left my heart in san francisco {palace of fine arts}

Dress: Preen; Shoes: Manolo Blahnik; Clutch: Charlotte Olympia

While I visited San Francisco pretty often with my family when I was growing up (it's only about a 3-4 hour drive from Reno), I'd have to say some of my most vivid memories of the city came much later when I would trek back with friends in college for different concerts. We would make big weekends out of it, leaving early on a Friday afternoon after our last class and pile into a car, armed with lots of iPod playlists (ah, remember those?!), ready for far too many pit stops at In N Out (animal style, please!). Outside Lands. Kings of Leon. Cat Power. Smashing Pumpkins. Feist. The list goes on and on. 

My favorite concert from this part of my life would have to be when Devendra Banhart played at the Palace of Fine Arts (the amazing building you see above here). My boyfriend at the time surprised me with tickets and true to form, we probably missed a class or two to make it out for a long weekend in San Francisco. We booked a small bed and breakfast just off Lombard Street (The Edward II!) and spent most of the evening just strolling around the Marina, getting lost in (and tumbling down) San Francisco's  many hills.

As for the concert itself, if you ever get the chance to see anyone perform at the Palace, I highly recommend you go! Naturally the acoustics inside the building are nothing short of amazing, but walking around the Palace grounds and surrounding park are actually what made me fall in love with it that very night. Simply put, it's beautiful. The sheer height and scale of the columns and overhead dome are humbling -- we actually were some of the last concert goers that evening milling around, mainly because we couldn't stop looking up while we were strolling. And we did just that. For hours, well into the night after the concert ended. The city grew still and quiet, the fog coming in like a blanket overhead, and yet there we were, roaming around this beautiful building like our own private playground. I may not quite remember the songs that were played that night and that boyfriend is no longer in my life, but something about it has stuck with me -- a very tangible memory of an evening that felt so alive and full of possibility. 

And to this day, I can't help but think of that night whenever I visit the Palace. 

Photos by Anna-Alexia Basile

You can see the rest of my farewell San Francisco series right this way...

left my heart in san francisco {marin headlands}

Dress: Suno via The RealReal (available in white here!); Sunglasses: Celine

Over the past few weeks, I've gotten a lot of questions about whether or not I'm excited to move (a million times yes!), what I'm looking forward to the most about New York (wandering around Central Park in the spring) and if I'll be able to handle the brutal winters out there (unfortunately, the jury is still out on that one).  

But the most frequently asked question? 

What will I miss most about San Francisco? 

This one usually makes me pause. There's so much I'm going to miss, it's hard to distill my answer into just one reason. We're spoiled with great weather. There's never a shortage of amazing, new restaurants to try out. We're at the heart of Silicon Valley, where crazy, big, outside-the-box ideas are born (and encouraged!). Heck, we're home to these guys. 

Over the past five years, my list has gotten pretty long with reasons as to why I love living in this city. And ultimately, I think I'll end up returning (someday) for a lot of those reasons. But at the end of the day, I'd have to say it's not necessarily the city I'll miss most (although I will miss it dearly), but the ease to which you can escape the city at a moment's notice. Wine country to the north. Highway 1 stretching along it's side, running the great coastline of California. Big Sur. Monterey. Carmel. Tahoe. Yosemite. Muir Woods. All tangibly within reach, tempting you to hit the road on a late Friday afternoon with nothing but a weekender bag and an improperly folded map and get lost for a few days. 

I've confessed my love for Jack Kerouak here on the blog before, and I'll do it again now, because I think this quote of his sums up San Francisco and her wild, beckoning call much better than I ever could:

"It seemed like a matter of minutes when we began rolling in the foothills before Oakland and suddenly reached a height and saw stretched out ahead of us the fabulous white city of San Francisco on her eleven mystic hills with the blue Pacific and its advancing wall of potato-patch fog beyond, and smoke and goldenness of the late afternoon of time."

San Francisco, thanks for letting me enjoy you in all your smoke and goldenness. I'm forever grateful. 

