I’m not going to lie. We didn’t really have a plan for our one full day in San Francisco. Add in the fact that my stomach wasn’t behaving that morning, and we kind of roamed aimlessly. Mixed into our SF wondering, though, was a stop at Parachute Bakery and checking out different transit options in the city
So, I have to be honest. We were supposed to spend our full day in SF doing a glutinous tour of the city. We had so many bakeries and restaurants on the list. Alas, my tummy troubles reared its ugly head, and the day turned into aimless SF wondering. But, it wasn’t a total loss.
Parachute Bakery
The first stop in our SF wondering adventure was one that we had originally planned – Parachute Bakery. This uber-popular spot is by the same team behind our previous night’s dinner at Arquet. Online reviews lead us to believe that we’d be stuck in an outrageous line, though that ended up not being the case at all. Then again, it was a Friday morning, and we managed to get there quite early, as they’re located in the Ferry Building, which is across the street from our hotel.
Due to my condition, we ended up keeping our order to the smaller side.
I, uh, don’t really remember what the savory pastry was, but the cube was a passion fruit croissant, and the other is an almond croissant.
Everything we had was delicious, but it wasn’t mind-blowingly good. For example, I think the croissants could have been crisper. I get that the Bay Area is quite humid, but we were there first-thing in the morning. So, while I’d definitely go back, I don’t understand the hype. Personally, I prefer B. Patisserie, though I’ve only ever been to the Waikīkī location.
SF Wondering
After our pastry breakfast, we headed out for a stroll along the Embarcadero. Karl was definitely in the city that morning. Just look at this shot of the Transamerica Pyramid!
Eventually, we decided to check out Fisherman’s Wharf just for funsies. Being that we were still over a mile a way, we added the Clipper Card to our Apple Watches, and hopped on a historic Market Street streetcar.
For our SF wondering in November, the streetcar was a great option. It was crowded, but the cool, crisp air outside means that inside remained comfortable. In the summer… That might be a different story altogether. That said, it took quite a while to travel the mile-ish we were trying to go. I think it was around 30 minutes. Either way, this was an inexpensive way to get around, at just $2.85 per person.
We’ve been to the Fisherman’s Wharf area before, so we weren’t here for any specific reason other than for the views and the potential to see something interesting? Maybe? At least in terms of views, I’d say this was a success. Take a look.
Waymo
We had a long drive ahead of us to our dinner reservation that evening, so we needed to head back to our hotel after just a couple of hours of wondering. Not wanting to walk two miles back, or take the streetcar again because of how long it takes, we decided to give Waymo a try.
For those that don’t know, Waymo is an autonomous rideshare service by Google. You must have a Gmail account to create an account, and there are NO drivers in the vehicles.
Some people find the Waymo experience to be disconcerting. However, we found it to be quite pleasant. The vehicles do drive more cautiously than a human would, which meant it took longer to travel the same difference than it would have if I drove myself, but it was pretty cool. There was even an instance where we were turning left, while a woman on the corner in our path was taking a photo of our car. As we approached the crosswalk, she stepped right out in front of our car, which came to an immediate stop.
This ride took us probably about 10 minutes. We could pick our own music, set the temperature, and didn’t have to tip, like an Uber or Lyft. However, at about $20, this was roughly four times more expensive than our streetcar ride. Comfort and convenience over value, right?
SF Wondering, Final Thoughts
I apologize. I realize this SF wondering post isn’t the most riveting, especially since I’m sure most readers have been to the city. However, we had fun, even though what we ultimately ended up doing was a bit of a cope compared to our original plans.
That said, I’m glad we got to try Parachute, finally tried Waymo, and go to experience the Embarcadero streetcar. For what it’s worth, I do think think those streetcars are more comfortable than the more iconic cable cars. As far as Waymo goes, we’d definitely use it again. As an aside, our newer tech experiences have almost always been in SF, such as Amazon Go, which is now disappearing.
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