January 15 – January 21
I love travelling in the US.
In a time when travel trends span rugged to luxury, the US is easy travelling. So as a result, it probably doesn’t drive the stories (or Insta photos) that other more extreme destinations do.
This would be my fifth trip to the US. I could write an entirely separate blog on why I keep coming back. But if I had to use only one word, it would be: hospitality.
A solo female traveller walks in to a restaurant. Offers to sit at the bar so she doesn’t take up a whole table. The people around hear the accent. And she ends up tasting wines with the bar tender. Or receiving advice on great places to eat or visit. Or having a chat about her camera.
Even in the era where smart phones take the majority of people’s focus.
In fact, on the evenings where I wanted to go out to eat but didn’t necessarily want to engage, I found that a carefully placed novel was required in order to send the signal that I needed some alone time.
So in 2010 when I sat at the bar in my hotel in Philadelphia, it was no surprise that a business traveller would strike up a conversation with me.
And through the last eight years and a few long haul relocations (plural for the both of us), we have managed to remain friends.
His current home town: San Francisco. My first stop on the worldwide friends tour of 2018.
Now the first time I visited San Francisco in 2001, I hated it. I can’t remember what was going on in my head at the time but I know compared to Vancouver and New York (the two other places we went on that trip), I was unimpressed.
And yet, almost every person I met since who had lived in the Bay Area was my kind of person. Open minded. Chilled. Curious.
But this time would be different. This time, I would get a local’s view.
This even came down to the accommodation. Instead of choosing a hostel or hotel which tend to be centred around one area, I took some advice on the different neighbourhoods and booked an AirBnB.
The decision to stay in a Cole Valley location (alongside my friend’s passion for and knowledge of San Francisco and the surrounds) would result in an experience I had not anticipated.
You see, like New York, there is something for everyone in San Francisco.
For art lovers, the SF MOMA.
For food lovers: everything from a Tacquiera with plastic tables and chairs serving amazing authentic Mexican food to hatted restaurants like NOPA serving farm to table (the pork chop, my God, the pork chop).
For wine lovers: the Californian wine country is only 2 hours away.
And this same wine country with its tremendous trees will really appeal to nature lovers, alongside the magnificent beaches north of San Francisco.
Add to that the fact that Santa Cruz is only a 60 minute drive and you’ve an alternative ocean destination with a Boardwalk and spectacular pacific coast sunsets.
And for those with kids (or for those of us who are just big kids/nerds), the Academy of Sciences does not disappoint and the park setting makes for a great walk before or after.
And when you’re walking through that park, you may be lucky enough to happen upon a group of gentlemen playing drums together.
And if soaking up the vibe with the locals while people watching is more your thing, there is no shortage of gastro pubs, wine bars and cafes all over town.
But my opinion, is that if you want to experience the real San Francisco, you’ll need to enjoy your beverage of choice in every neighbourhood.
Each one is unique: from the rainbow flags of the Castro to the Amoeba music store on Haight Street, from the beautiful flora in Golden Gate Park to the hipsters in Divisadero, each has its own character and characters.
And it’s this mix that really makes San Francisco what it is.
So I was wrong. Categorically wrong.
Get Lost. Stay Curious.
PS The NOPA pork chop was a recommendation from the lady sitting next to me at the bar. It was outstanding and was the source of a little bit of audible food envy from the people around me. Do yourself a favour if you are ever in San Francisco.
The Chief Travel Officer 