Photos by Anna-Alexia Basile

left my heart in san francisco {pacific heights}

Dress: Lovers + Friends (the black is sold out, but the striped version is adorable!); Boots: Stuart Weitzman; Bag: Proenza Schouler; Sunglasses: Celine; Necklace: BaubleBar X Wendy's Lookbook

If you head right up over the hill from my apartment (technically nestled between Japantown and Lower Pacific Heights), you'll find yourself in Pacific Heights proper. If you happen to end up at, oh I don't know, Broadway and Scott streets, you'll find yourself smack dab in the middle of what has affectionately become known as Billionaire's Row. Pretentious, yes. But when Danielle Steele, David Sacks and Larry Ellison all call this small several block radius their stomping grounds, it's rather fitting. 

While I'd love to say my apartment is practically a stone's throw from here, I'll fully admit, we're worlds apart. Yet that doesn't stop me from heading up here regardless. Why? First of all, the panoramic views of the city and the Bay are not to be missed. In fact, traffic gets pretty annoying in these parts because both cars and pedestrians are snapping the city hills from the top of this very hill. It's worth it though. Secondly, a lot of folks head over to the Lyon Street Steps (myself included) for a great Saturday workout but really, Elvis and I are all about Baker Street Steps, a steep stairway connecting Vallejo and Broadway. It's beautifully (and intentionally) overgrown with tall trees, brimming with flowers and, my favorite part, it's almost always deserted. I love heading here for early dusk walks with Elvis and letting him roam around on the steps, while I perch on the lone bench right off the stairway. If you peer through at just the right spots between the branch cover, San Francisco peeks through down below, with quiet little boats bustling about on the bay. 

I'm a firm believer that everyone needs a great go-to thinking spot -- one that instantly clears your mind when you get there. And Baker Street Steps are going to be hard to replace.

Photos by Anna-Alexia Basile

left my heart in san francisco {favorite restaurants}

Images from left to right, starting at the top: 1 // 2 // 3 // 4 // 5 // 6 // 7 // 8 // 9 // 10

I suppose a better title for this post would be: "I left my stomach in San Francisco" because, if I'm being completely honest, I'm going to miss our food scene here in SF dearly! Naturally, New York has plenty of tempting menus to keep me busy, but after spending five years here in San Francisco, I have to say, this isn't an easy goodbye for me. And don't get me started on the apparent lack of good Mexican food out east. Sigh. 

Here are a few of my favorites (new and old) that I've accumulated over the years accompanied with the dish you MUST try while there. 

Park Tavern: Must try dish - This is a tie for me between the brussel sprout chips and the Marlowe burger. Get both. You'll thank me later.

Wayfare Tavern: Must try dish - It's hard to chose a favorite (Tyler Florence can really do no wrong) but I'd have to say the fried chicken wins me over, every goddamn time.

Flour + Water: Must try dish - Their bianco verde pizza (asparagus, ricotta, garlic and salsa verde) is always a table pleaser. But I rarely share with the table. :)

SPQR: Must try dish - Their menu changes pretty often, but I recently had their nettle and mushroom cannelloni with nettle fonduta and piave cheese and was not disappointed. 

Elite Cafe: Must try dish - Don't leave without getting a big order of their meetinghouse biscuits and make sure to try seafood gumbo!

Absinthe: Must try dish - Where to start? For appetizers, don't miss the soft garlic pretzels (these guys will forever haunt my dreams) and for an entree, their potato crusted salmon is some of the best salmon I've ever had.

A16: Must try dish - All of their pasta dishes are sure to please, but their bucatini dish with walnut-lemon pesto, cream and wild arugula is my fool-proof choice.

Marlowe: Must try dish - Three words for you: roasted bone marrow. 

The  Cavalier: Must try dish - If you're going with a few friends, I highly recommend getting both the wild mushroom pie and the rabbit and shelling bean pie to split. 

Boulevard: Must try dish - I've only gone here once and it was for a birthday celebration years ago, but the nettle tortellini with veal meatballs is still one of my favorite dishes this city has to offer.

State Bird Provisions: Must try dish - Everything. It's dim sum style and it's kinda hard to turn ANYTHING down as it's passing you.

Nopa: Must try dish - I'm not usually a fan of pork chops, but there's something about the country pork chop from Nopa that just gets me. 

