This is part of our 100 Things in 2015 challenge. Here’s the full list.

At some point, Becky and I realized that we had never been to San Francisco without it somehow being a work trip. So we took a long weekend, cashed in some airline miles, and had a good time of it. Becky had done a lot of the touristy stuff before, while I was working, so only some of our trip was new.

Neither of us, however, had ever been to Golden Gate Park. There’s no way we could have seen the whole thing, but we definitely tried. We actually started our day at the Painted Ladies, then walked the Panhandle (where Becky had me stand guard while she used a super janky restroom), and finally to the park proper.

Our first stop there was the Conservatory of Flowers, a gorgeous Victorian iron-and-glass building with a rather impressive botanical collection. The whole place was covered with orchids and pitcher plants.

We then proceeded to the De Young Museum, where there’s an observatory tower you can ascend for some pretty spectacular views of the city. From there, we walked to the Japanese Tea Garden (where it’s said the fortune cookie was invented), and enjoyed some snacks and tea.

By then it was time to meet some friends for drinks and dinner, so we said goodbye to the park. It was a nice day’s stroll through a beautiful place. We recommend this place, though it’s probably not something you’d do on your first visit to SF.