Sunny Monday in San Francisco

On Monday, my mom and I spent the day touring the beautiful Bay City. We booked a hop-on, hop-off city tour that would allow us to see all of the big sights without having to walk a ton or pay too many cab fares. We did end up doing a lot of walking, though!

Coit Tower.

We started the morning down at Fisherman's Wharf and hopped on the bus to start our adventure. We briefly stopped at Coit Tower to snag some photos of the firefighter-inspired landmark. 

From there, we took the bus to check out the notorious 'Painted Ladies' hidden amongst the blocks and blocks of beautiful Victorian houses. Thankfully, since they line Alamo Square, they weren't too difficult to fine. The tourists snapping photos are also dead giveaway for the Full House home.

The Victorian homes in San Francisco are absolutely beautiful. There are over 13,000!

We hopped back on the double-decker and made our way to Golden Gate Park, where we enjoyed the beautiful and serene Japanese Tea Garden. This place was seriously a tiny wonderland buried inside a bustling city. Between the koi-filled ponds and the pagodas, this place was just phenomenal. If you're stopping by the Golden Gate Park, this is a must-see!

Japanese Tea Garden inside of Golden Gate Park.

Enjoying the beautiful day at the Japanese Tea Garden.

Next, the bus dropped us off at a spot on the coast where Sutro Baths used to stand, now tourists can visit the ruins. We didn't originally plan to stop here, but the view was irresistible! Near Cliff House, we had wonderful views of the beach, Seal Rock, and the Golden Gate Bridge. 

Panoramic view of the ocean directly above the ruins of the Sutro Baths. 

Our view of the Golden Gate Bridge from Point Lobos. It was stunning.

The final stop before dinner was Chinatown. We entered through the Dragon Gate and walked our way up Grant Street before checking out some alleyways, including Ross Alleyway, where the Golden Gate Fortune Cookie Company is nestled. There, we watched some Chinese women make homemade fortune cookies in an astoundingly quick and effective manner. We were impressed to say the least. We both spent a few dollars to create some personalized fortune cookies to take home as gifts. Stopping in this place is a must while in Chinatown!

Dragon Gate- the main entrance to Chinatown on Grant Street.

Golden Gate Fortune Cookie Company.

Golden Gate Fortune Cookie Company. She's folding our personalized fortunes into cookies.

We wrapped up the evening with dinner at The Stinking Rose, a garlic-centric restaurant in Little Italy. Oh my goodness, it was so delicious! We split a half bottle of red wine and dug into our bread and garlic pesto after a long day. The 40-Clove Roasted Chicken was the perfect way to top off the day. 

The Stinking Rose in San Francisco. Delicious Italian food with plenty of Garlic!

We were once again exhausted after a long day, but it was also totally worth it! After day 1 of our hop-on, hop-off we were looking even more forward to day 2!