5 Places I Dearly Missed in San Francisco

in downtown san francisco, market street

fog bank over marin headlands

Since being back in SF over the last month and change, it’s been such a joy to revisit places that were near and dear to me for so many years prior to leaving for New York. If you’ve ever gone back to a place after being away from it — city, shop, cafe, or otherwise — you can probably relate to the minor feeling of worry that the place won’t be the way you remembered it. Luckily, for the most part, my old favorite haunts are just as I remembered them (if not better, as my experience in New York made me that much more appreciative). I thought I’d share a couple of these favorites today, both as mini love letters, and to provide a few recs for locals and visitors alike.

fort funston beach, daly city

1. All the national parks

It’s kind of mind blowing how much land in the Bay Area is dedicated to national park land. From the Marin Headlands on north, to the Presidio, and Fort Funston (one of our favorites), there’s just so much park space here, and it’s wonderful. Joe and I take Lucy to Fort Funston at least once a week, where it’s unofficially off-leash, and dogs can romp through the largest remaining natural sand dunes on the San Francisco peninsula. Lucy’s not quite there yet physically, but you can also hike down cliffs to the beach and run wild (you or the dog).

We also love getting lost on the trails in the Presidio; taking in the ocean views with hikes in the Headlands, and also driving far up the coast to Tomales Bay, which is just north of the Point Reyes National Seashore area (and also home to Hog Island Oyster Co., where you can stop and feast on oysters freshly harvested from the bay). I don’t think we had realized how much we valued having easy access to nature and the outdoors when we moved away from SF; now that we have it back, we really treasure it. There are so many amazing outdoor spaces to enjoy here, I really couldn’t list them all (though I’d be remiss if I didn’t throw in Golden Gate Park, which isn’t technically a national park. But, 20% larger than Central Park and home to fantastic museums, lakes, a botanical garden, and bison, perhaps it should be!). 

mission bay trolley

2. Bistro Aix

This is one of those restaurants that’s perfect for pretty much any occasion. You can go here for an anniversary, take out of town friends here, take your grandmother here; heck, Joe and I hosted our rehearsal dinner here! We’ve been coming to this small restaurant on Steiner St. for years…when their back patio was still outdoors and was essentially lit by twinkle lights (several years ago, they closed and underwent a massive renovation that turned the back patio into a chic, modern space, complete with a glass ceiling and a beautiful 80-year-old olive tree in the center of the room).

I love Bistro Aix for the consistently delicious and approachable food, the friendliness, and the whole neighborhood vibe. It’s the kind of place where you can fall into conversation with the servers about the Giants or a winemaker from the wine list (guaranteed they’ll have stories about both), and generally feel like all is warm and right with the world. It’s a gem.

ocean beach

3. Ensoma

I can’t even believe I’m sharing this secret, because it’ll be that much harder to get an appointment, but good LORD did I miss Ensoma. Before we got married, I visited Marion Pernoux (the adorable owner of Ensoma) for a series of facials, and they were the best I had ever received in my life. In New York, I felt like I could never find a facialist who was a) affordable and b) had an approach to skincare that felt right to me. She uses many all natural/organic products, but beyond that, her technique just leaves you feeling so pampered (read: hello, heavenly massage). Guaranteed you will fall asleep on her table. Since moving, Ensoma has expanded considerably and Marion now has a staff of miracle workers. I recently went in for a brow wax and found Ensoma to be just as I remembered (so much so that I came home and booked a facial for this coming weekend).

view from divisadero and broadway, san francisco

4. Bistro Central Parc

When I want to pretend I am in France, I go to Bistro Central Parc. This little restaurant is on a quiet corner in Nopa, and is the type of place that when you walk in, you are greeted with a  friendly “bon soir!” by the staff. The food and wine are always on point, especially when you’re craving classic French bistro fare — nothing fancy or overthought, just seriously delicious comfort food. I don’t think I’ve ever had a bad dish here! If you’re in the mood for a splurge, get the Tournedos Rossini. It’s a classic French dish of filet mignon, topped with foie gras and red wine sauce, and served with potato gratin. Truly decadent! Joe and I visited last week for dinner on a whim, and were reminded why we fell in love with this spot the first time we ever went.

golden gate bridge

5. OmPower

I’m weirdly picky about yoga. I recently learned I’m not into any type of Bikram or hot yoga (104 degrees while I just stand there in tree pose? No thanks). In fact, I learned long ago that Vinyasa is totally my jam. I like the repetition, that it feels like an actual workout, and that it truly takes my mind off the day because of the movements it involves. I actually learned how much I loved Vinyasa thanks to OmPower, several years ago. Before that, I had flitted around to different Hatha style classes and never really found my groove with yoga. At this studio though, things were different.

