Ten Experiences San Franciscans Take For Granted

San Francisco is the most beautiful City in the world- a place truly appealing to all six senses. 

While it is impossible to experience everything the City by the Water has to offer in one lifetime there are at least ten things you absolutely MUST do to *officially* consider yourself a San Francisco resident. 

PLUS, only two of these require any money- and if you’re a fan of window shopping, then every experience I’ve listed here is one hundred percent free:

1.Have a BBQ at Crissy Field (Marina District): Not only is there ample parking in this area of town, the current is calmer than the waves that crash along Ocean Beach. Crissy Field is also where you can take the best pictures of the most iconic structure in San Francisco. And after you’re done with the BBQ, it’s pretty easy to do #4 to burn off some calories!

2. See the view from the top of Twin Peaks: Notice that I did not suggest a method for getting to the top of the hill. And that is one of the many magical features of San Francisco-  because it is so small, not only is it reasonably walkable (some may argue that certain neighborhoods will leave you with nicer calves than others) but you can also travel by public transit, ride share, bike, or scooter!

And usually you have the option of taking a different route when you leave than the one you took when you arrived- we’re so spoiled!

3. Ride a bike along the Embarcadero: The Embarcadero has some of the most well-maintained bike paths in the City. I’m also fond of biking at Lake Merced and around Golden Gate Park.

4. Take a stroll across the Golden Gate Bridge: Yeah sure this might sound cliche but have you ACTUALLY done it?! People come from around the world to walk across that bridge! Over 350,000 showed up for the bridge’s 50th year anniversary- apparently the weight of the crowd flattened out the arch of the bridge’s span!

5. Let the sun hit your face at Dolores Park (Mission District): Dolores Park is my favorite place in the entire world. Not only does the Mission District get the best weather in San Francisco, I truly don’t know if San Franciscans understand just how lucky we are with all our incredible parks- we have just under three hundred parks in the magical 7x7 miles. It has been said that wherever you are in San Francisco, you are within a ten minute walk of a park. Truly something spectacular. 

I hope you enjoy this list I put together! If you’d like to show your appreciation, coffee keeps me going- you can buy me a cup here. 

Thank you!

6. Visit the Conservatory of Flowers, DeYoung Museum and Academy of Sciences (Inner Sunset District): I recommend these three in particular because they are all located in the middle of Golden Gate Park. It is very easy to pop into the middle of the park to visit these spots without being overwhelmed by the enormity of it all.  For a full list of free days for museums and other attractions, check out the link here:

7. Grab burritos and pan dulce in the Mission: The Mission-style burrito has NOT been gentrified out unlike many other Mission District natives. I’m not sure if people realize what a treat this is.  It is STILL pretty easy to find a taqueria and panaderia on the same block! And let’s not forget the quality factor- the “Mexican” food I’ve tried in many other parts of the country is very subpar.

8. Get lost in the Presidio: This one speaks for itself.  

9. Thrift in the Haight: The Goodwill (at Haight & Cole) and Decades of Fashion (at Haight and Belvedere) are a couple of my favorites. Some may factually call much of the Haight vintage shopping, since no one said things were necessarily inexpensive, but you can definitely find a lot of really cool, unique stuff! (The Mission District also has very good thrifting. )

10. Bonfire at Ocean Beach (Outer Sunset District): This is a San Francisco high school rite of passage- if you never went to a bonfire at Ocean Beach (yes, even if you had to sneak out to go!) did you really graduate from SFUSD?

If you’ve never woken up to your entire room smelling like a campfire are you really a San Francisco native?

San Francisco may be a lot of things but cheap isn’t one of them. So take advantage of EVERYTHING this slice of heaven has to offer! 

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Exploring solo is one of my favorite things to do, but sometimes you want a knowledgable guide to help you appreciate everything you are looking at! I bring the knowledge and history of my family’s six generations in San Francisco to my walking tours- learn more here.