Day 1- Drivinggggg
Spring Break!!!!!
I was hanging with my sister one night a few weeks ago, after getting back from New Zealand.
I was hanging with my sister one night a few weeks ago, after getting back from New Zealand.
I didn't go to New Zealand over spring break, I went a couple weeks before.... Which means I had spring break wide open. Wide open, until my sister and I placed a trip to San Francisco and the Redwoods. 🙌🙌🌉🌲
When I tell you that it's a long drive... I'm not lying. We road tripped. Figured it would be cheaper than flying + renting a car. It was nice to be on a trip where we didn't have to worry about not-having-enough-space.
We headed out Sunday April 2nd. I brought lots of snacks and we listened to #GenConf on the way down. We stopped at the salt flats and took some neat pics.
When I tell you that it's a long drive... I'm not lying. We road tripped. Figured it would be cheaper than flying + renting a car. It was nice to be on a trip where we didn't have to worry about not-having-enough-space.
We headed out Sunday April 2nd. I brought lots of snacks and we listened to #GenConf on the way down. We stopped at the salt flats and took some neat pics.
We lunched at Arctic Circle and dinnered by grabbing Chinese take-out.
And because we were so tuckered from driving all day, we stayed in for the night and watched Princess Diaries. 😁👑 #wheninSanFrancisco
And because we were so tuckered from driving all day, we stayed in for the night and watched Princess Diaries. 😁👑 #wheninSanFrancisco
day 2- piers downtown / peers downtown?? ;)
This trip I didn't itinerary plan like I normally do. I travel differently with my sis. I had a couple things in mind that I wanted to do at some point, but Monday morning we headed downtown on public transportation with the intent to explore. 🧭
You can get a day pass for San Francisco (Muni pass) for only $5. Pretty good deal. None of the buses check your pass or care if you paid though.
We headed to the piers up north and started walking. It was a pretty windy day. We found some clam chowder in a sour dough bowl to split. It was delicious. Then we wandered in and out of specialty shops on Pier 39. That was fun. :)
In a magic shop this guy showed us some crazy card tricks, we found a shop of spices, one for all-things-seashell, and one with supplies for left-handed people. It's a cute lil' pier!
You can get a day pass for San Francisco (Muni pass) for only $5. Pretty good deal. None of the buses check your pass or care if you paid though.
We headed to the piers up north and started walking. It was a pretty windy day. We found some clam chowder in a sour dough bowl to split. It was delicious. Then we wandered in and out of specialty shops on Pier 39. That was fun. :)
In a magic shop this guy showed us some crazy card tricks, we found a shop of spices, one for all-things-seashell, and one with supplies for left-handed people. It's a cute lil' pier!
We grabbed a few beignets and headed to a place called musee mecanique. It's a vintage arcade, and it was sooo cool!
I was pretty cold, so we found a little park and laid in the sun for a bit. ☀️
We wandered through Giradelli square and tried to find a good view of the Golden Gate bridge before heading to dinner.
My sister and I like to eat at fancy places when we travel. San Francisco has a LARGE selection of Michelin star restaurants.
We had intentionally not eaten much all day, to prepare ourselves for the experience (and the price).
We distracted ourselves by visiting the Palace of Fine Arts which is a *gorgeous* park / museum.
Monday night we ate at a Michelin recommended restaurant called Hilda and Jesse. We arrived a few minutes before they opened, so I bought us a can of pringles at a small store. The guy in the shop had two parrots who he let us hold. Unbeknownst to us, one of the parrots took a dump on the sleeve of Ashley's jacket. We didn't notice until the pringles had been devoured. 🦜 💩
We wandered through Giradelli square and tried to find a good view of the Golden Gate bridge before heading to dinner.
My sister and I like to eat at fancy places when we travel. San Francisco has a LARGE selection of Michelin star restaurants.
We had intentionally not eaten much all day, to prepare ourselves for the experience (and the price).
We distracted ourselves by visiting the Palace of Fine Arts which is a *gorgeous* park / museum.
Monday night we ate at a Michelin recommended restaurant called Hilda and Jesse. We arrived a few minutes before they opened, so I bought us a can of pringles at a small store. The guy in the shop had two parrots who he let us hold. Unbeknownst to us, one of the parrots took a dump on the sleeve of Ashley's jacket. We didn't notice until the pringles had been devoured. 🦜 💩
If you don't want a detailed description of what we ate at the fancy restaurant... Skip down to day 3 😅😅
They didn't have a menu (other than add ons) you just chose the $89 chef's adventure and they bring out the dishes that go along with that. Here are my notes...
Dish #1
Greek garlic chimichurri fried chick peas
with a crisp pancake. Covered with cavier, horse radish, dill, and maybe some kind of cheese?
Dish #2
Trout. Cured and smoked. Served with a pungent lime jelly (v. salty) and small dollups of an avocado puree. This one wasn't my fave, but Ash *loved* it.
