what's the deal with "touristy" always being a bad thing?
trust me -- i'm the first to love finding the best local
spots when i travel, but sometimes you also have to
realize that touristy places are that way for a reason.
i have to stop by these "touristy" places when visiting
new cities, because they are the bustling areas full
of part of a city's personality. of course you can get to
know a place better by exploring unique neighborhoods
and knowing it more personally, but it's also fun to go
where the action is and see what attracts the masses.
like you might have read in this post, when you live
in SF you don't go to fisherman's wharf too often.
trust me -- i'm the first to love finding the best local
spots when i travel, but sometimes you also have to
realize that touristy places are that way for a reason.
i have to stop by these "touristy" places when visiting
new cities, because they are the bustling areas full
of part of a city's personality. of course you can get to
know a place better by exploring unique neighborhoods
and knowing it more personally, but it's also fun to go
where the action is and see what attracts the masses.
like you might have read in this post, when you live
in SF you don't go to fisherman's wharf too often.
at least we don't! i had gone a lot while visiting
on trips growing up, but living here it just seems
so crowded and not worth going to when there
are so many other parts of the city we know and love.
BUT, thanks to our bay cruise with blue & gold fleet
we had an excuse to explore the wharf and we were
pleasantly surprised to return and find it fun +
entertaining! we headed down to pier 39 to hop on
the classic bay cruise which goes out in the bay, under
the golden gate bridge, and around alcatraz with history
and facts about the city being told the entire time.
on trips growing up, but living here it just seems
so crowded and not worth going to when there
are so many other parts of the city we know and love.
BUT, thanks to our bay cruise with blue & gold fleet
we had an excuse to explore the wharf and we were
pleasantly surprised to return and find it fun +
entertaining! we headed down to pier 39 to hop on
the classic bay cruise which goes out in the bay, under
the golden gate bridge, and around alcatraz with history
and facts about the city being told the entire time.
here are a few photos of our bay cruise,
and then some wharf exploring after!
if you can't tell, we love to play tourists
and locals in our own city...keeps things fun!
^^ the most beautiful day on pier 39,
and very crowded as you can see!
^^ hello, sea lions! i want to
take all of you home!
^^ this city of ours, she's a charmer with the
sailboats, sparkling october days, + that view.
somehow even on the warmest day this
bridge attracts the famous fog. in just a few
minutes we went from being hot hot hot
to chilly in the windy fog...welcome to SF!
bridge attracts the famous fog. in just a few
minutes we went from being hot hot hot
to chilly in the windy fog...welcome to SF!
we got engaged just about two years ago in these waters,
so i'll take any chance i have to be out on them with my love.
after the cruise, we were already at the wharf...
so we decided why not stick around for dinner?
walking through pier 39 sort of feels like
disneyland with the crowds, carousel,
crazy shops, and lots of treats!
in true fisherman's wharf fashion we even did
some touristy shopping since i don't have a
49ers hat yet ... should i get it? :)
mini donuts + fresh squeezed lemonade.
what could be better?
proud lefty at the left hand store! 
after we got our touristy fix at the wharf,
we decided to walk along the embarcadero
to red's java house to finally try this famous
hole-in-the-wall favorite right by AT&T park...
in honor of our giants! we got the hot dogs on
toasted sourdough bread buns. AMAZING
amazing amazing and so san francisco. 
we decided on over the moon creamery for
dessert with our cutest friends T&T before
finding their secret view spot to watch the
october fireworks. a pretty good day!
chase's new quad copter toy was put to use
during the fireworks .. he needs his practice
for all of our upcoming trips! it was a little
crazy watching him fly it in the dark... :) i'll have
to learn to not have anxiety when he flies it around!
just another reminder to LIVE it UP
wherever you live! to give touristy places
a chance, to do it all, to find the fireworks,
and to never stop exploring..even your own city!
xo
Looks like you guys had so much fun!! I personally love doing touristy things in Boston - it never gets old to explore the city you love!
ReplyDelete...and again, I'm drooling over your city. I would definitely be doing the tourist things.
ReplyDeleteGreat pics! I love going to Fisherman's Wharf every time we're in SF. :)
ReplyDeleteWe always have to venture into Fisherman's Wharf every once in a while to get some Codmother's!
ReplyDeleteI do touristy things in Chicago all the time - some things, like going to the Sears Tower, only need to be done once but I can't help going to the tourist-y Christmas markets come December, and things like that. Cute post, love all the pictures!
ReplyDeleteI think it's fun to do the touristy things! I mean it attracts people for a reason right it is usually such fun things to check out! I would love to get out to San Fran soon!
ReplyDeleteI love pier 39. My favorite part is the musical staircase! And, I totally own one of those typical touristy California sweatshirts that I call my "sucker sweatshirt" because I bought it on pier 39 the weekend I moved here last year (in July) because I had no idea July could be so freezing.
ReplyDelete