San Francisco Recap

Hi!!!! I can't believe I'm back from California, officially 21, and it's my last week of summer! I mentioned in my New York post last week that it's so crazy how you can look forward to a trip for so long, and then it just comes and goes so quickly! My mom and I had been planning on doing a Napa Valley trip for my 21st birthday for forever, so it's wild that it's already over. I also think it's funny how I'm actually 21 now, because I was the last one of all of my friends!!! The! Last! ONE!


Yesterday I woke up at 12:30 (PM!!) because of jet lag I think. We took the red eye home on Saturday night and woke up in Wisconsin! I slept the entire flight, but it's definitely not the same kind of sleep... but anyway! The trip was so amazing and I can't wait to share it all with you!!

We flew into San Francisco last Saturday and spent two days there before driving to wine country on Monday afternoon. We arrived in San Francisco in the evening on Saturday and wandered around before settling on the coziest Spanish restaurant in Russian Hill for dinner, Abrazo. Our Uber was taking us somewhere different when we saw this place and ask to just jump out of the car right there to go. We tried the gazpacho, charred octopus, and the special of the evening, the lamb ragù.



Everything was so delicious. It was one of our favorite meals of the trip! I think I would especially recommend it because it felt like a quiet neighborhood spot, so I got a true glimpse of what the vibes are like for a local on a Saturday night.

On Sunday we woke up early because of the time changes, so we were feigning for ways to fill our day. We ended up having a really fun, busy day, and seeing a lot of the city! Our first stop was Mr. Holmes Bakehouse at 8am. We got there a few minutes after they opened, and it was so cute! We shared a few things, and of course I had to snap a few photos of the neon sign.

Our next stop was the Museum of Ice Cream. After seeing this all over Instagram, I just had to go! I didn't know what I was getting myself into though, otherwise we definitely would not have gone to a bakery beforehand... I imagined an actual museum with cute photo ops. I was so far off! It was essentially a led group tour with ice cream treats at every stop, and activities in each room. We had fun and took a lot of cute photos, but I don't think I would necessarily recommend it to anyone my age next time around.. lol. If you are interested, you do have to purchase tickets online and book a time beforehand!

After the Museum of Ice Cream we walked to the Ferry Building and saw the marketplace. The Ferry Building was gorgeous and there were so many amazing places to eat and drink inside. At this point we were definitely not hungry so we walked around and explored before boarding the ferry to Sausalito.

Sausalito was such an adorable town to spend the afternoon. We spent most of the afternoon wandering around and shopping, and we went to lunch at Fish, which was quite busy, (even around 2pm when we went) but worth the wait. Our lunch was delicious! I didn't really take any photos in Sausalito, but it was adorable nonetheless!



It gets crazy windy in San Francisco, but I think because Sausalito is almost like an island it's even worse there! I got this cute little sweatshirt at a shop near the ferry dock to wear on our way home.

The ferry ride back was especially beautiful because it was during golden hour. I had to take lots of pictures on the water of course, and I think they're some of my favorites from the trip!




that's Alcatraz in the back!

By the time we returned to our hotel it was almost 7pm and we were exhausted, so we stayed in, relaxed, and went to bed early! 

On Monday we woke up and decided to try another bakery, so we walked to a different part of town to Les Gourmands. The bakery is owned by a French family, so I actually got to speak French to the woman behind the counter! I get so excited when I can use my French, so it was definitely worth the stop. Also, the pastries were fabulous!

We mostly just walked around Union Square on Monday morning and explored more of Downtown San Francisco. We stopped at a few shops, including the fabulous Neiman Marcus, before making our way back to the hotel to pack up and check out.

Monday afternoon we drove to Sonoma, which I will recap tomorrow! The drive was beautiful over the Golden Gate bridge...

xoxo