We tend to focus on seeing the rest of the world and don’t know our own neighborhoods! This is why one of our goals was to start planning more trips in the US. We thought that it would be a shame if we saw other countries but still haven’t been to some key cities in our home country. Correy absolutely loves California so when the opportunity came to visit San Francisco we hopped on it!

We got a little too excited for this trip and broke one of our cardinal rules in travel…don’t over plan!  It’s easy to do that with a city like San Francisco where there is a lot to see and do and well…..we had to cram it in over a few days.  We took this trip towards the end of the year so we didn’t have much vacation left…. quick weekend trip it is!  

This trip was filled from start to finish with non stop exploration which made our efficient lodging choice of the Yotel downtown fitting. Yotel is a new hotel chain focusing on efficient living catered towards the new generation, so all the new tech and smart devices integrated into the room to make your stay seamless whether conducting business or just relaxing. Space efficient included, we felt like we were staying in an expensive treehouse. There were a few things that could be improved, but the over all concept is cool and I’m sure we’ll be hearing more about them as the brand expands. It was in downtown San Francisco conveniently across the street to a BART station, Bay Area Rapid Transit. We love a city with a transit system, specifically subways or trains. It makes it so much easier to explore the city and most of the time it’s cheaper than multiple ride shares and faster!

Day 1

One of the most popular tourist attractions in San Fran is Alcatraz. Whether you’re into historical sites or not, we both agreed it was a captivating experience. For those of you not familiar with Alcatraz, it was a famous secluded prison on an island off the coast of the Bay where they kept the most notorious criminals. The legend was that anyone who tried to escape would truly die being that the water was extremely cold and rumored sharks surrounded the island (probably not true). Go ahead and grab your tickets to the island now because it’s a hot ticket and the longer you wait chances are they won’t be available. It was a hustle for us to get ours. When you’re planning out your trip, make sure you factor in sufficient time for this as you have to take a ferry there and back. When our ferry came back from the island we walked down to Pier 39 to get some grub before our trip to Napa Valley. The pier is full of restaurants and dives sure to satisfy any craving you may have. We especially enjoyed our bucket of donuts from Trish’s Mini Donuts, we found this place on Eater so we knew it was worth a try.

Next stop was Stags’ Leap! Not to be confused with Stag’s Leap, because yes they are different. This was our first time in Napa Valley, so it was high on our list to do! It takes about an hour and a half to get there from San Fran so you can get a nice nap in on the way. I wouldn’t recommend driving for obvious reasons but there are other modes of transportation that you could use. We took a Lyft (~$120 each way) as it was the least complicated and we were in a hurry but if you have some time there is a train, a bus, etc. that are much cheaper options.

The tour of this vineyard was everything. From our guide, to the illustrious history, to the tasting, it was a memorable experience. Correy says that even to this day the 12 Falls made by Stags’ Leap is the best wine he’s ever had. Once we finished our tour of Stags’ we checked the clock and felt we had enough time to check out another one before we headed back to San Francisco, plus we wanted to buy time to avoid some traffic so we decided to go to Brown Estate’s tasting room in downtown Napa. A black owned wine company. It was a perfect place to cool down after being on a tour that involved us being outside. The vibe was chill and intimate, we sat at the bar and a knowledgeable rep schooled us on a few pours giving us a taste of the entire creating process and background of the Brown family.

Travel Tip: We had reservations at Stag’s Leap Winery.  There are so many wineries and vineyards to choose from but make sure you do your research.  We wanted to actually learn about the wine making process and tour the vineyards so we made sure we found one that included that in the tour.  Some of the wineries are just tasting rooms where they just pour you glasses of wine.  

From there you wouldn’t expect to be more satisfied, but we walked into a culinary masterpiece at Grace’s Table right around the corner. This could have been a combination of all the wine and not eating since before the tours and tastings, but I have a strong feeling that in spite of circumstances this food would be just as good. The collective flavors and creativity of the dishes were a delight for our tastebuds. It made the long haul in our Lyft back to San Francisco worth every minute.

What we learned while researching things to do in San Francisco is that they’re known for their speakeasys. We went to one called Bourbon and Branch (B&B). I was told that it takes months to get a reservation here as it’s small and intimate and they try to keep it that way to preserve the ambiance. They really stayed true to the speakeasy vibe and made it so hard to figure out where the door was, we had to ask people on the street. Once you said the secret password you were in! There was a sweet aroma in the air that was intoxicating. They put unique craft cocktails together solidifying why this spot was in high demand. If we hadn’t have been so tired from Napa we probably would have stayed and had a few more drinks.

Day 2

Yes….all of those activities took place on Day 1. Next up was the Golden Gate Bridge of course. We thought it would be a good idea to rent bikes from Sports Basement – Presido (super close to Golden Gate). Since no one warned us, we’ll be the ones to tell you. Be prepared for a workout! It felt like we were biking up a stair master. Don’t get me wrong the bridge ride was worth it, but we didn’t expect to get our workout in for the day before we actually got to the bridge. The ride across the bridge was a treat even in heavy fog. The sites were beautiful and the ride was enjoyable.

They have a bike drop-off location on the other side of the bridge in Sausalito. Sausalito turned out to have a buzz of its own, it reminded me somewhat of a gingerbread house town in the way the shops and restaurants were structured. It had a small town feel to it where you could walk, bike, or scoot anywhere in town. But there was a lot more going on than the eye could see, especially with it being on the bay. From there we went straight to Muir Woods, a national park with redwood trees. They have shuttle stops all over the city where you park your car and hop on the bus. You can buy tickets online for about $15 and specify the location where you want to hop on the shuttle (~$3). If you have time, you should definitely hike the trails. There are hidden waterfalls throughout the woods.

The next move was the inspiration of the trip, the inaugural Lights On Music Festival curated by H.E.R. one of Correy’s favorite music artists. It was in Concord, which we were able to catch the BART from our hotel to the station where we could catch a shuttle to the festival. An evening of live bands and talented R&B musicians was just what we needed after a long day of physical activity. HER put together a seamless roster of R&B talent headlined by herself to produce a great show.

Day 3

The next day we linked up with Correy’s friend Darius in Oakland for brunch, the brunch wasn’t that good so we won’t mention the place. We had plans of going to a Raiders game, but we missed the ticket window. I know…seems like a fail so far but Darius took us on a short tour to the beach and showed us some popular local areas that saved the day! Then we were off to the hotel to gather our bags and catch our flight. The entire trip we were on the go and it seemed like everything we did surrounded the city of San Francisco, but was not actually in San Fran which means we’ll be back!