San Francisco {Part II}

my last day in San Francisco I woke up thinking I'd grab breakfast in the hotel, but since I felt the need for a walk I found a cute Vietnamese coffee shop and breakfast sandwich spot with great reviews just a few blocks away, so I headed that way to grab takeout.

the prices were reasonable and the wait really short at Fresh Brew Coffee.....

.....and though it didn't look like much from the outside, it was the perfect breakfast and coffee to start my day.

i made the steep walk back up to my hotel....

then promptly got back in bed with my breakfast and laptop to work a bit while watching the Today Show.

later that afternoon my boss came to pick me up at my hotel, where she insisted on taking a photo of me {which would become a theme for the rest of our day together}.

we headed down to the ferry building and since the sun was shining, we had our Peruvian lunch {which ended up being giant} outside by the water.

after lunch we went for a walk and she insisted on taking a picture of me in front of the Bay Bridge....

.....then asked some friendly people to take one of the two of us!

we then got back in the car where we continued our tour of SF, stopping by the Chase Center which is right near our office.

we took pics in the giant spheres outside.....

....which were a pretty fun photo op, especially with nobody around.

we then headed up towards one of our hospitals, where she insisted we walk around a bit.....

.....and we discovered these cute heart statues all over the campus.

she was kind enough to drop me off at the airport before my flight, where I had a glass of wine and continued working until it was time to board the plane.  The trip is such a quick one from SFO and once home we did a big loop over Seattle seeing some beautiful views....

.....and flew right over the Home Run Derby at the All Star Game!

It was such a fun trip and I'm so glad that I decided to extend it for one extra day exploring San Francisco.  I can't wait to go back!

xoxo,

stephanie marie

San Francisco {Part I}

Since I technically work for a San Francisco company but have never actually been there since I started my job, I decided to stay on an extra day from the Bachelorette party on my own to meet up with my boss before heading back to Seattle.  The girls dropped me off at The Fairmont in the afternoon on their way to the airport, and after a little snafu with my room, I was given an upgraded room with a cozy bed and city view.  Even though I was exhausted I didn't want to waste my one afternoon alone in the city, so I got ready and headed out on foot for an adventure.  I slowly walked through Chinatown, one of my favorite parts of the city, on my way down to the Ferry Building where I checked out the cute shops before grabbing a burger and a beer at Gott's Roadside.  It was just the fuel I needed for the uphill walk back to my hotel, where I promptly got ready for bed by 7pm and was snuggled into my bed for some hotel tv and an early night.  

xoxo,

stephanie marie

California {Coming Home}

Since I'm really missing vacation and not quite ready for the rain that seems to be on the calendar until June, here are a few more pics from our last day in Cali.  We decided to head back to Alta Bakery to each grab some of the delicious smoked salmon toast along with pastries for the drive north.  We ate outside in the courtyard, soaking up every last bit of sun we could and enjoying our delicious breakfast.  Next we drove along the water to a few more stops, including kissing rock which is oh so cute {can you spot the kissing rocks below?}, then slowly made our way north.  From Santa Cruz we headed inland through the mountains and forests {such a different landscape from Paso} then ended up back in San Jose where we had dinner in the airport and toasted a fabulous vacation.  It was such a great week with my honey and has me antsy to plan the next one!  Where shall we go?!?

xoxo,

stephanie marie

California {Carmel}

After one last breakfast in Paso Robles {on the outdoor patio at Andrea's on Pine where I had the most delicious avocado and tomato bagel} we packed up the car and headed back north {with one last stop at our favorite convenience store to stock up on some of the best $19 cab we've ever tasted}.  We skipped Highway 1 this time, instead taking the inland route then out to the ocean through the winding mountain roads with breathtaking views {and very few people or cars}.  We dropped off our luggage at our hotel in Monterey then immediately headed down to Carmel to spend the rest of the day at the beach.  It's hard to describe just how magical Carmel is unless you've been there - it's full of cute little shops and restaurants, fairytale looking houses, and a whole lot of money, and is situated on one of the most beautiful beaches in California with white sand, cliffs, fog, and intense waves.  We spent the majority of our time sitting in the sand watching the waves, testing out the water up to our knees, running from waves, and walking along the beach, all the way up to Pebble Beach and back.  We started to get hungry for dinner so made our way into town and put our name in for an outdoor table at La Bicyclette, a cute little bistro with wonderful reviews that Christian had found online.  We were able to be seated within about 30 minutes and were served some of the most delicious food we had on the trip, including a Tuscan Panzanella Salad, Seafood Linguine, and a Salumi pizza.  Paired with a glass of wine, it was the most perfect last dinner of our trip.  We finished up about an hour before sunset so decided to grab some mini champagne bottles at a local grocery store and headed down to the beach to be super romantical and drink bubbles while watching the sun set over the ocean.  It was one of my most favorite days of the trip that I know I'll remember for years to come :)

xoxo,

stephanie marie