San Francisco Lovin'

We returned from our first official kid free vacation (whoop!) about three weeks ago and boy, did I leave a big piece of my heart in San Francisco!  What a fantastic city! 

 

I'll be the first to say that since living in a big city, I prefer to stay far away from the "touristy" attractions and to find the little hole-in-the-wall city gems that are known mainly to the locals.  I feel like we were able to successfully meld the two-- doing both the touristy and the non-touristy.  I wanted to share some of our favorites for any of you who are considering a trip in the future!

 

GRAB COFFEE & HEAD TO ALAMO SQUARE PARK

On our first full day in San Francisco, Jeremy and I drove from our condo in the Potrero Hill neighborhood and headed to Pacific Heights for coffee and some exploring.  I'll be honest -- my motive for driving to this little neighborhood was to check out the "Full House" home located at 1709 Broderick Street.  God bless my sweet husband for entertaining the 90's child that still lives in me. 

 

 

We found coffee at a great little hole-in-the-wall shop called Cumaica and then headed to the Haight Ashbury neighborhood to Alamo Square Park for an unparalleled view of the San Francisco skyline and to get that iconic picture in front of The Painted Ladies.  I'm sure Alamo Square ranks high on the tourist list for San Francisco but really, this park is a must visit even if you are a bit cynical about touristy type attractions. 

VISIT CHINA TOWN FOR DIN SUM

Head to China Town in the North Beach neighborhood and grab din sum at You's.  This tiny gem fed us well!  We loaded our plates with sticky buns, fried rice, noodles, dumplings and egg rolls.  A small disclaimer...if you are looking for extra clean and upscale, this is not the place for you.  However, the service was fantastic and the four of us ate for around $25.  We all commented that if we were locals, this place would often get us into trouble! 
Definitely a score of find.

 

VISIT THE SAINTS PETER AND PAUL CATHOLIC CHURCH

After you've finished your din sum, head to the Saints Peter and Paul Catholic Church located right in the heart of downtown San Francisco at 666 Filbert Street in the North Beach neighborhood.  The ornate architecture make this sacred church worth a visit.  Be prepared to sit in silence and take in all of the beauty.  Just make sure you take off your hat when you enter or you'll get a good scolding. 
 

 

 

TAKE A FERRY TO SAUSALITO

 Sausalito is a little beach side town right off of the San Francisco Bay.  You can catch the Golden Gate Ferry from the San Francisco Ferry Building  (Embarcadero at Market) or Blue and Gold Fleet From near Pier 39.  The fair price is $10.75 each way.  The ferry has a full service bar with alcoholic and non alcoholic drinks as well as food.  You can also reach Sausalito from the north end of the Golden Gate Bridge by car or bicycle. In my opinion though, the ferry was a beautiful way to see the San Francisco skyline and enjoy a nice cocktail along the way.

 





VIST SHOONMAKER BEACH IN SAUSALITO
Upon arriving in Sausalito, we opted to skip the "touristy" part of town and head for 99 Liberty Way-- If you take a right at the main town square and head down the street you will find Shoonmaker Beach and marina.  This little beach was a perfect little hideaway!  We spent our afternoon with our toes in the sand and guessing yacht prices from the dock.  I'm not kidding-- one yacht we googled was worth $20 million. 
Talk about a small town with big money! 

 

EAT AT THE SALSALITO TACO BAR

While in Sausalito you MUST hit up Salsalito Taco Bar located off the beaten path at 1115 Bridgeway.  It is the quintessential road side taco bar that everyone dreams of finding--and we did.  If you do nothing else on your trip to Sausalito, please go here!  The menu was fantastic and the outdoor seating made the atmosphere divine. 



When you are done eating, you can make a quick left out of the Taco Bar and head to the nearest bus stop (about half a block down) where you can hop on the #10 bus for $5 per person.  The bus will take you back to San Francisco via the Golden Gate Bridge for another iconic experience! 

