Wow! I have slowly, unwittingly ghosted this blog. Honestly, I forget that it exists most days! But recently I had a friend ask me for recommendations for his trip to San Francisco, and after several visits just in the past couple of years, I was really surprised I had nothing up. So I figured, why not throw California up in one big post?

Starting with San Francisco. We have a history, after all. I have fond memories of visiting my aunt and uncle in San Francisco when they lived there. Please enjoy these ✨vintage✨ photos of little Alix in San Francisco:

Now, although I work in Ireland, and my coworkers are all over the world, my company is headquartered in California. For the first two years, this meant one work trip out to San Francisco per year. We were just south of Union Square, near Rincon Point. It was a nice base to explore from, as I saw parts of San Francisco I’d never seen before.

San Francisco

The Palace of Fine Arts was a recommendation from my aunt, and it didn’t disappoint! They have a number of events on inside, but if you’re not in town for one of them, just strolling the grounds is so lovely-especially on a nice day. It’d be the perfect place to take a picnic and a good book.

I was delighted to see it featured shortly after my visit, on the Netflix show Love on the Spectrum, which is so wholesome!

Just walking around random streets in San Francisco, there’s so much interesting architecture. And one building is entirely different from the next.

Of course, any trip to San Francisco would not be complete without a stop in Chinatown. I have great memories of visiting Chinatown. To this day, I still have a little token on my carry-on suitcase from one of these stores! There are endless shops and restaurants here to browse. If you can make it for the Chinese New Year parade, I’ve heard it’s amazing!

One of my favourite places we ate at in San Francisco as a whole was just past the Chinatown gate at 413-401 Grant Ave, San Francisco, CA 94108, United States. Home Coffee Roasters had really fun coffees (left is their Cookie Monster) and the best avocado toast I’ve had in my life. Right is the Br-Avo.

Another San Francisco staple is Pier 39 and Fisherman’s Warf. The prices of restaurants and things to do in this area will be higher, as it’s the touristy area, but it’s worth popping down to see the seals with all of their bigger than life personalities.

Now for a little hidden gem that I cannot recommend enough. The Filbert Steps. Near the base of Coit Tower, you’ll find these tucked away between the nearby houses. We happened upon this insanely steep staircase at dusk, which added to the vibes. It was so lovely to walk through and enjoy all of the vibrant gardens of these houses. It felt so far removed from the city, but offered gorgeous views while descending.

Nob Hill was another funky little neighbourhood that was fun to stroll through.

One of my coworkers had recommended visiting Salesforce Park. It’s literally a large park on top of the Transit Centre. It’s free to visit, and is well worth it. The gardens are stunning, they have events on like free yoga, and there’s a little bar up top as well. We also thought this little recess cart was super cute!

Despite my trips to San Francisco, I’d never been to Alcatraz. So when Killian joined me on one of these trips, we decided we best see what all the fuss was about. We opted for the night tour, which took us over just before sunset. I will say, that was a prime time to go as we got to watch the sun set from the island, and we experienced it both in daylight and in the dark.

I loooove me some ruins. But I have to admit, I don’t think that it’s worth the visit. It’s overpriced, takes a large chunk of time, and was a nightmare to get back from (more on this in a second). My main problem with it was it’s just an audio tour. There are talks you can attend across the island, which they tell you about when you get there, but they’re at the same time so you have to be really selective about where you want to go. And then it’s just a person talking with a huge group of people around them, no mic. So it’s impossible to hear unless you’re right in front of them.

But the lowest part of the visit was the boat ride back. There were 2 boats back, and because we had such a hard time even hearing the guides talking, we were pretty over it and opted to take the first one back. We went down quite early, and the line was already huge. Basically this ended up being us queuing in the cold for an hour for the boat to arrive. And they didn’t even let everyone on, because there wasn’t enough room. So loads more people had to wait another 1-2 hours in that cold line for the next one.

Basically, if you’re desperate to say you’ve been there, then sure, make it happen! But if you’re on the fence, I personally wouldn’t recommend it. There’s lots more to see and do in San Francisco that I’d rate over Alcatraz!

Walks along the water are scenic, so long as you don’t get a foggy day.

There are several scenic parkways along the water where you can stop to take a break and enjoy some funky art with a beautiful backdrop.

While you’re on the waterfront, the Ferry Building Marketplace is a must-see. It’s filled with beautiful boutiques and restaurants.

Of course, while in San Fran, there’s also the classical trolly cars to see downtown.

