10 SF airbnbs to call home

SF is full of so many cool apartments to rent, this list is really just scratching the surface. With the price and location of most "cool" hotels in the city, renting a chic neighborhood apartment seems to be such a better way to really experience this city. Grabbing coffee at the local bakery, wandering the streets of a historic neighborhood, having a glass of wine at the corner cafe ... you stumble upon so many "non-touristy" spots this way. And if you book with this link, you'll get $20 off your first stay. Check out more SF to-do items on the travel guide.  
 

Spacious Designer Flat, Mission Gem
$329 per night
Sleeps 3
 

Sunny Mission Apartment
$500/night
Sleeps 8
 

Private Castle in Pacific Heights
$375/night
Sleeps 4
 

1BR/1BA in Castro/Duboce,
$210 per night
Sleeps 2
 

Luxe Modern Cole Valley Victorian
$600 per night
Sleeps 8
 

Cozy Lower Haight Apartment
$200 per night
Sleeps 4
 

Garden Retreat in the Haight
$185 per night
Sleeps 3
 

Ocean Beachside Home
$160 per nigh
Sleeps 4
 

Charming 3Br/3Ba Home in the Marina
$334 per nigh
Sleeps 6
 

Edwardian Style Pacific Heights 1BD
$350 per night
Sleeps 2

Have you stayed in an Airbnb SF that you loved, that isn't listed here? If so – share it in the comments or shoot me an email! 

sf neighborhood guide: the outer sunset

The outer sunset is one of my favorite areas in SF for a lot of reasons – it's relatively quiet,  often a little gloomy [which i love], near the beach while also right next to the park, and is full of unique shops, restaurants, coffee and cute homes. Often windier and colder than other parts of the city, this neighborhood is one I find myself coming back to often. A quick neighborhood guide below. 

To eat & drink:

1. Outerlands: [pictured below] my favorite for both brunch & dinner, cocktails and gorgeous design
2. Beachside Cafe: cozy neighborhood cafe serving breakfast & lunch 
3. Judahlicious: smoothies and acai bowls perfect for a post-surfing snack 
4. Devil's Teeth: locals line up for breakfast sandwiches and fresh baked bread/pastries 
5. Trouble: coffee & toast with an awesome parklet, the perfect place to hang if outerlands has a wait
6. Andy town: corner coffee shop that locals go out of their way for. Famous for their snowy plover which closely resembles a coffee float
    

To Shop & Explore

1. The General Store: California modern shop with bohemian vibes. An "I want everything" experience at it's finest, with a beautiful garden + table out back to sip and enjoy your coffee 
2. Case for Making: a beautifully designed art supply shop for local artists, but fun to browse for all 
3. Mollusk: also in Venice beach, this surf shop sells boards, wetsuits, gear, books, clothing and other fun accessories in a cheerful modern environment
4. Golden Gate Park: such a massive park but, full of so many wonderful things. The De Young, Botanical Gardens, Academy of Sciences, bike riding, picnic meadows and even free swing lessons ;)
5. Ocean Beach: a favorite spot to surf to many SF locals. On a warm day this beach makes you feel like you're in SoCal. On a cold day, it's cozy to bundle up and watch the surfers. 
6. Sutro Baths: read more about their history here
    

MY GO-TO CITY EXPLORING LOOK:

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TRY IT TUESDAY: LEO'S OYSTER BAR

try it tuesday was a tradition started years ago with my dear friend [and ex roommate] callie – we would go to new restaurants ever tuesday and it was such a great way to get acquainted with our new city. keeping up the tradition has been hard, but honestly with so many new spots popping up all over this city i really want to make an effort to bring this little mid-week date night back. 

leo's oyster bar was the perfect place to start. i've missed clark's, our go-to oyster spot in austin so much since we moved and while this doesn't have the epic patio aspect – a lot of the menu items and atmosphere felt similar. we ordered: assorted cocktails, washington oysters, salmon and tuna toasts, hamachi and the lobster roll. i'd recommend going with a group so you can try everything. happy tuesday!

all photos via ashley's blog 

alamere falls

i'm often mind blown that i still live in the apartment that callie and i found back in 2010. makes it all the more fun when she comes to visit me and we can relive our bay area life together! a few weeks back, i was lucky enough to get CR all to myself for the weekend. we ate and drank and hiked and shared a nasty cold which inspired us to also spend a lot of our time lounging – which ended up being quite nice, actually.

some of my favorite moments include: breakfast at the best, outerlands. a stop at basik before hitting the road to bolinas to hike alamere falls. drinks at hi-lo club {whiskey and lemon for the throat, please}, coqueta {gin and tonics all around}, and hardwater {oysters!}. dinner at liholiho. a day in the park at cavallo point. and most of all just loads of time getting in some much needed catch up. 

hog island oyster co.

i recently came across spotted and immediately lost 2+ hours of productivity on a rainy evening by scouring through pages and pages of her photos. she's been everywhere i love in sf, and then some, and documents it all so beautifully. it made me really miss that city. i'd like to start sharing some of leslie's photos here to reminisce on bits of my favorite bay area gems, starting with hog island oyster farm in tomales. some of my favorite times @ hog island can be found here and here

** all images via

spottedsf