This is probably one of my favorite places in the United States. Go visit! Also, this may or may not be a re-cap of the vacation I just took.
1. The delicious pastries.
Have you ever seen anything so beautiful? It's a cinnamon roll mixed with a croissant. And yes, it tasted as good as it looks.
2. The diversity in the food.
And on this episode of "how can you eat your way through San Francisco?" I present to you one of the tastiest Vietnamese meals that I've ever had. Basically, you can find any type of food that you feel like eating in a 20 mile radius from where you are.
3. The quaint island of Sausalito.
Now, if you get on a ferry and travel for 20 minutes or so, you'll reach the beautiful island that is Sausalito. It's an island full of boutiques and restaurants, and fulfills that "I've never been to Europe but I'd imagine this is what it's like" dream. Personally, this is one of my favorite day trips.
4. The Golden Gate Bridge.
You can park and take pictures of it, walk across it, or go to the gift shop dedicated to it! Personally, my favorite part was taking pictures of it, simply because it's breath-taking. If you can, park and walk on it because that's even more phenomenal.
5. You might just end up in a castle gift shop.
Napa Valley is only a short, one-hour drive from San Francisco. And with it includes as many wineries and wine tastings that you can find. This particular winery was inside of a castle and since I cannot *legally* drink, this is one of the places that I found a lot of enjoyment.
6. Napa Valley will make your Instagram feed look cool.
Again, since drinking is out of the picture, Napa really only offers it's beauty to me. But that's PERFECTLY OKAY! If you're of age, you can take pretty pictures with a glass of wine in your hand. (Check my Instagram out for more gems)
7. The Botanical Garden is beautiful.
If you're not into the city life, this is a perfect, $9 event. You can spend as much time as you want inside of here and be exposed to beautiful plants from all over the world. A big shoutout to San Francisco Botanical Garden for being so much fun and bringing so much joy to my family!
8. It's a place of reflection.
Being in the Redwoods made me realize that I am an extremely small part of the greater world around me. I realized that our God creates each and every one of us in such a unique way, and that it's marvelous that he loves us so much since we're ultimately a small spec in the grand scheme of things. Also, on a lighter note, the Redwood forests are cool.
9. The view from Alcatraz is incredible.
From Alcatraz, you can seethe entire Bay Area. Alcatraz is one of the coolest places in the San Francisco area and touring the prison includes a guided walking tour via a recording and a headset. You learn so much about an interesting piece of history while being able to enjoy a lovely view.
10. The street art is NEAT.
Maybe this is my "rebellious" phase creeping out, but I love *some* graffiti. And San Francisco is full of it.
11. There is a big push to help our environment.
One of the things that I really love about this city is the desire to do something good for our planet. There are farmers markets on the weekends, which provide many organic products for you to buy. However, one of the biggest things that I've noticed is the three options on disposal of products labeled "trash, recyclable, and compost". Nearly everything is compostable, including the paper used in restaurants, right down to your disposable silverware. California is helping to eliminate waste products, which is something that every state can learn from!