TAKE A FERRY TO ALCATRAZ ISLAND
I'll admit, I didn't quite understand all of the fuss about Alcatraz Island but because every person I spoke to before our trip recommended this tour, I reluctantly paid the hefty price for two tickets ($40 a person).  I can say now, that I'm so glad I did.  This was one of the highs of our trip-- Alcatraz Island has a fascinating history and experiencing it hands on was well worth the price!

Some tips to get the most out of visiting Alcatraz-- buy tickets beforehand online because they sell out quickly!  Book a very early tour (either the Early Bird or one of the 9:00 am hour spots).  This tour gets incredibly crowded.  Once on the island, be sure to find one of the ranger interpretive guides for the inside scoop on living conditions of the prison and famous escapes.  And you will NOT want to miss the 45 minute audio tour through the jail house itself.  This was by far the best part of the visit to Alcatraz Island.
 

 
VISIT BUENA VISTA FOR IRISH COFFEE
   Gayle's parents made sure that Buena Vista for Irish Coffee was on our list of must visits for San Francisco.  They were locals of the city over 30 years ago so we knew it must be good if it was still in business. We also heard of Buena Vista from a bar tender at Tony's Pizza (another must visit) early on in the week.  Needless to say, on our final day we made sure we stopped in.  It did not disappoint. 

The Buena Vista is located just to the left of the Powell-Hyde Cable Car's last stop on Fisherman's Wharf at 2765 Hyde Street.  The bartenders have their Irish Coffee making skills down to an exact science, pouring a line of at least a dozen all at once and divvying the drinks out to pretty much everyone who walks in.  And our bartender at Tony's was right.  Buena Vista does serve some incredible Irish Coffee!
 

 

 

 

VISIT CRISSY FIELD FOR VIEWS OF THE GOLDEN GATE BRIDGE

 One of the highs of our trip was the accidental stumble upon The Presidio and Crissy Field while searching for a great view of the Golden Gate Bridge.  Unbeknownst to us, this is actually the view most locals take advantage of while many tourists don't make it past the base of the bridge. We opted not to walk the Bridge and found ourselves on a trail leading us through the Presidio and down towards Fort Point.  The views of the bridge from this trail are just breathtaking.  Not to mention the amount of life taking place from the trail and surrounding parks... bikers and runners, dog parks, boaters and fishermen...

 

 

 



Gold Gate Bridge View From Crissy Field

Some other helpful tips I'll add before saying goodbye...
Have you heard of Uber?  Uber is an internationally (up and coming) alternative to the taxi service.  Using Uber was our primarily method of transportation around the city and I have to say it was brilliant.  You can connect with Uber by downloading the app on your smart phone.  Using the app you can request your ride and track your driver to see when he/she will arrive to your location. 

The best part-- all of the "kick backs".  You get a free ride "kick back" code for signing up and also a new code each time you refer friends.  In total for ALL of the rides we took around the city?  $20 bucks.  That's it. We used "kick back" codes each time and it made our transportation SO easy and SO cheap. 
It was fantastic. 

To use my Uber kickback code just sign up using this link --> Free Uber Signup Code.  When you sign up you and I BOTH get a free $20 Uber ride code.  When signing up you'll have to link your payment information (don't worry-- no one but you and Uber will see it).  This is just incase your first ride costs over the $20 coupon code.  Really though, how can you turn down a free ride around the city?

Another tip when planning your trip to San Francisco--Check out Air BNB for your lodging.  It's a more comfortable, cost effective alternative to staying in a hotel.  We snagged a 2 bedroom condo in Potrero Hill and it was absolutely lovely.  Free street parking, gorgeous views of the downtown skyline, our own kitchen and privacy.  I could not recommend AIR BNB more!

 

And one more, because how can I not share the two sweethearts we came home to?  While I won't lie-- we LOVED our kid free vacation, coming home to these smiles was exactly what this momma's heart needed!  We can't wait to return to San Fran someday with these two to explore even more of this city!