Dish #3
Spring onions. Roasted vermouth. Pepper / chile.
Leek or fennel?
Dish #4
Pork + sauce (sweet umamu) honey or brown sugar?? Whatever the sauce it was real good.
They served it with a side of fermented cucumber and then spinach marinated in tahini with sesame seeds.
Dish #5. dessert.
Maybe my favorite thing we ate? It sounds weird, but stick with me...
parsnip + cream cheese frosting
Very moist cake cooked in pork fat. We don't know what was *in* the cake, but it was reminiscent of carrot cake or zucchini bread.
Perfect blend of sweet and salty.
Pomelo on top
Dish #1
Greek garlic chimichurri fried chick peas
with a crisp pancake. Covered with cavier, horse radish, dill, and maybe some kind of cheese?
Dish #2
Trout. Cured and smoked. Served with a pungent lime jelly (v. salty) and small dollups of an avocado puree. This one wasn't my fave, but Ash *loved* it.
Dish #3
Spring onions. Roasted vermouth. Pepper / chile.
Leek or fennel?
Dish #4
Pork + sauce (sweet umamu) honey or brown sugar?? Whatever the sauce it was real good.
They served it with a side of fermented cucumber and then spinach marinated in tahini with sesame seeds.
Dish #5. dessert.
Maybe my favorite thing we ate? It sounds weird, but stick with me...
parsnip + cream cheese frosting
Very moist cake cooked in pork fat. We don't know what was *in* the cake, but it was reminiscent of carrot cake or zucchini bread.
Perfect blend of sweet and salty.
Pomelo on top
day 3- into the woods
Aren't my titles clever?? 😅
Tuesday we didn't go into the city, it was a explore-the-woods day. I was constantly asking Ash to compare New York to San Francisco. She loves NY. For me, I like New York, but I prefer San Francisco. Here are the reasons....
#1 San Francisco is cleaner. Not as much trash / pollution/ noise
#2 accessible public transportation & not too crowded. And it was easy to navigate. I mean... So is New York, but San Fran's was less crowded.
#3 Weather. Monday was cold, but I imagine most days are downright pleasant.
#4 Cost of things. Availability/ variety of activities.
Okay so New York has more to do, but cost wise, I think San Fran wins.
And those are the things I care about when comparing cities. In case you wanted to know. 😂
Also, if you ask Ash, I fell in LOVE with their easy listening radio station. 98.1 📻
I told her I'm getting into my "easy listening phase" in my 30s 😅
Tuesday morning we did a session at the Oakland temple. It was beautiful. Then we headed to the grocery store to be self sufficient (food wise) for the rest of the day. We also bought food for Thurs.
We headed to Muir Woods. We did a Ross run, and it would be out of character if I didn't remind you how much I love Ross. Shorts. Beach back. Swim top. Sandals. Shirt / coverup. All for under $50.
We had a picnic and sun bathed at Muir Beach. Ash also informed me about forest bathing, and all about tree communities. I took some videos of her explanations that I'll share later. 😉
Tuesday we didn't go into the city, it was a explore-the-woods day. I was constantly asking Ash to compare New York to San Francisco. She loves NY. For me, I like New York, but I prefer San Francisco. Here are the reasons....
#1 San Francisco is cleaner. Not as much trash / pollution/ noise
#2 accessible public transportation & not too crowded. And it was easy to navigate. I mean... So is New York, but San Fran's was less crowded.
#3 Weather. Monday was cold, but I imagine most days are downright pleasant.
#4 Cost of things. Availability/ variety of activities.
Okay so New York has more to do, but cost wise, I think San Fran wins.
And those are the things I care about when comparing cities. In case you wanted to know. 😂
Also, if you ask Ash, I fell in LOVE with their easy listening radio station. 98.1 📻
I told her I'm getting into my "easy listening phase" in my 30s 😅
Tuesday morning we did a session at the Oakland temple. It was beautiful. Then we headed to the grocery store to be self sufficient (food wise) for the rest of the day. We also bought food for Thurs.
We headed to Muir Woods. We did a Ross run, and it would be out of character if I didn't remind you how much I love Ross. Shorts. Beach back. Swim top. Sandals. Shirt / coverup. All for under $50.
We had a picnic and sun bathed at Muir Beach. Ash also informed me about forest bathing, and all about tree communities. I took some videos of her explanations that I'll share later. 😉
After the beach we headed to Muir Woods and hiked among the Redwoods.
It was gorgeous.
It was gorgeous.
After Muir Woods, we went back to the Airbnb, had leftovers, and watched another movie that takes place in San Francisco... Mrs. Doubtfire. I had also been listening to Sally Field's autobiography so the movie choice seemed fitting.
day 4- golden gate
On Weds we headed back downtown and planned on hitting up Baker Beach and crossing the Golden Gate. I found a cute French cafe for a morning bagel, and then we walked through a real cute neighborhood that was just so sunny and we'll manicured.
