Even though September is almost upon on, summer isn’t over yet in San Francisco. In fact, the sunniest months are just beginning! In the Bay Area, “Indian Summer” falls between September and November and this is the time of year locals and tourists alike flock to the city’s many parks, trails and beaches.
For this season’s top outdoor activities, we thought who better to turn to than Haley and Claudine, the gals behind the 10 Day Health Challenge [https://18grains.com/10dayhealthchallenge/]. Haley, holistic nutritionist and Pilates instructor, and Claudine, natural chef and spinning instructor, take you through their favorite (and healthiest ways) to spend a day enjoying the San Francisco sun.
- Culinary Corner & Panoramic Picnic
Nob Hill is a mecca for boutique eateries, artisan coffee shops, and mom and pop grocery stores, making it a great neighborhood to stock up on goodies for an urban picnic.
First, grab a light and refreshing acai bowl loaded with fresh fruit and superfoods from Basik Acai [https://www.basikacai.com] on Polk and Pacific Street: ten times healthier and tastier than frozen yogurt, but just as satisfying! Two doors down you’ll find the Becampo Meat Co. restaurant and butcher shop [https://www.belcampomeatco.com]. Offering the highest quality organic, house-cured meats and regional wines, this is definitely a local’s favorite. Grab some salumi and cross the street to Cheese Plus [https://cheeseplus.com] for a huge selection of local and international cheeses, as well as a range of other artisan treats and fresh baguettes.
Ready for your picnic? Five blocks up to Russian Hill, on the corner of Vallejo and Taylor, lies San Francisco’s smallest park, Ina Coolbrith Park. It truly is a hidden gem, with a spectacular panoramic of the Bay Bridge and North Beach. Have a seat, enjoy your company, nosh on good food, and gaze over the San Francisco Bay in this tiny sanctuary.
2) Biking the Golden Gate Bridge
The Bay Area has a growing cycling community, especially this time of the year when the weather is warm. For a bit of exercise and gorgeous views, try the 8 mile journey from San Francisco across the Golden Gate Bridge to Sausalito. Not to worry if you don’t own a bike, places such as Blazing Saddles [https://www.blazingsaddles.com], will rent you one (with a basket!) for the day.
One our favorite routes starts at Fort Mason, winds along Crissy Field, up Battery Trail and crosses the bridge. Head down to the Marin Headlands and into the charming town of Sausalito, known for it’s houseboat communities and seaside restaurants, cafes and bars. Enjoy a refreshing drink or ice cream at a patio table while looking out into the sparkling blue bay. Bar Bocce [https://www.barbocce.com] and Cibo [https://cibosausalito.com/index.php], both on the main drag, are two of our favorite places to spend a few hours on a sunny afternoon.
3) Basic Training in Hayes Valley
Sure, San Francisco is known for its museums, Victorian architecture, and historic sites, but there are plenty of things to do that please the more fitness-minded. Let San Francisco— literally — be your playground! After exploring the vibrant Hayes Valley neighborhoods, hop over to Basic Training [https://www.basictrainingsf.com] on the corner of Hayes and Octavia for a seriously hard core workout.
Basic Training is a pop-up fitness hub created by Jenn Pattee [https://www.basictrainingsf.com/instructors/] (who doesn’t love supporting badass entrepreneur women?)! The parking lot-turned-grown-up-playground is open to the public every day for free. Use the space on your own time, join their free Saturday morning classes, or follow instructors as they lead you through the cityscape, sprinting down alleyways, hopping over benches, and doing pullups on streetlights. Basic Training makes working out unorthodox and fun, while showing you that the city can be a gym without limits.
Don’t forget to grab an organic cold-pressed juice from the Juice Shop [https://www.juiceshop.com] next door. You’ll need a thirst-quencher after that kickass workout! it
4) Golden Gate Park and Outer Sunset
With countless things to do in the 1000-acre Golden Gate Park, peddle boating at Stow Lake is a must. Rent a boat from the Stow Lake Boathouse [https://stowlakeboathouse.com] and spend a few leisurely hours exploring the manmade lake and scouting for wildlife.