See the rest of my farewell SF series right this way...

left my heart in san francisco {an ode to california + taylor stitch}

First outfit: Dress: Eva dress available for preorder from Taylor Stitch; Jean jacket: Old Navy; Boots: Isabel Marant; Sunglasses: Ray-Ban; Bag: Asos (love this style here); Watch: Daniel Wellington; Necklace: Jennifer Zeuner

Second outfit: Camel coat: Zara (old, similar style here); Boots: Celine; Bag: Proenza Schouler; Necklace: Jennifer Zeuner; Lips: Marc Jacobs "Oh Miley"

When I made my big NYC move announcement a few weeks back, I realized I never really clarified what exactly I'd be doing for work out there. I'm beyond happy to report I'll be staying at Google, working on my same team (marketing for Google Express), but simply transferring offices, from Mountain View to our Chelsea Market location. My new apartment (in the West Village!) is about a 10 minute walk from the office, meaning I'll be getting back about 4 hours of my day, which I currently spend commuting between San Francisco and Silicon Valley. To say I'm ecstatic about this shift in work/life balance, would be an understatement and I'm looking forward to putting that new found time to work -- both here on the blog and, oh I dunno, working out a bit more often. ;)

But it should be said, most of my team is still based on the West Coast, meaning I'll be back pretty often (read: about once a month) for work off sites and brainstorm sessions. While it may sound a bit exhausting, I'm actually really excited to try out this whole bicoastal thing -- especially when it comes down to visiting friends and a certain special guy out here in San Francisco. It also means, I don't have to say goodbye to California, just yet. And trust me -- I don't want to say goodbye to her! There's so much she and I have left to do together. Yosemite! Joshua Tree! Big Sur! And so many more road trips up and down Highway 1! 

It's with that in mind that I've been playing around with the idea of creating an ongoing series here on the blog about my visits over the coming months -- a diary of sorts about our reunions -- an ode to the wild child, free-spirited, fiercely untamed nature that is California. 

Enter Taylor Stitch (another reason I will definitely miss the West Coast). If there's a brand that truly embodies the California spirit, it's these guys. I was first introduced to the brand a few years back when my good friend, Kim, a designer at Banana Republic, mentioned a pop-up collaboration they were doing with these three dudes, all East Coast transplants, who were onto something, making high quality, classic, yet rugged staples that are meant to be lived in. Fast forward a few years, and they've got quite the cult following here in San Francisco, with one shop on Valencia, and another on Chestnut -- and a lot of loyal California men (and women) sporting their staples all over the city. 

Personally, I love how each of their pieces carries a certain sensibility to it -- you can tell it was intentionally made with it's wearer in mind. Comfortable and yet tailored -- I can easily wear their pieces from morning walks with Elvis, to drinks in the evening, which let's face it, that's what we're all about in California. 

So you can imagine my delight when they reached out to do a little shoot together around their Eva dress (which I'm wearing above, available for pre-order here). We roamed around my neighborhood, including Alta Plaza Park (a frequent stomping ground for Elvis and I) and up and down Fillmore Street (my favorite block for window shopping). I love how these pictures capture exactly how I'll remember my San Francisco afternoons -- carefree and meant for exploring. And I have a feeling, for future California adventures, I'll be reaching for more of their staples. 

Thanks Taylor Stitch for a great afternoon!

Photos by Mike Armenta

left my heart in san francisco {favorite coffee shops}

Dress: Eva dress from Taylor Stitch; Coat: Zara (old, similar style here); Boots: Celine; Bag: Proenza Schouler; Necklace: Jennifer Zeuner (now on sale!)

Snapped at Jane on Fillmore // Stay tuned for the full outfit post tomorrow!

As I mentioned last week, San Franciscans are pretty serious about coffee. To the point, I may or may not have seen roast preferences listed quite often as a profile snippet on several dating apps (ahem, guilty former Tinder user now hangs her head in partial shame). 

And rightfully so! We have some great local roasts right here in the Bay Area, and an even better lineup of coffee shops to serve them at. While I don't have much time during the week to set up shop in some of my favorite cafe haunts, I do love spending Sunday afternoons catching up on email, editing photos and generally gearing up for the week over a cappuccino. It's a weekly ritual that adds the right punctuation to the start of the week for me. 

In no particular order, here are a few of my favorites around San Francisco.

Jane: Perhaps my most frequently visited cafe, Jane is not only killing it in their brew department (hello, Stumpton coffee) but their cafe decor is responsible for far too many Instagram moments. Oh, and the cookies. Don't get me started on their "Accident Cookie." It's also where Mike snapped this photo of Elvis and me the other day -- stay tuned for the full outfit post tomorrow!

