Day 2 in San Francisco: we checked out of The Argonaut and headed across town to the Americania Hotel in the SOMA district, a great place a little out of the touristy bottleneck. The Americania has the coolest, laid back, hipster vibe to it. When you check in there are free Jelly Belly’s for the kids and a chair in the lobby that spins! Exhibit A:
The whole hotel has a really fun, eclectic, hipster vibe to it, with board games in the rooms and a game room just off the lobby downstairs. Look how funky the room was:
We loved it. There was an awesome heated pool on the roof too, although I wouldn’t recommend it the first week of June. It was, in a word: brisk.
Once we settled into the hotel we headed towards the wharf {via trolley, which you can pick up just a street or two down from the hotel} to Blazing Saddles where we got bikes for the day to ride across the Golden Gate Bridge. Victor hates doing touristy things like this, but he’s always wanted to walk/ride across the Golden Gate, as have I, so this was perfect. Blazing Saddles rents out bikes and Go Cars {totally getting one of those next time, by the way} so you can experience the city a little differently. Here we are ready to head out. P got a regular kid bike and we got a tag-a-long for C, which was designed with him in mind.
This is where we rode, from the bike shop to the bridge, and across the Golden Gate to Sausalito.
It was one of the coldest things I’ve ever experienced, the wind coming sideways with rolling fog and cold mist all the way across the bridge, but one of the coolest things I’ve ever done in my life. Honestly, it was right at the top of my bucket list and it did not disappoint.
Look at his little ducky helmet, I can’t stand the cuteness!
We took a boat ride back to San Francisco on a Blue & Gold Fleet boat with our bikes {you load them on the bottom and then just sit in peace across the bay, which was perfect because we were dead on our feet by the time we arrived in Sausalito}.
It was tiring for all of us {P complained a bit about being cold and tired}; we figured we rode about 10 miles by the time we returned the bikes to the shop, but we all agreed: it was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity and we wouldn’t take it back for the world.
Allison
Hello there! I'm Allison Czarnecki, founder + editor of Petit Elefant, a blog all about style on a budget for every part of your life: style / home / travel / family. I do a lot of how-to beauty + style tutorials, travel posts, easy recipes, home remodel projects, and cool DIY crafts you totally want to try. I'm super happily married (to a hot Polish immigrant) and am the mother of two kids, a daughter and son, all of whom are featured here on the regular. We live in the country but we're a little bit rock + roll. Welcome!
YOU GUYS ARE SO CUTE!!! I love that little bike attachment. And what an awesome hotel too – very unique.
Wow!! That looks like an awesome trip! I'm going to check out each of your links – I grew up in southern California and have never been to San Franciso! Looks like your family had a blast – thanks so much for sharing!!
Kim :)
those rooms are gorgeous, the bike ride sounds great, and your kiddos are darling.
Thanks for the tip on the hotel. We're going to be in SF as part of our roadtrip in 2 weeks and I just couldn't find the right hotel. The Americania is perfect. I've already made our reservations. Enjoy the rest of your trip and thanks for the tips!