One of the things that struck me about San Francisco is how original and gorgeous so many of the houses are. Every single street felt like something out of a postcard, and I couldn’t help but think how lovely it would be to live in a home as gorgeous as these. Here are some pictures of my favorites…

Which of these homes can you picture yourself in? I’m partial to number 7…

As usual, the first thing I wanted to do in San Francisco was check out the views from as high up as possible. The cool thing about San Francisco is that you can get views pretty much anywhere – they do, after all, call it the City of Hills. Still, I dragged Jordan to Coit Tower – 210 feet in the air and just a few blocks from where we were staying – so I could be sure I wasn’t missing a thing.

Getting to Coit Tower

The first thing you need to know if you want to visit Coit Tower is that you have to work for it. The tower itself is at the top of a hill. We climbed the Greenwich Street steps, which is definitely a hardcore workout. They do wind through public gardens and past beautiful buildings, and you can glimpse some previews of the views you get at the top. Next time, though, I would take the bus!

The murals at Coit Tower

Once you make it inside the tower, there are murals depicting life in San Francisco during the depression – fascinating to this history buff, but maybe not to most visitors. And then, you ascend to the top in an elevator (thank goodness, because my feet were past done!)

The views from Coit Tower

From the observation deck you can see all of San Francisco: the Golden Gate and Bay bridges, downtown, and more – we even spotted our apartment building!

If you want to visit Coit Tower: It’s located on Telegraph Hill in the Northeast part of the city – easy to visit the same day you do Fisherman’s Wharf. You can climb the Greenwich or Filbert Street steps as we did, or take the 39 Bus. It costs $8 for non-residents to take the elevator to the top (well worth it), and guided tours are also available for purchase.

For more photos of cities from above: Boston, New York, New York again

I was a little hesitant to visit the Mission District in San Francisco, just because so many people had recommended it to me. I was worried it would be too trendy, too weird, maybe trying a bit too hard.

But after Jordan headed back to Phoenix and I had checked off pretty much every touristy thing on my San Francisco to-do list, I made my way to the Mission District on my last morning. I mainly went to try a restaurant that had a grilled cheese sandwich with macaroni and cheese inside (SO GOOD), but also to see what the fuss was about.

As I wandered down Valencia Street I was struck by how much this part of San Francisco reminded me of Brooklyn (which is where I live). There were trendy coffee shops, an alternative bookstore, a mixture of boutiques and thrift shops. It was cool, to be sure, but I hardly felt like I was on the other side of the country from my home borough.

But then – I stumbled upon Clarion Alley, which is apparently one of several alleys in the Mission donning street art. And I loved it! Not only was the art gorgeous and colorful, it was all purposeful – there were murals protesting everything from capitalism to high housing prices (something this New Yorker can definitely relate to).

All in all, Clarion Alley (and that sandwich, let’s be real) made my visit to the Mission District well worth the long bus ride from North Beach. Sometimes places are popular for a reason!