San Francisco: Recommendations Around the City

Weaving through the streets of San Francisco’s flattest district, the Mission, I sauntered casually past cyclists and down graffiti alleyways. I stood before Bernal Heights hill. Unlike most hills in San Francisco, it is undeveloped besides the radio tower at the crest. I climbed the steep dirt path surrounded by straw-colored grasses, the California state flower, California poppy, and joined dog walkers. Atop are expansive views of the city. I oriented myself, noting places I had already visited and created a mental map of the city for later use. I could have used google maps, but sometimes getting lost allows you to find unforeseen treasures. Read on for some of those jewels, including restaurant, museum, shopping, and activity recommendations.

Restaurants

Blue Plate, 3218 Mission St, San Francisco, CA 94110, blueplatesf.com

This eatery boasts American new dishes with a Mediterranean twist. Each dish is strategically laid out on the plate with artistic grace. It won my affection for the most impressive restaurant I ate at on my trip. Unique pairings from locally-sourced farms were mouth-watering, such as artichoke soup with raspberries and chopped peanuts sprinkled on top. My friend and I opted to eat tapas-style and sampled several dishes. The atmosphere was cozy and rustic with an open kitchen. Divided into three main rooms, we sat in the middle, where we enjoyed a glass of red wine and relished in flavorful moments.

Cinderella Bakery & Cafe, 436 Balboa St, San Francisco, CA 94118, http://cinderellabakery.com/home.html

Moving from Blue plate’s innovative take on American, Cinderella’s slides in with traditional done right. I stumbled upon this Russian Bakery & Café while seeking out completely different food. My friend, who lived in Korea for some time, tipped me off about a great Korean place located by the Conservatory of Flowers, a botanical garden in Golden Gate Park.

As I came to a halt in front of Muguboka, the Korean restaurant, it was dark. I found a sign confirming my suspicion it was closed on Tuesdays. I looked across the street and saw a bakery with wood-paneled outdoor seating surrounded by an oasis of succulents. I darted toward it, eager to find a place to recharge my camera and review my photographs of rare flowers from the Conservatory. As I entered, a waft of savory meat lay in the air. I realized this would not be a quick stop for a camera charge. Instead, my eyes scanned the Russian menu of meat pies and sandwiches.

This Russian gem on Balboa Street has homey foods that could conjure late Tsars from their graves by its sheer smell of alluring sweet and savory treats. Adding to it’s gravitational pull is its proximity to museums of interest, such as the deYoung Museum https://deyoung.famsf.org/, Academy of Science http://www.calacademy.org/, Japanese Tea Garden http://japaneseteagardensf.com/, and San Francisco Botanical Garden http://www.sfbotanicalgarden.org/.

El Techo, 2516 Mission St, San Francisco, CA 94110, http://eltechosf.com/

This Latin American rooftop restaurant has sweeping city views. It lies above its sister restaurant, Lolinda http://lolindasf.com/. Wait in line, proceed past the beautiful attendant, who manages to pull off a buzz cut, and ride an elevator to the top floor. There seems like a lot of waiting involved, but it’s worth the unobscured city views and delicious small plates, featuring Argentine grilled meats. Dim lights, city views, and a young crowd chatting away under heat lamps on chillier nights make this place memorable.

Dandelion, 740 Valencia St., San Francisco, CA 94110, https://www.dandelionchocolate.com/

Chocolate lovers: you’ll be in heaven. No milk chocolate is served at this chocolate factory and café on Valencia Street in the Mission district. This small batch chocolate maker sells only 70% cocoa and higher. Chocolate is made on site with two ingredients: cocoa beans and sugar.

Activities

• Bike over Golden Gate Bridge to Sausalito and Tiberon. Take the ferry back to the city.

• Meander through city districts.

• Climb Bernal Heights hill for superb city views.

• See and be seen at Mission Delores Park.

• Take a side trip to breath-taking Yosemite National Park.

Shopping

You’ll find uniquely curated stores on the streets listed below with clothing, home goods, antiques, and plenty of restaurants, bars, and coffee shops. Each street has its own character, giving off funky, chic, and lively vibes.

• Valencia Street-for the hipster-leaning folk
• Hayes Street-for chic individuals
• Linden Street-for Hayes Street’s on-trend sibling
• Haight-Ashbury-for a trip back to the 60’s
• Castro Street-everyone’s welcome!

San Francisco’s neighborhoods are interesting to walk through when you’re not in a rush. Each area is full of artistic delights, good coffee, and varied museums. If you’re visiting the city, check out Blue Plate for American new, Cinderella’s for Russian, El Techo for Latin American, and Dandelion for desert.  Of the museums I visited, Academy of Science was my favorite because of the wide array of sea creatures and because I went to adult night, which featured an outdoor rock concert. The art museum I enjoyed most, not mentioned above, was Legion of Honor for its collection of Auguste Rodin’s sculptures and the mummies and medicine exhibition. Get out there and start exploring!

