Last fall I had the chance to sneak away for a girls trip to San Francisco with some of my college friends. Over three days we explored some of the best parts of San Francisco — biking across the Golden Gate Bridge, visiting Muir Woods, wandering Lombard Street, and soaking up the beauty of Golden Gate Park.
Our History and the Memories We Share
Oh the memories we share!!
These girls were the ones, some roommates, some not, who helped shape so much of my life back in the good old college days. They are the ones I met Dave with. They are the ones who sent so much love to me on my mission. Who married off when I was gone (most of them) and who were still with me in the ins and outs of getting engaged and married, and having babies. And they are still with me any time I ever need them.
Our 3-Day San Francisco Girls Trip Itinerary
If you’re planning a weekend in San Francisco, here’s a quick overview of what we did.
<h3>Day 1
- Cable Car Ride Through the City
- Walk down Lombard Street
- Bike across the Golden Gate Bridge
- Ferry from Sausalito
- Dinner near Pier 39
<h3>Day 2
- Walk through Muir Woods National Monument
- Coastal views at Lands End
- Stop at the Painted Ladies
<h3>Day 3
- Explore Golden Gate Park
- Visit the Japanese Tea Garden
Day 1: Exploring San Francisco + Biking the Golden Gate Bridge
Riding the Cable Car
We took this thing all over the city.
The guy working the break on the back of the trolly was so awesome. He took a picture for us…
…and let us try to work the break.
There was no way that was happening. That is a tough job!
Here he is waving goodbye:
Walking Down Lombard Street
Isn’t Lombard Street the most incredible thing? What an iconic spot to be with all these lovely ladies.
Of course we had to walk that thing.
We started at the top…
…and made our way down.
Biking the Golden Gate Bridge
Next we rented bikes from “Blazing Trails” and headed out on our Golden Gate adventure.
Oh man, I have talked about my serious love for the Golden Gate Bridge before. There’s something about that beautiful thing that just speaks to me.
Biking across the Golden Gate Bridge and taking the ferry back from Sausalito is one of my very favorite touristy things to do. Loved doing it with my kids, and loved doing it with these lovely ladies too.
A Flukey Biking Incident, Rescue Needed
We added a little surprise excitement/horror this time around though.
As we were riding along just soaking in the beauty of it all in the gorgeous weather, talking away, Steph hit the side bars and somehow went down.
Hard.
She was a little dazed and we were all worried because it was SO crowded that day (they had pedestrians and bikers on the same side so we had to weave through lots and lots of people) and hard for anyone to maneuver. So when we finally all got gathered around to be sure she was ok she seemed to be fine…no cuts or blood…until she lifted up her forearm that was in pain and we saw blood oozing out of her sleeve.
…which kind of freaked us out a little.
We were able to pull her sleeve away enough to note the damage…it was a deep gouge. Really deep.
I still to this day don’t know how in the world that happened…there was nothing sharp, we can’t figure out what she hit. But we knew it was bad and she needed some medical help.
Luckily there are some pretty awesome police officers patrolling the bridge and before too long one came to our rescue. He checked everything out and confirmed she for sure needed stitches.
They stopped traffic on the whole bridge going our direction, loaded her up in a police car and loaded her bike up in a police truck and met us on the Sausalito side of the bridge so we could get her to the doctor.
This picture doesn’t do the emergency professionals justice…there was a fire truck and ambulance there at one point (I think?)
She is one tough cookie.
A Ferry Ride from Sausalito Back to the City
Then we split up, some of us to urgent care and some back on the ferry.
We passed Alcatraz:
And enjoyed watching the sun set as we came in to the ferry station.
Pier 39
We biked over to Pier 39 where we had to pick up some hot sourdough bread.
I am generally not a sourdough fan, but when it’s hot and fresh I’ll take it.
And we definitely had no problem putting down a giant hot fudge brownie sundae here:
The other girls met us there after the stitches were complete and we walked the town serendipitously finding this really, really great art exhibit:
Day 2: Muir Woods and Coastal Views
Visiting Muir Woods National Monument
When we went to San Francisco with Charity last time we didn’t make it to Muir Woods.
So I was pretty excited it was on our agenda this time around.
Because this Muir Woods National Monument is quite the place, I tell you. I couldn’t stop taking pictures it was so gorgeous.
Much could be said about the strength of those groves of trees that grow to such great heights.
Not sure who took that picture but that’s me in my state of trying so dang hard to capture that place.
But pictures can never do justice to nature in my opinion.
Even the dead leaves have a particular kind of beauty.
God is an incredible artist.
The people in the picture below give you an idea of the scale of the grandeur of the trees:
Loved that there were some bridal shots going on…good thinking guys!
A Bestowal of Precious Chocolate:)
In the midst of all that beauty I figured it was the perfect spot to present those girls I love with some chocolate I love that I had saved for them from Switzerland.
It was like a little chocolate ceremony 🙂 This stuff is pretty amazing I’m drooling a little bit looking at these pictures.
Exploring Lands End
Lands End is such a gorgeous spot to lookout and enjoy the Golden Gate Bridge from afar.
We walked along that coastal path and basked in the glory of that scenery.
Seeing the Painted Ladies
These beautiful “Painted Ladies” were all dolled up and so beautiful to see.
But perhaps we loved the lingering, slanted light even more than those houses.
We raced to catch the last of the sunset on the beach.
Day 3: Golden Gate Park and the Japanese Tea Garden
Golden Gate Park
Japanese Tea Garden
..and off to soak in the Japanese Tea Garden :
I had never been to this spot but I LOVED it.
After that everyone had to head out.
We headed over to Brigitta’s neck of the woods for lunch before we caught our flights back home.
And sometimes I can’t stop taking pictures of interesting and beautiful things along the way.
Why I Love Traveling with my College Friends
As we wrapped up our trip I just felt so grateful I got to travel with these college friends. I love that we share so much history. We are all coming at life from the same spot, yet in such different ways. I love to learn from them. To have them help me remember who I am.
And get rejuvenated and inspired by the goodness in each of them.
…and for that beautiful city where we got to hang together.
Well this just makes me want a VA girls get together even more!
Thank-you so much for sharing all of your Great adventures over the years. I will probably never get to Travel to all the wonderful places that you have. It's so wonderful to see All of your amazing pics and to read what is to me a storybook. In some small way it takes me there. For that I Thankyou!
WOW! What an adventure! Everyone looks so young and vibrant! I bet there were so pretty great stories to share!
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I recognize many of your college friends from my high school. They were a year older, but familiar faces.