since we did a destination wedding, we decided we needed a honeymoon away from our people.. we love you all but a honeymoon with just your honey is necessary!

we wanted a trip in january and our original plan to go to europe was changed real quick when we realized its also winter there.. no sunny beaches and mediterranean coast for us quite yet.

so we decided napa would be a perfect trip. it is also winter in california in january (in case you didn’t know) which means zero crowds, bachelorette parties or spring breakers to deal with BUT everything is open and you get to wear jeans and sweaters (my favorite) and drink all the wine. win. win. win.

more on napa later.. today let’s talk about san francisco.

we flew direct from boston to san fran.. if you can fly direct, do it. your legs might cramp and your butt will likely hurt but it’s worth it when you arrive at your destination and have so much more time to explore. we left at 0630 boston time and arrived in california at 1030 (it helps when you travel back in time).

we were both starving and decided we needed to see for ourselves the hype of in and out burgers. thankfully it was a mile away from the airport and we arrived slightly before lunch time. the burger was good but come on people.. it wasn’t THAT good. and it surely wasn’t worth the line that developed out the door as the lunch crowd arrived.

after we finished lunch and my hangriness magically disappeared, we were off. if you have a short time, definitely get a map and come up with a logical way of exploring the city.. it’s huge!

we started by driving through haight-ashbury district which was filled with gypsy stores and lots of hippies.. cool to see from inside the car.. maybe don’t get out.. people looked like they haven’t shower since thanksgiving.. just saying.

next stop was my favorite part of the city.. alamo square. home to a beautiful park overlooking the city and, most importantly, the painted ladies and the tanner family. if you don’t know who the tanner family is, please privately google them and pretend like you knew all along.

you can’t visit san francisco without seeing the golden gate bridge. it’s massive and beautiful and selfie worthy.

lombard street was complete craziness. 8 hairpin turns with beautiful views of the city and so steep.. like, they better hope they never get snow ever steep.

finally we headed to pier 39 for some dinner, snacks and hundreds of sea lions before heading to napa.

so i think i set my expectations for san francisco a little too high because it wasn’t my favorite.. but it was definitely worth a short visit! then do the smart thing and drive to napa valley. it’s rural and beautiful and quiet and filled with the most amazing wine ever! stay tuned!