I ♥ My City!

Six years ago, my husband and I moved to San Francisco.  We have been living in Germany, and although we enjoyed traveling and being in the midst of magical settings, arts and culture, we were ready to move on to a place of new possibilities.

After a month of dealing with tedious logistics of the move, we arrived San Francisco in the middle of the night, and from the moment we landed in SFO, we were embraced with extraordinary kindness, something that we so badly needed after an arduous 20-hour flight.  We knew immediately that San Francisco was going to be a special place, and we were hooked!  

There are so many reasons why I love San Francisco.  Aside from the fact that it’s one of the most beautiful places in the world, it’s a cosmopolitan city that offers all the charm and warmth of a small town.  The vibe of the city is always cool … literally and figuratively, as it hardly gets warmer than 70 degrees … and being relaxed and laid back is a way of life here.

It’s easy to love a place where every corner looks like a postcard, and where even running an errand can seem like a scene from a movie, but what I love most about San Francisco is the diversity, as it is without a doubt the most diverse place, ethnically, culturally and lifestyle-wise, I’ve lived in.

And here are some of things that make San Francisco such a unique and interesting place.

• When someone comes to visit me, the first place I take them is Marina where you can get a great view of the Bay and Golden Gate Bridge.
• Spring & Fall are the best time to visit San Francisco because it’s the warmest and the sunniest time of the year.
• Locals know to skip restaurants in Michelin Guide and check out where the locals hang out instead.
• Daiso in Japantown is the place to buy authentic, local souvenirs.
• My city’s best museum is SFMOMA because it has a nice selection of modern art and the surrounding area in downtown is absolutely perfect for strolling.
• If there’s one thing you should know about getting around the city, F-Line Muni consisting of restored trolleys from all over the world is the best way to get around San Francisco.
• The best place to spend time outdoors is Golden Gate Park, Marina, and Lands End, but almost every park and every outdoor space is wonderful.
• San Francisco really knows how to celebrate Lunar New Year because we have one of the largest Asian communities in the US.
• You can tell the locals if they’re wearing a melange of summer AND winter wear, like a tank top and a winter sweater or bootie shorts and winter boots.  The weather in San Francisco is erratic.
• Just outside my city, you can see some of the most beautiful nature and the best vineyards in the country.
• California is known for being warm, but the weather in San Francisco is cool most of the year; therefore, having layers of clothes is very important.
• The best outdoor market in my city is Fort Mason Farmer’s Market.
• To find out what’s going on at night and on the weekends, read Fun Cheap SF.
• San Francisco's biggest sports event is Giants baseball games.
• The dish that visitors must have in San Francisco is dim sum, and you can get the best at Koi Palace.
• City Lights Bookstore is my favorite building in town because of its history, and you can always find great books that specialize in world literature, the arts, and progressive politics.
• The most random thing about my city is people are very eccentric.
• Most of the year, you can experience all four seasons in one day.
• If you have kids (or are a kid at heart), you won’t want to miss all the playgrounds, which are spectacular in San Francisco, esp. Koret Children’s Quarter, Delores Park, and Lafayette Park.
• Do not miss the great variety of restaurants on 9th Avenue between Irving Street and Lincoln Way.

It’s no secret that traveling has been a passion of mine for over two decades, and I’ve learned that the best way to find out about the places I want to visit is by talking to the people who live there.  So, I asked some of my friends the same questions in order to find out more about the places I’m interested in visiting: Paris, Dubai and Zurich.

Here are some wonderful tips my friend Sylwia gave me about her city, Paris, France.

