Some Days in the San Francisco Bay

May 2023

I grew up in the San Francisco Bay Area and will forever say that San Francisco is one of the most beautiful cities in the world. I was excited to spend a big day there with my old buddy, Yvonne. In high school, we used to ditch school and go shopping in The City, made many memorable trips to the Esprit Outlet, and she taught me the ways of dining à la sushi boat. Needless to say, she was a very important influencer.

+ Yvonne and I took the extra long way to San Francisco, by way of Half Moon Bay, so we could grab an early lunch at our friend Alexis' spot (also an accomplice in the old high school days), Dad's Luncheonette. We ate everything on the menu! We recommend you do the same! From there, we drove north to Montara to check out Alexis' new project, Tide Pool! So cute!

+ We landed in the Outer Sunset where we popped in to Blackbird Bookstore and Cafe for a little 'spro in their backyard garden. We quickly hit General Store and Mollusk, where my friend and I agreed we wished we had the courage to surf, before getting a light snack of poke and ceviche at Hook Fish.

+ Next up, we hit the De Young, my favorite museum. I was blown away by Kehinde Wiley's larger than life exhibit (go see it!) and was pleased to learn about the previously overlooked (not sure how?!) Three Gems skyspace by James Turrell. What a sacred space that is. We walked a bit through the Botanical Gardens and the plants were absolute monsters from all the rain they've had!

+ We bopped around Japantown for a minute, and popped into Kyoto-based Sou Sou where I was happy to purchase a sweet summer dress and am still kicking myself for not also getting a pair of Tabi shoes. One of Sou Sou's founders, Katsuji Wakisaka, was the first Japanese designer to work for Marimekko in the late 1960's and you can really see the influence!

+ The Mission was our final destination of the day. We started at No Shop, which was so so good, grabbed another coffee at Four Barrel, and continued south down Valencia. We breezed through Nooworks, window gazed at Kamperett (they were closed) and did a run through at Afterlife Collective, where I maybe should have gotten this cool vintage quilted jacket. At our final shopping destination, Gravel & Gold, I purchased a Canadian tuxedo- I love my new denim jacket and denim pants! Also, some news, we will be doing a VERY FUN EVENT with Gravel & Gold VERY SOON, so stay glued to us for updates!

+ Yvonne and I rounded out our marathon bluebird day with yet another epic meal- the seasonal pasta tasting menu and wine pairing at Flour + Water was an absolute knock out, and the vibe was gooood.