thomsen.

As I mentioned before, I had been quite busy for sometime hosting a friend from NYC from June 20-23. Being a host, my friend, is a heck of alot of work! However, if you plan it right and have a laid-back approach, being a host is hella fun! (Apparently, hella slang is popular in the Bay Area specifically in Berkeley, CA!) Below is the list of all the places we went! I highly recommend checking it out and you will learn about some of the best that the San Franscico Bay Area has to offer to you!








Original List (That she came up with btw!) 
All strikethrough are places we actually saw with our own eyes! 

Alcatraz:  (We saw the island numerous times, but to get a real good look at it you have to go on a boat and when we were there, the line was hella crowded, so we decided not to take the boat!)
Fisherman's Wharf: Always fun to go to and plenty of activities to do from chillin at the beach to eating good seafood to serious tourist shopping!
Chinatown: We tried to find parking in Chinatown, but it was either too expensive or nothing could be found via street parking (advice: take public transportation and make it an all-day trip!). Or if you want to just watch the hundreds of mostly Chinese people crossing the street whenever the heck they feel like crossing!
Russian Hill: We didn't hang much in this area, not that we really didn't want to, but we didn't have much time to anyways. The trolley ride was fun going though here though!
Union Square: I always enjoy coming here to see what new artwork or just to relax in the sun :-)
Watch sunset on the beach/near Golden Gate Bridge: Well, we technically did see the sunset, just with no sun. :( Our timing on this was, hella bad. Nevertheless, my friend got to touch the Pacific Ocean for the first time. (She didn't realize how cold the sand was!)
Golden Gate State Park: Well, this one is tough. We went though it. We saw it. We stood in it. But we did not explore it! That would take a long time! (I heard you need at least a week or more!)
Haight-Asbury District: I'll tell you what? They got some great small business here! Very creative and very fascinating stuff to look at.
Muir Woods for the Redwood trees: Simply put, too far.
UC Berkeley Campus: Way awesome campus! I wouldn't mind going to school here...forever!
Ride a cable car: Without a doubt, well worth the 45-60 minute wait! I was in the front and felt like Ace  Ventura: Pet Detective sticking his head wayyy out to get a better view! :-)
Napa & Sonoma: Simply put, too far and not enough time!
Sausalito
Ocean Beach-Kelly Cove: Ocean Beach is one of my favorite beach in SF. I have a friend from Chicago and this is one of our favorite meeting spots!
Farallon Island: This, you actually, have to get on a boat, and go some twenty some miles across the specific ocean and then you're literally surrounded by Great White Sharks! We are def not crossing this one!
Broadway/North Beach: Buzz by via by cable car. Short, sazzy and fun!


Additional Sights We Saw (When we went with the flow ;-) )

Embarcadero: I love coming here. Great for dogs. Great for runners. Great for bike lovers. Great for walkers. Great for lovers...especially, the I'm-falling-in-love-with-you-and-I-can't-stop lovers.
Powell: Union Station. Cable Car. Fancy Dancy shopping areas. Ad bigger than most buildings in Albany, NY! Can't get better than that :-)
Nob Hill: It doesn't look like it, but it's one of the wealthiest places in SF. In fact, the intersection of California and Powell streets is the location of its four well-known and most expensive hotels: the Fairmont Hotel, the Mark Hopkins Hotel, the Stanford Court, and the Huntington Hotel. It rather should be called Snob Hill! :-)
Blondie's Pizza: One of the best places to get pizza in SF Bay Area! I swear in my heart! Their pesto vegetarian is to die for! I love their slogan: Make pizza, not war. :-)
Westfield Mall: One of the best malls in the SF Bay Area and prolly one of the nicest malls in the United States.
Civic Center: heart of SF politics and infamous Gay Parade that I just witnessed yesterday! Insane and fun!
Dolores Park: best view of the great city of SF. This is one of my many secret romantic spots in SF. Great for outdoor relaxation and recreation.
16th & Mission: a great collaboration of moderate rents, thrift stores, dive bars, coffeehouses, bookstores, art galleries and avant-garde theater.
San Jose: A booming and growing city. This could be the next great city of California...
Santana Row: One of the most wealthiest shopping centers in San Jose. Tunes in my head, "If I had a million dollars..." by Barenaked Ladies. Ohhh, their Strawberry Mint Lemonade is sooooo goood!
Palo Alto & Stanford: Facebook was the king of Palo Alto...that was until they moved to California St in SF. Now, they're the king of California St. Stanford, well,
Presidio: Has more history than any other place in SF. 10,000 years worth. Hella yeah!
Emeryville: King of Ikea. Best Buy. You get the picture :-) Oh yeah, Pixar is based here :-) Anyone know someone that works there? I'd love to make a connection :-)
Oakland Bay Bridge: Grey and boring. Not as exciting as the Golden Gate Bridge, but hey, they got a new one opening up in 2013! Gonna be awesome!
Farallon Marine Conservation (Visiter Center): For you sharks crazy obsessed people, check out this place! If you're hella crazy obsessed about sharks, go on a boat to the freakin Farallon Island! As far as I'm concerned, I'm out. I'm a hella chicken. Go ahead, make chicken sounds! It's not gonna be me that gonna be devoured like a chicken!