San Francisco
San Francisco is the most unique city on the west coast. As a former resident, here are some recommendations.
The Golden Gate Bridge from Battery Spencer
You could say that San Francisco has the most character out of any city on the westcoast. Whether it's techies, artists, musicians, entrepreneurs, hippies or crazies, you'll find them all here in abundance.
Being born in San Francisco and wondering what living there would be like, I decided to move to the city where I finished college and began my work life. I ended up living there for about 4 years. It's a small city, approximately 7 x 7 miles (11.3 x 11.3 km), so it's got a lot of condensed buildings on top of numerous steep hills that separate the bay from the Pacific Ocean.
Powell Street @ Union Square
San Francisco is quite diverse, not only in types of people but ethnically as well. So much so that voting documents and a lot of signs have English, Spanish and Chinese written on them. It makes sense being that California borders Mexico and San Francisco served as a historic immigration gateway to the Pacific.
You don't need a car to get around the city unless you're planning to head outside of it. In fact, it's one of my least favorite cities to drive in; the steep hills, all the "no left turns" and lack of street parking make it such a pain. Though they're fine, I'm not a big fan of the Muni buses or Metro light rail either (I'm probably spoiled), and their BART subway is mainly to get in and out of the city. Luckily, Uber and Lyft rides are abundant and really convenient for in-city transportation.
Street parking is perpendicular on steep hills
I've been to just about every neighborhood in San Francisco and each has its own little feel to it. Do check out the main spots first.
Main attractions
Golden Gate Bridge - no explanation needed as it's the icon of the city and one of the most recognizable landmarks in the country.
San Francisco's Chinatown happens to be the largest outside of Asia. It also neighbors Little Italy and the nightlife portion of Broadway street.
Chinatown at night with the Bay Bridge in back
Union Square is arguably the city's central area with department stores, the main shopping mall and more. From there, you can catch the Cable Car on Powell Street which passes the crooked Lombard Street as it makes its way to Fisherman's Wharf.
Market Street @ Union Square
You can catch a ferry from there to Alcatraz, the famous prison located on the tiny island in the middle of the bay.
Alcatraz
Haight Street at Ashbury has been the center for hippies, and there's a lot of interesting shops and boutiques there.
Nearby Golden Gate Park is huge, in fact it's bigger than Central Park in New York. There's museums and events there, and even buffalos.
Besides those, here are a few other favorites of mine:
The Marina
The Marina/Cow Hollow area is on the north side of San Francisco. It's somewhat of a quieter neighborhood with a lot of boutiques and small bars and eateries centralized around Chestnut street. I suggest the late afternoon as a good time to hang out there. After, you can walk over to the Palace of Fine Arts which is randomly tucked in there.
Palace of Fine Arts
Clement Street
This street in the Richmond district between Arguello Blvd and Park Presidio Blvd is known as the second Chinatown because of the many Asian shops and restaurants. My favorite places there are Genki Crepes (crepes and Japanese snacks, here's my Yelp review) and Burma Superstar (for their tea-leaf salad!)
Hayes Valley
This area on Hayes Street between Franklin and Laguna Streets is a quaint nook that sits near heavy car traffic areas. There's a bunch of fashion boutiques as well as small eateries, and there are often small events here during the daytime on weekends.
Other activities:
See the Yoda Fountain (map) at Lucasfilm in the Presidio.
Feed the wild parrots of Telegraph Hill. They fly down to the Embarcadero area in the late afternoon/early evening and are extremely tame. The best place I'm aware of and have fed them at is Ferry Park (map). Grab some bird feed and listen for them - they're loud!
Twin Peaks. Arguably the best views of San Francisco. You can also go to Tank Hill (map), a nearby and more local viewpoint near Cole Valley.
Yoda fountain (cool so he gets a photo feature!)
Speaking of views, my favorite spot to see the Golden Gate Bridge is from Battery Spencer, an old war bunker that looks down upon it. My photo at the top is taken from there. It's on the north side of the Bridge (map) and you have to walk a little bit to get the viewing spot, but it's 100% worth it. If you only go to the visitor's center, you're only seeing half of what you could and should. Another scenic spot is from Treasure Island (map). You can see both the Bay Bridge as well as the San Francisco city skyline in the distance.
San Francisco from Treasure Island
The newer half of the Bay Bridge, facing Berkeley/Oakland, from Treasure Island
Definitely venture outside of the San Francisco if you have the time. My favorite things to do and that I'd recommend are wine tours in Napa Valley, lunch in Sausalito, and hiking in Muir Woods.
