Toasting the Moon in San Francisco

Travel for 2 cost breakdown (at the time of writing this post):

The Warwick Hotel: $200 per night
Food/Entertainment/Transportation/Souvenirs: $1000
GRAND TOTAL FOR 2 TRAVELERS – 4 days: $1800

***At this time, we are not endorsed by any outside affiliates. That said – when booking our trips, we have had a lot of success with Hotels.com, Skyskanner, and Tripmasters.

Booking

Toast the Moon always recommends using a passport. We also recommend TSA Pre-Check and Global Entry, because who wants to waste their vacation time in an airport line, am I right? Traveling around the United States is not difficult, but changes are in the air. Please be advised that as-of October 1, 2020 – basic drivers’ licenses will no longer be valid for identification in airports. Sign up for a passport or Real ID now to avoid complications later!

The City by the Bay – A Tale of Two Cities

San Francisco is an enigma. What was once an artist enclave, a hippie mecca, a place where grunge and grime and freedom rang through the streets is now one of the most expensive and “shiny” places in the United States. Thanks to the Tech Boom…The Tech Fall…And the Empire Striking Back – pardon the cheesy reference – San Francisco has seen many faces.

The Bay Area (aka – Silicon Valley) is comprised of three cities – San Francisco to the northwest, Oakland to the northeast, and San Jose in the south. All of these areas have seen growth and change, but I would argue that none have gone through the same plastic surgery as San Francisco.

Is San Francisco still cool? Yes and no. Are you into the history? The influx of Asian culture merging with the historically open-minded San Francisco streets? The smell of weed mixed with Eucalyptus in the park? The best and worst of what capitalism can offer? Sourdough? Seafood? A myriad of activities, shopping, dining, sight-seeing, and drinking?

If you’re into all of this – like me – then yes, San Francisco is still very cool. BUT – if you’re looking for the city that houses rebels and outcasts — those days are long gone. You can still see the buildings and the streets of the “good ol’ days,” but Silicon Valley has expanded to San Francisco, and instead of rebel-rousers, the city has been taken over by the valley of the nerds.

San Francisco, for all of the money and economic growth, is dirty. Filthy actually. And, for most of the year, it is windy and cold. Fog is a given – in fact – locals have named the fog “Karl” and he comes to visit almost every afternoon. But, when the weather is nice, Golden Gate park is a beautiful sanctuary to get away from the city.

For tourists, you really can’t go to San Francisco without seeing Alcatraz and Pier 39. Go once…deal with the tourists and the crowds….check out the aquarium…just do it.

Then, when you’ve completed that task, go have fun at North Beach to explore Little Italy and the Beats.

OR – SFMoMa for first class art.

OR – Hayes Valley for San Francisco’s version of New York’s West Village.

But, check out the history. It’s part of what makes San Francisco a city to love.

Make sure to swing by Swan’s Oyster Depot, Tony’s Pizza, and the Tonga Room. I’m not sure how much longer these institutions will be around. San Francisco has been losing historic gems every month – so go quickly! But, with the loss of the old, brings in more of the new. Who knows what this city will look like in 20 years…But, I’m guessing it will still be pretty fab.