San Francisco in February
- Mar 16
- 8 min read
This past February, Brian and I had an opportunity to visit San Francisco for a couple of days. We were not bringing the dogs with us, so this was a trip devoted to humans only. With that in mind, I chose a hotel and activities that prohibited pets.
I found a really lovely little place called the White Swan Inn on Nob Hill that boasted English antiques in every room, flowered wallpaper on all the walls, and wine and nibbles every night from 5-6:30. Our activities for the visit would be museums and hikes that didn’t allow pets.
Being a dog-free trip doesn’t mean that I don’t get to see dogs, though. That would be going cold turkey and I just can’t do that. I need my daily dose of dog or I actually get cranky.
So, on the drive up North, I managed to squeeze in a visit with Julianna and her recently rescued Welsh pup Charlie. Charlie is such a lovely little guy with a happy face and a wildly wiggly body. We greeted each other like long lost friends, though I had never laid eyes on him before.
After a lovely visit with them, we hopped back in the car and continued driving. If you know anything about LA traffic, you will understand why we only made it to Santa Clara that day. But Santa Clara is a great place to stop since our daughter Sofie went to SCU and we know of a super hotel with a Starbucks, Orange Theory, and a Mendocino Grill all in the same parking lot.
The Element Santa Clara, a Marriott property, is a clean and well appointed hotel with good sized rooms, small kitchens and a cocktail bar in the lobby. They also allow dogs, which was good because I managed to arrange a visit with another friend named Kristi and her Welsh Terrier Poppy for the following morning.
After almost three hours of chatting and cuddling Poppy, we drove in to downtown San Francisco and registered at the White Swan Inn.
Appearing to have been built in the early twentieth century, the White Swan is a really fun place and has an old-world charm. It has an old fashioned elevator with two sets of closing gates to operate it and a set of stairs that runs from the English basement, where the dining room is up to the fourth floor.
It was fun to push the button until the elevator started to move and to slide both the gates and the door to enter and exit.
Our room was a small suite that included a powder room, walk-in closet, wet bar, bathroom and bedroom. It was spacious without being large if that makes sense.
We looked out over a small back patio (which was the outside dining room for the Italian restaurant next doors). It was quiet and pretty. Did I mention our room had a working gas fireplace too? I was in heaven.
Museums
During our stay, we spent time at several museums including the Asian Art Museum, the SF MOMA, and the de Young Museum.
By far my favorite of the three was the Asian Art Museum. Not only is their collection incredibly large, but the signage on the displays in many of the exhibits was far more explanatory than many other similar-sized museums.
We caught up with a docent led tour of the modern Japanese Pottery exhibit when we arrived. If you have the chance to go on a docent led tour at any museum, you should. The people who lead these tours have a wealth of information about each piece and can make a work of art come alive through their descriptions and information.
When our guide asked which pottery we would each like to bring home (if we could) every person in the group piped up with their preferences.
I find modern art very interesting and a little perplexing sometimes, so any chance I get to visit a well regarded museum I do. The SF MOMA has a wide variety of artists represented. I stood in front of some large, brightly colored characters that loosely resembled the Michelin Man made of tires.
I saw the various hairlines of the Simpsons characters, as well as a fascinating selection of textile work that I would have loved to bring home.
The de Young museum is housed in a striking building designed by the Swiss architecture firm Herzog & de Meuron in collaboration with Fong & Chan Architects. The shape and design of the building is visually appealing.
The de Young has a fine representative selection of art across the major representative styles. Unlike other museums I have visited, this one does not focus on any one painter or style. If I was looking to introduce someone to a wide variety of artistic periods, I would take them to here.
Though not an indoor museum, we managed to fit in a quick visit to the Japanese Tea Garden. Brian and I both felt like we were escaping back to Japan without the long flight. The Azaleas were in bloom, the moss was green and lush, and it was quiet enough that we didn't have to jostle to get just the right photos.
Japan Town and Haight-Ashbury on Foot
San Francisco has so much to offer and one visit just won’t be enough. If you are willing to walk greater distances and can handle steep hills, you can get a much better feel for the city on foot.
We walked from our hotel all the way to the Golden Gate Park, a distance of about four miles. On our walk we were able to stop and view the architecture,
observe ornate iron gates and bars over some of the windows, and turn off one street, if we saw something worth seeing down another one.
