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Things to do in San Francisco - Delicious egg custard tart at Golden Gate Bakery in Chinatown.The egg custard tart at Golden Gate Bakery has a flaky crust and it is especially good when still warm from the oven. Usually, there is a line of people wait to but the delicious treat. The last time I was there, I waited for around 20 minutes. I was killing time so it was worth the wait. So if you are in Chinatown near Grant Street between Jackson & Pacific Streets, check out the egg custard tart at Golden Gate Bakery.
Note: There are times when they are closed for "vacation" for a number of months or randomly on certain days. Therefore, be prepared to be disappointed :-( if they are not open.
Things to do in San Francisco - The San Francisco Ballet is an excellent ballet company. This season, they have the Unbound series, which are brand new works of 12 innovative international choreographers. I am very much looking forward to watching the series which start on April 20th until May 6th.
The Batteries to Bluffs Trail is a trail that goes up and down the hillside (bluffs). Therefore, you will have to be fit to do this trail or you will have to keep resting especially on the way up. On a clear day, you will have a great view of the Golden Gate, Pacific Ocean, Golden Gate Bridge and the Marin Headlands. Most of the year, it will be windier and colder in this area so dress accordingly.Click this link for more information about the Batteries to Bluffs Trail.
This self-guided instructions for the Batteries to Bluffs Trail can be done in conjunction with the instructions for the Lands End Trail and then hike all the way to the Golden Gate Bridge. If you do the Lands End Trail first (see the Mar. 5, 2018 post, updated July 19, 2021), you will have to do the Batteries to Bluffs Trail instructions backwards because the Batteries to Bluffs Trail directions starts from the Golden Gate Bridge area. If you do the Batteries to Bluffs Trail directions first then you will have to do the Land End Trail directions backwards.
Note: If I were to do both the Lands End and Batteries to Bluffs trails, I would start with the Lands End Trail and then after Baker Beach hike the Batteries to Bluffs trail and then walk to the Golden Gate Bridge. If you follow this suggestion, I also recommend that you get to the Golden Gate Bridge no later than 2:00 pm so you can take nicer pictures because of where the sun is positioned. Depending on how fast you hike and how long you want to linger at certain spots, I think you will have to start from the Lands End Lookout by 12:00 pm because according to Google Maps, it will take most people 1 hour and 13 minutes to walk approximately 3.4 miles from the Lands End Lookout to the Golden Gate Bridge.
Also, for other things to do in the Presidio, click on the label = Urban Trek USA Tips Presidio. And for specifically just the hiking trails in the Presidio,click on the label =Presidio Trails.
Note: Pdf version of directions available upon request.
From the Golden Gate Bridge walk south along the Coastal Trail. After you pass Battery Godfrey, you will see this marker:
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Continue walking south along the Coastal Trail until you see this garbage can and the sign for the start of the Batteries to Bluffs Trail on your right side:
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Go down the stairs and look on your right side for this bench (a little bit hidden) that has a pretty nice view:
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Go back to the trail and keep walking down until you see the sign for Marshall's Beach:
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Turn right when you see the sign and walk down to Marshall's Beach (Note: Marshall's Beach is a clothing optional beach so if you are with children and you do not want them to see naked people then do not go unless there are no naked people there.)
After you enjoy the view from Marshall's Beach, walk back to Batteries and Bluffs Trail and turn right. There will be several spots with nice views so make sure you look back towards the Golden Gate Bridge every now and then.
As you are headed up the hill, watch out for this interesting Field Note:
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Note: There are several Field Notes around the Presidio. For more information about them, click here.
Continue on up until you get to Battery Crosby. If these chairs are still there, check them out:
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After Battery Crosby, keep going until you get to the Coastal Trail where Lincoln Blvd. is and turn right.
Keep walking along the Coastal Trail (Lincoln Blvd) until you pass this sign:
(Note: Do not take Sand Ladder to Baker Beach unless you want to see the naked people.)
After you pass the sign above, you will see another trail on your right that will lead you to Baker Beach. When you get to this point follow the trail to the left to the G rated part of Baker Beach:
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Go own this path to the beach:
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PLEASE READ: If you do not want to proceed to the Lands End Trail and want to go back downtown, the Muni #29 bus has a bus stop at the upper entrance to Baker Beach. You will have to walk to the gate at Gibson Rd and Bowley St and there will be a bus stop as shown below:
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Take the Muni #29 bus to 25th Ave. and California St. (Note: This is the fourth stop from where you will start so it will be a short ride.)
