First Timer’s Guide to Surprising San Francisco, San Francisco, California

San Francisco was the beginning of our big USA trip. We were surprised at how safe we felt and how much there was to see and do in San Francisco.

This was my first trip to mainland USA. I was nervous about San Francisco because we had been warned about high crime rates, particularly car break-ins, and we were hiring a car! Nervously, we checked into our hotel and embarked on 4 days of exploring this vibrant city.

As I mentioned, we were worried about our safety, so chose a hotel that was very central to most of the things we wanted to see. Hotel Zoe was a fantastic choice for us. Located within walking distance of the waterfront with a cool restaurant and bar on the ground floor.

We arrived at our hotel in the early evening after very long flights, therefor our plan for the night, was to head to Fisherman’s wharf and grab a quick dinner, before having an early night. I have to say first, that we came from an Australian summer to a San Francisco winter and the first thing that hit me was the cold! Brrrr!!! So, it was with much appreciation, we chose to try the famous Boudin bakery ‘s nice, warm, clam chowder as our first meal in San Francisco. It was hot, creamy and delicious, and you get to eat the sourdough bowl! The bakery itself is worth visiting with loaves of bread in quirky designs and a unique conveyor belt delivery system as well as a gift shop. ...... (follow the instructions below for accessing the rest of this article).