When was the last time you went on a road trip on the West Coast? The Pacific Coast Highway offers the best way to experience bustling cities along the coast, all the while admiring the impressive views of the ocean. This fall, TRAVELER’S COMPANY is coming on a USA Road Trip along the coast of California. Picking up from the first stop at Long Beach, the team will follow US Route 101, heading North towards San Francisco for the second leg of the trip.
San Francisco is known for its iconic Golden Gate Bridge, the harrowing Alcatraz Island, cable cars gliding down steep hills, and the founding place for sourdough. It is also home to many artistic institutions, exciting innovation, and cultural diversity.
In today’s TRC USA Staff Diaries, we would like to recommend a short trip through the vibrant city of San Francisco, California. While you’re in town for the TRAVELER’S COMPANY CARAVAN event, we suggest setting aside some time to explore other things the city has to offer. Follow this guide for our recommendations of things to do around the event venue and more!
TRC US CARAVAN Second Stop – Heath Ceramics and Heath Newsstand
Heath Ceramics San Francisco Viewing Space
2900 18th St, San Francisco, CA 94110
Nov 6th – 7th, 2024 / 10:00 AM – 6:00 PM
Heath Ceramics began as small-scale pottery in 1948 and has evolved into a business that shares one creative heart, and many forms of expression. From handcrafted ceramic tableware to innovative original glazes and custom tiles, you can find Heath Ceramics the perfect place to adorn your tabletop and home. Heath has two main manufacturing facilities: its original dinnerware factory in Sausalito and a tile factory in San Francisco.
Next to the viewing space where the TRAVELER’S COMPANY USA Pop-up event will be held, you can visit Heath Newsstand. Heath Newsstand is a tiny outpost within Heath’s San Francisco Mission District building, where visitors find a dazzling array of international publications and creatively curated gifts, home goods, and playful finds from around the world.
Since 2012, Heath Ceramics SF has been the creative heart of Heath in the urban core of San Francisco’s Mission District. This space embodies the true collaborative spirit of designing and making in our community. Under a 60,000-square-foot roof, Heath’s tile factory is in the center of it. Travelers can visit Heath SF Showroom, a former linen supply space turned into a gallery space to showcase cookbooks and food favorites. You can also peek into Heath Clay Studio, where the team evolves their shapes, glazes, designs, and making processes. The space is open for observation Monday-Friday from 10 am – 5 pm.
Heath SF brings together like-minded people and businesses, for beauty, inspiration, making, and gathering. For travelers who are interested in learning about Heath’s processes, a special Tile Factory Tour will be held once a day during the 2-day event from 11:30 – 12:30. The Tour groups are limited in size and require advance RSVP (link will be available soon). Each tour* lasts approximately 1 hour with a $15 admission fee.
*For safety, all participants must be aged 5 or older. Closed-toe shoes are required. Protective eyewear will be provided while in the factory area.
Recommendations around Heath Ceramics
As you explore the TRAVELER’S COMPANY US CARAVAN event, don’t be caught off guard by the enticing scent of bread and coffee in the air. Within Heath’s massive complex is Tartine Manufactory by Tartine Bakery, one of the most iconic bakeries in the city.
Enjoy delicious sandwiches and pastries with fellow TRAVELER’S notebook fans at its spacious café space. They are known for their blistered loaf that is baked after a long fermentation process.
Tartine Bakery’s original storefront at 600 Guerrero street is just a few blocks away.
If you’re pining for Japanese comfort food, two blocks away from Heath Ceramics, Aedan Koji Kitchen serves take-out bento boxes featuring its miso and fermented product specialties. Head south and you’ll come across Flour + Water Pasta Shop, where you can enjoy delicious hand-crafted pasta with seasonal sauces.
The area has no shortage of invigorating coffee to start your day or wind down for the afternoon. The Heath Ceramics staff recommends Sightglass Coffee and FRONT EXHIBITS & CAFÉ as a casual gathering space for travelers who want to enjoy time with new friends.
