3 Small Children Tour Me Around San Francisco
“San Francisco has only one drawback – ’tis hard to leave.”
- Rudyard Kipling
Can you spot Charlie and I? We secured the iced coffee from the Lady Falcon Coffee Truck!
In January of last year, I had just arrived in California to spend the month with my cousin Annie and her family of 5…soon to be 6! She was set to give birth that month, and since I was working remotely I was able to book a ticket and go stay for a month to be on Bitsy duty for whenever sweet little Jack felt ready to arrive.
First of all, let me just say that remote work opened my eyes to just how well flexible work suits my core value of freedom and mobility. I would have NEVER been able to go stay in California for a month before when I was working in the standard 9-5 office job. I was able to work just as normal, but wherever I wanted to. YESSS!
I feel so blessed to have found a job that encouraged me to go everywhere - literally. My coworkers at the time called it the “Brigid’s West Coast Tour” >> I hopped from couch to guest-room to air mattress all over San Francisco > Los Angeles >Seattle > San Diego > Denver.
One can say I was unknowingly getting my travel fix in right before the world shut down…phew, am I so glad I did that!! Anyways - long story short, I got to spend a wonderful month in California with my cousin and her family. I was able to bond with them in a unique way that made me so happy - I think about this trip still every single day.
Before sweet baby Jack arrived, we took a short day trip to San Francisco and WOW. One thing I discovered, is that traveling with young kids makes you see the world differently. Though their unfiltered, imaginative eyes. We had three little ones with us, but they were so good all day! As soon as we drove into the city, I had my head out the car window in awe. This was one of those cities that I got the instant feeling:
“Hello San Francisco. I don’t even know you yet but I love you and I want to move here.”
Classic Brigid. 😂 But it’s true. I don’t get that feeling EVERYWHERE I go, but I get it a lot. San Fran just felt dream-like, I can’t explain it. A few things that stood out to me right away:
The feeling that you can be anyone here and feel supported, and I love that.
The UNREAL architecture of the older homes that lined the insanely steep streets. I was dying to go inside each one, to learn the stories within those walls. There also was something about seeing cars parked on a complete slant that made me really happy, not sure why!
Street art was FLOWING and abundant, so you know my heart was smiling.
I’d randomly see The Golden Gate Bridge just sitting in all its glory in the distance and it caught me off guard each time. A real “pinch me” moment.
I also refer to it now as the “Golden Grate Bridge” because that is what Charlie told me it was and I dig it!
Below is a tiny snippet of that moment, but keep on scrolling for the full video of the day!
San Francisco was a place I’ve always dreamed of visiting - and while I was only there for a few hours, it was enough to make me fall in love.
Alamo Square
This spot is known around the world for its stunning Victorian row homes, also referred to as the “Painted Ladies”. As a formed Full House FANATIC as a child, this was a moment for me. 😂
Did you know back in the 1850s, this park was just a sand dune? And that these houses are called painted ladies because, by definition, any Victoria or Edwardian home with three or more paint colors is considered one? Fun facts.
We got there early before the crowds and it was a wonderful spot to sit quietly and enjoy your morning coffee with incredible views of the city.
Lady Falcon Coffee Club
This female-founded coffee roasting company serves delicious cups out of their kickass truck, which I happened to find in Alamo Square that day.
I looked up their story and had to share where they got their name from:
“Our name Lady Falcon Coffee Club is a respectful nod to an era in San Francisco’s Ocean Beach history. In the 1880’s, an impromptu neighborhood of abandoned street cars on Judah Street became “Carville-by-the-Sea.” Carville housed many a freethinker. The Falcon Ladies Bicycling Club was one of the first street cars in the bunch and helped shape the legend of Carville.”
Click here to find out the rest of the story because it’s AMAZING. Which makes the coffee taste even better!!! Love this company and I now have the beans shipped to me in Philly - you should get some too!
Check out the rest of the day in the video below, which included the following CA pit stops:
Baker’s Beach, which is a public beach on the peninsula of San Francisco. It stretches a mile below the Golden Gate Bridge is on the shore of the Pacific Ocean!!! Magic! I even met a new friend who was catching fresh crab for dinner (in the video!)
Hamburgers in Sausalito - damn. The rotating grill in the window and the simplicity of the restaurant name are what do it for me - and the burgers were amazing. We ate them by the water with views of SF!
This sounds silly but just DRIVING over the Golden Gate Bridge was an experience I will remember forever. Cinematic views left and right. Brig on a Bridge. YES.
Lappert’s Ice Cream in Sausalito - yum town! So many flavors to chose from, plus coffee treats too.
4 hours in San Francisco & Sausalito, CA packed into 4 minutes! Enjoy.