Visiting a new city is one of the best parts about corporate travel obligations (or extended vacations, if you can swing them!), and it’s expected that you’ll play tourist on your down time. Last week we named a couple of east coast cities worth spending a little extra time in, and now we’ll talk about those west coast cities you don’t want to miss.

PC Housing has luxurious, fully furnished, centrally located corporate housing communities in both of these west coast destinations, so you won’t have to let your accommodations distract you from experiencing the beauty and excitement the left coast has to offer.

san francisco

San Francisco: A Breathtaking City Amid the Fog

San Francisco is very big little city. A cultural nucleus, the city has been the birthplace of several major civil rights movements. In addition, San Francisco is the technology capital of the country, with start up tech firms creating solutions to issues big and small. The city has tons of hills, but that doesn’t stop its residents from staying active and fit, and you’ll find runners, bicyclists and yoga in even the most unexpected necks of San Francisco.

One of the city’s greatest landmarks is also its port of entry: the Golden Gate Bridge. The bridge, which connects San Francisco to nearby northern counties in California is a towering suspension bridge. Leave your car behind and walk across the bridge, its bright vermillion shade poses a stunning contrast with the sky, whether it’s cloudy outside or bright.

After walking across the bridge, experience SF’s local culture and dedication to sustainable farming at the Ferry Building Market. Located on San Francisco’s waterfront, the Ferry Building hosts local producers and artisans in addition to fine dining and shopping. The building, with its impossible-to-miss clock atop its tower, is a destination for SF locals looking for produce for the week and people hoping to check out the latest hybrid engineered fruit.

Want a different sort of island getaway? Check out one of the country’s most famous penitentiaries on Alcatraz.From 1934 to 1963, Alcatraz was a federal penitentiary that held some of the country’s worst criminals, but today it’s a major tourist destination where visitors can check out a cell where criminals were held and walk around the island.

If you hope to enjoy some great art from lesser-known artists, make sure to visit the de Young Museum. Located in Golden Gate Park, this is an excellent museum surrounded by dense nature. And while the SF Museum of Modern Art is closed, this is the place to go for your art fix in the city.

Downtown Seattle and Elliott Bay

Photo by Wikimedia Commons

Seattle: Where Fresh Produce is Plentiful, The Sky’s The Limit and You Can Visit The Center of the Universe

Seattle is a city unlike any other, and that’s not just because of its interminable fog and frequent rains. Its residents are healthy, love flannel, are tech-savvy and enjoy locally sourced goods. If your only associations with the city come from Frasier, here’s where to visit to get to know Seattle.

Called “The Soul of Seattle,” Pike Place Market is the country’s premier farmer’s market. And what a market it is. Boasting around 100 farmers, “The Market” is already chock-full of any fresh greens or goods you might seek. But in addition, it has hundreds of artisan craftspeople, 240 street performers and musicians and a whole lot of Seattle history. Pick up lunch or breakfast there and see why Pike Place Market is more than just the home of the world’s first Starbucks.

Of course, one of the first things that comes to mind when one thinks of Seattle is the Space Needle. Stand 500 feet above the city on the Space Needle’s observation deck and take in a 360-degree view of the beautiful city of Seattle and Mt. Ranier. It’s here that you can fully enjoy the city’s rolling clouds, modern architecture and contiguity with nature.

And just at the foot of the Space Needle is the Seattle Center, which hosts a massive collection of artwork from Washington native Dale Chihuly. Chihuly’s blown glass sculptures are dazzlingly vibrant and are crafted with seemingly impossible precision. We can’t recommend his work – and a visit to his Garden and Glass Exhibition – highly enough.

And if you’re looking for unconventional in the Emerald City, look no further than Fremont. To start, the neighborhood has its very own troll which lives under the Aurora Bridge! The neighborhood is home to the “Center of the Universe” and hosts some strange and fascinating artifacts, from a Soviet-era rocket to a statue of Vladimir Lenin to unique local shops selling intriguing items. You might even catch one of Fremont’s many festivals hosted throughout the year, such as the Moisture Festival and the Annual Zombie Walk!