I recently spent 72 hours in San Francisco and it wasn’t nearly enough time to make the most of the city. We barely scratched the surface! With so little time, I relied on Google to tell me the best places to hit off. Surprisingly, not all of them were that great. Here are the places in San Francisco that were so-so and where I wish I went instead.
SKIP: Fisherman’s Wharf
I can see how Fisherman’s Wharf can be fun. There are sea lions, live music, endless gift shops, seafood restaurants and beautiful views of the bay. There’s actually plenty to see and do, and you could easily spend half a day slowly moving through the wharf.
But being an Aussie who grew up by the water, Fisherman’s Wharf didn’t quite hit the spot. The waterfront restaurants are expensive and the fresh seafood that the stalls are serving up aren’t really that fresh? Sure, the sea lions are cute for a split second and the bay views are decent, but the wharf is still not a place where I’d recommend visitors to check out – especially if you’re on a tight schedule.
If you’ve got your heart set on seeing this place at least once, I’d recommend having a meal beforehand and spending a quick 30 minutes strolling the wharf with a clam chowder in hand. There’s loads more places to check out in SF!
CHECK OUT: Alcatraz Island
If you’re after a half-day trip and enjoy your history with a side of mystery, then Alcatraz Island is a much better alternative to Fisherman’s Wharf. The main attraction of the island is the maximum-security facility which once housed Al Capone, Machine Gun Kelly and the likes.
The only way you can visit is by purchasing a ticket from Alcatraz Cruise, the official ferry and prison tour operator. Explore the prison grounds with a self-guided audio tour which features stories from former inmates and prison guards as you walk through the eerie cellblocks. Fancy yourself a thrill seeker? Visit the island at night and we’ll see who’s a scardy-cat.
I’m not big on museums but with a truly immersive experience like this, I am kicking myself for not planning a visit. Alcatraz wasn’t very high on my radar when I booked tickets to San Francisco and, by the time it was, tour tickets to the island were already sold out!
SKIP: Golden Gate Fortune Cookie Factory
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I can’t express how much I think you shouldn’t visit the Fortune Cookie Factory. For one, it’s not even a factory. It is quite literally a small narrow shop which sells fortune cookies in a variety of flavours and there’s one person sitting in front of a machine folding cookies before packaging them. The one interactive moment you can have here is DIY-ing your own gift by handwriting a fortune aka sentence onto a paper strip and have it slotted into a cookie.
I didn’t do my research beforehand, which is the real cause of all unmet expectations, and was actually expecting them to print out your fortune to make it look like the ones you buy in the shop.
It’s really not that interesting and I strongly urge you to keep moving.
CHECK OUT: Z & Y Chinese Restaurant
To begin, we did check out Z & Y Chinese Restaurant in Chinatown and it is everything that the Yelp reviews say it is. The wait time for a table is insanely long if you don’t have a reservation and service is generally slow. But the food – God, the food!
Serving Szechuan favourites, Z & Y is known for their fish fillet in chilli oil, tea duck, mapo tofu and kung fu tea service. The night that we visited, we waited for over 2 hours before being seated and we feasted on a Dungeness crab fried in garlic, which was a million times fresher and tastier than what we had at Fisherman’s Wharf. There was a mountain of crab meat and seasoned with just the right amount of flavour that complemented the crab’s natural sweetness.
There’s countless classics on the menu and I actually wish we had time to revisit for lunch!
SKIP: Union Square
Union Square was easily one of the most crowded places we visited during our time in San Francisco. The area is similar to most CBD shopping areas which feature a mixture of luxury and popular brands, and well known restaurants and outlets. If SF is your only US stop then, by all means, explore the Macy’s and Neiman Marcus there at the bare minimum. But if you’re short on time and will be moving onto other cities, then I’d give it a pass. There’s really nothing distinct about this place aside from the crowds and traffic.
Another exception would be, if you’re visiting during the Christmas season because there’s a gigantic Christmas tree and ice rink to get you into the holiday spirit. Other than that…
CHECK OUT: Filmore District
For something with a bit more character, I’d opt for the Filmore District in the heart of San Francisco. Known for its independent boutiques, French bakeries, vintage movie houses, jazz bars and al fresco dining, this area is filled with art, history and culture. It’s one of the most diverse and multicultural areas in the city, and has a bit of everything for everybody. When I’m back next time, you’ll find me shopping up a storm on one-of-a-kind pieces before checking out old-school bookshops and just living my best life at a Michelin-starred restaurant with jazz tunes playing in the background.
We actually stayed in Japantown, which is a part of the Filmore District. It’s a seriously photogenic place and is filled with some of the city’s best ramen joints and cute stores carrying everything from anime figures to custom kimonos. Remember to pencil in some time to explore this area!