Would you like to go away for the weekend? My answer is always yes! The Hubs and I hopped a plane Friday and spent the weekend in San Fran.  It was a long plane ride but well worth leaving the polar vortex for sunny, warm California.

The weather was absolutely perfect in San Fran, 65 degrees and sunny.  Wonderful weather for walking around this beautiful city.  I hated seeing the snow and sleet tweets and texts from family and friends back home but I really loved having the sun on my face and the sea air blowing all around us.

IMG_5146We ventured out early Saturday morning to the Ferry Building to one of the best farmer’s markets I have ever experienced.  Not only is the Ferry Building filled with stores that would make any foodie smile, but the farmers who show up on Saturdays offered just about anything your little heart or stomach could desire.  We bought fresh lavender, several varieties of dates, warm buttery croissants, and CHEESE…so much amazing cheese.  The Hubs and I could never afford to live in SF…we’d spend every dollar we earned on Saturday at this market.

After the market we walked to Fisherman’s Wharf.  I already knew that the wharf was a touristy place IMG_5154but I specifically wanted to see the sea lions who sunbathe near one of the piers…and they were well worth the walk.  I just love to hear them bark.  Plus this spot was great for a shot of Alcatraz.

We then hopped in a cab to the Golden Gate Park to see the Japanese Tea Garden.  It was so lovely.  The admission is $6 and it’s well worth it.  Incredibly beautiful manicured IMG_5175 2gardens, the largest koi fish I’ve ever seen and lovely Japanese sculptures and structures.  Plus a tea bar! It’s a great place to spend an hour and relish in the tranquility and beauty.

After visiting Golden Gate Park we headed to the Mission district to eat lunch.  We found a great Irish pub called the Phoenix and had beers and boxty. We then hit the shopping area near our hotel in Union Square.  This is a shopper’s paradise.  Every major department store, speciality store you can imagine is in this ‘square’ and we soon realized we were trying to shop on a precious Christmas shopping Saturday! The stores were packed with residents and visitors.  We made our obligatory stop at Niketown to load up on gifts for our son and I found my favorite store, Kate Spade.  We were soon ready to head back to the hotel for rest and to catch the Hogs game on television.

On Sunday we were on a mission to find the best Dim Sum in Chinatown and we found it! We went to theIMG_5185 Great Eastern and it was a noisy, busy restaurant with some of the best Dim Sum we’ve ever had.  The Hubs and I try Dim Sum in every major city and so far NYC has the best but SF is a close second.

After walking and shopping in Chinatown we cabbed it to Japantown to check out the neighborhood there.  This area was much smaller and quieter but we wanted IMG_5191udon noodles and we found a great place in Suzu Noodle House.

I’d read online that the San Francisco Art Institute was having their annual student art show so we went there after our noodles.  The institute is in a beautiful old monastery and the students were set up all over campus selling their art.  We bought a few items and enjoyed visiting with the students.  The views from the institute were just amazing IMG_5201and I am so glad we decided to go.

We went back to the Ferry Building for our final foodie check list item…oysters! The Hog Island Oyster Company is located in the Ferry building and usually has a wait to be seated but is well worth the wait.  We had a dozen or so of the best oysters I’ve probably ever had in my life.  So glad we made this our dinner destination.

I loved my 48 hours in San Francisco, I feel like I got to see a great deal of the city in just two days.  We didn’t get a great photo of the Golden Gate Bridge and we didn’t go to Alcatraz but for the most part I was very pleased with our visit.  It was my first time to the bay city and I would definitely visit again.