Things to do in San Francisco: My First Saturday

After an exhausting week of moving and bringing in the New Year, it was time to take in the City. I thought running, shopping, and eating would do the trick!

I started the day off with an am run. I headed to Fort Mason Park, down by the Marina, and went on a 5  mile jog to AT&T Park (where the Giants play). The trail runs along the Bay, pass Ghiradelli Square, Pier 39, and the Ferry Plaza Farmers Market. There were quite a few tourist out at a very early 9 am, which allowed for people watching! The fresh, misty air was perfect running weather… a great start to the day.

After my run, I went to Union Street, an old fashioned shopping street where you can literally find everything and anything. I picked up a coffee and headed to Ambiance, a quaint boutique store, with great sale buys. I picked up a Free People black shirt dress, that can be dressed up or down; black and versatile is always a good purchase! Union Street has so much character; it’s lively, fun, and young, with runners, dogs, and bottomless mimosas! I will say,  a must have when heading to Union Street is quarters; the entire street is meter parking coming in at $2.00 for 1 hour (a bit pricey). This is a great area to visit and a staple for locals.

For lunch, we headed to The Grove on Filmore Street. The cafe was packed; there were coffee drinkers curled up with a book, young couples laughing, and friends enjoying a pitcher of fresh squeezed orange juice. The menu is full of salads, sandwiches, espresso drinks, smoothies, and feature entrees. I ordered a side salad and the hummus and pita bread appetizer and my company enjoyed a grilled ham and cheese sandwich. Everything was really fresh and filling. Loved the hustle and bustle and the overall vibe.

I finished up the afternoon running errands and browsing up and down Filmore. I stopped in at Fraiche Yogurt to try their lcatose- free

soy frozen yogurt. Fraiche Yogurt is a homemade, organic, fresh yogurt and frozen yogurt cafe with specialty, delicious toppings. I tried their only soy flavor, plain vanilla, and added strawberries. I guess I had high expectations considering I’ve had my share of soy ice cream from Whole Foods, and the majority have been delicious! But, I was very disappointed; it tasted like really bad soy milk, and was not sweet at all. Fraiche may not have great lactose-free yogurt, but I do think it’s super cute and I assume (the line was really long) has really great regular frozen yogurt (with dairy). Although I didn’t have the best experience here, I will not give up on trying other dairy free yogurt (MaggieMud is supposed to be great).

I could probably go for a run, shop, eat and browse everyday of my life, especially in this amazing City…aaahhh what a perfect day!