After you disembark, cross to the other side of California St. so you will be where the gasoline station is located. There will be a bus stop for the inbound Muni #1 bus (Stop ID 13840). Take the Muni #1 bus headed to Drumm & Clay. The Muni #1 bus will pass the Inner Richmond, Laurel Heights, Presidio Heights, Pacific Heights, Nob Hill, Chinatown and Financial District neighborhoods so you can disembark wherever you want to go.
Another way to get to downtown is via the PresidiGo Presidio Hills & Downtown shuttles. Due to the pandemic, it seems service have been (temporarily?) discontinued on weekends. Click here to the web page showing the service cut announcement. Hopefully, weekend services will resume when things go back to pre-pandemic days.
These are the two PresidiGo Presidio Hills shuttle stops near Baker Beach as shown in the photo below:
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Take the Presidio Hills Shuttle to the terminal in the Presidio and then take the Downtown shuttle to go downtown. Outside the Presidio, the Downtown shuttle stops at Van Ness & Union, Davis & California Streets (near the Hyatt Embarcadero) and SF Transit Center (Howard & Beale Streets).
Click here for PresidiGo shuttle Rider Guide and other important information like when visitors are allowed to ride for free and when visitors are not allowed to ride. (Note: The Muni #43 bus does NOT go to the Presidio at this time (as of August 16, 2021) but that might change when things get back to pre-pandemic days.)
(Note: I personally would do the Lands End Trail to Baker Beach to Batteries to Bluffs Trail to Golden Gate Bridge to Crissy Field to Marina Green to lower Fort Mason to upper Fort Mason. Or if you want to split into two, then Lands End to the Golden Gate Bridge and then upper Fort Mason to Crissy Field. The directions were done the way they are because most people are coming from the Fisherman's Wharf area and not the Lands End Lookout area.)
Things to do in San Francisco - Picnic at the Presidio. From the middle of March (Mar. 18 in 2018) to late October (Oct. 21 in 2018), every Sunday, Picnic at the Presidio is a good thing to do on a nice day. There are a whole bunch of good food vendors. (Note: Be prepared for long lines when there are a lot of people.)
In addition to the excellent food choices, there are a bunch of things to do after lunch. For example:
- You can hike to take the FREE Crissy Field PresidiGo shuttle to the Golden Gate Bridge and/or Crissy Field. The PresidiGo shuttle leaves from the Presidio Transit Center, which is walking distance from the Main Parade Ground.
- You can take the FREE Presidio Hills PresidiGo shuttle to Baker Beach. The Presidio Hills PresidiGo shuttle also leaved from the Presidio Transit Center and another stop near the Main Parade Ground is the one at Pershing Square (corner of Moraga Ave & Arguello Blvd).
To get to the Presidio by Muni bus, take the #43 bus that stops at the Presidio Transit Center or the #45 bus that stops outside of the Presidio (Lyon & Greenwich).Note: If you take the #45 bus, you can walk to the Main Parade Ground (a bit far) or transfer to the OUTBOUND #43 bus at the bus stop at Lombard & Lyon (Stop ID 15282). You can also take the #28 bus to Richardson & Francisco stop and walk a couple of blocks to transfer to the outbound #43 bus at noted previously.
To get to the Presidio via the FREE (on weekends) PresidiGo Downtown shuttle, the shuttle stops at the following stops every 30 minutes: Transbay Terminal, Embarcadro Center (Drumm & California) and Van Ness (corner of Union).
Coming soon! More information about the various Presidio hiking trails with Label = Presidio Trails. Check back in a couple of weeks.
Things to do in San Francisco- Food - Mochi from Benkyodo Japantown.The blueberry mochi is my most favorite of all. I can have six of them in one sitting. However, all the other mochi at Benkyodo are delicious. The mochi is so soft like no other mochi I have ever had.
Joining an urban trek walking tour in San Francisco is the best city tour because, in addition to being a very small group, you will get to really EXPERIENCE San Francisco by walking the streets, alleys and see the "secret spots" of each neighborhood you will visit. A "secret spot" is a place that usually has an awesome view without the crowd.
Things to do in San Francisco? On Friday, the Friday Free Lunch with purchase of 2 cocktails at the Comstock Saloon in the North Beach neighborhood. This #UrbanTrekUSATips courtesy of Urban Trek USA, a SMALL GROUP & TOP RATED San Francisco tour. Get off the tour bus, urban trek with us!
One of my favorite bars in North Beach is the Comstock Saloon. They have very good cocktails and food. My #UrbanTrekUSAFavorite is the Cherry Bounce ($12). Comstock Saloon recently hired a new chef who I follow on Instagram and the dishes he posts look yummy. I took advantage of the Friday Free Lunch (with purchase of 2 cocktails) today to check out the food. Well at least one of them. I also tried two cocktails I have not had before (usually have the Cherry Bounce). Between the Bamboo ($11) and the Scofflaw ($12) cocktails, I prefer the Scofflaw because it is very similar to the Cherry Bounce. The Bamboo reminds me of a Negroni, which I also like. The free lunch today was the Beef Stroganoff. It was good and just the right size for me that I was not totally stuffed after lunch and having two cocktails.