 

Meandering Venice

Venetians know how to make orange juice. Fresh squeezed and so delicious! The citrus notes and fresh-squeezed bits of pulp burst with flavor. The day was off to a good start. While Venice is not known for orange juice, it is surprisingly one of the things I think about when reflecting on my time there. Sometimes it’s the little things.

One can get lost meandering the alleys of Venice. Narrow waterways, slim sidewalks, and unique architecture greeted me at every turn. My mother and I set out in search of Margherita House Venice in Campo Santa Margherita, which is situated in the Dorsoduro sestiere.

With so many bridges and twisting waterways, we looked to a passerby for confirmation that we were headed in the right direction. To our good fortune, she actually lived in Campo Santa Margherita and offered to guide us there.

As we emerged from a narrow walkway, sandwiched between three story apartment buildings, the area opened up to a spacious campo, which translates to “field,” but can also be referred to as a square.

The Venetian woman pointed to a gorgeous building across the campo that was painted a bright burnt orange and had window boxes filled to the brim with multi-colored flowers. She told us she lived there and, after bringing us right to the doorstep of our hotel, bid us farewell. She was the first of many friendly encounters with Venetians.

Breakfast at a restaurant in Campo Santa Margherita

View of the square from our hotel room

The hotel was in an old building overlooking the campo. While the exterior showed the building’s age, the interior had been remodeled with modern interior design. Our room had a modern feel, but the old wooden exposed beams on the ceiling revealed the building’s ancient bones.

The owner, who lived upstairs, showed us around and explained how to use some of the features of the room and then left us to enjoy our stay. I highly recommend the hotel, however, it is small so booking in advance is a must.

The hotel’s location is walking distance to many tourist attractions. There is a water fountain in the middle of the square that you can use to fill a water bottle for your days’ adventures.

The square has a local feel with Venetian’s buying fresh fish, fruit, and vegetables from outdoor markets, children shouting as they play, and later as dusk sets in, locals enjoying prosecco. The campo comes alive at night and is favored by university students.

The square is named after the Church of Santa Margherita, which in turn is named after martyr Saint Margaret of Antioch. The campo is also home to School of St. Mary of Mount Carmel, which was designed in baroque style by Italian architect, Baldassarre Longhena.

Longhena designed many of the buildings we walked by, such as his most well-known work, Basilica di Santa Maria della Salute. This basilica is located in a beautiful area at the edge of Dorsoduro between the Grand Canal and the Zattere promenade. He also designed Ca’ Rezzonico, a palace, which we visited on our last day.

We walked Fondamenta delle Zattere, a promenade where locals often walk in the evening or on Sunday for passeggiata, or a stroll. At every turn there were gondolas, churches, and gorgeously styled baroque masterpieces.

As we crossed over bridges, we noticed they had scaffolding on them, which held baseboards. This was unlike the other bridges we had crossed as it eliminated the need to climb the stairs. We found out there had been a road race earlier that day, for which the baseboard were used.  We took some detours from the Zattere and found squeri, which are gondola workshops.

Fondamenta delle Zattere

View from the vaparetto of Basilica di Santa Maria della Salute

The next day we went to Piazza San Marco, the political and social center of Venice, and toured the Palazzo Ducale, which is the Doge, or leader’s, palace. The palace is unique with a pink and white exterior. There is an open courtyard, prison, armory, and government chambers to explore.

When entering the prison we went through what is known as “The Bridge of Sighs”, referring to the sighs prisoners made as they took their last look at the lagoon before proceeding to the prison to serve their sentence.

Piazza San Marco

Palazzo Ducale

Palace Courtyard

View from inside the palace

Last look at freedom from the “Bridge of Sighs”

After some ice cream and sparkling water, we took a vaporetto, their version of a taxi, down the Grand Canal to enjoy the architecture.

Grand Canal. Boats crisscrossing along the sea-green waters of Venice replace the usual means of transportation of cities.

Oh La La!

Later, we set out for dinner by the Rialto Bridge. What appeared on the map to be a very short jaunt ended out being a very long walk. We ran into dead ends and had to go deeper into neighborhoods because the Grand Canal didn’t have a path leading straight to our destination. It was interesting to see the neighborhoods, however, as my belly began to groan for food, the more I wanted to locate our destination!

Along our walk to Rialto Bridge, I bought a red Venetian mask, which I wore later in the year for Halloween. The mask shop also had artfully made hats with black veils and feather accents, transporting one back to the renaissance.

Venetian Mask

We were only in Venice for two days, which, for me, was not enough. I would like to go back and explore more. Our last worthwhile destination was to see Ca’ Rezzonico, an old palace turned museum, which housed 17^th century designs. The elaborate rooms had beautiful furniture and a collection of paintings by famous Venetian painters.