Three Ways To Travel In Your Own City
San Francisco is 49 square miles of adventure and sights – ripe for keeping my travel mojo alive. I created the Treasure Map Project to find unusual destinations within the city and make day trips out of them. I also got a great writing gig with SFTravel.com and now do monthly assignments on San Francisco activities.
Walking with my camera bag and notebook, I feel my traveler self take over. The sights of San Francisco seem fresh and new to my senses. The people I talk to are knowledgeable locals who want to connect and are eager to share. On the days I “traveled” I went from a transactional resident seeing the same things every day to a open-eyed traveler, bent on catching the magic and specialness of the city.
On Easter Sunday, I donned a headscarf and visited a Russian Orthodox Cathedral to witness 2 hours of jubilant celebration all in Russian. One early Saturday morning, I put on my stretchy pants and tried three breakfasts for an article on Breakfast at the Ferry Building farmer’s market, finding savory donuts and bacon-stacked breakfast sandwiches. The Mission is my failsafe destination when I want to feel all traveley. There, I find gourmet eats, fantastic murals, and another country type of feel.
San Francisco is the urban playground housed in a state of natural wonders. With the help of Zipcar and Avis, I took day trips up and down the dramatic coast, into the Sierras, and always to Napa and Sonoma wine country. The latter of which prompted a coworker to say, “Are you always going to Napa?”
Every time I leave the city, I feel blessed to live so near such gratuitous natural beauty and culture, not to mention exceptional food destinations. With a travelers heart, I treat them as adventures full of discovery, not just a way to “getaway” from the city. Here’s a sampling of my weekend trips, all perfect for a day or weekend away.