 

Where In The World?

My sister Kelsey (check out her blog) leaves tomorrow for Russia

--her first overseas stop with World Race. 

I'm feeling so many mixed emotions about this.  First, let's just get this out there--I'm insanely jealous.  I love to travel.  I love adventure.  I love new places and new faces. I love my sister.  When I dropped her off at the airport three weeks ago I wanted her to smuggle me in her suitcase and take me with her. In 11 months she will be living and working in Ukraine, Romania, Nepal, India, Tanzania, Uganda, Rwanda, Thailand, Cambodia, Asia & Malaysia.  Seriously, who wouldn't want to go with her?  Other emotions I am feeling...excited, thrilled, terrified, anxious and a little sad.  This trip is going to change her life.  

She is going to change lives.  Mostly I'm just incredibly proud.  

I've been wracking my brain, considering different ways that our little family can support Kelsey while she is gone for a year.  There is the obvious (financial) support.  I also put together a prayer list so that every day  she is gone she will have someone from home praying for her.  I love how many of our friends and family jumped on board for that one.  Beyond those two things, I've been trying to figure out how I can explain to our 2-year-old daughter Mack, exactly what her Aunt Kelsey is doing and where she is.  I thought of that old game "Where In The World Is Carmen Sandiego" and figured that the best way to get 

Mack involved is to create a visual.  

So, we're making a "WHERE IN THE WORLD IS AUNT KELSEY" 

map/prayer board.

Here are some inspiration ideas I've been loving--

This look from kojodesign

Love the colors on this one from Image Kind

So far, We've ordered a world map and when it comes in we will figure out how to mount it and what route (hahaha) to take.  We'll use pins to mark "WHERE IN THE WORLD IS AUNT KELSEY" and it will hang in our kitchen to update regularly.  

18 Hours To Fall In Love....

When we pulled out of Chicago last spring, I never imagined how difficult a transition it would be for me to call a new city "home". When we hit the one year mark this spring, it finally struck me that we aren't going anywhere and that I better learn to enjoy living here.  I know, I sound like I have the worst attitude.  I'll be honest, since this is my blog...this has not been an easy year.  To each of my Denver friends, I really love you.  New friends have made this crazy past year bearable and I couldn't be more thankful for your friendships.  But, if you've ever made a large move, you understand that uprooting your entire life can really throw you for a loop.  And so, with Windy City memories behind us, I gave myself one main goal for this summer.  I told myself I was going to fall in love with the Mile High City.

For our five year anniversary this month, instead of jetting off to a new city or to a tropical getaway, we decided to stay right here and explore Denver.  Because of work schedules and a little dwarf we like to call Mack, we didn't have much time.  We had roughly 18 hours (hence the blog title) to make a believer out of me.  

We began our evening in the Highlands, one of Denver's most trendy neighborhoods.  A few months back we discovered a neighborhood favorite, little Man Ice Cream. Little Man is a  little ice cream shop built to resemble a 1950's milk jug with an adorable outdoor patio that can hardly hold all of the visitors who line up here at all hours of the day.

Little Man Ice Cream. Go Here!

Mack's first visit to Little Man... she was loving the Graham Cracker Ice Cream.

Don't worry--she was not invited along for our anniversary trip ;)

JB & I didn't actually eat any ice cream from Little Man during our "18 hours of Denver Exploration" but I felt this place was worth mentioning because of how ridiculously cute it is.

