A weekend is clearly not enough time to discover San Francisco, but it was all I could get before starting the business part of my trip. So I tried to make the best of my limited time to explore the different neighborhoods. I could have taken a “hop on hop off bus” but it is not really my cup of tea. So instead I decided to walk, walk, walk ! San Francisco being one of the best US cities to explore on foot, even if its hilly geography can make it quickly tiring.

My base during that trip was the Chancellor Hotel close to Union Square. I started my day with a breakfast at the Starbucks across the street, then walked down Powell Street until the Westfield Mall… where of course I did a bit of shopping. From there I continued on Market Street in direction of the UN Plaza and Civic Center. I passed by the beautiful Golden Gate Theatre where Angela Lansbury was playing that night, too bad the last tickets were terribly expensive.

I noticed that the neighborhood I was crossing was not such a nice area, and indeed I remembered reading about the fact that the Civic Center / Tenderloin districts where to be avoided because of their important homeless population. I walked a bit faster, but nothing happened to me. However I imagine that at night time I would have felt much more uncomfortable.

I chose to continue my way on Grove Street and was happy to see the first signs of the alternative spirit of San Francisco : a community garden , colorful buildings or this guy playing guitar barefoot in the street.

Another thing I was really looking forward to see were the Victorian Houses, also called “Painted Ladies”. They were built between 1849 and 1915 and about 14000 are still visible today. You can find them all around the city, but Hayes Valley is a particularly good spot. I saw a lot of them on Oak, Fell, Hayes streets… my ultimate goal was of course Alamo Square but believe it or not at that point I got lost and missed the iconic “Postcard row” where you see the Painted Ladies in the front and the modern city in the background !

However I made another discovery instead on 749 Webster Street, where a specific house caught my attention. It was not really beautiful but was decorated in the most peculiar way with a giant spider above the door, political posters on the windows and a gate covered by wild roses and all kind of items exhaling a strange nostalgic feeling. It could have been some sort of Halloween decor except we were in February… Very mysterious! I am curious about the story behind that house, if someone knows about it please share in the comments!

I retraced my steps to walk up Haight St across Lower Haight where I was delighted to see a succession of old houses, each one more beautiful than the next. I completely fell in love with Spencer House, an amazing Victorian mansion located at the corner of Haight and Baker. I keep a list of dream houses I would like to buy if I win the lottery one day, and this one just made it to the top ! Coming back home I researched it and discovered it is actually a Bed & Breakfast you can book on Airbnb, and the inside looks as stunning as the outside. No need to tell you that I know where I will stay next time I am in San Francisco !

I also liked the bohemian atmosphere on the neighborhood. It was a Saturday afternoon and some people were just having a glass of wine with their neighbors on the steps of their houses, while having a mini garage sell. The peace symbol on the stairs of Buena Vista Park gave me the signal that was reaching “Hippie Land”. Of course nowadays Haight-Ashbury is a very touristic area, living of the remains of the legendary 60’s, but it is still fun, young and colorful with some interesting street art.

Amongst the numerous stores selling smoking paraphernalia and clothes of questionable taste, you can find a few gems such as Gooring Bros a beautiful shop where you can find a large collection of classic hats for men and women : fedora, panama, floppy… they have it all. Wild Feather sells designer clothing and accessories primarily designed and made locally in The Bay Area. I particularly loved their beautiful fascinators !

If fancy dress is your thing, then the eccentric Piedmont Boutique is a mandatory stop that will take you back to the greatest hours of Disco. The store is unmissable with its famous legs hanging out from the window. And for 50’s nostalgic, Tatyana has all you need to perfect your pin-up look.

After all that walking, I realized it was already past 3 PM and I didn’t have lunch. Absolutely starving, I entered the first restaurant I saw: Burger Urge. It turned out to be an excellent choice as I had what I consider to be one of the best (if not THE BEST) burger of my life ! Also the restaurant’s facade is covered with a massive mural painting in tribute to the “Summer of Love” where you can recognize the faces of George Harrison, Janis Joplin, Patti Boyd… Then I indulged myself with a Ben & Jerry’s ice cream at their famous shop located at the exact corner of Haight and Ashbury streets (very expensive though !).

I would have liked to spend more time around, but I still had so many things to see! Especially a pilgrimage that is common to most French people visiting San Francisco: finding the famous “Maison Bleue”…

****************************** ADRESS BOOK ********************************

CHANCELLOR HOTEL : 433 Powell Street   http://www.chancellorhotel.com/

SPENCER HOUSE B&B : 1080 Haight St https://www.airbnb.fr/rooms/449530

GOORING BROS HAT SHOP :  1446 Haight St   http://www.goorin.com/

WILD FEATHER : 597 Haight St   https://www.facebook.com/wildfeathersf?rf=333487583399007

PIEDMONT BOUTIQUE :  1452 Haight St  http://piedmont-boutique.myshopify.com/

TATYANA :  1529 Haight St    http://www.tatyana.com/

BURGER URGE : 1599 Haight St