Thank you to Airbnb for partnering on this post and gifting us this beautiful experience in SF. As always all thoughts & opinions are our own.
During our time in San Francisco, we had the pleasure of joining Jay, an SF resident for almost 40 years, on a Victorian Home Walk. We strolled through the curving streets of SF for two hours together, learning about the various types of architecture and the city’s landscape design. You might remember the floral design experience we signed up for in Paris a few months back. We enjoyed ourselves so much last time, that we decided to do another and were excited to partner with Airbnb on the experience in San Francisco. This afternoon did not disappoint.
Jay was just as knowledgable as he was funny. Quick on his feet and oozing with fun facts about the city, we were hanging on every last word of his. By the end of the afternoon we were able to easily spot a restored Victorian and the differences between a Queen Anne, Italianate, and Stick-Style Victorian. He guided us through Pacific Heights and Cow Hollow, on streets that buses can’t get to, so most of the homes we saw are often missed by visitors.
The tour started at Union Square where we all hopped on a bus to some of his favorite Victorian neighborhoods. The mix of architecture wasn’t exactly what we were used to seeing in SF. On our last trip to the city, we (like many others) visited the “Painted Ladies” by Alamo Square and sadly missed all these hidden gems. We had no idea there were homes that looked so mid-century with windows designed by Frank Lloyd Wright, and some with herringbone brick pathways that looked very New England, all in the heart of San Fran!
The Mrs. Doubtfire house, Robin William’s (real) home, Jessica McClintock, and Francis Ford Coppola were just a few of the famous homes we spotted. We couldn’t stop trying to do our best impressions of Mrs. Doubtfire saying “Steiner St!”, all afternoon. 😉
Being new homeowners, this afternoon just fueled our love for interior and exterior design even more. We took note of so many design choices for our back patio, landscape design (did you know some SF’s trees are from Australia?!), and even the style of address numbers used on the houses. We came home feeling so inspired.
What do you guys think? Have you guys ever done an Airbnb experience before? What are some of your favorite things to do when you travel?
Looking forward to our next trip out there!
Sounds so fun! But please try to use native plants (and especially bee friendly ones) whenever possible in your backyard! Such a great boost for the existing ecosystem.
I’ve never visited SF before, looks like a lovely time!