Inside Scoop: Jessica’s Active Activities in San Francisco

Posted by admin on Dec 21, 2011

Jessica Young is currently training for her first half-marathon, and has dedicated herself to finding creative ways to stay healthy, have fun, and be outdoors. A Bay Area native, and the cafe manager at the San Francisco Fisherman’s Wharf Hostel in Fort Mason, she recommends the best places to see the city while working up a sweat!

Jessica says she really enjoys working out in fun or non-traditional ways — it helps her stay focused on training. Her big run, the San Francisco half-marathon, is coming up in April and between now and then, you’ll find her running up stairs, biking around town, or climbing rocks.

Jessica loves traveling — she’s been to a bunch of countries, but still has a big travel bucket list. In addition to enjoying the natural beauty of Fort Mason and the "quirkiness" of the park’s old buildings, she appreciates working in a hostel around other travelers. "I love the hostelling community because it’s full of life and people who want to truly experience it."

HOUSE OF AIR

Located near west Crissy Field in the Presidio, The House of Air is one of my favorite places to go for a workout (and it’s also really fun!). This old airplane hangar is home to a brand new trampoline park. It’s comprised of three main areas: The Matrix which features 42 conjoined trampolines, The Colosseum which is set up as 22 conjoined trampolines used for dodgeball and slam-dunk contests, and The Training Ground which has three competition-grade trampolines with harnesses for aerial workouts. These trampolines are no joke and offer an exciting way to get your heart pumping! For $16 and an hour of your time, you’ll get one of the best workouts in San Francisco.

ROCK CLIMBING

Whether you’re a beginner or a seasoned veteran, rock climbing offers a unique challenge and there are a couple great spots here in San Francisco where you can test your strength. Planet Granite, also in the Presidio, offers rock climbing lessons and special classes like yoga, crossfit, and personal training. It’ll cost $19 for the day, plus $6 for equipment. Mission Cliffs is located on the other side of the city at Harrison and 19th Street, and is pretty much the same thing: climbing, training, and crossfit. The indoor facility is great if you want to sculpt some serious muscles or train for a real rock climbing adventure. It’s $18 for the day and the equipment is $5. Both places are great, but the Presidio facility is a lot closer to the hostel.

RUN THE MARINA

Start at the Fisherman’s Wharf Hostel and walk or run the four miles to the Golden Gate Bridge. There’s a convenient and beautiful path that takes you straight from the hostel through the Great Meadow, alongside the marina, down to Crissy Field, and up to the Golden Gate Bridge. I recommend this run in the early morning hours or late in the afternoon as the sun rises or sets — it is breathtaking! Once there, you can walk across the bridge if you like, or stop at the Golden Gate Bridge Cafe and relax before heading back. If you’re looking for a complete workout, there are also a couple of wooden workout stations along the path, where you can do sit-ups, pull-ups, or other bar exercises.

RENT A BIKE

If you aren’t into running, try renting a bike instead. San Francisco is filled with amazing places for biking — head along the marina, across the Golden Gate Bridge, through Golden Gate Park, or down Ocean Beach (or maybe try doing all of that in one day!). If you want a guide, I recommend joining our activities coordinator, Erinne, on one of her weekly bike rides across the Golden Gate Bridge and down into Sausalito. Once on the other side of the bay, take a load off and ride the ferry back to San Francisco. Bike rentals will cost you about $18 per day.

STAIR CLIMB

This workout is completely free and might be one of my absolute favorites. The 16th Avenue Tiled Steps are a relatively well-kept secret in San Francisco. Located in the Sunset District (between Moraga and Noriega streets, this beautiful tiled staircase will literally take your breath away if you run up and down it a few times. Not to mention, the view from the top is killer! San Francisco is filled with tons of crazy amazing stair walks and I encourage you to try at least one.