you already know the spots for dinner and drinks, what you need is a list for everything else: the mornings, the afternoons, the "wanna hang out?" texts that deserve better than a last minute 7pm reservation. so here it is, ten dates in the city that skip the restaurant entirely, sorted by the mood you're in:
#1 picnic in the park
pick up sushi from hokkaido sashimi marketplace, then go picnic in front of the conservatory of flowers in GGP (my favorite spot, you’re sheltered from the wind)
pick up from slice house and then picnic in washington square park
grab sandwiches from luke’s local and people watch at alta plaza park
#2 muse in a museum
date night in the de young, free the first tuesday of the month, and the observation tower is free always. sculpture garden out back for the walk-and-talk portion (make sure you check out the james turrell in the back)
sunday afternoon stroll through the legion of honor - just a gorgeous museum campus, perfect for a sunny and slow afternoon
wander around saint joseph’s arts society (one of the prettiest spaces in the city, you can make a reservation for free online)
#3 the morning date
coffee + a pastry + a long aimless walk before the fog burns off. some of my favorite places for a long walk: panhandle into GGP (check out the live jazz band underneath the bridge), along the marina green and crissy field (pick up a coffee from the philz truck), and ocean beach (park on judah and walk south)
saturday farmers market at the ferry building, then take your haul home and cook it together <3
#4 shop each other’s taste
flower market !!! one of my favorite saturday morning activities. grab a coffee from coffeeshop (in dogpatch) and then stroll through the flower mart (for july, they have an amazing selection of dahlias)
bookstore hop! (bookstore and magazine stand guide here)
vintage crawl through the mission or haight
#5 chase the sunset
golden hour hill-hop: bernal, corona heights, grandview, tank hill. a whole sunset mission with no reservations
ocean beach bonfire: blankets, wood, snacks, layer like your life depends on it (it does). grab food from hook fish or ruby’s!
#6 play tourist together
have an irish coffee at buena vista and then take a picture in the musee mecanique photo booth (just like how they did in princess diaries)
while I’m on the topic of photo booths, go to the photo booth museum in the castro
go on a night tour of alcatraz (if I’m being totally honest, this really gave me the creeps but it was still cool)
more here!
#7 sweat it out
the whole city is a 12-3-30 at this point, climb up a hill after grabbing your caffeine-fix together (and then who knows, maybe that will turn into a early glass of wine)
a secret-stairway walk: the lyon street steps or the 16th ave tiled steps
#8 catch something live
I think a concert is actually one of my favorite dates. some of my favorite small(er) venues: the independent, bottom of the hill, and the fillmore
listen to jazz together. my favorite jazz spots in the city: dawn club, the deluxe, mr. tipples, and local edition
how can we forget about the movies? watch at alamo drafthouse, AMC metreon, and roxie theatre
#9 get well together
fjord - a floating sauna in sausalito!!! grab the sunrise or sunset slot :)
sound baths at grace cathedral! more info here
book a private suite at SWTHZ in the marina - infrared sauna, cold plunge, and a vitamin-c shower, all in your own room for an hour
#10 for the crafty ones
a pottery class at clay by the bay!
a candle-making session: pick your own scents, walk out with something you made together
I hope everyone has an amazing Sunday! There is a gift card waiting for you guys at Compton’s (in North Beach) for you to have your weekend caffeine on me :) xoxo
Love Always,
Su
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