Getting off the Bay Area Rapid Transit, affectionately known as BART, at the Embarcadero Station in San Francisco is a mixed bag. On the one hand, the smell of urine and marijuana is strong. On the other hand, I was back in San Francisco for the first time in several years, and it was a beautiful day!

A beautiful day in San Francisco is a true wonder. The bridges and buildings gleam in the sun, and the water of San Francisco Bay sparkles. Often the wind off the Bay can be too cold to truly enjoy the city, but not this weekend.

My first stop was Tadich Grill. The third oldest continually run restaurant in the country, it has been in existence since 1849 and the California gold rush. From selling coffee to miners, the restaurant moved quickly to becoming a seafood staple. Today, it serves one of the most iconic SF dishes, cioppino, in addition to the rest of a varied menu.

Cioppino is a seafood stew made with tomatoes, white wine, and a TON of different ocean critters. The one at Tadich has shrimp, scallops, crab, mussels, and whitefish. It was delicious!

After lunch, it was time to walk around a bit to take advantage of the beautiful day. The iconic Transamerica Pyramid is the highlight of the skyline.

I returned to the BART station by way of the Ferry Building, and it’s incredible views looking across the Bay. I even made friends with a friendly seagull!

I went to San Francisco for cioppino, but the real San Francisco treat was the incredible day! What a city!!