We walked through Japan Town, which is where I would like to stay next time I visit, had a matcha at a small coffee shop, and then walked through a couple green spaces before we arrived at the park. By the time we reached the de Young, we were ready for lunch and an afternoon of indoor exploration.
We also walked through the famous Haight-Ashbury district, where Janis Joplin, Jimi Hendrix and the Grateful Dead all used to hang out. The music of these icons was my music when I was young, and getting a chance to wander down the street and in the shops was a bucket list item.
Other Places of Interest
I have an old guidebook to San Francisco that I brought with me, and it indicated that City Hall was worth a visit. Our hotel was not too far away so we walked over for a visit.
It was a Monday late afternoon when we arrived at City Hall and it looked like a massive photo shoot for Brides Magazine. Beginning on the outdoor steps, there were couples, brides decked in wedding dresses and grooms in tuxedos, everywhere we looked and went.
San Francisco City Hall is a Beaux-Arts landmark with a large central dome and a very ornate rotunda. The grand staircase, just inside the entrance, is a lovely place for a wedding photo.
Not all these brides and grooms were getting married that day. Many were just there for bridal photos. I confess, it made me a little nostalgic for my own wedding day. I would have rather enjoyed being one of those brides getting photographed.
Escaping the City
I had misread the opening days of a museum we were going to see, so we had a free day to plan. Since Brian and I enjoy walking in nature, we hopped in our car and drove outside of the city to the Muir Woods and Mount Tamalpais in Marin.
It had rained heavily during the previous week and the trails were quite muddy. We parked our car at the top of Mount Tam and descended into the lush green interior. I chose an old fire road to hike on, which kept our feet drier.
With each twist and turn of the road, the trees grew taller and older. We encountered small waterfalls, created by run-off, as well as larger more permanent falls. Unleashing our inner child we grabbed two sticks and moved some thickly built up leaves from a gully, so that the water could run move swiftly through a metal drainpipe under the road.
When we finished hiking, we retraced our steps back to the car. The Mountain Home Inn, where we grabbed sandwiches and drinks, was just across the street. Sitting out on their patio overlooking the valley, we listened to the birds and planned our visit to Muir Woods.
To park at Muir Woods you need a timed pass. I took advantage of the WiFi at lunch to reserve a spot. When we arrived at the entrance a woman from the National Park Service greeted us and looked at the reservation we had saved on our phone.
It was mid-afternoon and the weather outside was cool, but the parking lot, and the trails, were full of people enjoying the beauty of these giant Redwood trees.
Standing at the base of a Redwood, I tipped my head back as far as it went and tried to see the tree’s canopy. Perhaps the photo that Brian took of me standing next to the tree can best convey the size of these ancient behemoths.
Food
A trip anywhere is not complete without food and this trip provided us with a couple good meals.
We dined at Morella’s with a friend of our daughter in the Marina District. The restaurant was loud and lively, and the food was delicious. I had the Lamb Ragout and it was a standout dish. the restaurant is known as a place where 30 and 40 somethings come to hang out in groups and on dates. That didn’t prevent us from having a delightful meal.
The second night we had dinner at an English pub that was run entirely by Koreans. When I asked for a tonic water, I was told that they didn’t have any. “We only serve beer and Korean drinks.” While Brian’s fish and chips were fine, the salmon on my salad tasted off so I declined to eat it.
The final night of our stay we went to Sanraku Japanese restaurant not far from the hotel. This place made up for the meal the night before. The sushi and tempura we had were delicious and the chicken with sesame and vegetables really stood out. I opted for traditional Japanese tea and was rewarded with a lovely aromatic cup of hot tea.
Worth Another Visit
San Francisco is a great place to spend a vacation in February. The weather was not sunny every day, but the rain held off most of the time, and the streets were very walkable if you’re in decent shape. Yes, we did see homelessness and evidence of individuals suffering from drug use. But we never felt unsafe walking during the day and we used Ubers to travel at night.
In fact, we had so much fun, we are planning another visit to San Francisco for next winter. Sadly, we won’t bring the dogs with us. Many people in this town do not pick up after their dogs. Were we to bring Maisie and Winston, my entire trip would be consumed with making sure they didn’t eat something that would make them sick.
Have a great week.
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