January 21, 2016

winter break: nor cal

Disclaimer: I am aware that locals do not use the terms SoCal and NorCal, but for the sake of these two blog posts, I am going to use them and risk sounding like a dork. Over it.

The main reason for our SF trip was our friend Thad's wedding in Oakland on January 2nd. Thad has been buds and roommates with Drew for most of their college careers and he was one of the first of Drew's friends I met when we started dating. We were so excited that it worked out over the holidays for us to attend such a wonderful and glamorous celebration for Thad and Kari!
 We made the 12 hour drive on New Year's Eve and spent all of New Year's Day exploring SF! First spot on the tourist checklist: Painted Ladies aka Full House houses.

I just looove the architecture in SF. I could totally see myself living here if rent wasn't the highest in the country. LOL, maybe one day.

I asked all of my foodie friends what the best restaurants were in SF, because if there's one thing I love, it is eating my way through any city I visit. Thank you so much for all your recommendations! Sadly, many of them were closed since it was a national holiday, but luckily Tartine Bakery was open and made for the perfect lunch spot. There was a huge line to get in, but I totally understand why. The sandwiches and pickled carrots were tasty, but the orange cinnamon roll Drew and I split was to die for (not pictured we ate it way too quickly for me to snap a pic). Thank you to my foodie friend Liz for this recommendation!! I will definitely visit this place again solely to load up on delicious baked goods.

After lunch, we attempted to visit Muir Woods aka home of the Redwoods aka ENDOR, but it was a bit of a failure. Thanks to our fellow tourists, the site of the woods was so busy and parking was a nightmare. We took a shuttle up to it that we were told would take 20 minutes, only to be stuck in traffic for over an hour. By the time we got to the entrance, the last shuttle available was about to take everyone back to the parking lot. So basically we spent $5 to take a shuttle up to the entrance and back. After this debacle we stopped by to marvel at the architectural wonder that is the Palace of Fine Art. That ceiling is the coolest, but I loved all the sculptures and intricate designs in stone as well. We spotted so many bridal shoots happening and I don't blame them. We were all feeling some Naboo vibes walking around that place.

The NorCal weekend road trip group: Tim, Drew, me, and Coulsen. Thanks for being such great travel companions and not minding the fact that I didn't drive at all. :)

After a delicious seafood dinner at Pier 39, our last stop before driving back to East Palo Alto (Thad's apartment where we crashed for the weekend) was ice cream at Bi-Rite Creamery. This place was the common denominator between all my foodie friends' lists, so I knew I had to go. It did not disappoint. After taste testing probably 10 flavors, I settled on the salted caramel and coffee. DELISH and the perfect sweet treat to end such a jam-packed, tourist-y day.

Saturday was wedding day!! This was actually the first sealing I have ever attended after my own and it was such a lovely experience. I even got a little teary-eyed because the memories of our own sealing are still so fresh in my mind. Getting married is the best! The Oakland temple is beautiful, and we were so grateful to witness such a happy moment for Kari and Thad before the party started that evening.

Such a glam wedding party. That groomsman right next to Thad is quite the looker, am I right? hehehe

So this reception was probably the most glam reception I have ever attended to date. We set sail on the Cabernet Sauvignon Yacht and cruised along the San Francisco Bay all night. NBD. It was a blast! There were some truly stunning views from the top deck and it was so funny to see everyone rush upstairs and brave the cold and wind to snap some pictures whenever we passed some kind of landmark (guilty on all accounts). The dancing was equally as fun, and the whole day was such a party! There were so many of their other friends who made the trip too, making it the definition of a perfect destination wedding. Happy marriage Mr. & Mrs. Blankenship!

Shout-outs to Kari and Thad for getting hitched and giving us a reason to visit such a fun city, my fellow road trip companions for letting me pick 90% of the activities and 100% of the food stops, and of course to my sweet Drew for always being the best travel buddy/wedding date/dance partner for lyfe.

2 comments:

  1. omg so jealous, i love tartine and bi-rite! you are the cutest

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  2. you guys are so glam!! This sounds like the perfect weekend trip--dear friends, beautiful places, amazing food, great travel buddies. I'm so glad Tartine and Bi-Rite were open!!

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