San Francisco in 36 hours

Last week, my colleague, Matt and I, headed to San Francisco for a client luncheon event. We needed to be there the day before the event to scope out the area and prepare, but wanted to be back home as soon after the event as possible. We opted for an early morning flight to minimize jet lag on the way there and a red eye on the way back to save time, leaving us with 36 some-odd hours to do our work and explore some of the city.

The streets of San Francisco

From the Embarcadero and Fisherman’s Wharf to the Golden Gate Bridge, this city provides scenic views from almost every turn. Taking in the trolley cars, we imagined these would not only provide a great way to get around but great views of all districts from Chinatown and the Financial District to North Hill and Fisherman’s Wharf.

We drove through North Hill and were each reminded of the Italian districts in both Boston and New York with the cute sidewalk cafes and restaurants stinking of garlic (one is even called the Stinking Rose!) Heading on Columbus towards Chinatown, we went right by the TransAmerica Pyramid, which stands tall as one of the few skyscrapers in the city. Also, of note in the skyline was Grace Cathedral, a magnificent church atop a hill in the downtown area.

Bay Area bites

We held our luncheon at the classic Greens restaurant at Fort Mason with a spectacular view of the Golden Gate Bridge. A pioneer in the vegetarian-dining scene, the venue draws from local farms and ingredients for it’s delicious dishes.

With all the water views, we were in the mood for some seafood and headed to Fisherman’s Wharf for some chowder and fried calamari. Apparently, Dungeness crab is the stuff to have, but it seemed only to appear on lunch menus. We chose Tarantino’s from a wide selection of seafood places along Jefferson Street and the piers.

For dessert, we headed to the famous Ghirardelli Square after hearing about the ice cream sundaes, in addition to the awesome chocolate store. Justifying that vanilla and cookie-dough ice cream weren’t “boring” choices, Matt and I opted for the Ghirardelli fudge topping melted over ice cream in a waffle cone. Needless to say, these cones can’t be eaten in hand and so were placed in a dish for us to eat civilly by spoon. No chocolate stains anywhere!

San Francisco’s heights

With the crooked-est street and the bridge views from any hilltop, make sure to bring comfortable shoes to explore this hilly city. I’m sure many of the city’s residents are glad manual cars are a thing of the past for most people. I couldn’t imagine the wear and tear on the transmission and engine, let alone trying to park on one of those inclines!

We walked up Lombard Street and caught an amazing view of the Oakland-San Francisco bridge. With one turn, we also could view Alcatraz sitting out in the bay.

Allison Parker is an Account Manager at Mom Central who loves business travel almost as much as personal travel.

Stacy DeBroff

Stacy DeBroff, founder and CEO of Mom Central.com and social and digital consultancy, Influence Central, is a social media strategist, attorney, and best-selling parenting author. A sought-after expert for national media, she trend-spots regularly with national brands and speaks frequently to national and international audiences on a wide range of subjects, including influencer marketing, social media, entrepreneurship, and consumer trends. A passionate cook, gardener, reader, and tennis player, she adores this new chapter of post-college-age parenting.