No Money, Not Enough Time? -- Weekend Getaway in San Francisco
If you are from Texas or anywhere that is
extremely hot in summer, where is your go-to place to hide away from the toasty
weather? Beach resort might sound great at first, but are you ready for over crowded vacation? Typically, summer is the busiest time for kids running around at places with water activities.
So, for only a two-day trip, where do you
go for an easy breezy getaway and how do you fit in all agendas with none or minimum budget?
You might say, “wait, is it even possible?”
Absolutely YES! I went on a trip to San Francisco a while back and it’s totally
doable to have an eventful and budget friendly getaway in just two days and
three nights!
Here
are some places that I’ve included in this trip, and they are all free for the
public to visit!
1. Landmarks: Golden Gate Bridge is one of
the signature sight-seeing places in San Fran and it’s a lot of fun to actually walk from one end to
the other. Watch out for people on bikes. The pedestrian lane is also bike
lane. Lombard Street is another unique place to visit. It is known for its crooked street with impossible turns! If you are into architecture, Painted Ladies is an interested street with Victorian style houses and a beautiful plaza for a lunch picnic.
2. Museums: The most famous museum (or should I say 'garden'), is the Palace of Fine Arts Theater. The Scenery is so beautiful that you just want to get married in this romantic garden. Take lots of pictures while you are there for sure.
3. The Bay area: Fisherman's Wharf and Pier 39 are very closed to each other, both located at the bay, where you can see some boats docked and some islands deep down the water. You have to go
to the bay because San Francisco is built around it. There are restaurants and other activities at the Union Square, which is very popular for tourists and local birds. (Look at them, so clean and well-fed.)
4. Twin Peaks Mountain: If you are looking for a place that gives you a bird view of the entire city, Twin Peaks are the hills that have an elevation about 925 feet! Standing on the top of the hill makes you feel like you you can conquer the world. The best time to climb up is in the evening, when the sun goes down and all the city lights
brighten up. (Please be careful when you drive up in the dark. The roads are winding, and a big portion of it is curved around the hill.)
5. Cable Cars: It's rare to see these old style cable cars running around the city. Here at San Francisco, the world's last manually operated cable car system provides one of the popular public transportation, especially for tourists who are probably tired from all-day walking. The cars are cute and slow, easy to hop on
and off and it covers many scenery sites.
You’re probably wondering: how did I fit
in all these events and fun stuff in only 2 days and 3 nights. Alright, let me
give you my itinerary. (Beware, it requires some early wake-up and night-owl-kinda energy.)
- Friday night:
8pm: Arrived at San Fran (Time zone difference is
awesome when you traveling to west coast.) I got a whole Friday night ahead of
me.
9pm: Settled at Airbnb and grabbed some small
bites
10pm-1am: Hyped up at an EDM event at
downtown club (Yes, that’s how you get the party started!)
2am: Drove up to Twin Peaks, enjoying the night view of the bay area.
- Saturday:
Morning: Day Hiking at California Coastal Trail. Enjoyed the
fresh air, cool breeze and got some workout done.
Noon: Dim Sum lunch at Chinatown
Afternoon: Palace of Fine Arts Theater, Pier 39, Fisherman's Wharf,
Cable cars
Evening: Dinner at a Downtown area (Reservation
is a must!)
Night: Concluded the night with a rave at San Jose! (yup, my super cool
friend knows how to have fun!)
- Sunday:
Morning: Golden Gate Bridge
Noon: Japanese Tea Garden
Afternoon: Lombard Street, The Museum of Science and Art and some gift shopping
Evening: Checked out airbnb, headed to airport.
It is a very compact schedule but if you
have great friends to travel with, I promise it is a lot of fun and definitely
memorable whenever you think about San Francisco. Leave a comment and let me know what you think,
and feel free to share your two-day agenda as well. I would love to use some
ideas to plan for my next weekend getaway.