You’re bound to come across beautiful art and architecture just walking around, like St. Patrick Church (below).

Palo Alto

Moving on to Silicon Valley. I had never been to Palo Alto before, and was honestly a little skeptical. I thought, “What could possibly be out here?” I thought it would be quite an industrial vibe. But actually, it was lovely! I was surprised at how artsy it was. Lots of funky little additions to buildings and streets.

Also, so much stunning architecture. Strolling around the town was a treat!

This was my first time visiting the infamous Salt & Straw, known for its unique ice cream flavours. May’s flavours this year were all flower-themed. I tried the milk tea, pistachio, and marigold flavours. All were so spot on, and great!!! I opted not to try the culinary perfume spritz for 50c.

Another place I’d highly recommend hitting up for food was Sweet Maple. I chose the Blackstone, which was an eggs benedict with their famous millionaire’s bacon, and the avocado croffle. Both were to die for. They also had an impressive selection of brunch cocktails to choose from.

Another lovely place for food was Pizzeria Delfina. Their outdoor seating area had huge heaters and was so dreamy with all of the wisteria and festoon lights.

One of my favourite things about Palo Alto was the landscaping. There were flowers literally everywhere. They were all healthy, there was a ton of variety, and it made the air smell heavenly while walking around.

Speaking of plants, I was really vibing with this huge tree next to my hotel:

Before leaving the area, we got a rental car and popped over to the Redwood City area. Rather than Muir Woods, we opted to go to a smaller redwood trail that was closer by, the Purisima Creek Redwoods Open Space Preserve.

The drive up was not for the faint of heart. The roads were quite narrow, steep, and dropped off on the sides a number of times. But the view from the top was incredible!

I was also astonished at how many cyclists were out. This was a Friday, middle of the day, and the road was full of them. It was such a high-grade incline. Cannot imagine how they were all doing it!!!

Ironically, these woods had better shamrocks than we do in Ireland most places. They were huge and healthy! I also spotted a banana slug, which I haven’t seen since living in Washington. The whole trail was peppered with beautiful flowers.

Next, was lunch. We drove over to San Jose and stopped in the San Pedro Square Market. Suuuuper duper cute. Just look at that painted crosswalk! In love.

I had found Hella Good Burger on Instagram, which is what we stopped for. I got a burger, waffle fries, and a black cherry shake. All great! There were a ton of other food options, though, and a bar as well, so something for everyone. This Mexican place across from the burgers looked particularly good!

Sacramento

Last, but certainly not least, was the Sacramento area. I’ve visited before, but it had been a looong time. This trip was my first chance to explore the downtown area, which was pretty cute.

Most of our time was spent on Old Town Sacramento. The entire area is full to the brim with funky shops and restaurants, including Evangeline’s-a multi-story costume “mansion”. Any costume you could think of, they had it!

From there, we went to the Old City Cemetery. Now, if you know me, you’ll know I’m a huge fan of old cemeteries. But finding truly historic graves in America can be challenging. I am so glad I stopped at this one and gave it a chance. Not only was it massive, but there was so much gold rush history throughout.

What I really loved was how unique each of the headstone styles were.

At the entrance, you’re greeted with a time capsule. I’d love to know what’s in there, as I don’t think I’ll be travelling to California in 2088!

It was also beautifully landscaped. I really wish I had my DSLR with me!

The reason we were out this way was to have lunch at The Tower Cafe. The website doesn’t do it any justice. The inside and outside of this cafe were stunning! So funky, you really felt like you were on holiday. And the food was amazing. I opted to get the eggs benedict (can you tell I’m a fan?) that came with cornbread in place of the traditional English muffin. That, and their blackberry basil margarita, were fantastic. I’d love to go back on my next trip to Sacramento!

While in this region, it’s a must to go to a winery. We visited Boeger Winery- it really felt like the cream of the crop. A little slice of Italy in California, this winery had pre-made cheese boards, picnic tables, and a waterfall, all nestled within the shade of big leafy trees.

Even on Mother’s Day weekend, we were able to get a seat easily because there are so many little areas to choose from across the property. Highly recommend if you’re in the area!

Nearby is Placerville’s old town. Another gold rush town lined with funky shops and artsy vibes.

While in this area, we also visited Folsom for the Historic Folsom Farmer’s Market on Saturday. The market had a good selection of fresh fruits and vegetables and crafts. I got a peach lemonade and a peach shake from the same place-soooo good. But the best thing in the market? This dog in shoes and a hat.