world breaded eggplant sandwich at the Bohemian Cigar Store Cafe and well, everything at Helmand Palace, because Afghan cuisine is my absolute favourite and if you’ve never tried it, California is the perfect place to start. Three days in the city really wasn’t enough – already on the first morning, I had texted Topher to tell him that I was never coming home. I was joking, of course, but I badly wanted not to be. I don’t know why I waited to long to get back to California, but I’m already counting down to my next visit!

J’aurais pu rester à San Francisco pour toujours. Lors de notre premier jour en ville, je vous ai raconté mon amour pour la Californie, mais le fait de voir l’état à travers mes yeux d’adulte, c’a dépassé mes attentes. Je ne tombe pas amoureuse de toutes les villes – mes critères sont exigeants, et je fais toujours des comparaisons avec Paris (ma ville chérie), donc beaucoup de destinations ne sont pas à la hauteur de mes attentes. Mais j’ai eu un gros pour San Francisco. La ville nous a gâter avec du soleil et des ciels bleu que nous avons pu admirer depuis notre chambre au quatorzième étage de l’Hôtel Fairmont San Francisco, qui se situe au somment de Nob Hill. Nous avons vu un tout petit peu du brouillard, notre premier matin en ville, mais par après, nous étions sous le soleil. Nous avons rendu visite à toutes les attractions touristiques connues de la ville. Certaines valent plus la peine que d’autres – Fisherman’s Wharf me rappelait tous les inconvénients de Disneyland, tellement il était plein de gros restaurants et de gens qui bousculaient pour la photo parfaite ; le tramway n’était pas du tout pratique et, en plus, ça coutait cher. Et par contre, le pont Golden Gate fut majestueux, surtout à partir de la plage Marshall, mais sachez que c’est une plage de nue et que certains des fidèles sont trop chaleureux. (Il vaut le coup d’y aller quand même – nous y avons pris des photos sublimes.) La Fabrique des Biscuits Chinois me semblait un peu débile au début mais en réalité, c’était fascinante – et qui n’a pas gouté un biscuit chinois frais n’a pas vraiment vécu. À propos de la nourriture, vous ne pouvez pas vous tromper avec les restaurants à San Francisco. Le seul difficulté, c’est de décider où manger ! Les burritos chez Taqueria Cancun furent absolument à tomber (et sont, en plus, représentatif de la cuisine régionale.) Nous avons aussi aimé les cocktails chez Trou Normand, les pâtisseries chez Mr. Holmes, l’incroyable sandwich aubergine pané chez le Bohemian Cigar Store Café et, bref, tout chez Helmand Palace, car j’adore la cuisine Afghan et si vous ne l’avez jamais gouter, je vous le conseil très fortement, surtout en Californie. Trois jours à San Francisco, ce n’était pas assez – dès le premier matin, j’envoyais des messages à Topher, disant que je n’allais pas retourner à Vancouver. Je rigolais, bien sûr, et pourtant, je voulais très sincèrement être sérieuse. Je ne sais pas pourquoi j’ai attendu si longtemps avant de retourner en Californie, mais j’ai déjà hâte à ma prochaine visite !

4 comments so far.

4 responses to “San Francisco Travel Guide”

  1. Lyddiegal says:

    Glad you had such a great time in san francisco, and that the weather cooperated for you! Next time I visit I will definitely plan on doing it in the fall.
    http://www.iamchiconthecheap.com/

  2. San Francisco is my favorite U.S. city and I’ve probably been there a totally of 30+ times (many of my best friends live there), but I have never eaten at any of those places aside from In & Out. Adding them to my list for our next visit!

  3. I have been hearing super awesome things about San Francisco! I want to go one day. I heard there are a vast selection of culinary delights there Cee. Thanks for sharing this and you definitely have to go back 😀
    http://www.averysweetblog.com/

  4. Oh my goodness, your comment this morning made me giggle, glad you haven’t forgotten about our American Tour! 😉 And while I have yet to visit, I can tell San Fran would quickly become my favourite too, your photos are stunning + I’m so glad you enjoyed such a fabulous trip!! xo

    Girl & Closet

Cee Fardoe is a thirty-something Canadian blogger who splits her time between Winnipeg and Paris. She is a voracious reader, avid tea-drinker, insatiable wanderer and fashion lover who prefers to dress in black, white and gray.

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