My home from August 2015 to December 2018. I am forever grateful I ended up in San Francisco out of college. I was debating between job offers in Seattle and SF, and I am so glad I ended up here. It’s so easy to make friends, get around, and always something new and fun to do in the city.

I gripe about SF a lot for its high rent prices and how everyone falls into this stereotypical SF yuppie, but San Francisco provided me with some wonderful friends, crazy fun memories, and was the city that pushed me outside my comfort zone. 

HIGHLIGHTS

  • Some really delicious restaurants. I always give SF gripe about how it never compares to LA food, but on a holistic point of view SF has some of the best food in the world. A few of my favorites to date…and growing! Also check out my Yelp page for a few favorites. 

    • Asian:

      • Mandalay SF (more authentic), BStar (fusion but further out from DTSF), Burma Love (in the middle of the city): SF has really great Burmese food, if visiting make sure to check out at least one Burmese spot.

      • Tasty Pot, Han II Kwan: for comfort asian food.

      • Anh Hong: Make your own spring rolls and $17 bottle of wine. This is one of my favorite restaurants in SF, and located in Tenderloin so be careful when you’re walking around late at night.

      • Elephant Sushi (go to the TL one and not the Russian Hill), Sushi Zone: Both are unique sushi spot. SO GOOD.

      • Hinata: for some bomb omakase at a reasonable price.

      • San Tung: fan favorite when visiting SF, get the wings, noodles, green beans, and shrimp and leak dumplings.

      • Basa Seafood: How could I almost forget you? Amazing $6 spicy salmon poke. (I love their fried oysters, but people find this questionable...) Grab this togo and spend a beautiful day at Dolores Park.

    • Latin American:

      • Picaros: by far my favorite restaurant in the city. I love their gambas! Their sauce and bread is literally crack.

      • El Techo: pitchers of margaritas and get the 1lb of carne for tacos. Beautiful rooftop view. Or… as close to rooftop as you can get. Heh

      • Limon Rotisserie: Smooth chicken (what is in their dipping sauce?!) and yucan fries

    • Desserts:

      • Marco Polo Ice Cream: Very unique Italian gelato flavors. Ed & I used to just buy pints of this. Lychee, guava, and taro are my favorite flavors.

      • Smitten Ice Cream: Nitrogen ice cream. Matt took me during my first internship in the Bay Area, and I’ve been hooked since.

      • Humphrey Slocombe: Skip the long line and buy a pint. My favorite flavors are Secret Breakfast and Harvey Milk. Some of their other flavors are honestly hit/miss.

      • B.Patisserie: I love this bakery so much. Everything is good here, but in particular I love their banana and almond croissant.

    • Happy Hour Spots:

      • Picaro: Nothing beats their $10 pitchers of sangria.

      • Sens: Amazing roof / view. Okay food.

      • Jamber: Beer + wine flights? Yes please.

      • Zero Zero: I love their punch bowls.

      • Uno Dos: Lots of my friends never understand my obsession with this place, but I love their outdoor patio and again… pitchers of margarita. (Noticing a trend here?)

      • Biergarten: I don’t love this place… but its fun for sunny Sundays and people always get a kick out of coming here. Plus this was a 5 min walk from my house.

      • Americano: I only love going here for company happy hours because this place is pricey, but in the summer time, it’s an awesome spot along the Embarcadero with beautiful views.

      • Charmaines: Literally the only other rooftop bar in SF. It’s expensive ($14~ a drink) but the views good and the drinks are yummy.

    • Other fun places:

      • Aina: Great brunch spot

      • Chez Maman: I prefer West over East

      • A Mano: Farm to table food. They do a fun carafe of wine and their pizza, pasta, salad combo is wonderful.

      • Hog Island Oyster Company: Love spending the dat at the Ferry Building and really cute date spot. Split the clam chowder and grill cheese with someone for a bomb meal and a cute lunch.

      • SF Wine & Cheese Bar: Adorable spot for brunch. Walk in and its a wine shop, and in the back there’s a great patio. Amazing assortment of sandwiches, wine and cheese. Grab a bottle and drink away!

      • Philz Coffee & Blue Bottle: Two of my favorite (and incredibly overpriced) coffee shops.