Then we spent some time at the beach :)
Then we spent some time at the beach :)
The walk from Baker Beach up to the Golden Gate is gorgeous. You feel like you're in the woods while walking next to the road. Not to mention the pine smell and the flowers. Downright pleasant.
I think walking across the Golden Gate bridge was the most touristy thing we did that whole trip. It was fun though :) #worthit
I think walking across the Golden Gate bridge was the most touristy thing we did that whole trip. It was fun though :) #worthit
Ashley loves a good thrift shop, so we stopped at the Salvation Army's shop, which has the best ratings in town. Afterwards Ash wanted to head to Chinatown to do some more shoppin' but I was shopped out, so I headed to lay on the grass and take a gander at the Painted Ladies. Not real ladies, houses.
We had another Michelin reservation for Weds night, this one was 3 stars and only like $23 a plate. Not too shabby.
Altovino. Italian. Much less adventurous in terms of flavors, but they had some good classic pasta dishes.
Altovino. Italian. Much less adventurous in terms of flavors, but they had some good classic pasta dishes.
From the menu we had the Spuma do Funghi, the pappardelle, and the mezzaluna di spinachi.
Dessert was a buttermilk Panna Cotta with an orange zest cookie and a scoop of butter pecan bourbon gelato ;)
Dessert was a buttermilk Panna Cotta with an orange zest cookie and a scoop of butter pecan bourbon gelato ;)
day 5- Giant redwoods
Last day :(
We woke up knowing we had all-day driving to get to the official Redwoods National Park. We stopped at Fort Bragg and collected some glass at the glass sand beach.
We did a couple touristy stops (drive thru tree and gift shop, giant grandfather tree...)
We also stopped along the Avenue of the Giants at Founders Grove and learned a lot about the trees. That, combined with what we learned in Muir woods I'll share with you now...
We learned some cool facts about redwoods. When one tree is dying, often others will grow in a circle around it forming a family 'cluster'.
Redwoods don't have resin so they're more fire resistant. We saw a lot of fire-damaged trees that were still thriving.
A fallen redwood log is pretty important to the forest ecosystem.
There are albino redwoods (like Founders tree in Founder's Grove) that lack chlorophyll.
Redwoods have a lot of tanins which bugs don't love, so they're resistant to bug damage that a lot of other trees suffer from.
A lot of them are a few thousand years old. We saw one (Dyerville) that fell in 1991 and someone 15 miles away thought there had been a train crash. It was over 2,000 years old and 200 ft taller than Niagara Falls. When it fell it left a hole in the canopy so other trees could thrive. We kept running into fallen trees thinking we had found the big Dyerville one... But they're all huge.
We stopped in Eureka for some ice cream and then headed to our campsite at Golden Beach. It was such a pretty drive!! The 101 was great, so was the 1... but the off-road ish to Prairie Creek was stunning.
We made soup on our camp stove and slept in the car. I couldn't sleep so decided to start the drive home in the wee hours of the morning. That's where I am right now :) Ash is taking a turn driving. It's been a great trip. I'm glad we got to explore the redwoods and San Francisco and that we got to escape the snow storm in Utah 😁😁.
We woke up knowing we had all-day driving to get to the official Redwoods National Park. We stopped at Fort Bragg and collected some glass at the glass sand beach.
We did a couple touristy stops (drive thru tree and gift shop, giant grandfather tree...)
We also stopped along the Avenue of the Giants at Founders Grove and learned a lot about the trees. That, combined with what we learned in Muir woods I'll share with you now...
We learned some cool facts about redwoods. When one tree is dying, often others will grow in a circle around it forming a family 'cluster'.
Redwoods don't have resin so they're more fire resistant. We saw a lot of fire-damaged trees that were still thriving.
A fallen redwood log is pretty important to the forest ecosystem.
There are albino redwoods (like Founders tree in Founder's Grove) that lack chlorophyll.
Redwoods have a lot of tanins which bugs don't love, so they're resistant to bug damage that a lot of other trees suffer from.
A lot of them are a few thousand years old. We saw one (Dyerville) that fell in 1991 and someone 15 miles away thought there had been a train crash. It was over 2,000 years old and 200 ft taller than Niagara Falls. When it fell it left a hole in the canopy so other trees could thrive. We kept running into fallen trees thinking we had found the big Dyerville one... But they're all huge.
We stopped in Eureka for some ice cream and then headed to our campsite at Golden Beach. It was such a pretty drive!! The 101 was great, so was the 1... but the off-road ish to Prairie Creek was stunning.
We made soup on our camp stove and slept in the car. I couldn't sleep so decided to start the drive home in the wee hours of the morning. That's where I am right now :) Ash is taking a turn driving. It's been a great trip. I'm glad we got to explore the redwoods and San Francisco and that we got to escape the snow storm in Utah 😁😁.