Chowder, sea lions and a famous bridge; spend a day in San Francisco without breaking the bank

Sunny San Francisco is home to the NFL Experience in the lead-up to Super Bowl 60. Like Boston, San Francisco is one of the most expensive cities in the country. And here, too, you’ll find traffic just about every afternoon.But you don’t have to break the bank to spend a day exploring some of the highlights and you don’t need a car either.Video: Sights and sounds of the Bay AreaWhat we did: We rode into San Francisco from Santa Clara using the light rail system and BART, the Bay Area Transit. Once we made it into the city, we uses busses and cable cars to get around, with a bit of walking in between. You can pay about $6.00 for unlimited rides on the Muni buses, trains and historic streetcars for the day.What we saw: Our first stop was at the Golden Gate Bridge! A standard of the San Francisco skyline, the bridge is an iconic part of the city. A bus will take you right to the visitor’s center. Once you’re there, you can walk to picnic sites or bike the many trails.We also made our way to Alamo Square Park. From there, you can get a nice vista of the skyline and the city’s famous Painted Ladies. The Victorian homes are one of the city’s most photographed spots, famous for their appearance in film and television, most notably the hit show “Full House.” From there, we made our way to Fisherman’s Wharf for a bite to eat at Pier 39. We got there on one of the city’s famous cable cars. According to the city, they were invented here 150 years ago and became a National Historic Landmark in the 1960s. Hop off early and walk the rest of the way on the Embarcadero to Pier 39. Once you’ve arrived, keep your eyes and ears out. Here is where you’ll find a colony of sea lions. What we ate: We stopped into Fog Harbor Sea Foods at Pier 39 to try their take on a classic clam chowder. Their version comes in a sourdough bread bowl and is chunky with lots of meat and potatoes. Add crispy bacon bits on the side and dig in!

SAN FRANCISCO —

Sunny San Francisco is home to the NFL Experience in the lead-up to Super Bowl 60. Like Boston, San Francisco is one of the most expensive cities in the country. And here, too, you’ll find traffic just about every afternoon.

But you don’t have to break the bank to spend a day exploring some of the highlights and you don’t need a car either.

Video: Sights and sounds of the Bay Area

What we did:

We rode into San Francisco from Santa Clara using the light rail system and BART, the Bay Area Transit. Once we made it into the city, we uses busses and cable cars to get around, with a bit of walking in between. You can pay about $6.00 for unlimited rides on the Muni buses, trains and historic streetcars for the day.

What we saw:

Our first stop was at the Golden Gate Bridge! A standard of the San Francisco skyline, the bridge is an iconic part of the city. A bus will take you right to the visitor’s center. Once you’re there, you can walk to picnic sites or bike the many trails.

We also made our way to Alamo Square Park. From there, you can get a nice vista of the skyline and the city’s famous Painted Ladies. The Victorian homes are one of the city’s most photographed spots, famous for their appearance in film and television, most notably the hit show “Full House.”

From there, we made our way to Fisherman’s Wharf for a bite to eat at Pier 39. We got there on one of the city’s famous cable cars. According to the city, they were invented here 150 years ago and became a National Historic Landmark in the 1960s. Hop off early and walk the rest of the way on the Embarcadero to Pier 39. Once you’ve arrived, keep your eyes and ears out. Here is where you’ll find a colony of sea lions.

What we ate:

We stopped into Fog Harbor Sea Foods at Pier 39 to try their take on a classic clam chowder. Their version comes in a sourdough bread bowl and is chunky with lots of meat and potatoes. Add crispy bacon bits on the side and dig in!