San Francisco Bucket List

Another bucket list, really? I know, I cannot help myself. I'm a serial Type A list maker, dreamer, and doer, so a bucket list is one of my favorite things in the world. That being said, it's also frustrating, amazing, and exhausting how many things there are do in our new town. The bad part of it all is that I want to do it all, and and I want do it now. The only thing keeping me from being able to is a serious lack of time and money. So, as a compromise, we try and work hard during the week so we can play harder on the weekends. With so many things to do and places to see, it would be no surprise to anyone that I have three Pinterest boards to help me remember all the things I want to do here (and it is never ending as I constantly discover more places to go, things to do, events and activities to be a part of). Still, I thought it would be fun to make a list of things within the city and outside that we want to do. I will probably add to it as time goes on and revisit it at the end of each of year. I'm also going to add links as we check things off and I'll share our experience on the blog.

Although I set a strict, no-moving-for-two-years-policy, like I told my Mom the other day, if the right opportunity came our way I wouldn't turn it down. I love San Francisco, I mean I really, really love it (sorry, Papa I don't care if it doesn't love me back), but that doesn't mean I'm not open to other places and experiences in the years to come. I made a list of places and things I wanted to do in Nashville and I'm sorry to say that many of those were never checked off. I'm certain I'm not going to let that happen here. That being said, here's a list of the places we want to go, things we want to do, and things we want to see and experience during our time in San Francisco... However long or short it may be.

Bay Area

Rent a Go car for the day

Indulge in a cruffin from Mr Holmes 

Ride in a seaplane

Eat at the Old Clam House

Visit tank hill at night

Spend a day at Great America

Hike down to Kirby Cove for sunset

Have a beach bonfire

See an outdoor movie in the park

Do a Barbary coast walking tour

Have afternoon tea at the Palace Hotel Garden Court

Have a shabu-shabu dinner in Japantown

Visit the exploratorium

See a sunrise on Mt. Tamalpais

Visit the Conservatory of flowers in Golden Gate Park

Visit the Walt Disney Musuem

Take a night walk through Muir Woods

Beyond the Bay

Visit the Channel Islands

Big Basin State Park

Spend a weekend in Solvang at Christmas

Watch the monarch migration

Antelope Valley Poppy Reserve (March/April)

Spend the night at Safari West

Take Landon to Disneyland

Visit all 21 California Missions (1 down)

Dive among the Kelp at Point Lobos

Visit Joshua Tree National Park

See the Calla Lily's in Big Sur

Visit Burney Falls

Hike to the top of Half Dome

What We've Done so Far

Point Reyes (HERE AND HERE)

Visit Death Valley

Alcatraz

See Yosemite (HERE and HERE)

Check out the Cable Car Musuem

Muir Woods

Decide who has the best ice cream Bi-Rite or Mitchell's (Mitchell's by a long shot!!!)

Explore the Academy of Sciences

Row a boat on Stow Lake

Visit Rosie the Riveter

       Visit the Redwood National Park (quick trip need more time to explore)

Figure out who has the best pizza in North Beach (work in progress- maybe Tommaso's?)

Tour Hearst Castle

Walk across the Golden Gate Bridge

Visit the Jelly Belly Museum (weekday)

Swing at Billy Goat Hill

See Natural Bridges

Hike Alpine Lake/Bontemps/Cataract Trail

Ice Skate Downtown

Bethlehem AD

See the Bioluminescence in Tomales Bay (tried but didn't see the bioluminescence)

Cut down a Christmas Tree

Natural Bridges State Beach

Explore the tidepools at Half Moon Bay

Introduced our fur child to the ocean

Spend a day at Big Basin Redwoods State Park

Head up the 16th Avenue steps

Visit Bowling Ball Beach-tried but didn't find it :(

Take pictures at Shark Fin Cove

 See Manzanar

See an Ancient Bristlecone

Have a drink at the famous Tonga Room

Enjoy summer day at the Santa Cruz Boardwalk

Hike to Alamere Falls

 See Mount Whitney

Half Moon Bay pumpkin festival

Spot a California Condor

See the Sequoia's 

See fireworks over the city

Road trip down Hwy 1 to Pfeiffer Beach

Drive across the Golden Gate Bridge

Explore Mono Lake

Palace of Fine Arts at Night

Take a tour of the Winchester house

Visit Golden Gate Park

Hang out in Sausalito for a day

Pinnacles National Park

Visit Angel Island

Visit the Monterrey Aquarium

Land's End/Sutro Bath

Visit the Marin Headlands

Take a Victorian home walk

Tour the Maritime Museum

Marshall Beach at Sunset

Visit lots of wineries in Wine County (Ongoing-Chappellet, Grigch Hills, Sterling Vineyards, Kunde Family, Castello di amorosa, Robert Mondavi, Hess)

Take a ride on the Seward Park Slides

Have a picnic

Take a stroll through the Japanese Tea Garden in Golden Gate Park

Take a long weekend down Hwy 1 

See the Painted Ladies

Learn about the Nike Missile sights

Visit the Farmer's Market at the Ferry Building

Visit Japantown

Walk the Devil's Slide (originally part of Hwy 1)

Fly a kite on Ocean Beach

Fisherman's Wharf

Make a sourdough critter at Boudin

Coit Tower

See the Lone Cypress

Ride a steam train through the redwoods

Take a sailboat around the bay

See General Sherman at Sequoia National Park

See McWay Falls

Find a favorite winery and become a member

Visit Bodie Ghost Town

Take a tour of alcatraz

Ride a cable car

Get to the top of Mt. Diablo

Whale Watching

Visit Pacific Grove when the ice plants are blooming

Point Lobos State National Reserve

Kayak the Elkhorn Slough

Spend a weekend exploring Kings Canyon National Park

See a show at Beach Blanket Babylon

Make a trip to Stinson Beach

Give paddleboarding a try

Go to Lake Tahoe in the summer

Go to Lake Tahoe in the winter

Lassen Volcanic National Park

Visit the discovery museum

Do a full moon tour at Point Bonita

Visit the Oxbow Market in Napa

Go to a Giants game

Grape Stomping at Grgich Winery

Did I miss anything? Let me know we are always open to a few more adventures!