San Francisco: One Visitor's Viewpoint

San Francisco is a wonderful city to visit.

It offers much to appeal to tourists, including the famous Golden Gate Bridge which is pictured below. I took this photo as well as the other photos in this article.

My three-day visit seemed to go quickly. I’d loved to have enjoyed more time to see and experience many things I missed.  

However, my three days from arriving Sunday afternoon, June 7^th, 2026, until departing Wednesday afternoon, June 10^th 2026, allowed me to see many of the main tourist attractions.

Arrival

I arrived via an Amtrak train to Emeryville, California, which is located across the San Francisco Bay from San Francisco. Then I took an Amtrak Thruway bus from Emeryville across the Bay to San Francisco.

The scenic bus ride offered great views of the San Francisco skyline, the Bay, etc. 

Weather

One of the first things I did upon arrival in San Francisco was put on a winter coat I had been carrying. The coat felt good in the cool air and wind that afternoon.

The weather in San Francisco in June can indeed be cold, though it can also be warm. I experienced both during my days there.

It even rained a bit one afternoon, which is rare in June in San Francisco. The brief drizzle was officially a trace of rain according to the National Weather Service.

But it was enough to get streets damp, get some cars to turn windshield wipers on, and for at least one person to get an umbrella out.

My umbrella was buried in the bottom of my backpack, and I didn’t get it out, primarily because I didn’t locate it in a quick search of the backpack.     

The Golden Gate Bridge

This iconic bridge in northern San Francisco is probably the city’s most recognizable feature. Seeing and crossing it was at or near the top of my list of things to do in San Francisco. That's me pictured above, standing near the bridge before walking across it.

The HIUSA Fisherman’s Wharf hostel I stayed at was a reasonably short walk from a bus stop for the San Francisco Muni route 28 bus to San Francisco’s Golden Gate Bridge. I rode it to near the bridge.

Before crossing the bridge, I enjoyed reading many plaques that were located near the bridge that described the bridge’s construction and its history. I also visited the Golden Gate Bridge Welcome Center located nearby.  

Then I walked across the Golden Gate Bridge and back. It took about 45 minutes to walk across but only about 35 minutes to walk back, since on the return trip I stopped less frequently to look at scenery and take photos.

Pedestrians can only walk on the east side of the bridge. Furthermore, the bridge is closed to walkers during the overnight hours.

I was glad I was wearing my winter coat with a hood, since the cool temperatures and wind would have made me cold otherwise.

I enjoyed great views of the San Francisco area from the bridge.

Below is a photo of part of San Francisco that I took from the bridge.

I saw no fog during my visit to the bridge. However, a few hours after I crossed it, as I passed near the bridge on a bus back from Golden Gate Park, the bridge area was obscured by fog.

San Francisco is notorious for its fog, which apparently is worst in June, July, and August. The fog even has names, including KARL, June Gloom, and Fogust. 

Golden Gate Park and the Pacific Ocean

Golden Gate Park is a huge park in western San Francisco that features a wide variety of things to see and do. The sign above provides a map and list of some of the park features. 

I took the route 28 bus from near Golden Gate Bridge to Lincoln Way which borders the southern edge of Golden Gate Park. Then I walked west some blocks and took a path north into the park.

I toured part of the western area of the park including seeing two windmills, the Murphy Windmill and the Dutch Windmill, which are both pictured below, the Murphy Windmill first.

I also viewed lots of flowers and other plants that I didn’t recognize.

I even saw the Pacific Ocean for the first time in my life, which is just past the western end of the park. 

The Pacific is pictured below.

I did not visit the eastern part of Golden Gate Park, which is apparently its best area.

That portion contains the Conservatory of Flowers, Japanese Tea Garden, de Young museum, Strybing Arboretum, the California Academy of Sciences, and much more. I hope to visit that area on a future trip.    

Bookstores and the San Francisco Main Public Library

I love to read and enjoy visiting bookstores and libraries.

San Francisco features many bookstores for a city its size. While there I browsed three of the bookstores, including the iconic City Lights Bookstore. Below is a photo from inside the bookstore, followed by one of its front exterior.

I also enjoyed briefly browsing part of the large San Francisco main public library.

Lodging

I enjoyed staying at the HIUSA Fisherman’s Wharf hostel. Its great location near several tourist attractions and its reasonable price appealed to me.

If you don’t mind staying in a dorm style room with other people and sharing a bathroom, I recommend it highly.

Alcatraz

I took a ferry from  pier 33 to Alcatraz Island and toured the former prison. The audio cellhouse tour which is included with the admission cost provided educational, entertaining details about the prison and its history.

Below is a photo of one of the prison cells.

I was especially amazed by the variety of beautiful flowers and birds that inhabit Alcatraz island.

The photo below shows some of the flowers in one of the many flower gardens on the island.  

The ferry ride to and from the island offered great views as well.

Below is a photo I took during the return ferry trip that shows part of San Francisco.

Cable Cars

San Francisco has three iconic cable car routes.

I rode the Powell-Hyde route from its beginning point near the Bay to its end near Market Street, then rode parts of it three additional times to destinations I wanted to see.

