During the last couple of years, the city of San Francisco has been painted in a harmful light. This has partly led outsiders to believe that the city is unsafe and lacking character. However, San Francisco’s beauty and charm remain severely underrated and unmatched. There are still plenty of ways for teens to experience all of this safely, and at affordable prices. This tour will show one way to spend a perfect day in San Francisco.
A true luxury of San Francisco is its unique forms of transportation. To get to the city, I suggest taking either the Tiburon or Larkspur Ferry which will take you directly to the city’s ferry building for $7 if you are ages 5 to 18. To purchase tickets, you can download the Clipper card app or buy one next time you’re at the ferry building. Both an activity in itself and an efficient way to reach your destination, ferry rides are ideal with incredibly kind staff and unforgettable views of the bay.
My friend and I took an early ferry, arriving in the city around 10 a.m. We used Google Maps to locate Fillmore Street, an exemplary spot for teens featuring a mix ofpopular stores and lovable thrift stores, for priceless finds.
Jane on Fillmore was our first stop. Jane is a chic, bustling cafe producing high-quality coffees and delectable housemade baked goods. I ordered the Dragonfruit Smoothie Bowl for $10, and an Iced Vanilla Latte for $5, totalling $16.30 with tips/tax, etc.
The smoothie bowl was incredibly smooth, topped with fresh berries and nuts and bursting with flavor.It left us with that delicious satisfaction and its nutritional value sustained us for the rest of the day.
Following breakfast, we took a brief 10-minute walk to Japantown. Japantown’s exciting activities and lively restaurants emulate Japanese culture making you feel as though you have actually traveled abroad. We journeyed through the endless shops selling stationery, accessories and more.
For lunch, we chose a restaurant called Izumi Sushi which serves conveyor belt sushi. The sushi came served on different colored plates with each color assigned a specific price, allowing the consumer to get the biggest bang for their buck.
The last stop of the day was Union Square. After walking a block just outside Japantown we were able to take a bus directly there. Union Square is always seasonally decorated, surrounded by large stores filled with people from all walks of life.
If you’re in the mood for a sweet treat, I recommend getting boba at Gong Cha, a shop just outside the square. I ordered a creamy and sweet Thai tea for $4.50. My friend and I sipped our drinks and toured the stores of the center, enjoying each other’s company and the views around us. From there we were able to catch the same bus back to the ferry building and took an afternoon ferry home.
