For our recent short weekend trip to San Francisco, I let my significant other plan it since the city is his old stomping ground. This is very different from our other travels – where I obsess over and plan almost every minute of our itinerary.

One of the best parts of being in a relationship is having a built-in travel buddy. There is a reason why many say that travel can reveal your compatibility with someone. The reasons are aplenty:

• It pushes people out of their comfort zone
• You can see how people react on the fly to problems that arise
• Extended time together means long conversations
• Compromise is inevitable as interests vary from person to person

Luckily, my SO and I share a similar sense of humor and particularity. Spending extended periods of time together is usually not an issue. But, we do have differences in planning style and budgeting when it comes to vacations. As far as budgeting goes, we have been making use of our Southwest companion pass.

What We Ate

• WesBurger ‘N’ More – Retro diner vibe with great burgers and crispy tots but the star was the chicken sammie
• El Farolito – Cheap eats, value Mexican spot. Line was out the door but it moves fast. They’re famous for their Mission burrito which is something San Franciscans take very seriously. This one tops many lists and brackets. (Yes, brackets…)
• B Patisserie – MUST try the kouign amann and the banana chocolate croissant. They just won a James Beard award for outstanding baker so this rec is SOLID.
• Hai Ky – This is my jam for comfort food! I could eat noodles and soup daily, and this place delivers. They offer thick or thin egg and glass noodles AND either soup or dry noodles.
• Ferry Plaza Farmers Market – Highlight is the Roli Roti porchetta sammie with crispy pork skin and caramelized onions.
• Boba Guys – Strawberry matcha was on the sweet side for me. I didnt taste much matcha, just strawberry syrup. Their classic milk tea tastes just like it should with a strong tea flavor (how I like it).

What We Saw

• Fisherman’s Wharf – Needs no introduction as this is a San Francisco cornerstone. The weather was nice (sunny! and breezy!) so we grabbed a coffee and some sweets and caught up on things going on in our lives.
• Lombard Street – Crooked street on top of a hill with 8 hairpin turns in the middle of an affluent neighborhood. It’s quite steep, but we had to get in our steps and honestly the view from the top of the city was equally as gratifying than seeing the winding street itself.
• de Young Museum – We didnt actually go into the exhibit portion of the museum and went straight up to the top of the observation tower. Best views of SF!
• Japanese Tea Garden – Small garden with its own entrance fee located a walk away from the de Young museum. We were lucky enough to see cherry blossoms when we went!
• Haight Ashbury – Iconic neighborhood where the hippie movement started. This street has stayed true to its roots. Packed with vintage shops, tie-dye everything, smoke shops, tattoo parlors, and awesome graffiti artwork. Even the Nice Kicks on this street fits the hippie theme.
• Hayes Valley – This neighborhood was great to walk around, people watch, shop, and eat around. Its obvious that this area went through a revival of some sort. You get a mix of small village kind of feel with hip and trendy boutiques. Salt and Straw also opened up a store here, so you know this area has been vetted. They seem to have a knack for placing their stores right before an area blows up in popularity. Case in point: the arts district in DTLA.

 

It felt good giving up the planning reins and going with his flow. I got to experience the city the way he wanted to show me, and I have to say, he did well with this San Francisco trip!

I am currently planning our international trip for next weekend, so stay tuned to see what I come up with!