I had the pleasure of experiencing an Adventures by Disney travel agent education program in San Francisco, California in April. My husband was able to tag along on my trip so we decided to add in extra time to explore the city and surroundings.
We arrived on a Thursday afternoon and took the BART (Bay Area Rapid Transit) directly from the airport to a station near our hotel. Now mind you, I’ve never experienced the New York subway system, but this felt similar to what that seems like on TV. After arriving at the station we walked about 5 blocks to our hotel – The Omni San Francisco Hotel. While we definitely could have taken a cab, an Uber or Lyft, or a car service the cheap price of BART was too tempting. One way from
The Omni is beautiful and is the hotel Adventures by Disney currently uses to host travelers on the San Francisco Long Weekend tour. Located in the Financial District of San Francisco, it is very upscale with a doorman, very attentive staff, and features a bar and a full service restaurant.
Since our time in San Francisco was short, my husband and I decided to dive right in to the culture of the city and explored Chinatown. Our first stop was the Dragon’s Gate and the arch stands as the entrance to Chinatown.
We explored Chinatown’s main street, Grant Avenue, before stopping in for dinner at the House of Nanking located on Kearny Street. The restaurant had been recommended by someone so we decided to give it a try. The restaurant is small and the tables are close. We sat down beside a woman enjoying dinner who was nice enough to make some recommendations, including a delicious hot tea that “bloomed”. The Hot Blossoming Flower Tea was fun to watch as it bloomed throughout our meal. We chose to try the Fried Pork Eggrolls, Pork Won Ton Soup and Hot and Sour Soup for starters. All were delicious and served piping hot and very fresh. For our main entree we shared the Famous Nanking Sesame Chicken.
During our exploration my main goal was to find and visit the fortune cookie factory that a dear friend had told me about during the planning of our trip. Bingo! We found it with the help of our pullout map we had in our DK Eyewitness Travel Guide: Top Ten San Francisco book. This book was a wonderful help to us, not only for the maps, but for tidbits of information about different locations to visit. It’s size made it easy to tuck into a bag while touring.
The fortune cookie factory – Golden Gate Fortune Cookie Factory – is tucked into a narrow alley but once you get close, is hard to miss. The sweet smell of the cookies will lure you in. It’s definitely not a large place but it’s fun and you get a free sample. You also get to watch the fortune cookies being made and you can pick up cookies to take with you. We may have purchased a couple, or actually several.
After our dinner and visit to the factory we decided to head up, and I mean UP, the hill to Coit Tower. Coit Tower was completed in 1933 and features fresco paintings done by members of the Public Works of Art Project. We arrived right before closing and were happy to be one of the last ticket purchasers of the day for the elevator ride to the top of the tower. The landing at the top of the tower features 360 degree views of the city of San Francisco as well as Oakland across the bay.
After our visit to Coit Tower we made our way back down the street and headed to The Omni for the evening. That three hour time difference, and a few miles of walking, was starting to catch up to us both.
Thanks for following along. My next entry will cover my Adventures by Disney day as well as some highlights of my husband’s visit to Alcatraz.
As always, please like and share my page and contact me to plan your next “Magical Adventure”! betsy@magicaladventurestravel.com
Betsy Walker Travels 