  • Chill drink vibes make for Thursday magic. My favorite thing to do in SF was go out with my friends in SF. Listen to me… bars are less crowded, everybody needs a mid-week pick me up, and I rarely get hangovers on Fridays because its Thursday magic? :D

    • PCH: Love this bar. Get the bamboo drink. In December it turns into a Christmas bar.

    • The Grid: Speakeasy inside CoinOp. They make the best drinks. (CoinOp, also ranks as some of my favorite bars.)

    • Soda Popinskis: Spin the wheel and grab a drink that you land on.

    • Jackalope: Drop a coin, and play plinko!

  • A fun night life. Whether you’re going bar hopping, day drinking for Santacon, seeing an artist at an event space, there is so much to do. Favorite bars include Raven Bar, Polk Street (Playland, McTeagues), and 620 Jones. Some good clubs to get down to... including 1015 Folsom, Temple, and Empire Room (RIP).

  • Taking a night tour of Alcatraz Island (very creepy) but comes with one of the most beautiful sunset views of the bay area

  • Raging at Outside Lands. Invest in sunscreen alcohol bottles. Wait last minute to buy tickets because they always go under face value last minute.

  • Chilling at Dolores Park. Don’t forget to make a visit to the truffle and coconut man.

  • Going to Napa and Sonoma for wine tasting. Used to own a membership at Domaine Caneros (by far one of my favorite wineries in the area)!

  • Heading to Tomales Bay for oyster shucking. Marshall General Store still on my places of need to visits. 

  • Going to Sun Fat Seafood and buying our own oysters to shuck at Chrissy Fields. I love picnics, and nothing feels more SF than grilled oysters and a view of GGB.

  • Watching Warriors Games at bars (Golden Gate Tap Room ftw!) and in person. Draymond is my dude. Also if anybody wants to get into a hefty discussion on why I think Draymond is the Warriors’ Crux let me know.

  • Feeling the bay breeze while eating garlic fries at a Giants Game (thanks Visa for the discounts!) I’ve been to 6~ stadiums, and this always ranks in my top 2. Honestly going to AT&T Park is one of my fondest memories in San Francisco, and I’m always down for a game.

  • Thursdays at After Dark Exploratorium and Cal Academy. I haven’t been to one in awhile, but its definitely worth a visit and a really fun date spot.

  • Living in a 7x7. Everyone either works / lives / hangouts within a 7 mile radius, it's makes it really easy and convenient to stay in touch with friends (both old and new). 

  • Some really amazing friends that will always have a special place in my heart. You know who you are, and I am so thankful for you. Can’t wait for more adventures to come (Yacht Week anyone?) and know no matter where we are in the world, our friendship is something that will stick. I love you SF for always letting me throw parties, and even more so to my great friends who let me indulge in my party planning…

    • Renting out Raven Bar for Argentina SantaCat party in November 2018. Man, I love Raven Bar and shutting down Raven Bar was awesome. Remember #ArgentinaCat and #BuenosAires as the secret passcode? + my P0 pancake party beforehand.

    • Winter Wallerland SantaCon in December 2017. LOL 80+ people in our backyard? No problem.

    • Skeeball and fun at Joey the Cat for Tina & I’s 24th Birthday in April 2017. Tina is one of the kindest, patient, and best people I know. I’m so lucky to get to share my 16th & 24th birthday with her… and ready to celebrate 32 together.

    • Hosting a NYE with 7 other friends and renting a space above Ruby Skye in December 2016. So much better than paying $100 for a crowded bar.

    • Throwing 4th of July party at Chrissy Fields in July 2016. Don’t forget, Richard’s in charge of the ice!

 

lowlights

  • The rent here sucks. Lived in a converted living room. (But life is too short to not have walls!) and then moved to Hayes Valley with some of my best friends and live in Wallerland. Investing in your home is one of the biggest things i’ve learned to do post grad)

  • The fog has rolled into SF and has not left.

  • Easy to get stuck in your SF bubble. Note to self, make sure to break free every once in awhile and not get stuck in that #yuppie life!

  • Everything is overpriced. I can’t tell when things are a good deal now or not, because I am SO used to paying $15 for a cocktail.