When the sun is shining in San Francisco, get thee to an ice cream store! Today's guide on ice cream will take you to 3 ice cream shops — where the locals go. While there are many tasty ice cream shops across the city we'd like to give props to ones that visiting tourists may not commonly come across. Each of these shops have an interesting history so be sure to visit the websites to read more.

1) Mitchells Ice Cream (map)
"Mitchell's Ice Cream has been a San Francisco favorite for over 50 years.  Generations of families have enjoyed our rich and creamy homemade ice cream, made right in our store.  Stop by and see us. You're sure to leave with a smile!"

On a warm evening, there will be a long line going down the street. It's worth the wait.. just take a number and hang out with everyone. Kids, dogs, couples, cops, old hippies, yuppies, everyone. This place is classic and an SF institution. Their menu is organized by Regular, Tropical, Sorbet, and Seasonal flavors. The Mitchell's website has some great info on their history and their ice cream making process. Pumpkin Pie ice cream rocks.

photo credit: akarmy

2) Bi-Rite Creamery (map)
"Bi-Rite Creamery products are lovingly handcrafted in small batches. We strive to use local, organic ingredients when available, and are committed to operating in a sustainable manner. Our ice cream is made from Straus Family organic dairy products. The fruit and flavorings we use are organic whenever possible and our packaging is made from biodegradable materials."

Bi-Rite is perfectly located across from Dolores Park and on a warm day the line will stretch around the block. This is not your traditional ice cream. This is a whole new level of ice cream. My favorite is Honey Lavender!

The Bi-Rite website has some great info on their commitment to creating ice cream in a responsible and sustainable manner.

photo credit: The Kozy Shack

3) La Copa Loca (map)
"La Copa Loca! Is literally translated as The Crazy Cup! Why crazy? Ah, the freedom to savor scrumptious tropical fruits or other old country flavors mixed in sundaes using unconventional combinations. Gelato and sorbet are our specialty- freshly hand made served and packed in the Mission District in San Francisco! We honor the traditional process of making gelato with only the freshest ingredients and seasonal fruits undoctored with chemicals, artificial powders or coloring. THE ESSENCE OF AUTHENTIC GELATO IS FRESHNESS!"

This shop is located in the Mission and is the freshest, yummiest sorbet ever. I especially love 2 scoops of Banana and Hazelnut in a waffle cone. Then we like to walk around the mission with our cones.

Read more about Mario and how he got his shop started on the La Copa Loca website.

There is also a really great review of La Copa Loca by Vegansaurus. Sounds like La Copa Loca is vegan approved!

photo credit: carlos

Learning about renting out our furnished San Francisco rental home has opened our eyes to a whole new world of travel options. I don’t think we’ll ever stay in a hotel again, seriously. There is an abundance of vacation homes everywhere you look and it seems possible to find something that fits most anyone’s needs.

It's become possible to find great resources to rent couch or room from a local, to renting an entire house and having that to yourself. The combination of high hotel costs and poor service can really sour a vacation fast. We’ve all had our experiences checking into hotel to find a dingy room, loud street noise, no sign of the promised mini fridge and hidden charges to use anything. It can take a lot of energy to demand good service these days. Here in San Francisco, hotel costs can quickly add up – especially for the popular hotels and B-n-B’s with top amenities. If your stay includes more than 2-3 nights you may want to consider the option of renting a vacation home. Not only do you get more for your money but you also reap a considerable savings. Plus, you get the opportunity to live like a local and see San Francisco from a whole new perspective.

We've gathered 6 reasons why you're better off renting a vacation rental vs. a hotel:

1) Cost Savings
Trip Advisor has a calculator that shows your estimated cost to rent a hotel vs. a vacation home. We ran simple numbers for 2 guests who would eat some meals out and and cook some meals in. Their calculator shows an estimated savings of $410, but for our rental savings would actually be $660. That savings skyrockets when you have 4 people at our standard $200/night rate. Try it out yourself.

