Our Weekend in San Francisco: The Best Things to Do, Eat, and Explore

San Francisco Travel Snapshot

📍 Destination: San Francisco, California
🏨 Stayed: San Francisco Marriott Marquis
📒 San Francisco Field Notes
🗓 When: October 2025
🍽 Favorites: Boulevard • Dim Sum at Lank Sing • Irish Coffee at Buena Vista
🎥 Travel Camera Gear: Fuji X100VI • Osmo Pocket 3

Why We Love Visiting San Francisco

Let me be honest: for more than 10 years, SFO has been the airport, not the destination. We’ve flown in to San Francisco, rented a car, driven through the city, and headed straight to wine country.

This weekend, we spent a few days in San Francisco before heading to Sonoma.

And it was SO MUCH FUN. We are planning to take our family back for all the tourist things – Alcatraz, cable cars, redwood forest – but we had Irish Coffees, dinner at an iconic Art Deco restaurant, and walked the waterfront.

Here’s everything in San Francisco we ate, saw, and loved — plus the photos I snapped along the way using the Fujifilm X100VI (my favorite travel camera ever).

Best Things to Do During a Weekend in San Francisco

San Francisco’s food scene is insane and we only tried a few…from Dim Sum to an Irish Coffee at Buena Vista to an Art Deco night out… we had a blast checking out a few cool spots in San Fran…

• Dim Sum
• Chinatown
• Walk the waterfront
• Irish Coffees
• Nice dinner

What We Ate (and Loved)

If you go to San Francisco and don’t eat dim sum, did you even go? Yank Sing is a classic — the kind of place where carts glide past with shrimp dumplings and pork buns and you say yes to everything. Whispering Angel rosé isn’t the traditional pairing… but honestly, it works.

Buena Vista Café (Because Irish Coffee Is a San Francisco Rite of Passage)

The touristy thing that’s absolutely worth doing…
We snapped a few photos, grabbed a warm Irish coffee, made some friends at the bar, and embraced the moment. Buena Vista is the definition of Unreasonable Hospitality and has a social, fun, uplifting, and welcoming vibe that makes you feel happy for humanity.

Boulevard (Dinner With a View)

Boulevard is one of those restaurants that feels special the moment you walk in. Warm lighting, gorgeous plates, and the kind of meal you talk about days later.
📍 Best for: date nights, people who love impeccable service, and anyone who wants to eat something unforgettable.

Our favorite stops + moments

We walked everywhere.
The best way to see San Francisco is to wander — preferably with a camera.
Hilly views. Foggy corners. Pastel buildings.
Every block feels like a postcard.

We explored the piers.
Classic, yes — but actually fun.
Views of Alcatraz, seals, boats, and that crisp bay wind that makes you feel like you’re in your own mini adventure film.

We took a Waymo ride.
A self-driving car gave us a tour of the city, and it honestly felt like the future.
If you’re a tech nerd, do this.
If you’re not a tech nerd, still do this.
// Watch the video to see our experience lol

How I Captured It All
I brought a few of my favorite travel cameras:
Fujifilm X100VI — my everyday travel favorite
Osmo Pocket 3 — tiny, smooth, great for video
The Fuji’s colors shine in San Francisco — the foggy blues, the warm nighttime glow, the bright rooftops. It’s a dream city for photography.
If you’re curious about the camera, here’s my full post with sample photos:
👉 [Fujifilm X100VI On the Go: Real Photos From Everyday Life + Travel

Where We Stayed

We stayed at the San Francisco Marriott Marquis which was located in a great spot to walk around the city – we walked to dinner, around at night and felt safe. The city is really clean! And they have an incredible rooftop bar with views of the city! As a Marriott Bonvoy member, we had access to the free lounge area with breakfast, a fancy coffee machine, snacks, and drinks. Plus, we rented a car to head to Sonoma, which we picked up right at the hotel which made it very easy for us!

If You’re Planning a Trip to San Francisco…

Here’s what I’d tell a friend:

• Plan one classic tourist thing (like the Irish coffee) — it’s actually fun.
• Eat dim sum at least once.
• Bring a camera (or two).
• Walk everywhere you can.
• Leave room in your schedule to just explore.
• Travel is better when you don’t over-plan.

Experiences in San Francisco with Get Your Guide

Get Your Guide is my FAVORITE way to book cool and unique experiences in a city – I’ve gone on a bike tour of Milan, skipped the lines to see Versaille, gotten a personal guided tour of the Musee d’ Orsay… all through Get Your Guide. The app makes it easy to book your experiences.

More Travel + Photography

• Travel Camera Kit
• If you’re planning a trip to Napa…. here’s our guide
• Myrtle Beach Restaurants
• Paris in the Fall Photo Diary

Watch our YouTube Video 🙂