I’m not gonna lie: San Francisco is one fun city, and even more so when 2 parents find themselves there on a grownup trip for a long weekend. But since the hubs had a conference to attend, I was flying solo on Thursday and planned on jumping right in with sightseeing. I wanted to get a sense of the essence of San Francisco. Sure, I had been there before, but it had been over 10 years (yikes!) I cringe just admitting that. My traveler heart longed to learn more about the City by the Bay. So naturally, before I arrived, I searched TripAdvisor for the best, most highly recommended tour companies.
Dylan’s Tours earned top marks and rave reviews. Now I understand why. I signed up for the 5 hour electric bike tour of the city—note the important word there being ELECTRIC bike. As in with a throttle to help you pedal up the hilly, steep terrain of San Francisco. These Pedego bikes run as much as $ 2,000, so it really made me steer and ride it more carefully after hearing that little nugget!
Lucky for me, I ended up having a private tour because the only other person who signed up canceled! Their loss was my gain as Rodrigo led me on our 5 hour journey. One of the things that distinguishes Dylan’s Tours is that locals are showing you their city and they have immense pride and know exactly where to take you. Like grabbing burritos on the fly from Gordo Taqueria and then biking to a warm picnic spot at Queen Wilhemenia Garden in Golden Gate Park to eat lunch. All the while we chatted and shared stories–we even had an in depth conversation about social media, my blog and his upcoming Carnaval San Francisco planning. (Sure hope it went well this past weekend, Rodrigo!)
Here’s the map of our 17 mile route-just to show that we covered some ground!
My favorite moments were biking on the Golden Gate Bridge; touching Hopper’s Hands at the base of the bridge; and the view of the Painted Ladies with the skyline majestically towering behind. Dang it, no John Stamos in sight! Soaking up the rays on such a gorgeous day and cycling were invigorating and an excellent way to see the city. I saw so many places I had never been before in San Francisco, it made me wonder what I HAD seen on my last trip. Biking the city gives you a wonderful overview of all the different districts and the unique flavors that fuse together to make it so diverse.
Maybe my experience is a bit skewed because I had a one-on-one tour, but I think it was because Rodrigo was the bomb dot com. He was personable, knowledgeable and just a fun guy to hang out with. We chatted as though we had been besties for years.
Our final challenge: bike the STEEP hill leading up to Lombard Street. Since it was just the 2 of us, and he hardly ever takes groups up there, he gave me the option. I said, “What the heck!” and we went for it. I channeled my years of watching Tour de France with Clay and harnessed all my biking skills and can say that I made it! Well, here’s the photo proof.
So if you find yourelf in the Bay area anytime soon, you MUST look up Dylan’s Tours and try one of their adventures (though I highly recommend the City Loop E-Bike tour). They will give you a tour of their hometown and make it an unforgettable day!
-Sherry
Wonderful reading Sherry!
I’m so impressed that you made it up that steep hill, and at the end of an epic day, no less! Sounds like an incredible experience. Your pictures are fabulous, too. Thanks for sharing the awesomeness!