Lady’s 5 Unmissable Highlights of San Francisco

Today I want to share my guide to 5 highlights of San Francisco. Having grown up in the Bay Area and lived in the city for years, these are my top picks as both a local and a visitor.

Highlights of San Francisco

Can expats ever know a city as well as natives? I was asked that as part of a panel discussion at London’s World Travel Market last week, and I felt a bit of pressure to justify my answer in front of 200 people.

Thankfully I had just been to San Francisco, where as a native I realized I had done fewer of the must-do things in my city than many American transplants, expats, and even visitors.

While I was there, I got to experience 5 unmissable highlights of San Francisco for the first time.

Things to Do in San Francisco

I visited my home city as a guest of San Francisco Travel. It was the first time I had been there for an official press trip, and I was intrigued to know what it would be like to see my city with a visitor’s eye.

Locals tend to turn our noses up at things we perceive as touristy, but sometimes it takes visiting as an outsider to learn that the reason some sights and activities are so popular with non-locals is because they’re actually really great.

1. Cycle Across the Golden Gate Bridge

First on my list of unmissable highlights of San Francisco is riding a bike across the Golden Gate Bridge.

Partly due to my fear of heights and partly due to my local snobbery at renting a bike and cycling across the bridge, I never took the time to do it when I lived in the city.

But I finally made the journey on this trip to San Francisco. After checking into the Kimpton Buchanan Hotel, my group picked up bikes from Blazing Saddles near Fisherman’s Wharf and cycled along Crissy Field towards the Golden Gate.

Along the way we stopped for a workout session at House of Air, a trampoline gym that offers a unique take on traditional exercise.

Nearby, we toured The Walt Disney Family Museum, a place dedicated to the life and work of the famous animator.

I had heard of it before, but had never really had the motivation to visit. It turns out I should have. I could have spent a day or more exploring all the exhibits and learning about the history of animation and Disney’s role in it.

After the museum, we continued our cycling trip across the bridge, taking in the views of the city and Alcatraz. Once across, we rolled down to Sausalito, a picture-pretty waterfront town in Marin County.

A glass of California wine on the bay was just the thing to round out the excursion. I ended the afternoon wondering why I had never done this before and being excited to do it again next time I’m home.

2. See a Sporting Event in San Francisco

Next on my list of highlights of San Francisco is seeing a live sporting event. While I never got into doing sports when I lived in the City by the Bay, I did get good at watching them.

One of my favorite things to do in San Francisco back then was go to Giants games. The baseball team and its downtown stadium are institutions in the city, and I spent many a Saturday afternoon cheering on my team (okay, I also went for the garlic fries).

But one of the things I was remiss about going to was 49ers football games. I’ve only ever been to one, not least because the old stadium was a chore to get to and the average temperature was colder than a snowy day in the Arctic Circle.

But now the Niners have Levi’s Stadium in sunny Santa Clara, and I got to go to a game while I was in town. Even better, I got to enjoy pre-game hospitality and roller coaster rides at Great America, the theme park adjacent to the stadium.

3. Eat Well in San Francisco

Third on my list of unmissable highlights of San Francisco is eat at the city’s many restaurants, cafes, and markets.

Unlike football, one thing I managed to do well as a native San Franciscan was eat. I was obsessed with the city’s world-class restaurants and farmers’ markets, and made the rounds as regularly as anyone with as little culinary talent as I have.

But in recent years I haven’t had as much of a chance to keep up with the food scene in San Francisco, and the non-natives are catching up with me when it comes to eating at the city’s best restaurants.

Thankfully I had a chance to redeem myself on this trip. With a breakfast of creative pastries at Craftsman and Wolves in the Mission, I made some headway.

4. Get Off the Beaten Path in San Francisco

My list of unmissable highlights of San Francisco continues with the city’s local neighborhoods.

Back when I lived in San Francisco, Dogpatch was an area that I would roll up my windows and lock my car doors when I drove through.

Right before I moved to London, I went to a little diner there called Just for You, and it was really the only thing in the neighborhood that I would get out of my car for.

Fast forward to today, and Dogpatch is the trendiest, most up-and-coming neighborhood in San Francisco.

Due to the city’s economic growth, gentrification has turned Dogpatch into a haven of independent shops, breweries, bakeries, and butchers, many of which create their products in the back and sell them in the front.

I learned all this on a visit with Ryan Russo, the founder of Walk SF Tours. He’s a prime example of a non-native San Franciscan that knows more about this city than most California-born locals.

His Dogpatch tour took us through the neighborhood, and he shared local history and lore as we ate our way through Long Bridge Pizza Co, drank our way through Triple Voodoo Brewery & Tap Room, and tasted our way through La Fromagerie.

We passed by Just for You, which had a swanky new sign out front, and visited Rickshaw Bagworks, where I couldn’t help picking up a Golden Gate Bridge tote bag after a tour of the factory in the back.

5. Visit Alcatraz

Back on the beaten bath, no visit to the city would be complete without visiting Alcatraz. It’s one of the highlights of San Francisco.

I’d been to The Rock a number of times, but this was my first trip in good weather. As such, in addition to experiencing the amazing audio tour of the prison, I got a chance to walk around the island, enjoy the views of San Francisco and the bridges, and soak up the sun.

Highlights of San Francisco, California

At the end of the trip, I realized that while natives may know a city better than expats and visitors, we’ve often experienced less of it than our non-native counterparts.

But it’s not the worst thing in the world, because it’s kept me returning to San Francisco even though I now live thousands of miles away.

And even if I ever felt like I had exhausted all the great places to explore, new openings would keep me coming back. I hope my blog post has inspired you to visit, too. Whether you have a day in San Francisco or a week (or more), there’s a lot to keep you entertained.

What do you think? Can expats and transplants ever know a city as well as locals?

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