• When someone comes to visit me, the first place I take them is the area around Basilica of Sacré Cœur.
• Spring and summer are the best times to visit Paris because it is warm and the city is teeming with life.  Outdoor cafes and restaurants are full of people, and there are many events. In August, the city is less lively as most residents leave Paris for the whole month (some restaurants, cafes and clubs are closed in August).  However, this is a great opportunity to see and explore Paris as there are fewer people are around.
• Locals know to skip restaurants and cafes nearby main tourist attractions and check out less expensive places in small streets away from the touristic places on the Champs-Élysées.
• The Carousel du Louvre is the best place to buy authentic, local souvenirs.
• In my opinion, the best museum in Paris is Musée du Louvre because it is one of the world's biggest museums with 35,000 objects from prehistory to the 21st century.
• If there’s one thing you should know about getting around in Paris, it’s that it’s very compact; so, you can walk to everywhere.
• The best place to spend time outdoors in Paris is to discover the city by walking, e.g. through the islands Ile St. Louis, the Ile de Cite, Louvre area, and Place de la Concorde towards Champs-Élysées.
• Parisians really knows how to celebrate French National Day (Bastille Day) because there are impressive military parades during the day and parties with amazing fireworks and lights at the Eiffel Tower in the evening.
• You can tell if someone is a local if he/she avoids touristic areas, speaks little English, expects everyone to speak French while the well-to-middle class behaves like Bobos (Bourgeois Bohemians).
• Just outside Paris, you can visit the castles Versailles and Fontainebleau.
• Paris is known for fashion, cuisine, culture and beautiful architecture, and it’s really the place of good cuisine, cultural events, amazing architecture and many boutiques with extraordinary clothing.
• The dish that visitors must have in Paris is Galette (large, thin buckwheat flour pancake filled with different ingredients, e.g. cheese, ham, eggs), and you can get the best at Galette Cafe Be Breizh, Creperie Saint Andre des Arts or any local creperie.
• The Centre Georges Pompidou is my favorite building in town because of the modern look of the building and there’s a nice restaurant on the top where you can get a great view of the city.
• Do not miss when visiting Paris: walk along the Canal Saint Martin, parks, and try Macarons from famous French bakers, Pierre Hermé or Ladurée.

Great recommendations on Dubai, UAE from my friend Maggie.     

• When someone comes to visit me, the first place I take them is desert safari.
• Winter is the best time to visit Dubai because weather is great, and there's a big shopping festival.
• Madinat Souk is the place to buy authentic, local souvenirs.
• In my opinion, the best museum in Dubai is Dubai Museum near old souk because you can see the history of the city.
• If there’s one thing you should know about getting around in Dubai, it’s the dress code, and that you must dress in clothes that are not too short or that reveal too much skin.
• The best place to spend time outdoors is Jumeirah beach.
• Just outside Dubai, you can visit Musabdam and Muscat in Oman.
• All the vegetable and fruit markets in Dubai are great.
• Dubai’s biggest sports event is camel races, and you can watch them at Al Marmoum Camel Racetrack.
• The dish that visitors must have in Dubai is lamb chop, and you can get the best at Automatic (lebanese restaurant) and dates at Bateel.
• Burj Khalifah is my favorite building in town because it's so beautiful.
• The most random thing about my city is Azan from mosque.
• Do not miss when visiting Dubai, seeing the beautiful red desert, having brunches and visiting shopping malls!

And last but not least, here are my friend Wiktor’s tips on Zurich, Switzerland.

• When someone comes to visit me, the first place I take them is Bahnhofstrasse, Lindenhof Hill, Niederdorf and Zurich Lake.
• Summer is the best time to visit Zurich.
• Just outside Zurich, you can visit Üetliberg.
• Zurich is known for being pretty, little and rich.
• The dish that visitors must have in Zurich is Rösti and fondue, and you can get the best in Niederdorf.

Thanks to Sylwia, Maggie and Wiktor for their insight on what makes their cities fun places to visit.

If you have great tips or recommendations you want to share about your city, please copy and paste these questions and email them to me. 

• My city is ______________.
• When someone comes to visit me, the first place I take them is ______________.
• ______________ is the best time to visit my city because ______________.
• Locals know to skip ______________ and check out ______________ instead.
• ______________ is the place to buy authentic, local souvenirs.
• My city’s best museum is ______________ because ______________.
• If there’s one thing you should know about getting around my city, it’s ______________.
• The best place to spend time outdoors in my city is ______________.
• My city really knows how to celebrate ______________ because ______________.
• You can tell if someone is from my city if ______________.
• Just outside my city, you can visit ______________.
• My city is known for being ______________, but it’s really ______________.
• The best outdoor market in my city is ______________.
• To find out what’s going on at night and on the weekends, read ______________.
• My city’s biggest sports event is ______________. Watch it at ______________.
• The dish that visitors must have in my city is ______________, and you can get the best at ______________.
• ______________ is my favorite building in town because ______________.
• The most random thing about my city is ______________.
• ______________ could only happen in my city.
• If you have kids (or are a kid at heart), you won’t want to miss ______________.
• Do not miss when visiting my city _________________________________________________________________.