Painted Ladies and Bubble Tea Cotton Candy in San Francisco

This weekend I had to tick the last few boxes on my list of San Francisco attractions before I head back to Austin.

My first stop was Alamo Square to see the Painted Ladies (row of Victorian style houses which were featured in the intro on the TV show Full House). My Lyft driver was a very nice guy by the name of Dave. He had so many self-administered tattoos (well, I don’t know if they were self-administered but they kind of looked like it) and some very large scars which made me really convinced that he was an ex-convict. Maybe he was actually a poet or a firefighter, but who knows?

When I finally arrived to the destination I realized that I had already been there at least three times, but I never knew that it was a famous place. I took some pictures anyways.

My next stop was Japantown. I had no idea as to what to see or do there but trusted it to have good food options. My instincts led me towards a pagoda-like structure that turned out to be Japan Center. It was in the middle of a shopping mall with many little stores with very cute Japanese souvenirs and a slew of semi-authentic-looking restaurants. I picked the one that looked the least authentic and was full of white people because I saw that the food was moving in front of them in little boats. It made me feel more comfortable about deciding what to order. The food turned out to be quite good despite the dreadful company. Next to me there was a very loud Brazilian woman with a huge furry purple bag. Her husband was a gringo and he was dressed in a matching purple shirt that made him stick out like a sore thumb in that place. She spent the whole time loudly scolding her teenage daughter about posting photos on Instagram while the guy just sat there in silence. Thankfully, they didn’t stay for a very long time.

After lunch I tried the most ridiculous dessert: bubble tea topped (literally) with cotton candy. It was a great attention grabber but I think I might have to go to the dentist very soon.

On my last stop I discovered yet another cute spot, Lafayette Park, where a woman in a mini dress and a prosthetic leg was doing a glamour photoshoot (you go girl!) against an amazing backdrop of the city skyline.