If you are in San Francisco and want a bit of a bargain, check out the Friday Free Lunch at the Comstock Saloon in North Beach.
Note: What I really want to try is the hamburger. The photo posted on Instagram looked totally yummy. I will check it out next week. Too bad it is not part of the Friday Free Lunch. 🌝
I am addicted to the bread pudding at Tartine Bakery and the Canneles de Bordeaux at Tader Joe's. Both the bread pudding and the Canneles de Bordeaux have this "custardy" portion that is so good.
The bread pudding from Tartine Bakery has seasonal fruit. It has just the right amount of sweetness to it. I personally do not like desserts that are too sweet. To most people, bread pudding does not sound that appealing. However, the bread pudding at Tartine Bakery is, in my opinion, the best thing they have at Tartine Bakery. If you are in the Mission neighborhood, check it out. Tartine Bakery is at the corner of 18th Street & Guerrero.
The Canneles de Bordeaux at Trader Joe's in in the frozen food section. Therefore, you will need to have a microwave oven. I cannot eat just one of them. The box comes with four delicious canneles and I have to eat all of them. There is a Trader Joe's at 4th Street (near Market) where the Old Navy store is located. There is another one on California & Hyde in Nob Hill. Another one in Fisherman's Wharf at Bay & Mason. Another one at Masonic near Geary in Laurel Heights.
The Lands End Trail, on a clear day, has a super gorgeous view of the Pacific Ocean, the Golden Gate and the Golden Gate Bridge. I believe you have to be reasonably fit to be able to hike the trail because of the up and down terrain. You will have to be more fit if you go to Mile Rock Beach because you will have to go down a pretty steep slope and then go back up that same hill. However, the Lands End Trail is still worth doing even if you are not able to go down to Mile Rock Beach.
I recommend starting from the Lands End Lookout and walk towards the Golden Gate Bridge because the view is better that way (heading to the Golden Gate Bridge) instead of going the other direction (away from the Golden Gate Bridge). If you hike from the Golden Gate Bridge to the Lands End Lookout, just make sure you look back every now and then for the view.
IMPORTANT: Fog can play an important role (a bad one) in your enjoyment of hiking the Lands End Trail because you will not see much if it is foggy. I recommend checking before you head out to see whether or not it is foggy. However, fog can come and go just like that so the morning can start as foggy but the fog can burn by noon. Summer has more fog than fall and winter. What I recommend is to check the webcam at Crissy Field(here), and you can point the webcam to the Golden Gate Bridge. If there is fog at the Golden Gate Bridge then most likely there will be fog at the Lands End Trail. Refer to photo below with some instructions on how to use the Crissy Field webcam:
(Note: You can change the preset view only when "Controls available" is showing in the box at the lower left of the screen.)
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Note:If it looks like the Crissy Field webcam noted above is temporarily out of service, click here for the webcam at the Golden Gate Bridge itself
What to wear: The temperature between downtown San Francisco and the Lands End Trail area can be 5 to 10 degrees F colder because of the wind and water. Therefore, I strongly recommend that you dress for (or are prepared for) colder temperature (i.e. dress in layers so you can add or remove as needed).
Directions for exploring the Lands End Trail:
The Muni #38 and #38R buses all go close to the Lands End Lookout. The bus stop closest to Union Square in the one at Geary Blvd (corner Powell) where the Westin St. Francisco Hotel is located. Take one of those buses to the very last stop at 48th Avenue & Point Lobos. (Note: There are #38 buses that go to the VA Hospital or Balboa & 33rd Avenue. These routes will NOT go to 48th Avenue. Therefore, make sure you ask the driver if the bus goes to 48th Avenue. If you happen to take the bus that does not go to 48th Avenue, just get off the bus at Geary and 33rd Avenue and then wait for the #38R or #38 that goes all the way to 48th Avenue & Point Lobos.)
Possible Detour:
- When you get off the bus at 48th Avenue & Point Lobos, you will be near the entrance to Sutro Heights Park. You can wander around the park where you will have a nice view of Ocean Beach if it is not foggy.
- If you want something to eat before hiking the Lands End Trail, check out Louis’ at 902 Point Lobos Avenue, just a bit down the hill form the Lands End Lookout. The food is good and some booths have a great view of the Pacific Ocean.
As of May 14, 2023, these are the operating hours for Lands End Lookout:
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You can double check the hours of operation here in case there has been a change.
