San Francisco 2017

I just got back from a trip to San Francisco to visit my sister. She moved out there last year and I was super excited to go visit and see her new city. We ate way too much food and walked lots!
Here are some highlights from my trip:




1. MoMA - I can't remember the last time I went to a museum. It was probably was I was a kid and we visited the Museum of Natural History in New York. I was young and didn't really appreciate it. My sister, Kensie, had never visited MoMA before so we were both excited to check it out. With 7 floors of exhibits we decided to start at the top and work our way down. It seemed to be a good idea since we avoided a lot of crowds this way. Some of our favorite pieces were by Morris Louis, Matisse, & Diebenkorn. Little tip of advice - if you bring a backpack, check it in at the coat check or be prepared to wear it around the front like a prego belly. We learned this one the hard way and our backs were pretty tired by the end of it.




2. The Golden Gate Bridge - We drove across the bridge, parked at Vista Point and walked up to Battery Spencer Overlook. We went in the morning and it wasn't crowded at all, or windy! We sure lucked out. It was the prettiest view of the GGB. I will say if you want to capture the red color in photographs better, sunset may be a better time to go.




3. Oakland Temple - Okay this isn't in SF but it is close enough you should stop by and walk around the grounds. We went by at sunset and enjoyed the views as the sun went down.

4. Painted Ladies - We took full advantage of this being my first time in SF and did all the tourist things. Visiting the Painted Ladies was picturesque and so cute! We thought this was where they filled Full House but later learned that the real one is actually on 1709 Broderick Street.




5. Mr Holmes Bakehouse - This is probably one of the most photographed bakeries in SF but I now know why. It was so delicious! They are famous for their Cruffins  (croissant muffins.) We got there around 10am ish and they were all sold out of Cruffins! We got a few donuts and croissants and loved the Brown Butter Peach Donut the most!

^ just a cute window box on the streets of The Mission ^

6. Japantown - My family has a special love for all things Japanese as we spent 8 years living there when I was younger. We loved checking out Japantown! It actually felt pretty similar to the streets of Japan itself. Our favorite things to do in Japantown were visit Daiso. It is a big Japanese dollar store with the best snacks, dinnerware (for $1.50!) and random toys and odds and ends. I wish I bought some of their ceramic bowls. We also loved eating crepes at Belly Good Cafe . They make your crepe into a cute little face! It was so yummy and refreshing! We also loved hitting up Pika Pika Photobooth store. My sister and I used to spend all our money when we were younger on these silly photobooths. Just image a photobooth similar to snapchat with filters, and editing to decorate in the silliest ways. One thing we didn't make it to but would of been fun was visit the Japanese Tea Gardens in Golden Gate Park. If you enter before 10am Monday/Wednesday/Friday it is free! We did go to the De Young tower overlook (which is free) and admired the ground of California Academy of Sciences.