Sisters in San Francisco Baseball Bucket List Check-Off August 31- September 4, 2024
Mission ACCOMPLISHED- I have seen a baseball game in ALL 30 MLB STADIUMS!
Happy 42nd Birthday to ME!
When I was just a baby, my dad had a dream. He dreamed to see a baseball game in all of the 30 Major League Baseball Stadiums before he died. Being the HUGE baseball fans that my family was, he was able to complete this Bucket List Chase with my mom and younger sister; however, I made a few pit stops along the way and was missing the entire West Coast until my mid-30s. I decided in 2021 after a bad bout with COVID, I wasn't going to waste anymore time and decided to chase the last few stadiums. By the summer of 2024, the only stadium I lacked was Oakland. I called my sister and asked if she had vacation time and wanted to go and she obliged. It turned out to be the BEST trip with lots of #COREMemories and the completion of my near 40 year CHASE! THANK YOU ALLISON!
Follow along for great tips and tricks for completing your own MLB Baseball Chase as well as details for vacationing in San Francisco! Thank you SO MUCH for following along and supporting our small business! We appreciate you!
Backstory This was a trip to complete a LIFE LONG Dream and Bucket list... This really is a once in a lifetime opportunity to see a baseball game in EVERY Major League Baseball in America. It all begin with a dream my DAD had. He wanted to go to every MLB Stadium before he died and it all began in 1985 with a Royals game when I was 2.5 years old. By the time I was 19 years old, I had 23 of the 30 stadiums checked off my list thanks to my amazing parents who literally took my sister, Allison, and I around the United States chasing my dad's dream.
Morning Allison and I decided we would fly out of Dallas as it was cheaper and one of us would have to travel to the other no matter what; since she was going alongside me for this glorious trip, I figured it was the least I could do. After a LONG first Friday Night Lights of the Football season the night before, I drove from The Woodlands to her home in Addison to pick her up before we went to the airport.
Afternoon
Once in DFW, I went to her home and we loaded up all of her luggage into my car. We grabbed some lunch at Taco Joint, a local favorite, before making our way to Love Field for our flight.
Once in the airport, we had plenty of time to kill as our flight did not leave until 4:55PM. We grabbed some snacks and drinks before boarding the plane around 4:15PM. I had the early bird privilege and was able to get a great seat towards the back of the plane and left the next aisle seat empty for Allie. This plan worked as I put my bag in her seat and no one asked anything about it; however, the flight was NOT full. Allison in was in boarding group C so this could have been an issue with an earlier flight. Thank God we were able to have aisle seats and beside it each. TIP- Southwest offers Early Bird for only $15 and allows you to be in the A boarding group and automatic check in. It usually costs $15-30 ONE WAY and in my opinion is WELL WORTH IT!
Next Stop... California!
Evening The flight itself was uneventful and we touched down in San Jose, CA around 7:35PM local time... Just in time to see the sunset on the California mountains in the airport. We originally planned on renting a car for the drive from San Jose to San Francisco but ended up going with an Uber as it was cheaper and less of an hassle.TIP- When flying into the Bay Area, be sure to check flight prices and logistics for 3 different airports (San Francisco, San Jose and Oakland). All three are within 1 hour of San Francisco and prices can often vary quite a bit. We flew into San Jose and out of Oakland as that was the cheapest.
We made it... and the sun was still shining! Even from an airport... God sure does paint a gorgeous picture!
Once in our Uber, our driver got us to our hotel in Nob Hill in about 45 minutes which seems very quick for a Saturday evening. We checked into the Holiday Inn Golden Gate around 9PM and got settled into our room quickly. TIP- This hotel was PERFECT for what we needed on this trip and was VERY well kept and maintained. It is in Nob Hill and just 2 blocks from a Cable Car stop and within walking distance to many restaurants and shops. We NEVER felt unsafe and we even went out late at night. San Francisco get a bad wrap but I was HIGHLY impressed with the city overall.
I would stay at this hotel again IN A HEARTBEAT! It was PERFECTLY located and very well maintained!
I loved this hotel and would highly recommend!
Once we got settled we walked to Grubstake Diner just a block from our hotel. This was a Diners, Drive-ins and Dives, which we LOVE to add to any land trip, and Allison had been here in 2002 when she came with my parents. This diner was inside an old Cable Car which made for some very unique dining. The food was pretty good overall and we enjoyed this dinner together; plus, we got to check off a DDD on this trip.
This was SO COOL and I LOVED getting to experience this with another true DDD Fan!
If Guy Fieri says it is UNIQUE... It must be AWESOME! And it was!
The Grubstake Diner menu (Fairly extensive and offered a little bit for everyone)
I randomly chose this and it was DELIGHTFUL! I wish I could find it in Texas!
The Philly Cheesesteak and Half-n-Half (fries and onion rings).
Overall this was typical DDD food and I enjoyed it!
After dinner we decided to meander down to Bob's Donuts, a TikTok viral donut shop on Polk Street about 3 blocks from out hotel. We were a little nervous walking in San Francisco so late at night, 11:30PM, but it was not bad at all. We didn't even see any homeless people on this street. We waited in a line about 45 people deep and about a 30 minute wait for the BEST DONUTS I HAVE EVER HAD! We got several to try that night and the next day! They were delicious and well worth the wait!
I had not heard of this prior to planning this trip but I kid you not, I had some high schoolers that said they have heard of this place via TikTok!
Even at nearly midnight, they had LOTS of options to choose from!
This was a cool experience and I would recommend ANYONE going to Bob's anytime of day!
We walked back to the hotel and called it a night around midnight local time, which would have been 2AM our time. We were both SO TIRED but ready for the 1st of our 2 baseball days the next day!
I have no idea how she did it but when we got back to the hotel, Allie had decorated the room with Happy Birthday decor! It was SO SPECIAL! Thank you Allison!
Time to eat the donuts... WOW, they were SO GOOD! Those donut holes were TO DIE FOR!
Up Next... A Revisit to one of my ALL TIME Favorite MLB Stadiums- Oracle Park and Allison's first ever Chinatown visit! STAY TUNED!