I’ve always loved their large, open studio for yoga classes (it’s in a converted warehouse, so the ceilings are very high, with linen fabric draped through rafters to give that soft, spa like feel; the space is also bright and airy and never feels claustrophobic, which I found to be common with yoga studios in New York and which was a huge deterrent for me). OmPower is an interesting studio in that they offer cycling, TRX, and yoga, and since I moved away, they also added other types of strength training classes. But honestly, I’ve only ever been for yoga, and it remains one of the favorite studios I’ve ever gone to. I’ve never had an instructor whose class I didn’t enjoy!

//

Anyway, these are a few of my recent “re-discoveries” here in SF. You can see some more of my old favorites on the Candy page (which I’ll be updating as I make my way back to all these spots). Next up on my recommendations list: I’m planning on putting together a wine country guide later this month, so stay tuned!

 

All images via my Instagram. Follow along on all the SF adventures here!

17 Comments

  1. 5.11.15
    Cathy M. said:

    What great timing! My husband and I are headed to SF this coming weekend for our 5-year anniversary. I’m so excited to explore the City – your recommendations will be so helpful in paring down our list of must-sees!

  2. 5.11.15
    Sonya said:

    Filing this under my browser tab named “when I move to SF”. I can’t wait for the wine country guide, as I ran the Napa Valley Marathon this year and plan on doing it again next year with a whole new group of friends. As a long-time reader, I am so happy for you that you’re back in the city you love so much. :)

  3. 5.11.15
    Abby said:

    Definitely adding these to my ongoing list of places to visit in SF! Thanks so much for sharing!

  4. 5.11.15

    I took my first vinyasa class a few weeks ago and it was surprisingly one of the most challenging classes I’ve ever taken (and I’ve taken a lot of them). I was also surprised that the studio I was in was almost 90 degrees, which I wasn’t expecting. I wonder if that’s normal?

    It’s been years since I’ve visited San Francisco, but I want to get back there so bad!

    • 5.11.15

      I think that’s pretty warm for vinyasa. Sometimes studios will go that hot but describe it as hot power yoga or something similar. I’ve found most vinyasa classes are just room temp…you build heat within the body and that keeps you toasty! :)

  5. 5.11.15

    This list makes me homesick! Such a wonderful city! Love this list, Victoria and so happy you’re so happy being back!

  6. 5.11.15
    Angie said:

    We moved away from the Bay Area two years ago to the South. I truly miss its diversity, sophistication, worldliness, energy . ..and of course, the best ice cream at Smitten http://smittenicecream.com/

  7. 5.11.15
    Allie said:

    Victoria – I loved reading this since we just got back from our California trip last night! All of your SF recommendations were great; we can’t wait to come back and explore more of the city soon. Thanks again for all of your suggestions!

  8. 5.11.15
    Kathleen said:

    Beautiful photos, I’ve always wanted to visit San Fran!
    <3
    katsfashionfix.blogspot.com

  9. 5.11.15
    Raquel said:

    Thanks for the tips! I hope to plan a long weekend trip to San Francisco soon!

  10. 5.11.15

    oh man! I lived on Mallorca – wish Bistro Aix was there when I lived in SF! Great roundup of all the wonderful spots. Miss my old city.

  11. 5.11.15

    Bistro Central Parc is right near us. We have been wondering how it is but now we will definitely try it!!

  12. 5.12.15

    Having spent the past four years going to university in the Bay, I’ve truly started considering SF a home away from home thanks to all the weekends spent here! I’m falling in love with it all over again through this post :)

  13. 5.13.15

    I’m moving to the Bay Area in two weeks, so these recommendations couldn’t come at a better time! I’m especially excited to try Bistro Aix, it looks heavenly!

    Catherine
    http://www.myinnerfabulous.com

  14. 5.13.15

    Our next family trip is to Europe, but this post makes me want to head to the US.

  15. 5.18.15
    Amy said:

    This post really tugged at my heart, especially this line: “If you’ve ever gone back to a place after being away from it — city, shop, cafe, or otherwise — you can probably relate to the minor feeling of worry that the place won’t be the way you remembered it.” Yes. I used to live in the Bay Area and left to “travel the world” in 2014 (mostly stayed in Peru). I just visited SF last week, and it had been 7 months since I’d been there. I was almost afraid that it wouldn’t feel like “home” anymore. Now I am looking at moving back to the city in June! It’s still my favorite place in the world. I now have new ideas of places to try from this post. Now I just need to decide which one of the lovely SF neighborhoods to live in…

    Oh, and I also love this quote. Perhaps you can relate to it. :)

    “You know what it is? It’s a golden handcuff with the key thrown away.”-John Steinbeck

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