Tuesday, June 17, 2014

San Francisco | Style & a Recap

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As my last few posts have indicated, I recently traveled to San Francisco with my husband. What I failed to mention in the previous posts was all of our adventures during this trip, so this will be a recap of what took place over that splendid little holiday away. 

First, I arrived in San Francisco on Wednesday. I woke up ridiculously early for my flight, dropped Klair off with my in-laws (they were so kind to take her), and made my way to the airport. I actually only slept a total of about 2 hours the night before, yet I think I was running on excitement because I felt surprisingly awake and energized. My flight arrived at the Oakland airport where my first adventure began. Sam had planned for me to take a taxi to San Francisco, but when I found out how much it would cost and how long it would take... I opted to take the Bart (underground subway) instead. What I didn't take into account was how... rough of a city Oakland is. Or, at least the part that I was in. My overactive imagination has been exposed to too much 24 lately. I felt pretty vulnerable and kept my pepper spray close by. Haha!

Luckily I was able to navigate my way through the shuttles and subway to San Francisco without incident. The company that Sam works for was throwing a big product launch party the night I arrived at a venue called Dog Patch Studios. Sam was, in large part, overseeing this event and was busy setting up. When I got off the subway, I planned to take a taxi to the venue to meet him. What I didn't account for was how difficult it was to hail a taxi in that part of town. There were hardly any taxis that went by. Combine this with my lack of experience getting a cab and... well... it didn't go over too well for me. Time for plan B. I mapped my destination on my phone and it was only 2 miles away. 2 miles? No problem... or so I thought. San Francisco is a pretty hilly place... and I was pulling my rolling suitcase behind me. I'm sure I must have looked like a pretty ridiculous tourist as I trudged along. 

After about 20 minutes I decided to try and grab a bite to eat. The first place I found was a taco stand... that didn't accept cards. Next, a restaurant called "Chinese and Doughnuts." It sounded like a winning combo... no cards. Finally I found a sandwich shop that did take my debit card. Unfortunately for me, the sandwich shop was not gluten savvy (I didn't realize how hard it is to travel on a GF diet) so I settled for a diet coke. I rarely drink soda... especially the caffeinated kind, but the progression of the day seemed to demand it. I called Sam and told him of my attempt to walk to the venue, and he insisted that I either call a cab or wait until one of his coworkers was able to come pick me up. I tried being stubborn and finishing what I had started, but my tiredness won over and I gave in. I walked about another block where I found a little shopping center. I managed to find something gluten-free and waited for Sam's coworker/our good friend to come and get me in the company rental. 

It was sooo nice to finally get to the venue and see my husband! He had already been in San Fran for a few days, and had been traveling a lot before that. I had missed him terribly. Our reunion was sweet but brief as there was so much to do to get ready for the launch party. I helped out where I could, and witnessed them transform the simple venue space into something spectacular. The stage, lighting, seating, food, drinks--all of it was planned and orchestrated by my talented husband. The executives of the company gave presentations on new products, followed by a performance by the American Authors. I had only heard their radio hits, which I liked, but seeing them live was an incredible experience. They were so lively and energetic, and the concert turned into a dance party. Plus, they were really down to earth guys. It was fun to hang out with the band before and after the show. 
After the launch event, we were invited to a party at a 20 million dollar home in the heart of San Francisco. Although we aren't big partiers Sam and I both love architecture and real estate. We couldn't pass up the opportunity to at least see the place. It was one of the most... the most interesting house I've ever been in. The couple who owned it were really kind and hospitable, they live such a unique lifestyle. The art work was a little... intense for my taste, and I'm pretty sure some of the women there didn't care that Sam was my husband and that we came together. Thus, after touring the property, it didn't take long for me to convince Sam to grab a really late dinner and head back to the hotel. We were both pretty exhausted at this point and I crashed in about .6 seconds of hitting the bed. 

The next day Sam had a few smaller events to manage. One was a breakfast with analysts in the hotel, but he was kind enough to let me sleep through it. The second was an event at the computer history museum in San Jose. Thus, we jumped in the company rented Suburban and made a quick little road trip out of it. Oh, and we found a tiny cafe in San Fran that served gluten-free crepes. They were heavenly. 

The next day we found ourselves without a work agenda, and we took advantage of it. We walked around the city, shopped, made our way through China town, grabbed some sushi, and basically enjoyed the sublime weather. That afternoon we traveled over the Golden Gate bridge to the Muir Woods and Stinson beach.

The photos shown above were taken during our drive out to Stinson Beach. The road out there was gorgeous, taking us both through lush mountain terrain and high above the ocean on steep, rocky cliffs overlooking the Pacific. Despite it's beauty, the road is not for the faint of heart... or stomach, rather. It was such a windy road, I had my head between my knees at times. Sam kept getting mad at me because I would look out my window--not wanting to miss the views--only to make myself sick in doing so. It was hard to look away. Luckily, the stop in Stinson Beach was an enjoyable one. The town is tiny, nestled into the mountain, and overlooks the sea--it's a little gem. We enjoyed a lovely dinner at a local cafe with outdoor seating, and walked along the beach afterward.

Due to San Francisco's history, I decided to embrace the carnival/hippie inspired trends--a la headband, flowy floral skirt, and round Lennon-esque glasses. Furthermore, I couldn't help but throw in a peace sign, because I'm cheesy like that.

That night we saw a movie on the oversized iMax screen at the Metreon. The whole trip felt like one giant, extended date. Even our moments of down time were heavenly for the simple fact that it was the two of us. We both adore our baby girl to pieces, but it was nice to be able to focus so much time and energy on each other. I was able to briefly let go of my mom identity which, I think, is especially healthy... or at least it was for me. 

Saturday we let ourselves sleep in, and enjoy some unstructured down time before jumping on a plane to see our baby girl again. It was wonderful to get away, but amazing to come home to Klair. I love vacations that give you just the right amount of time away to make you grateful to come home. 

I mean, who wouldn't be happy to come home to this face? 
She's too cute in her Hello Kitty hat we bought in China Town. 

5 comments:

  1. Girl you're making me want to go to California! Those ocean pictures are gorgeous. :)

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  2. okay im totally jealous you got to go to that launch party--it sounds like it was pretty fun :) san fran is one of my favorite cities & i am glad you enjoyed it--the pictures of you are stunning, you are such a gorgeous mom! ps, we have eaten at the chinese and donuts place. it's kinda gross, you dodged a bullet there. haha!

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  3. AHH I want to gooo! ;) so stinking cool....and girl you are stunning in that outfit! Love those pics :)

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  5. I want to have an opportunity for going this place with my friends.I think it` s so cool to take minivan rental for an outstanding trip

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