It’s probably obvious that we’re on a budget. We also want to experience as much as we can on this said budget. This is how we did it in San Francisco in a day.
9AM : Golden Gate Bridge – FREE
We took the last exit before the bridge and drove to the second viewpoint. Perfect photo op if you crop the rest of the tourists out of your photo.
10AM : Parking near Fort Mason – FREE
We had heard that parking might be tough. Apparently we had good luck running across this little gem of a free parking spot.
11AM : Fisherman’s Wharf – FREE
A 30 minute walk from Fort Mason along the water brought us to the famous Fisherman’s Wharf. Keep the wallet in your pocket for now and explore the wharf down to Pier 39. Check out the tourists sea lions and then hunt for some some clam chowder. You’ll have plenty of options so you won’t have to walk too far if your stomach is grumbling!
12PM : Clam Chowder in a Sourdough Bread Bowl – $13.98
We couldn’t say no to this. A couple of big bowls of of red clam chowder kept us going for the rest of the day. Richard is dreaming of this right now…
1PM : Downtown/Chinatown – FREE
You have to walk the streets of downtown San Francisco. The steep streets and classic houses are begging for you to take their photo. We walked through Chinatown to get to a cable car stop.
2PM : Cable Car – FREE
This is also mandatory for a stop in San Francisco. Ride the cable car back to Fisherman’s Wharf. Not sure if this was supposed to be free, but nobody asked for money from us…
3 PM : You’re Done!
Time to walk back to your vehicle and fight traffic on route to your next destination. We heard from a random guy trustworthy Californian that Yosemite was open so we decided to blast Eastbound to the National Park. We’re extremely glad that we did. That’s in the next post…
Sweet, sounds like my kind of itinerary… and budget 😀
ha you are supposed to pay for the trolley, free ride ftw!
I miss living in San Francisco, its a great city
I assume you’re using a Canon camera?
What lenses are ya using?
Just stumbled upon your blog while researching OME suspension lifts for my 89 Toyota Pickup that i’m in the process of making my camping and exploring rig for my GF and I. Just wanted to say, awesome job with your truck, its an inspiration for mine. And this epic trip is an even bigger inspiration for my girlfriend and I! Still catching up on all the posts but really enjoying the pics and literature!
BTW glad you enjoyed SF! Its a awesome city, and not just biased because i live in the Bay Area lol!
I just discovered your blog and am loving your stories… decided to comment on this one because it cracked me up!I was in SF on a road trip last week (by bus! Vancouver to LA) and SF was so expensive (and I live in NYC!) that I wanted to cry a little bit. It’s nice to remember that you can enjoy a city without breaking the bank though. Good luck on your future adventures!