[Travel Advice] San Francisco for Dads

Oh we fancy. Dads love eating.

Random Observation/Comment #900: Instead of “Eat. Pray. Love.” I’m going to do “Eat. Eat. Eat.”

(Woohoo! I’ve reached 900 blog posts since 2008 when I started blogging!)

//SF is for Dad bromances

Did I lie about my trip? Not on technicality, but I did omit that my neighbor was also going to be conveniently in SF at the same time and had tickets to Portola. The workshop was good, but shenanigans were better.

Things San Francisco Does Well

• Incredible restaurants (if you know where to look and you’re willing to spend money) - The mid price for eating out has become $20 per dish, but if you are willing to go to a more expensive place to spend $30, you’ll get a much better return on the value.

• Golden Gate Park - This place is so gorgeous. I honestly enjoyed it more than Central Park (but I’ve also walked Central Park a few dozen times). In any case, I’d really want to spend more time exploring.

• Beautiful walking and biking city - The pier and bay are just the starting points. I really enjoyed the walks.

• Asians - I’ve missed seeing all of you after leaving NYC! Colorado has a bit of an Asian drought.

• Hills - Lean back and use that core. I think the Google Maps walking directions help with avoiding hills.

• Making you spend way too much money on mediocre alcohol - $20+ for so many mid cocktails. No thank you.

• Making you spend money on Waymos and Lime scooters - I can’t wait for the Waymos to come to Denver. They’re so cool. We also road lime scooters everywhere racking up over $200 Uber lime scootering.

Places we Explored in no particular order

Comedy Club Cheaper Than Therapy - I just walked by this place and decided to go in. I had a few laughs and it put me into a good mood, so I’d say it was pretty successful.

Sobakatsu ($20 per meal set, but I bought two) - This place is super small (literally 11 seats). There’s always a line and it’s very clear why. The soba has a great texture and the tempura is freshly made.

Golden Gate Park - Just come here and enjoy the walk. So pretty.

SF Botanical Garden (Flower Piano) - I would spent a whole day here because it’s less of a garden and more of a forest. The climates they’ve curated are really incredible and massive in size. Flower Piano 10 year anniversary where people just show off playing piano in the middle of a lot of random stages. Such talent. I really just wanted to see more redwoods.

Azalina’s 5 course tasting menu ($100 per person) - Malaysian/Indian food inspirations. Subtle flavors and a lot of really interesting spices and vegetables I’ve never had before. I’m glad I tried it, but might not be for everyone. The tenderloin area felt a bit dicey.

//Mitch has the energy for a much bigger venue. Such a privilege to see him play.

The Saloon for Mitch Polzak live show ($5 cover charge) - Super intimate space for some blues and bottled beer. Surprisingly high quality sound and enough space to feel like I’m in a movement.

Secret Food Tour Chinatown ($80 per person) - I think our tour guide was a famous talk show or radio host who now has become an author. He was really energetic. The food was okay (around 7 dishes), but I appreciated more the stories and history. 3 hour tour.

//The mayor showed up to introduce Christina Aguilera

Portola (Saturday line-up) - The pier 80 location is insane. I loved Bob Moses, Christina Aguilera, and LCD Soundsystem. Great sets and even better location. We had VIP tickets, which were actually worth the extra price for the pocket of better spots. Huge fan of sunset pier stage. 4 stages across 60 acres is pretty damn cool.

La Mar Cocina Peruana San Francisco ($150 per person) - The Peruvian preparation of fish is just so up my alley. The ceviche was so perfectly acidic and delicious. I loved the way they prepared the Pescado Mariscos filet split vertically. That big kernel corn is also so yummy and plump.

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Scoots Ma’goots - This isn’t a place. It’s just what I like to call scootering.

Walking the Bay - Just keep heading West and enjoy the sights.

Golden Gate Bridge - We rented lime scooters and scooted our way around. Warning that you can’t ride past the pier point because the scooters stop working. They also don’t like it when you don’t stay on the right road.

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Wako Japanese Restaurant ($200+ per person) - The omakase here truly changed the way I think about life. I don’t know what I did to get here and eat such good food, but I’m so grateful. This surprisingly beats out some of the best sushi I’ve had in Japan and Manhattan.

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Portola (Sunday line-up) - Even though there were some DJs on stage by 1:30PM, we really didn’t show up until 8PM because we just wanted to see Dom Dolla and The Prodigy.

Dim sum at Dol Ho - Get here at open (9:30AM) and find the line of locals elbowing you out for their own table. This was an absolute treat. Really authentic dim sum that I haven’t had since my last time in Flushing.

~See Lemons Love San Francisco (where’s your disco)