My Week in San Fran

{downtown Oakland, CA}

…alternative titles for this post include:  “What I ate in San Fran” AND  “Why don’t I live in San Fran?” (no, seriously, why don’t I live there?)

I fully intended on sharing these pictures while I was still in San Francisco–my apologies–but now that I’m officially back in DC, I’m ready to share all the details. I can’t tell you how good it felt to just get away for week. With wedding planning, some big life changes on the horizon (I will share more details soon!), and balancing a full-time job with this little blog, this was my first real vacation in more than a year and a half.

As is the case with most of my family’s vacations, this one revolved primarily around food. Really, really, really delicious food.

{Brunch at Flora in downtown Oakland}

Unlike my previous trips to San Francisco, the majority of this trip was spent in Oakland (where my older sister lives) and the Berkeley area. There is so much to do, and all of the stores and restaurants are incredibly unique and different. We did end up venturing into downtown San Francisco one day, and also spent another full day visiting Muir Woods and Stinson Beach, which were both beautiful.

Oakland/Berkeley is also great for people-watching, so I did a fair amount of that as well. I’ve always thought that San Francisco was liberal and out-there (part of the reason why I love it), but Oakland/Berkeley takes this concept to an entirely different level. We saw all kinds of characters–including old men dressed in wizard costumes (just walking down the street, nbd) and one lady riding a bicycle in a traditional colonial dress. Too funny.

Check out the pictures below for more details!

{Brunch at Flora: Cornmeal waffle with burrata, roasted strawberries, almonds, and fried basil}

{Brunch at Flora: Confit Pork Shoulder Hash with Gypsy Peppers, Corn, Green Beans, Potatoes, Cherry Tomatoes, Basil, and Poached Eggs}

{Temescal Farmer’s Market in Oakland}

{Muir Woods Park}

{Stinson Beach in Marin County}

{Breakfast at my favorite spot in the Ferry Building: il Cane Rosso}

{Broken Farro Poridge–I could literally eat this every day, and I don’t even like porridge that much}

{Painted Ladies + Alamo Square, San Francisco}

{Golden Gate Bridge}