I also rode a Powell-Mason route cable car from its beginning point near the Bay to its end point near Market Street.

At various times, I rode inside a cable car, outside on a bench, and even rode standing holding on to a pole. It was a nice experience each way.

On a future visit to San Francisco I hope to ride the third cable car route, the California Street cable car route.

I also hope to ride the Powell-Hyde route in the opposite direction from near Market Street to near the Bay to experience the great view of the Bay and the exhilaration of the steep decline as it goes down the hill toward the Bay. 

Public Transportation

San Francisco is blessed with a quality mass transit system. It features three iconic cable car routes, its F-line street car route, numerous buses, underground rail transportation, and ferries.

Below is a photo of one of the F-line  street cars.

Since San Francisco is bordered on three sides by water, its two bridges and the ferries likely get lots of use.

BART (a rail mass transit system) offers service to the airport, Oakland, and other areas. 

Pier 39 and the Embarcadero

Pier 39 is a big tourist area. For me its highlight was seeing the sea lions at Pier 39. Below is a photo of some of them.

I also browsed by some Pier 39 shops. The only thing I bought was a ½ pound round loaf of bread from the  Boudin Bakery store.

I enjoyed walking along part of the Embarcadero. The Embarcadero is a long scenic walking area with numerous businesses that extends from San Francisco's Fisherman's Wharf area on one end to past the Ferry Building on the other. 

Ferry Building Farmers’ Market and Ferry Building

I visited a Tuesday Farmers’ Market in front of the Ferry Building. That market is one of several farmers' markets in San Francisco. I enjoyed seeing the variety of produce and other items for sale.

I accepted an offer of a tasty free sample of mixed California fresh fruit.

The Ferry Building itself is located near the southern end of the Embarcadero near Pier 1.

The building features many restaurants, as well as being a point of departure and arrival for ferries.

Below are photos of the exterior of the Ferry Building and of a sign inside the building announcing ferry departure times.  

Chinatown

San Francisco has a large Chinatown featuring lots of restaurants, produce markets, and souvenir shops. 

I enjoyed browsing through much of Chinatown on Grant Avenue and Stockton Street.

Below are photos of the Dragon Gate entrance to Chinatown and of part of one of the Chinatown shops selling fresh produce. 

Museums

I did not visit any of San Francisco’s many museums on this trip, but I hope to on a future visit.

I feel that the Cable Car Museum, the San Francisco Railway Museum, and the Wells Fargo History Museum would all be educational and fun to go through.

I confess less interest in the art museums, but that's just my personal preference.

Food and Stores

I'm trying to adhere to a vegan diet. I ate two delicious vegan sandwiches from the Mariposa Baking Co. location in the Ferry Building: a vegan empanada and a Vegan Delight bagel.

Those were probably my tastiest treats of the trip. The sandwiches and the bread they were on were delicious.

Below are photos of part of the Mariposa Baking Co. location in the Ferry Building and of the part of their menu that shows the Vegan Delight bagel.

In San Francisco I also ate at a Thai restaurant for the first time, the New Thai Elephant restaurant on Bay Street relatively close to the hostel I stayed at.

I ate at a few other restaurants.

But I took many snacks with me to save money on my food bill. I also bought some things at a Safeway supermarket near the hostel, as well as at a Trader Joe’s store also within walking distance of the hostel.

Since I'm trying to adhere to a vegan diet, I avoided the numerous seafood restaurants. I also skipped the souvenir shops. 

I bought sunscreen and a few other things at a Walgreens near the hostel.

"Crookedest Street in the World"?

I enjoyed walking down, then back up, the block of Lombard Street on Russian Hill that is labeled the “Crookest Street in the World.” The label may be hyperbole, but the block does feature an amazing number of curves, eight I think.

Below is a photo taken looking up at that crooked block. The block features lots of beautiful flowers and is a one-way street that goes downhill.   

  

Unusual Outdoor Toilet Available 24-7

I found the outdoor toilet on Market Street pictured below fascinating. It is apparently self-cleaning and free to use, available 24 hours a day. I did not need to try it out.

Some of the Things I Didn’t Get to See on My Visit

During my visit I did not go to the Castro section of San Francisco. That is probably the primary area for LGBTQ activities. That area also includes the iconic Castro Theater, as well as bookstores.

I also did not visit the Mission District, which features numerous murals and some bookstores.

I also did not tour the Presidio and walk up to the Palace of Fine Arts.

I also didn’t experience Coit Tower or get out and walk on Telegraph Hill, Nob Hill, or Russian Hill other than walking the crookedest block of Lombard Street.

I also did not get to Muir Woods. Those woods are located several miles north of San Francisco and include some old growth redwood trees.

Departure and Final Thoughts

I took BART to San Francisco’s airport on my day of departure. My flight was close to on time and went well.

I highly recommend San Francisco to potential visitors. Its variety of restaurants, farmers’ markets, Golden Gate Bridge, bookstores, museums, parks, proximity to Alcatraz, etc., make it a special place.