Photo Spots in San Francisco: Valentine’s Day Edition
San Francisco is filled with amazing spots to take photos. From landmarks and murals to dessert shops and epic houses, we’ve compiled all the Instagram-worthy spots to hit for Valentine’s Day themed photos.
The Balloon Lady
The Balloon Lady is a helium balloon store near Dogpatch with a pink facade and garage door that can serve as a great backdrop for photos. Make sure you visit when the store is closed and early in the morning, otherwise on a nice day you’ll encounter harsh lighting. During the weekends, there’s also plenty of street parking available.
Location: 750 24th St.
Accessories: The Foggy Dog bandana and walk set // use RUBY10 for a discount
cupid’s span
Cupid's Span is an outdoor sculpture by married artists Claes Oldenburg and Coosje van Bruggen, installed along the Embarcadero in San Francisco. This spot is also popular with the local dogs given the nice patch of grass and waterfront views. Parking for this art installation is tricky. There is no street parking near by, so plan to find a spot in a neighborhood at a meter and walk a little or plan to explore more in the area and park in a parking garage. Garages are flat fee rates on the weekends.
Location: The Embarcadero & Folsom Street,
Bandana: Lucy & Co. dog bandana // use LCRUBYDOODLE15 for a discount
fnnch lip motif
This lip mural was constructed by local street artist fnnch on the side of the former Melt! space in North Beach. Google maps will show this as a nice clean space to use as a background, but as you can tell there are some plants on the sidewalk and shelves mounted to the building on the mural. There is street parking in this area and if you hit this spot early you shouldn’t have any problems.
Location: 700 Columbus ave.
Matching outfits: Clive & Bacon dog bandana (use RUBY10 for a discount), The Foggy Dog walk set (use RUBY10 for a discount), Urban Outfitters gingham pants, Loft sweater
umbrella alley
Umbrella Alley is a free, interactive mural experience in Fisherman’s Wharf that is the definition of Instagram-worthy. This mural exhibit opens at 10 a.m. and you cannot explore it early due to a gate. To beat the crowds show up at 10 a.m. There is also hourly metered street parking up and down Beach St., as well as a garage under Ghirardelli Plaza.
Location: 757 Beach St.
Matching outfits: Rororiri dog bandana, Loft sweater
golden gate bridge
There are so many different viewpoints for this red beauty. One of our favorites is Postcard Viewpoint. It’s the last exit before driving over the bridge, there’s a parking lot ($.50 for 30 mins) just a few minutes from this spot, and if you get here early there will be no obstructions (humans) to your view). Your biggest obstacle will be the fog, so check the weather and plan to visit on a clear morning.
Location: Golden Gate Bridge Welcome Center
Matching outfits: GET MATCH IT sweaters, Loft skirt, Trader Joe’s roses
media noche mural
We had originally planned to visit Media Noche for the Fnnch flamingo mural, but upon arrival we found that a new mural had been painted over it. Thankfully, it still kind of kept with our Valentine’s Day theme/color palette.
If you’re driving, plan to get here early and there’s a loading zone right in front of the mural that you can swing into for some quick snaps especially if you get their before the restaurant opens at 11.
Location: 19th Street
Matching outfits: The Foggy Dog hair tie and dog bandana (use RUBY10 for a discount)
PURPLE Alamo square house
This area is famous for the Painted Ladies, but the parked is actually lined all around with beautiful, colorful Victorians. On the side of the park where the Painted Ladies reside, is a lovely, well kept purple house that is so photogenic you won’t be able to resist climbing a few steps and posing curbside.
Location: Steiner St.
Matching outfits: LuxeStitches dog bandana, Chicwish heart pom cardigan, and H&M gold skirt
Sift dessert bar
We haven’t had a chance to enjoy the tasty goodies from this dessert bar, but the outside is just as sweet with pink painted brink surrounding the entrance. The pink brick is a perfect backdrop for us four legged posers.
Location: 2411 California St.
Outfit: Clive & Bacon dog bandana // use RUBY10 for a discount
Pink wall around the corner from miette
When you exit Miette on Octavia Street, make a right on Linden Street and the pink wall is right there at the corner. Linden Street is a one way, so if you’re driving you’ll need to route appropriately and can quickly park on one of the sides while you snap a few pics. This wall is in Hayes Valley and right across the street from the park, so it’s also a great area for a potty break if you need one.
Location: Linden Street
Outfit: Clive & Bacon dog bandana // use RUBY10 for a discount
pink house on washington st.
Near Pac Heights, this bubblegum pink house is located in a historic district where all the Victorians are protected and preserved. Strike a pose in front of the garage or walk the sidewalk and “pretend” you’re admiring all the lovely houses.
Location: Washington Street around the corner from Stone & Rye between Fillmore and Webster
Outfit: Rororiri dog bandana, Loft blouse
Have you been to any San Francisco photo spots that we should to the list for Valentine’s Day?