City Guide: San Francisco

I’m heading to San Francisco for the third year in a row for a Notion event. Each year I’ve done completely different things, and have no plans to double-up on experiences. So here’s a breakdown of my past two trips!

Year one - way more adventure & sightseeing.

Year two - really good freakin’ food.

Year three - I think I’m going to go where the wind takes me! Will share all of the updates once I’m back!

YEAR ONE - 2024 (MY HUSBAND & I’S TRIP)

TRAVEL & ACCOMMODATIONS

For year one, Jesse and I did SF together. He would rather die than take a red eye. Y’all know me, I’m a 6am, get there early and seize the day type of traveler. Luckily with SF being on the west coast, any flight you book ultimately gives you #girlmath free hours, so there’s no wrong answer in which you choose.

Transportation: We opted for a rental car this trip so we could easily get to and from Muir Woods + visit other spots without increased UBER rates.

Hotel: We stayed at the InterContinental Mark Hopkins San Francisco by IHG. It was right on the trolly line just a few blocks from Chinatown. Overall it was fine, but a little too fancy than I prefer (y’all know I’ve come to be obsessed with boutique hotels).

Day 1 Itinerary

Once we landed, we grabbed our rental car and dropped off our bags to the hotel. From there, we drove over to Oakland.

Breakfast: Nib’s Diner
Stop: Cookies in Oakland (Berner’s cannabis dispensary)
Activity: Alcatraz tour
Dinner: Marufuku Ramen (Japantown)

After we drove back to the hotel to officially check in, we had tickets for Alcatraz! Now because this trip was in October and I had heard visiting Alcatraz at sunset was breathtaking, we took the gamble and did a 6PM tour. You have to arrive about an hour before the boat leaves to line up and board FYI. Tickets were $50/person, and although there are timed entries to The Rock, we found out you are welcome to stay until the last boat leaves (about 10PM). Inside Alcatraz, you begin with an audio tour that takes you through the cell blocks, chow halls, and recreation area. Then, throughout the day there are speakers and presentations in various areas to listen to as well. We stayed about 2 hours before heading back to SF. In the gift shop I did get my hands on this really cool cookbook that was full of recipes from the women / wives that lived on Alcatraz. After Alcatraz, we headed to Japantown for ramen at Marufuku.

#DAY 2 ITINERARY

Because we were on Texas time, we ended up wide awake at 4:30AM. This would be the start to my travel Rule #1 - Sunrise Hike tradition. I found a park (Battery Spencer) next to the Golden Gate bridge known for sunrise / sunset hikes and we hit the road. It was about a 20 minute drive from the hotel, and over the bridge so prepare to pay tolls, but BOY IT WAS WORTH IT.

The views were incredible!

Immediately following, we had entry tickets to hike Muir Woods. Note: there is no cell service in the park, and they strongly advise not to UBER (which is the main reason we opted for a rental car). If you’ve never seen redwood trees in person, go to Muir Woods. The trails aren’t super long, and if you go when they first open at 8AM, you’ll have the park to yourself. Seriously, we didn’t see anyone until we were back at the entrance, and we hike to the very top of the mountain (about 2 hours).

On our way back to SF, we stopped in Sausalito for breakfast at Suzette.

The rest of the day I spent at a Notion Ambassadors event and gave a presentation about my AI Assistant Lizzie, and my zero-touch click automated workflows. Our group also had a private dinner at NotionHQ -- and Jesse had, you guessed it Marufuku!

#DAY 3 ITINERARY

It was Make with Notion day! The conference was in an event space in Fisherman’s Wharf, and it was so nice to finally meet so many of my internet friends IRL. Seriously, the majority of the Notinos I’ve known for 3+ years online without ever getting together.

For dinner, my Notion group chat stayed around the Wharf and had dinner at T’s Fish & Chips.

#DAY 4 ITINERARY

Our last day in SF was just as jam-packed as the previous days. We woke up and walked from Nob Hill down to the Fisherman’s Wharf, stopping in Chinatown and Little Italy to explore places like the Golden Gate Fortune Cookie Factory. Our final stop though was at Ghirardelli. This is their original chocolate factory which has since been turned into a store and restaurant.

Heading back to our hotel to check out, we took the electric trolley line (no way I was hiking back up those hills!), and made our way to the airport for a 5PM flight.

Year two - 2025 (just me!)

Year two was SPECIAL because I was a speaker at Make With Notion! I was asked to present about my work as a consultant, and how I use Notion to run my business. You can watch the replay here!

TRAVEL & ACCOMMODATIONS

Flight: 2PM → land in SF at 5PM (Direct flights rule!)

Hotel: FOUND Hotel Carlton (Nob Hill)

Transportation: I opted to rideshare + use scooters for this trip because I didn’t have much exploration time as the last trip. More specifically, I took Waymos everywhere except to/from the airport because Waymos cannot yet go on highways.

DAY 1 ITINERARY

Once I landed and got to my hotel (which took forever because of rush hour), I met up with some Notion friends for dinner at Flour + Water Pizzeria- UGH-MAZING food.

I’ll share about the hotel now. It really wasn’t terrible, the hallways / elevator were a bit sketch, but the room was modern and simple. There was no air conditioning in the room (which I didn’t know when booking), but luckily it was September and chilly, so I slept with the windows open - don’t worry I was on the 12th floor! The shower also wasn’t the best. It’s definitely an affordable boutique hotel to say the least.

DAY 2 ITINERARY

To start my day, I grabbed an UBER and headed down to Marina Green to watch the sunrise. Then I hiked up through Fisherman’s Wharf before grabbing a scooter and riding over to Little Italy to Caffè Trieste — an espresso house where The Godfather was written.

We had a dry-run for Make With Notion at NotionHQ, then spent the day co-working at the office before a few of us went to Bon, Nene for dinner, a local pasta spot that the founders of Notion actually helped save during COVID.

Day 3 & 4 Itinerary

The final day of run-throughs for Make with Notion 2025! We spent the day at the venue practicing on-stage timing, then ended the day with a private dinner with Notion’s co-founders.

I tried to go to bed early, but it was like Christmas Eve!

In the morning, I splurged and had the best breakfast from the local coffee shop Jane on Larkin. I had a green smoothie, and a potato bowl. Then, I got ready to speak in front of over 20,000 people in person and virtually.

WHAT A DAY, I cried, I celebrated with friends, there was no better memory I could have made (and a goodbye) as I left Notion consulting and shifted full-time into event production.

What’s your favorite SF hang? This year, I definitely have to finally see the Painted Ladies.

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