This is what you will see from the Lands End Lookout:
Possible Detour:
- You can walk down the hill to the Sutro Bath ruins if you like before starting your hike of the Lands End Trail. Just note that you will have to walk back up the hill if you walk down.
Follow the trail signs. Note that the Lands End Trail is part of the Coastal Trail so don’t be confused if the sign shows “Coastal Trail.”
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As you go further along the Lands End Trail, this is what you will see:
Possible detour:
- When you get to the Eastern Coastal Trail Overlook you will see stairs leading up to the USS SF Memorial. This is how the stairs look from above:
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- If you go up the stairs to the USS SF Memorial, this is the best view from the top by the parking area:
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As you walk past the Eastern Coastal Trail Overlook, this is what you will see:
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Possible Detour: - When you see this sign, you can go down the steps to Mile Rock Beach:
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- Mile Rock Beach is worth seeing but you will have to walk down the hill and then walk back up the hill. Make sure you look for the sign showing the stairs that will lead to Mile Rock Beach. This is what you can see at Mile Rock Beach:
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Additional information with regard to the labyrinth that used to be at Mile Rock Beach:
Read:This article from August 14, 2021 is about the destruction of the Lands End labyrinth. I am sad and very infuriated that people would do such a thing. Hopefully, it will be resurrected in the future.
Additional reading:This article from January 24, 2022 is about two people who attempted to rebuild the labyrinth but found out that they would not do it so installed something else instead, which I think is a good substitute.
Here is a video of what you can expect to see as you walk the rest of the Lands End Trail until Lincoln Park:
After the Lands End Trail:
When you get to the end of the Lands End Trail, you will be at the entrance to Lincoln Park. From that
point, you have the following choices:
A: You can visit the Legion of Honor Museum. To do so, walk up hill along El Camino Del Mar.
B: Go back downtown. To do so, walk south on 32nd Avenue to California Street. There is a bus stop at
the southeast corner of 32nd Avenue & California Street for the Muni #1 bus. Take the #1 bus which
will pass the Outer & Inner Richmond, Laurel Heights, Pacific Heights, Nob Hill, Chinatown and
Financial District neighborhoods. (Possible Detour: You can stop at Pacific Heights. If you get off at Sacramento & Fillmore,
Fillmore Street between Jackson Street and Sutter Street is lined with high-end boutiques,
restaurants & cafes (refer to list provided to you of Urban Trek USA’s favorite restaurants in
Pacific Heights). You can also use the instructions for exploring Pacific Heights if you get off at
Sacramento & Octavia.
C: You can walk all the way to Baker Beach. To do so, walk east along the El Camino Del Mar and then
turn left at Sea Cliff Avenue. Make sure you turn left when you reach the fork on the road when the road
splits between El Camino Del Mar and Sea Cliff Avenue as shown in the photo below:
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Keep walking on Sea Cliff Avenue to 25th Avenue. Turn left on 25th Avenue until the end where you
will see a gate that will lead you to Baker Beach. Refer to photo below showing the gate:
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For some information about Baker Beach with videos, photos and more directions, click here.
From Baker Beach:
1) You can take an easier walk directly to the Golden Gate Bridge if you follow the Coastal Trail.
3) You can go toPresidio Tunnel Tops and Presidio Transit Center by taking the FREE PresidiGo South Hills shuttle. There are two stops near Baker Beach: one at Lincoln Blvd & Pershing Drive <stop #10> and one at the 25th Avenue stop at Lincoln
Blvd & Lobos Valley <stop #9>. Refer to PresidiGo South Hills shuttle map below:
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(Video of what you can see at Presidio Tunnel Tops)
PLEASE READ: The last part of the directions mention the PresidiGo South Hills shuttle. Click here to the web page showing the South Hills shuttle schedule plus information on the Downtown shuttle. The Downtown shuttle is also free on weekends and certain times on weekdays. Check the website for details. The Downtown shuttle has two stops downtown: Drumm & California Streets and the Transbay Terminal at Howard & Beal Street. Therefore, the Downtown shuttle is an option for you if you want to visit Tunnel Tops and then go back downtown.
Also, for other things to do in the Presidio, click on the label = Urban Trek USA Tips Presidio. And for specifically just the hiking trails in the Presidio, click on the label = Presidio Trails.
(Note: I personally would do the Lands End Trail to Baker Beach to Batteries to Bluffs Trail to Golden Gate Bridge to Crissy Field to Marina Green to lower Fort Mason to upper Fort Mason. Or if you want to split into two, then Lands End to the Golden Gate Bridge and then upper Fort Mason to Crissy Field. The directions were done the way they are because most people are coming from the Fisherman's Wharf area and not the Lands End Lookout area.)