2) Fully Equipped Kitchen
Cook if you want to, keep snacks and take home your restaurant leftovers, go at your own pace. Shop at our local Farmers Market. Not only is our kitchen fully equipped, it’s has beautiful granite counters, stainless appliances, recessed lighting, and a garden view. We also provide welcome treats like coffee/cream, muffins and snacks to get you started (before you’ve had the chance to stop by the market). No minibar charges here!

3) Laundry Room
Do your laundry and ironing for free, whenever you want to. It’s out of your way in a separate laundry room. You can close the door. You don’t have to dance around the ironing board.

4) More space AND more privacy
Have the benefit of sharing social spaces like kitchen, living room, dining and deck with space to relax with your travel companions, but have your own private bedroom. Both of our rooms include queen beds and bedside tables with reading lamps.

5) Concierge
While we don’t have an on-site concierge service to book reservations or tours, we can still give you guidance and steer you in the right direction. We lived in SF for 15 years and one of us was born and raised in the Bay Area so if there is something you want to know… we can tell you. You already know about Alcatraz and The Warf, try veering off the beaten path! Plus, as an added (free) resource for your stay we are constantly updating this blog and twitter (@blizzzz) with SF travel tips with everything from restaurants, sight seeing and entertainment. If there is something you want to know, just ask! In regards to check-in, we have a site-manager to greet you and answer any questions about the house. She’s available during your stay for any type of house issues or questions, if something were to come up. We also took the time to prepare a household guide book covering all the details on how the house works (like heat, surround sound, xbox, etc).

6) Rental Resources
By doing all this research for our business we’ve come to realize that finding a vacation home online has never been easier, and we can share what we know to point you in a couple directions. We’ve looked around and found these sites the best resources to post our rental – which means we feel they cater the best to our audience, you, the renter. They either are the most well known and therefore have the most traffic and most inventory, or are up and coming new services that seem to really “get” the best way to present services to renters and home owners alike.

1) For an affordable “couch”, “room” or “entire house”: Airbnb.com
2) For vacation home listings: istopover.com and vrbo.com
3) Not our favorite for consistent rental comparisons and can be hit/miss, but worth taking a look in any region/city: sfbay.craigslist.org/vac/
4) For tips on traveling like a local: spottedbylocals.com (Europe only) and facingthestreet.blogspot.com

Photo credit: cgfan on flickr

There are so many great independent coffee shops in San Francisco.  Each one having it’s own unique style and clientele. Surely there are many more undiscovered great ones, but for now I’ll just give props to a few of my faves.

It’s very worth mentioning a few coffee shops that are conveniently located within walking distance of our home. Wake up, put on your coat and head out for a nice morning walk. A piping hot coffee or cafe latte can serve as great motivation. Here are the ones in order of proximity to our home.

Café Ponte
This is a great little coffee shop and eatery featuring organic fair trade espresso and other fair trade coffees along with high quality fresh foods. This is a great place to grab more than just a coffee. They serve breakfast and also have delicious soups and sandwiches all highlighting their freshly baked breads. This isn’t a very trendy or hipster coffee shop but they do the basics just right. Don’t forget to grab a slice of their Banana bread to go!

Favorite pick: Banana Bread
www.cafeponte.net

751 Diamond (corner of Diamond & 24th St)
M - F 6:30 a.m. - 6:00 p.m.
Sat. 7:00 - 5:00 p.m.
Sun 8:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m.

Free wifi

Bernies
A relative newbie to the 24th street scene, Bernies coffee shop is full of local flavor as they have a devout following of Noe Valley regulars who make it their first stop each morning. There is a plaque on the wall that explains the owner’s story of how she managed to make her dream a reality. Clearly this is a place geared towards serving great Spinelli coffee in a no frills environment to locals who like supporting a down to earth owner. Grab a bench out front and watch the neighborhood go by. 24th street is ideal for people, dog and stroller watching.

