I just looked at the last time we blogged on our website... September 29th, 2017 was the last time I graced the interwebs with eloquent writing worthy of a Pulitzer. Three months is entirely too long for us to not have some new material for you guys, which is why we are changing things up a bit here at netravelagency.com. Every Tuesday we will highlight a new travel destination, on our blog, titled #traveltuesday. We will also do a regular travel blog every Saturday. This should keep your heads, hearts and eyes happily full of yours truly... Or with one of the other Travel Consultants who decide to blog. We will post a full schedule of our activities throughout the week so that you always know what to expect!
So to start #traveltuesday, we are highlighting a local favorite, the city of San Francisco. We stay in San Francisco every year for my birthday, and for good reason. The city offers a fantastic variety of places to eat and drink... and shop if you are into that sort of thing. Unlike most cities that are spread out, San Francisco is very... intimate. The city has a lot to offer, and you don't have to travel very far to get from one activity to the next. One of the best parts of visiting the city is the drive in. We always take the Bay Bridge into the city as it offers the best back drop of the city against the water, especially as the fog deck comes through early evening. The city has a very unique charm to it that makes you want to explore every district to see what it has to offer. As there is too much to cover in one post, I decided to focus on one area in particular: Union Square.
We visit Union Square every year for my birthday trip. It is a good jump off spot if you are staying for a night or two in the city as it is centrally located next to just about everything you could want in a city stay. Union square has affordable lodging, great shopping, dining options from casual to fine, and of course, pubs! Everything in Union Square takes no more than 10 minutes of walking to reach. it's diverse offering makes it one of the must see districts when you visit the city.
We usually get a room right in Union Square. We generally try to go on weekends where there are no big events, like sporting events or concerts. These generally tend to cause the room costs to inflate a bit. Most often we were able to find lodging for under $200.00/ngt. We usually tend to stay in the off brand hotels like the Serrano or the Handlery Union Square Hotel. We've stayed in a few others but they are hard to recall. Handlery and Serrano are a bit easier to recall as they were easily the best places we stayed in Union.
Lodging aside, food and beverage is one of the main reasons I like to go to San Francisco for several days and Union Square has plenty of options to choose from. We usually start our inebriation tour at the Golden Gate Tap room, a pub with a vast array of local craft, import, and domestic brew. Foley's Irish Pub is another great place to get some drinks in. Especially if you are an Irish Whiskey connoisseur. The surrounding hotels also have great bars to sit in which provide a greater view of San Francisco and the immediate area of Union Square. The Sir Francis Drake is always a cool spot to hang out and drink. Especially since it feels you are hangin in a friggin castle... The Eno Wine Bar is another good drinking spot if you are looking for a more dialed back experience.
We haven't even scratched the surface when it comes to food in this district. One of our go to spots is the Daily Grill at the Handlery Union Square Hotel. It offers up standard Americana at reasonable prices. Scala's Bistro is a great restaurant if you are in the mood for some Italian, but it can comes in a bit more expensive than other options. Foley's and The Tap Room also offer up good pub food at reasonable prices.
Union square has so much more that we haven't discovered completely to this point. We usually set out to other districts to experience what they have to offer, which we will touch on in future #traveltuesday posts. I hope you all enjoyed the read and be sure to visit https://www.netravelagency.com to book your trip to San Francisco, or where ever wish to go!
Safe Travels!