For dinner we chose a newer restaurant "The Ale House".  This place caught my eye during my first trip to the Highlands while exploring with Mack a few months back.  It was very Chicagoesque with it's patio seating and the the fact that it wasn't a chain restaurant. Score.  Although the Ale House just opened in LoHi (the Lower Highlands -- see, I'm even using Denver neighborhood lingo), it has already gotten rave reviews for both it's beer variety and menu selection. For dinner we ordered the Wild Mushroom and Ricotta Crostini's, Ale Brined Slow Roasted Chicken and the Papardelle Chicken Mushroom Pasta.  As you can tell, we didn't hold back on the comfort food.  We didn't regret it either.  The food blew us away.  Hands down one of the best meals we have ever had.  The only negative to our meal was my cocktail which had me thinking that maybe I had accidentally ordered a melted orange popsicle.  Overall, a perfect meal. Not to mention the view of the Denver skyline was beautiful.   We would highly recommend this place to anyone.

Five year anniversary dinner at the Ale House. 

Our view of the Denver skyline from the Ale House rooftop 

After our dinner we decided to do some "on foot" exploring.

Walking along the Platte River

I had to put this in (not because I am for or against the legalization of medicinal marijuana) but more because this was my first time actually seeing an office that sells it.

All right, it wouldn't have been a complete night without a little reminiscence of Chi-Town.

Some friends sent us a text during dinner and recommended we try after dinner drinks at the Oxford Hotel's Cruise Room.  The after dinner dessert martini I had here made up for my horrible melted popsicle experience from earlier on in the night.  The Cruise Room is downtown Denver's very first bar and it opened the day after Prohibition was repealed in 1933.  How's that for a history lesson?  This was the perfect little hole-in-the-wall bar and we loved it.  Not a tourist in sight. Another point for Denver.

And, here I am playing this zebra print piano in the rain.  My husband claims that at this point the alcohol was starting to get to me. Based on the fact that I do actually remember him taking this photo, I tend to disagree. I would like to suggest that I was only having some child free fun.

After a free upgrade to a suite at the downtown Hyatt, some late night pizza and a soak in the hotel's roof hot tub, we rented bikes and used this map to navigate our way around the city's neighborhoods. 

Our first stop was to Snooze in the neighborhood of Five Points, where we ate the most incredible breakfast of our lives.  I'm not exaggerating.  We had some pretty great favorites for breakfast in Chicago but this place blew both Orange and the the Flat Top Grill out of the water.  We knew it would be good too because we showed up at 10 am on a Tuesday morning and the line for seating was backed up outside the front door. 

The breakfast menu here was simply divine.  We ordered a "flight of pancakes" (our choice of any three of their specialty pancakes).  Our flight consisted of Pineapple Upside Down, Sweet Potato & Blueberry Lemon Crunch Bar pancakes.  What we should have done was order two "flights" so that we could have tried the various other flavors like S'mores, Chocolate Peanut Butter, Red Velvet etc. No, I'm not joking.  This place was good.

After breakfast I convinced JB to take me to the Brown Palace Hotel  so that I could try the natural Colorado Artesian Spring water.  He didn't understand my need for it but he graciously took pictures and then made fun of me.  Thanks babe.

We then decided to become full blown tourists (yes, we caved).  We visited the Capital building and got pictures at exactly one mile high above sea level.  Hey, if you live in Colorado you have to do it at least once.

We wrapped up our "18 Hour Denver Exploration" back in the Highlands, but this time in Highlands Square.  Highlands Square is another Denver favorite with streets of boutiques, restaurants, cafes and bakeries. And If you know me, you know I never turn down the chance to try a new cupcake bakery.  We grabbed dessert at Happy Cakes Bakery.  

By this point we were really starting to miss our little blond dwarf so we decided to cut our trip a few hours short and head home to some sloppy kisses.

What to say now that our trip is over? From the beginning I didn't give this city half the chance it deserved.  Denver, I like you a lot more now.  I might even love you.  I still miss the Windy City and it's miles of lake shore.  Chicago may always be my first love. I am officially excited to continue exploring Denver's great neighborhoods, try my skills on a few more animal print pianos and of course....eat more of those heaven sent Snooze pancakes!  Here's to a few more years (or possibly a lifetime more) of exploring the Mile High City!