The Ultimate San Francisco Bucket List

A friend of mine is planning to follow her son, a recent graduate, out of state. Before she moves, she's making an effort to visit as many San Francisco attractions as she can, figuring that she's unlikely to return to the area often in the future. And despite living just outside of SF for 25 years, there are plenty of places she hasn't yet explored. I was helping her brainstorm a bucket list and wanted to share it with all of you. Obviously, this isn't an exhaustive list of every single cool thing to do in San Francisco; instead, I consider these the most iconic things you can only do in SF and that it would truly be a shame to miss.

"Cindy!" you might be saying. "You have included TWO seafood items on this list!" I know. As someone who doesn't eat seafood, it might seem strange that I would include clam chowder and crab as San Francisco must-do items. But both are iconic, an important part of the SF experience. If you're a fellow seafood-phobe, try a tiny bite of someone else's. I've eaten clam chowder and crab in San Francisco and I never have to again. But I can say that I have!

I've been working hard to update my list of recommended places to go in California. It's taking forever, but this post gave me the motivation I needed to complete the San Francisco section. There, you can find links to everything I've listed above and more. And as we visit more locations in San Francisco, I'll continue to add anything else that I recommend. Despite living near San Francisco my entire life and spending a lot of time exploring, there is always more to see and experience. San Francisco is a city like no other and I'm so glad to live where I do.