The time I almost spent the night in Alcatraz…and tips for a perfect day in San Francisco

Okay, I didn’t REALLY almost spend the night there, but it seemed like it might be my fate when my Uber driver took a wrong turn onto treasure island, known to house the spooky old prison, at 1:30am! After several minutes of driving on winding, unlit back roads, with a first-time Uber driver innocently pointing out how creepy the surroundings were, and musing at how unusual it was for a hotel to be located so near to this tourist attraction, he realized he had missed a turn and accidentally taken us across the bay bridge going away from downtown. My spidey sense was telling me it was all an innocent mistake, but my imagination wandered to wondering if anyone would find me on the uber map if this guy had other plans for me! So travel tip #1 for this blog: If you’re traveling alone and your flight is delayed and you arrive in the middle of the night, don’t worry about saving $50 with Uber… just TAKE A CAB ! The drivers may often seem shady, but most of the time they at least know where the’yre going.

Eventually we made it to the Palace Hotel-  Luxury Collection, where I was to meet my friends, and I’ve never been happier to crawl into bed in a room with a locked door. The heated toilet seat and luxurious robes, delectable breakfast buffet and lavish lobby were lovely, but paled in comparison to my relief that I had made it alive, and be able to sleep horizontally after also enduring my first frontier airlines flight. Travel tip #2: I recently upgraded to a macbook and “downloaded” some movies to watch on the six hour flight here from Orlando- when the computer tells you the movies are ready to watch, it is lying! You have to click on them to download from the cloud first. If you’re traveling Frontier, know that the seats don’t recline and you’ll even pay for water. It matters not how long the flight is- so #3: bring a couple of empty water bottles to fill on the other side of airport security, pack snacks, a neck pillow, and a blanket to ease the discomfort of the very economical, but non-reclining and crowded seats.

To begin the day in the city, we took an Uber (much safer during the day and with a group of people!) to Fisherman’s Wharf. Ask to be dropped at Pier 39, and spend an hour exploring the shops and restaurants, old war ships on display, and even an arcade housing the oldest video games ever made (think original pac man and Atari!). Then venture down to the pier to see the sea lions and seals. This was the highlight of the whole day for me. It made me giddy to watch them sliding on and off the docks, and laying lazily in the sun. So cuteJ

Next, Uber to Chinatown a short car ride away for lunch. We enjoyed the dim sum at Great Eastern Restaurant; however, there was a line of locals at the place next door, and if I’d had more room to eat, I would have definitely stopped in for some lo mein and general tso’s as well! Shops here sell inexpensive souvenirs, and are all run by very kind and hospitable people who welcome you in a non-pushy way at the front door.

 After bidding my friends adieu and moving over to the Marriott Marquis, which was clean and simple albeit a little dark and unimpressive, I met my friend Phil and we explored the shops nearby to kill time while waiting for the surcharge on Ubers to drop. Just as google said (Phil wanted to stop in to apply for an internship, but we didn’t quite make it there;)), after 6pm the price dropped significantly and headed over to the Golden Gate Bridge. What a beautiful and incredible structure! 

Okay, tip #4 always call ahead to make sure the restaurant recommended as ‘best view of the bridge’ still exists before taking a $25 uber ride to it! We arrive at Travis Marina Bar to discover it was abandoned some time ago. Google had one thing right though, it WAS the best view possible I think!

So we called the next restaurant on the list for near the bridge and enjoyed beautiful views, a lovely fireplace, and craft cocktails at Bar Bocce in Sausalito. We enjoyed the breadsticks with pecorino and tomato dipping sauce, prawns in a red chili and lime sauce and the cod fritters with lemon aioli. We watched the sunset over the harbor, sipping on prosecco and Phil’s vodka drink du jour before heading back to the hotel.

Jet lag had the best of us, otherwise we would’ve checked out the great jazz clubs in the area. There was lots to see and do, and EAT, but we just ran out of time!  I’d like to say ‘next time’, but I’m not sure I’ll make it back to San Francisco.  While it certainly has its charm, there was a sadness in the streets with the number of homeless people and the city felt somewhat dirty. However, it was also one of the most environmentally conscious places I’ve ever visited, and I loved that about it. Filtered water dispensers in the hotel lobby, and lots of healthy, hipster folk taking good care of themselves and the earth was very refreshing.

It was nice to see, but for one more hour of travel time I could be in Paris, and I just think I’m more for the other side of the pond than this American counterpart. Next stop, wine country...!