The Mill: This is another great spot known for their decor: airy with minimalistic, natural touches. But what I love the most about The Mill is the fact they don't have outlet plugs or wifi, which in San Francisco, is practically blasphemy, but in some instances, it's nice to be reminded to unplug and actually, I dunno, talk to that cute guy in line. 

Saint Frank: But let's be real. We all need to get a little work done (even that cute guy in line), especially with a sharp jolt of caffeine pumping through us. Saint Frank was actually recently named one of the 21 best new coffee shops in America, and I have to say, while it sounds a little pretentious, I full-heartedly agree. Lots of open seating space with skylights above, great for work sessions and people watching, with plenty of Ritual roast on tap.

Ritual Coffee Roasters: Speaking of Ritual Coffee, I'd be amiss if I left this guy off the list, mainly because it was such a mainstay in my life when I lived in Hayes Valley. If you live in San Francisco, you're no stranger to pop-up container shops. The beautiful thing about Ritual Coffee Roasters' container shop (aside from their delicious roasts, of course)? The fact that they share a container with Smitten Ice Cream. The possibilities there -- endless.

Blue Bottle: Blue Bottle admittedly has multiple locations scattered throughout the city, but their spot tucked away in Potrero Hill is probably the best kept secret. There's hardly ever a line and you can pop over to Heath Ceramics afterward for some retail therapy. 

Dynamo Donut & Coffee: UM, obviously. 

Philz: Another no brainer -- mint mojito iced coffee, anyone?

Four Barrel: Another spot that doesn't have outlet plugs or wifi, Four Barrel's spot on Valencia can get a little packed at times, but it's worth the wait. Plus, they offer some pretty awesome in-house brewing workshops and classes (check out their lineup here).

Sightglass: They have a one-size cup fits all policy, but trust me, it packs some serious PUNCH.

Photo by Mike Armenta of Taylor Stitch

left my heart in san francisco {date nights}

Top: Intermix; Skirt: Nicholas; Shoes: Saint Laurent; Clutch: Charlotte Olympia (old, similar style here); Sunglasses: Celine; Lips: Rimmel London Stay Glossy "Love at the Movies"

After spending five years in San Francisco, I have to say, I'm pretty fortunate to have had some amazing date nights in this city. Of course, the company is usually the highlight (OK, always the highlight, in case they're reading this), but there's something undeniably romantic about our hilly little town that can make the most unassuming Friday night memorable. Some of my favorites? Well, I never kiss and tell, but a great date night story is usually too good not to share a few details, right?

For dinner? Some favorites of mine include Park Tavern, Wayfare Tavern, SPQR, State Bird Provisions, Central Kitchen and The Cavalier. For cocktails? Wilson & Wilson, Absinthe, Top of the Mark, Palmer's and Trick Dog. For the hell of it? (Because let's face it, that's what makes the date memorable!) Cobb's Comedy Club, hiking up to Coit Tower (preferably late at night so you can see the city glowing from the top of the hill), hopping onto the California line cable car (also late at night), catching a showing of Beach Blanket Babylon, concerts at The Great American Music Hall and/or The Warfield and surfing out at Pacifica. 

As for this date night outfit? My guy invited me to a gala over the weekend and I wanted to find a way to style this top I recently picked up at Intermix for the occasion. You may recall this skirt from my New Year's getup and I'm happy to report it's made several appearances in my more formal outfits lately, including this past weekend's events (which may or may not have been topped off at one of my favorites mentioned above -- Top of the Mark). I kept the rest of my look soft and feminine, with loose waves slipping out of a low ponytail and a subtly nude glossy lip, thanks to Rimmel London's new Stay Glossy line. (I don't know about you, but something about date night calls for a glossier lip, as opposed to lipstick -- much easier to kiss that way!). Lately, I've been opting for a nude lip and I love how this particular one has just right amount of sheen to it, so it feels fuss-free but still dynamic enough for a statement. 

What are some of your favorite date night haunts?

Photos by Aaron Shui

This post was in collaboration with Rimmel London. As always, all opinions and styling are my own. Thank you for supporting all This Time Tomorrow collaborations!