The Best Of San Francisco In 48 Hours

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If there’s one thing I’ve been dreading lately, it’s airports! Before we get into my 48 hours in San Francisco, I gotta tell you I missed my flight. Now, usually, I would be upset because I had 30 minutes to get to my gate. Once boarding begins and you arrive to check your bags, your flight is automatically rebooked (heads-up to the procrastinators like me 🙃).

After all, the universe was on my side. I remained calm and waited anxiously patiently for the customer service representative to rebook us for a flight leaving out at noon. Five hours later, we were finally on our flight to the bay area!

Welcome to San Francisco!

Known for its Golden Gate Bridge and the Painted ladies, made famous in part by their appearance in the “Full House”; it was everything I expected, a beauty! There were endless photo opportunities, from the beautiful bridges to the numerous cafes. After checking-in our hotel, we decided to have ramen for dinner to keep us warm. If you visit San Francisco during the summer, bring a light jacket because the ocean waters draw in the wind and lots of fog.

Marufuku Ramen

Simply delicious! Marufuku is a contemporary restaurant for Japanese ramen, rice bowls, beer, and sake. Now the gag is, the line is long AF. We arrived about 30 minutes after opening and joined the waitlist on Yelp. The good news is that Marufuku is located inside of the Japan Center. While you wait, you can roam around and check out other shops, as well as the yummy dessert spots.

We received a text message our table was ready after an hour wait. The inside was small and intimate. The service was great and the food arrived within minutes. OMG! When I tell y’all heaven flashed before my eyes! The soup was so tasty and flavorful. I ordered the vegetarian ramen with a soft-boiled egg. The egg was seasoned and cooked to perfection with a runny, but solid yolk consistency. It was totally worth the one hour wait!

Fisherman’s Wharf and Lombard Street

If you’re looking for crabs, clam chowder, and sourdough bread bowls, look no further. Fisherman’s Wharf is one of the busiest and tourist areas in the city. While here, we saw/visited Alcatraz Island, the famous Pier 39 sea lions, Lombard Street, and Boudin Bakery.

Boudin Bakery is the definitive home of sourdough in San Francisco. The special flavor in the sourdough comes from the lactic acids produced by bacteria that get into the bread. Since we were at the Wharf, it was a perfect opportunity to give it a try. I ordered the sourdough bread bowl and it was very different from what I’ve had before – it was really tangy and somewhat hard to chew. It definitely wasn’t my favorite.

Known as the most crooked street in the world, Lombard Street is famous for a steep, one-block section with eight hairpin turns. Of course, the earlier, the better to avoid tourists. The street is very beautiful and only a few blocks away from the Fisherman’s Wharf.

Tartine Manufactory

Tartine Manufactory is a popular bakery in San Francisco. We arrived about 30 minutes before opening. The bakery fills-up quickly; it’s highly recommended to arrive early. Once inside, it was very nice. I opted for the french toast with berries, creme fraiche, hazelnuts, and maple syrup. It was super yum, and overall I had a great experience!

Golden Gate Fortune Cookie Factory

Any fortune cookie lovers? Fortune cookies used to be one of the highlights when I ordered Chinese food. You always knew to look at the bottom of the brown paper bag for soy sauce, duck sauce, and fortune cookies. But who knew fortune cookies were invented in San Francisco?!

Golden Gate Fortune Cookie Factory churns out about 15,000 cookies a day. As the manager walks around, he passes out free samples. I love free, so I took a fresh sample and crunched away!

There are options to purchase a bag of fortune cookies, or you can customize your own by writing a personalized fortune. Also, if you’re interested in taking photos, don’t forget to leave a 50 cent tip.

Let’s Wine Down – Napa Valley

Alright, so let’s be honest, my favorite part about this trip was Napa Valley! Napa Valley is one of the most popular destinations in California and is known for its scenery, Five-star farm-to-table restaurants, and hundreds of picture-perfect vineyards. Napa Valley is the perfect day or weekend getaway to wine down and enjoy the beautiful countryside scenery.

Frog’s Leap Winery

Let’s keep this short and sweet! Frog’s Leap Winery is the GOAT! I’ve never been to a winery where I’ve liked EVERY wine. Not only that, but we taste seven different wines and toured the winery all for a whopping $35! That’s a steal in Napa, with most wine tastings ranging around $50+ at some wineries.

Brown Estate Vineyards

There was no way I could visit Napa and not stop by the first and only Black-owned winery in the valley. Brown Estate produces cabernet sauvignon, chardonnay, petite sirahis, but are best known for their zinfandel wines. The inside of the winery was elegant, and the vibe was hella chill yet sophisticated. The customer service was exceptional, and the bartender took good care of us.

Now, let’s get to the nitty-gritty. The wines weren’t my favorite. We did a tasting of four different wines, and I wasn’t a fan at all. I recall one red wine having a peppery taste, and it was very intense. However, this doesn’t take away from my experience. As a black woman, it felt pretty dope being in the first and only black-owned winery in Napa. If you have a chance to visit, you should check it out! Who knows, maybe your wine tasting experience will be better than mine. 😊

Castello di Amorosa

How freakin’ cuteeeee?! Castello di Amorosa is a medieval-inspired Tuscan castle and winery. While searching for wineries, I came across this beauty and had to make a pit stop. As I browsed the winery looking for the perfect place to take a photo, I was intrigued by the castle and Italian vibes.

Although I didn’t try any of the wines, I would recommend stopping by for the view and to capture photos!

That’s all for now! I hope you enjoyed reading about my experience in San Francisco/Napa Valley. As usual, I ate entirely too much, and damn near made myself sick from drinking SO much wine! Comment below any questions! See ya in the next post! 💛

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