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San Francisco

The city by the bay

March 2014

10 Days
1 Country
3 Destinations
San Francisco and Oaksterdam

Richard’s work brought us to the San Francisco Bay Area so that he could attend an intensive course at Oaksterdam University. Located across the bay in downtown Oakland, Oaksterdam was founded as one of the country’s earliest schools devoted to cannabis education, covering subjects such as cultivation, business, law, public policy and the developing medical-cannabis industry. Richard completed the program and proudly earned his Oaksterdam credential—certainly one of the more unusual degrees in our collection of travel memories. (Oaksterdam)

While Richard was being schooled in Oakland, we made the most of our time in San Francisco. We traveled around the Bay Area using nearly every form of public transportation available. We rode BART beneath the bay, climbed aboard the city’s famous cable cars and used the historic streetcars and trolleys that rumble along the waterfront. Riding through San Francisco’s steep neighborhoods was part transportation and part sightseeing adventure, with changing views of the hills, surrounding neighborhoods and bay.

We spent time along the piers and the Embarcadero, enjoying the waterfront restaurants, watching the boats and taking in the lively mixture of tourists, commuters, fishermen and street performers. From there, we took a city bus to Golden Gate Park, experiencing more of San Francisco’s residential neighborhoods along the way.

The city’s famously unpredictable weather became part of the story when we were caught in what felt like a sleet storm while crossing the Golden Gate Bridge. The cold wind and icy precipitation came sweeping across the bridge, turning an ordinary sightseeing walk into a memorable—and very chilly—San Francisco adventure.

One of the great highlights of the trip was dinner at The Slanted Door, chef Charles Phan’s celebrated modern Vietnamese restaurant. At the time, it occupied a spectacular waterfront location inside San Francisco’s historic Ferry Building. The Ferry Building stands at the foot of Market Street along the Embarcadero and once served as the city’s principal gateway for ferry passengers arriving from across the bay. The Slanted Door moved into the building in 2004 and became known for its refined Vietnamese cooking and sweeping views across San Francisco Bay. (The Slanted Door)

Dining there combined several things we loved about the trip: inventive food, the energy of the waterfront and a remarkable view of the bay. It was an elegant ending to a visit filled with cable cars, trains, trolleys, pier restaurants, unpredictable weather and Richard’s memorable education at Oaksterdam.

San Francisco Trip Map

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Trip Timeline

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Trip Highlight

San Francisco Cable Car

San Francisco, California, United States

While in San Francisco, we waited in line near a Walgreens to board one of the city’s iconic cable cars. At the front was a man nervously and repeatedly announcing, “I’m first!” to no one in particular. His anxious energy had everyone exchanging amused glances. When it was finally time to board, the cable car attendant clearly recognized the routine and managed it with a knowing smile and practiced ease. We...

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Trip Highlight

Golden Gate Bridge

San Francisco, California, United States

Our San Francisco visit included a walk on the Golden Gate Bridge—until a sudden, cold driving rain cut our plans short about a quarter of the way across. Completely soaked, we caught a public bus back to BART, only to encounter one of the rudest drivers we’ve ever experienced. She not only snapped at us for boarding, but refused to stop for waiting passengers and hurled verbal abuse at others along the way...

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Trip Highlight

Wharf & Pier 7 San Francisco California

San Francisco, California, United States

After exploring the lively Fisherman’s Wharf, we strolled past Pier 7, taking in the fantastic views of the bay and city skyline. Our walk led us to the Ferry Building, where we enjoyed the bustling farmers market. As dinner approached, we headed to The Slanted Door, a renowned Vietnamese restaurant known for its modern take on traditional dishes. Despite the crowd, we were fortunate to find two seats at the...