One of the highlights of my recent trip to San Francisco was being able to explore the great outdoors. The best way to see the Golden Gate bridge, in my opinion, is to rent a car and not only drive across the bridge but see it from different points of view. For this trip, I teamed up with Mazda USA to go on a little adventure of my own. Disclaimer: Although the car was provided for this trip, this post is written from my personal experience and any opinions are 100% my own.
San Francisco is a big city with a solid transportation system, which is great when you don’t need to venture much outside of the downtown area. It’s fairly easy to get around using public transportation, rideshare apps, and by foot. That being said, I definitely recommend spending time exploring all of San Francisco, especially the areas around the Golden Gate Bridge. The best way to do so is by renting a car for the day(s) you’ll be exploring outside downtown, or by road tripping there from wherever you are- something I might dare to take on in the future.
I set aside a day just to drive out to Baker Beach to see the Golden Gate Bridge from a different view. The original plan was to drive down to Fort Mason for a picnic, but the rain in San Francisco called for a quick change. Being an East Coast girl, the views driving up to Baker Beach was worth the drive alone. And since I’m not used to elevation, I definitely couldn’t make the drive without the reliable 4-wheel disc braking system on the Mazda6 2017.5.
I feel a moral obligation to let you all know that Baker Beach has nude sunbathers near the North side of the beach since I didn’t come across that tidbit on my initial Internet search of the area. The view of the bridge was still breathtaking even with the one nude sunbather that was there on the 50-degree, rainy day I went to Baker Beach. I absolutely love nature on the West Coast and it was so nice to appreciate it in a serene setting where I didn’t have to worry about being drenched in sweat. I normally freak out about being out in the rain at home, but the Mazda6 had heated seats and amazing traction control, so I felt comfortable being out and about in the city.
To keep warm at the end of the rainy day, I drove downtown from Baker Beach to Le Marais Bakery for hot chocolate and a chocolate croissant, which ended up being half-off for happy hour. All in all, it was a day I’ll remember for a long time, and not just because of the nude sunbather my friend and I encountered. As stressful as driving up and down hills is (not to mention parallel parking on them) for a Florida girl, I would recommend driving to one of the parks/beaches near the Golden Gate Bridge without hesitation. You never know what you’ll find 😉
Note: For any questions on the Mazda6 2017.5, check out the specifications here. If you have any specific questions about my personal experience driving it in San Francisco, feel free to email me or comment below!
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