A Quick Journey West

SURPRISE!!!  

I've been traveling again!

Okay, maybe that's not a surprise given the fact that I've been all over the place lately but this time I was back to the west coast and my favorite city... San Fran!

I actually had an opportunity to see outside... heck I even had time to go outside.  I ate at the great vegan restaurant Millennium, which was delish.

I stayed at the InterContinental Mark Hopkins in Nob Hill, which was a great location.  I've stayed over by Golden Gate Park before but this was way more central... and totally stunning.

My room overlooked the front entrance and I could hear the cable cars pinging away, which was so fun.  If you have the chance, go to the top floor restaurant, Top of the Mark, for some of the best 360-views in the city.

 Shockingly, I did get the chance to have a bit of a day off, so a colleague and I drove over the bridge to see Muir Woods.

Most of the walking path is a boardwalk or paved, so it's an easy stroll but we felt that was not enough. We took the shortest "hike"path which was about two miles and very easy.  Of course I had not planned to be hiking on this trip so I got a few side eye looks the gold sequin flats I was hiking in.

 Afterwards we went to eat at San Rafael's delicious Sol Foods.  Well worth the drive and some of the best Puerto Rican food ever! I'm totally starving right now and wish I had more.

And a trip to San Francisco isn't complete without a bit of shopping.  We popped into the Union Square DSW and were greeted with a huge display of The Shoe Girl's Ce Ce L'amour shoes.  I was so excited to see them in real life!  They are just as cute as you'd imagine too.

 I ended up with two pairs of the tall version of my ruffly Betsey Johnson Llola boots.  The tall style is called Rallly and I had to get both the tan and the black pairs.

Then it was back home.  Whew!

By the way, when I wore the Chie Mihara Stratosphere mary janes, I got tons of compliments.  One lady came up to me twice and even had me write down the name and where I got them.  They were super comfortable for trudging through airports and walking throughout San Francisco too.

But, all said, I'm glad to be back!

Days of Intention - Day Eleven: Japan Flower

Scenario:

There are several places that I've traveled to that I liked well enough, some I really didn't like at all and some that I felt perfectly at home in. More at peace than even where I grew up and like I just "fit" somehow. San Francisco is one of those places.

I've been there three times now. The first two trips were on my own and the last one, about 3 years ago was with the hubby. We took the picture above while visiting the Japanese Tea Garden in Golden Gate Park.

I love all the neighborhoods, being able to walk all over the place, the cultural and food varieties and even the weather. It's one of the place I would consider moving to and may possibly do so one day. It's a place I can envision a life.

I don't feel that I need a long trip but I do want to make a weekend trip this year. It's like a booster shot. I just need a refresher. I love to walk around and just soak it in. I want to stay near the park in a Victorian gem of a bed and breakfast and wander for a few days.


Ideal date:

August 28th