Next, head a few miles west to the Polo Fields, another hidden gem tucked away from the hustle and bustle of city life. This is a great place for strolling around the trails, finding casual soccer games, or even listening to summer concerts. Turn up the fitness level by using the bleachers and tracks around the polo fields for interval training. If you have a hankering for more upper body exercise, you’ll find the Perrier Parcourse at the outer rim of the track. Built in the 1970s, the parcourse offers a series of rustic strength training stations where you can get a full circuit workout (and maybe a sliver if you’re not careful!).
The Outer Sunset is just a few blocks south of the Polo Fields and well worth a visit. Since Karl The Fog [https://instagram.com/karlthefog/?hl=en] (yes, it has a name!) is likely absent during San Francisco’s Indian Summers, now is the best time to explore this often-ignored, yet charmingly beachy neighborhood. Grab a coffee at Java Beach Cafe [https://www.javabeachsf.com], just one block from the Pacific Ocean. Continue up Judah and you’ll find Outerlands [https://outerlandssf.com] (cozy New American eats) and Judahlicious [https://judahlicious.com] (funky natural foods and juice shop).
Authors: Haley Whitley & Claudine Dagit
Claudine, natural chef, and Haley, holistic nutritionist, co-founded the 10 Day Health Challenge. Together they created a guided program to inspire healthy eating and mindful living. Their seasonal Challenge will show you that eating a diet based on whole foods can be deliciously enjoyable, cost-effective, and save you time in the kitchen. They don’t believe in counting calories or fad diets: they’ll shake up your approach to home cooking while making you feel like the a pro in the kitchen. Check out the 10 Day Health Challenge website [https://18grains.com/10dayhealthchallenge/] to learn more about their seasonal programs, which are full of nutritional support, grocery shopping lists, recipes, and a full 10 day meal plan! Claudine is the Founder and Head Chef at Cooking With Claudine [https://cookingwithclaudine.com]. Haley is the Founder and Director at 18grains Nutrition [https://18grains.com].
- Beach Chalet live music / ocean beach
- Trail run Lands end (RUNNING PIC)
- Picnic in SF: pick up food from Ft. Mason farmers market, Bi-Rite and sit in Dolores Park for a picnic, local artisan food, juice shop project juice mocktail (PICNIC PIC)
- Horseback riding
- Surfing lessons
- Basic training SF by Palace of Fine Arts
- Cool off Basik Acai on Polk (FRONT PATIO)
- Parcourse, lunch at Outerlands (STRENGTH TRAINING)
- Walking tour (JUMPING PIC)
- Fort Funston hike LOVE this place
- Moraga Stairs
- Twin Peaks
- the zoo
PHOTOS: 10am-1pm
- Meet at Basik acai
- drive to Russian Hill park picnic
- walk for jumping shot (maybe cable car)
- drive to Hyde st. for bike rental w/ GG bridge in the background
- Hayes Valley basic training- trainer to meet at 11:30am
- Parcourse
GG Park & Outer Sunset
- Peddleboating at Stow Lake https://stowlakeboathouse.com
https://www.erat.org/pullups.html
2) Parcourse at the Polo Fields Use the stations for upper body
-Sprint around the polo fields
Finish with a hearty lunch at Outlerlands and a Snowy Plover at Andytown
Bike the GG bridge
-2715 Hyde St. location FREE rentals, I called them and said we’re coming Tuesday, office manager Emily, talked Lauren
–Lunch in Sausalito at Cibo
-take the ferry or bike back
Walking city tour
https://www.sfcityguides.org/current_schedule.html
Panoramic picnic
Start at the corner of polk and pacific and pick up deliciousness
I like the magic corner of cheese plus, belcampo and bask acai on polk and pacific
walk down polk towards broadway street and then up vallejo to the “smallest park in SF” for a picnic
4th photo shows a good view https://www.sanfranciscodays.com/russian-hill/
After the picnic walk to where we took the jumping shot and then take a left on green
walk down the hill to hyde and hop on the cable car and take it to where we pick up the bike rentals
Or we can walk all the way down hyde street – will pass windy road and a great park where I run the stairs in the morning
Hayes Valley
Basic training – juice shop