And of course, don't forget to EAT!!
El Farolito
Best Mexican food I've had, period. After late nights out, I'd trek to the Mission area with friends and pick up some huge burritos before heading home. Their quesadillas (pictured) are more than filling enough, full of ridiculous flavor and cheese that oozes out the back. For extra flavor, there's a self-serve salsa bar as well. El Farolito's is quite popular with a line usually heading out the door, so be prepared to wait for a little bit. Don't worry though, it's totally worth it.
Brandy Ho's
The only Chinese food that makes my mouth water. While there are a lot of good Chinese food joints, Brandy Ho's Hunan food in particular stands out above the rest. My favorite dish that I'd recommend is their shredded beef in white wine sauce (pictured), and I am sure to order it every time I get a chance to eat here. It was my last meal before moving out of San Francisco.
Thanh Long
It's hard to find crab made better than this. Their roasted garlic butter crab is juicy and packed with flavor... and messy, so wear their plastic bibs! It's a little out of the way for most people, in the residential area of outer Sunset, but the light rail will take you right to it as it passes on the street in front. If you're celebrating an occasion or just want some good crab to dig into, this is a great place to check out.
PS: House of Prime Rib is another favorite of mine but I have no photos :(
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Los Angeles: West LA
The West LA area has some of the most iconic settings in Southern California, and is one of the best places in the state.
Los Angeles is the second largest city in the US and the anchor of the west coast. The West LA area is what people typically imagine when thinking about California - palm trees, open sky and beaches.
I was fortunate to live in the Santa Monica area for a couple years, so I know first hand that there are endless places to go and see.
Santa Monica Pier in the distance
Santa Monica Pier is one the most iconic locations in LA, and with rides and games there, it's a nice place for kids or for a date. In close walking distance is Third Street Promenade, a walkable shopping street of a few blocks and the Santa Monica Place mall at the Broadway Ave end. There's a little bit of everything here, from food and shopping, outdoor hangout spots, and street performances.
Third Street Promenade
Venice Beach is another area to check out. While it's known for its hippie slash hipster vibe, it's equally as beautiful as it is entertaining. The area leading up to the beach has canals that, well, are the Southern California version of Venice.
Venice canals
Parking in the area can be a real pain, so I recommend catching an Uber or Lyft. Once there, you can rent bicycles and ride along the beach's bike path. You'll pass the random shops, Muscle Beach with serious body builders, the famous basketball courts and skateboard park as you go by the Boardwalk. To top it off, there's a pier here as well.
Skateboarders at Venice
View from the Venice Pier
If you're looking for more shopping, there are some boutiques nearby on Abbot Kinney and Main Street. Both are nice walks in any case if you're not looking to go have more bags in your hands. There's also a fair share of cafes and eateries in both areas as well.
Montana Ave is another area I would go to sometimes. It's a quaint area north of Third Street Promenade with some nice cafes and boutiques amongst a very residential area. Take a walk in the neighborhood and you come across all sorts of architecture.
If you're looking for a drink after a day of sightseeing, check out Blind Barber. It's a barber shop in the front but walk through the back door and you enter a hip lounge bar with some good eats. When it comes to food, LA is a mixing pot of a lot of different cultures and cuisines, and California has a lot of fresh fruits and vegetables grown in-state to supply these food spots. There are endless places to check out, but here are a few others (of many) to check out.
Urth Caffe
These cafes were started in southern California from organic coffee blends and teas. The food and baked goods came after, many of which reflect the southern California cuisine of fresh vegetables with a little bit of a Mexican twist. Pick anything off their menu but my go-to's are their Tostada Salad and their Organic Green Tea Boba (smoothie with tapioca balls in it).
Diddy Riese
Located in Westwood, right off the UCLA campus. They're most famous for their ice cream sandwiches made from their freshly baked cookies. Absolutely delicious, and the fact that it's less than a couple dollars each, fantastic. Stop by if you can.
Hakata Shin-sen-gumi
The first time I tried a bowl of Hakata Shinsengumi ramen, I thought it was great. I then moved to Fukuoka, Japan where the capital is Hakata - this type of ramen's hometown. Visiting LA again, I went to Hakata Shinsengumi thinking I probably wouldn't think it was good after being in Hakata all the time. To my surprise, I found the tonkotsu ramen here to be quite good and probably the best you can get in LA. The broth and noodles are authentic, and while the topping options may venture away from traditional, they encompass everything good that you can put in a bowl of ramen. Approved.