Favorite pick: Café Americano

3966 24th Street (Sanchez & Noe)
7 days a week, 5:30 am - 8 pm

Free wifi

Martha Brothers Coffee
This is the flagship location established in 1987 by Martha and her siblings. Their knowledge of coffee goes back to the 1960’s when growing up at their uncle’s plantation in the mountains of Nicaragua. They now have seven locations in San Francisco along with a roaster plant in South San Francisco. If you are looking for a super strong cup of drip coffee or perfectly steamed café late, Martha’s is a great choice. The biggest challenge here is navigating the frenzied ordering system and trying to understand if there is actually a line, or who’s next in a crowd of anxious customers.

Favorite pick: Café Latte
www.marthabros.com

3868-24th Street
M - F 5:30 am - 8:00 pm
Sat, Sun 6:00 am - 7:00 pm

Spikes
If heading down towards the Castro, or if you are just out for a walk it’s worth a stop at Spikes. A tiny shop with tons of character, Spikes is the answer to large corporate coffee. This is a place that Castro locals flock to for a great cup of coffee along with some spirited conversation.

4117 19th Street
www.spikescoffee.com

Ritual Coffee Roasters
Clearly one of the best coffee shops in San Francisco, Ritual has a cult-like following that draws customers from all over the city. Their space is funky and geared toward the Mission skinny-jean-fixie-bike type. The walls are adorned with local art complimenting the ambient grooves that play in the background. At Ritual, you can always expect a line out the door because the coffee is that good. While waiting just keep repeating…. “it’s well worth the wait.”

Favorite pick: Café Latte
www.ritualroasters.com

1026 Valencia St
M - F 6am-10pm
Sat. 7am-10pm;
Sun 7am-9pm

Free wifi, but no power outets

Ritual Flora Grubb
If you are up for another adventure in a unique location where you can drink a coffee amongst exotic plants, try their location at Flora Grub Gardens. If the weather is nice, bring along a book and enjoy one of their benches along with your cup. Flora Grub is a high end gardening supply shop with unique gifts and art.

Flora Grubb Gardens
1634 Jerrold Ave

M-Th 8am-3pm
Fri, Sat 8am-5pm
Sun 10am-5pm

Blue Bottle Coffee
Blue Bottle is hands down the best coffee in San Francisco. A lot has been written about it. There are two locations, the original Hayes Valley walk up window on Linden and the newer location at the Mint Plaza Alleyway on Jesse St. This is coffee done up by dedicated purists. For a thorough review of everything Blue Bottle, we’ll direct you to the Blue Bottle Review on CoffeeRatings.com.

Favorite pick: anything
http://www.bluebottlecoffee.net/

315 Linden Street, SF, CA 94102
M-F 7-5 or 6
Sat, Sun 8-5 or 6

66 Mint Street, SF, CA 94103
M-F 7am-7pm
Sat 8am-8pm
Sun 8am-4pm

Coffee Bar
A warehouse-type industrial space popular with the wifi crowd. A great spot to get a little work done while getting an excellent cup of coffee, but go early because getting a seat can be challenging. They also offer a tasty food menu featuring organic ingredients and an excellent wine list.

Favorite pick: Americano
www.coffeebar-usa.com

1890 Bryant Street, SF, CA 94110
M-Sa 7am-10pm
Su 7am-7pm

Free wifi

We just posted our Top 10 Nature Walks in SF, and felt torn about listing a mural walk. So we're giving the murals their own posting! You'll come across street art and murals all over the city, but the Mission is the epicenter. Take a look at this great video and read below for advice to seeing them in person yourself. From our house you can walk down to the Mission neighborhood if you have time, or you can catch the bus that takes you down 24th Street, and exit at the Valencia stop or further down towards Balmy Street.

Balmy Street (map) and Clarion Alley (map) are the two most well known stretches of murals. You can just take a walk yourself, or you can pay for a guided tour that often includes these locations plus more. Zurdogo.com and SanFrancisco.com have great overviews of mural tour guides and locations. Regardless of which option you take to see the murals, be sure to stop along the way for food! I think Mission food is going to have to be another blog post. In the meantime, the Balmy Alley website lists a few food recommendations that we agree with.