Paper lovers will enjoy a visit to The Aesthetic Union, an old-school print shop meets stationery store. Browse creative original prints and letterpress items, as well as art supplies and other collaborations with local artists.
Finally, at Rescue Row and 16th Street, sweets lovers can visit Dandelion Chocolate 16th Street Factory. The historic brick factory houses the entire production line of Dandelion Chocolate’s famous bean-to-bar chocolate treats. Travelers can purchase chocolates and other pastries at its café space.
Other Things to Do in Mission District
In a bustling city like San Francisco, there is no shortage of things you can explore and experience. Within the Mission District, travelers can visit Valencia Shopping Street, lined with interesting stores and gift shops. In our previous trips to San Francisco, the TRC USA team enjoyed visiting Dog Eared Books, a used bookstore piled floor to ceiling with literary gems and fun finds.
Senor Sisig is a crowd favorite, a food truck turned brick-and-mortar restaurant that features a fusion of Filipino flavors into Mexican tacos and burritos. This is a good place to rest your feet after a long day of shopping.
The best place to get a full view of the entire city is Dolores Park. This city park spans two entire blocks and caters to both families and young hipsters that make up the diverse population of San Francisco.
Of course, it isn’t a trip without a dessert or sweet snack to add to your day. Bi-Rite Creamery is a San Francisco institution with more than 80 years of history. Starting as a corner market, it evolved into a modern grocery store with an emphasis on fresh and farm-direct food. The dedication to good ingredients translates into the flavors of the creamery, from their iconic salted caramel to black sesame (the TRC USA staff’s favorite!). Grab a tasty cone or cup of ice cream while you visit Dolores Park!
Explore Iconic San Francisco with TRAVELER’S notebook
While in San Francisco, one shouldn’t miss the opportunity to visit its iconic Golde Gate Bridge, from all angles. The one-mile suspension bridge and its sweeping grandeur appear in magazines and postcards whenever one thinks about the city. Aside from the most popular visitor center where travelers can take the picture-perfect view of the orange-red bridge (if Karl the fog isn’t visiting that day), there are a few other places to enjoy the view.
Pack a bento and picnic at Crissy Fields Beach, where locals stroll along the long sandy stretch with families and pets. From the beach, one can also look Eastward to see Alcatraz Island in the distance.
If you are driving into town, take some time to cross the Golden Gate Bridge and view it from the Sausalito side of town. Battery Spencer is a viewpoint on the hill that is made up of a 19th-century concrete battery. From the peak, you can enjoy a panoramic view of the Golden Gate strait, the bridge, and San Francisco.
In the same area, the Palace of Fine Arts is a landmark building with plenty of places to rest and enjoy the view.
If you are a fan of Japanese culture and goods, don’t miss out on visiting Japantown. The area is packed with dining and shopping options with an Asian flair. From Japanese bookstore Kinokuniya to its gift/stationery arm Maido, there is no lack of fun things to discover if you enjoy stationery. While in the area, we recommend visiting SF76, a Japanese homeware store that showcases timeless pieces to use and display in your home. For two days, SF76 will also share a curated selection as a pop-up at the TRC US CARAVAN event at Heath Ceramics.
The Painted Ladies are a row of colorful Victorian homes that showcase the architectural characteristics of homes you’ll see when visiting the city. They stood in a row on a slope, another iconic tourist view to check off on your bucket list to San Francisco.
While navigating the rolling hills in the city, look out for another iconic transportation method – cable cars. It is one of the world’s last manually operated cable car systems and carries tourists from downtown to Fisherman’s Wharf. Be warned, the wait to ride one of the cars might be long due to the demand and scarcity.
With this itinerary, we hope you enjoy a great time visiting the TRAVELER’S COMPANY US CARAVAN in San Francisco, California. Next week, we’ll bring you the last installment of this series, and the last stop of the Caravan event – Port Townsend, WA!
Have a nice trip!
