How to Spend a Weekend in San Francisco

Weekend trips are so hard for me to plan, there just ins't enough time to see all I want to see (story of my life)! So I put this little guide together of my hit list of places to stay, eat and see from my recent trip to the Bay Area.

Stay

The Kimpton Buchanan Hotel

The Kimpton Buchanan Hotel

The Kimpton Buchanan Hotel

The Kimpton Buchanan Hotel

The Kimpton Buchanan Hotel

The Tilden Hotel

The Tilden Hotel

The Tilden Hotel

My first two nights I stayed at the Kimpton Buchanan Hotel, a super cute boutique hotel at the nexus of Japantown, Fillmore and Pacific Heights. Stylish and super hospitable, this hotel was offered a wine happy hour in the lobby each evening which is a added bonus! On my last night I stayed at the recently renovated Tilden Hotel. The Tilden is simple, budget friendly and located within walking distance of downtown and shopping districts.

EAT

Sweet Maple

Flora Restaurant

Flora Restaurant

Flora Restaurant

Akiko's Sushi Restaurant

A kik o's Sushi Restaurant

San Francisco has many great restaurants, all of which I was dying to try! But between all of the running around and the conference I attended there were three stand out meals from my visit. One brunch spot I really enjoyed was Sweet Maple. Sweet Maple is in between the Pacific Heights and Fillmore neighborhoods and truly feels like an institution there. The all american menu gave me diner vibes with a Californian-freshness. One morning I popped over to Oakland (another place I am dying to get back to!) for brunch at Flora with friends. Flora is a stylish, art deco spot with an elegant and delicious menu. Finally, Akiko's Sushi Restaurant. Althoughquite the splurge this is some of the best sushi I have ever had (this coming from someone with a Japanese Grandmother!). I suggest sitting at the sushi bar and asking for omakase (chef's choice) and just letting them know about how much you'd like to eat/spend (scope out the menu ahead of time to get a feel for the prices.) Then sit back and be spoiled! 

Do

The Painted Ladies

Yerba Buena Center for the Arts

Yerba Buena Center for the Arts

San Francisco Museum of Modern Arts

The de Young Museum

The de Young Museum

The Golden Gate Bridge

If you've been following me here you know how much I lovemuseums and my first recommendations won't surprise you. The Yerba Buena Center for the Arts (YBCA) is a contemporary arts space that aims to show socially impactful exhibitions while making sure it is affordable for all to see. On my visit I had the fortune of experiencing Tom Sachs' Space Program: Europa in all of it's toolshed fusion glory (read more here!). Just across from YBCA and the Yerba Buena Gardens it is nestled in is the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art (SFMOMA). Unfortunately I didn't get to pop in on this trip but I definitely will next time, I noticed they have several Richard Serra works (which I fell in love with since my visit to Dia: Beacon!). And finally, the de Young Museum of Fine Arts. From the architecture to the art within, the de Young is a must see destination. Read (and see) more about it in my last post.

As far as the traditional sights, I made my way to the Painted Ladies, drove down the crooked Lombard Street, and admired Crissy Field and the Golden Gate Bridge. Honestly, the painted ladies and Lombard street are tourist traps. If I had it to do over again I would spend more time hiking the trails on either end of the bridge.

And thats about it! Tell me, what have or would you do in in the Bay Area for 48 hours?

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Check out my post about why I love Tulum at We Are Travel Girls!

A Simple Guide to London

So as I have mentioned before I LOVE London. I was recently asked for a few London recommendations and decided to put together a post about it! Here are some of my favorite activities from my last few visits to this lovely city.

Museums

Museums are some of my favorite sights to see in a new city. Not only are they filled with beautiful and interesting things, they usually are housed in some of the most beautiful architecture.

I think a visit to London would be remiss without a trip to the British Museum and Tate Modern. The British Museum has a permanent collection much like The Met in NYC and stunning classical architecture with surprising modern twists like this beautiful atrium.

Tate Modern is a retrofitted power station reimagined by renowned architects Herzog & de Meuron. Here exhibits are frequently revolving, each more innovative than the next. And there are several places to take in views of the Thames.

Outdoors

London has lots of lovely parks, two of the loveliest are Hyde Park and St. James Park. But one of the most surprising places to take in the great outdoors in the middle of the city is Regents Canal. I started at Camden Lock Market with a delicious lunch and walked the Regents Canal towpath.

Sights

Besides the must see sights (read: Big Ben, London Eye, Buckingham Palace, Globe Theatre, Tower of London, etc etc..), I highly recommend seeing The Shard. The Shard is the tallest tower in London designed by famed architect Renzo Piano and houses some of the best views of the city. As I mention in my 2 days in London post, I think skipping the tour and indulging in a meal or drink in one of the restaurants located in the top floors is a great way to take in this magnificent building.

Food

I think there are two meals that cannot be missed when you visit London: 1. a classic English breakfast and 2. fish and chips (or my fave saveloy and chips if you can find it!) London isn't praised for it's cuisine generally, but these two dishes are something I can't get enough of (not pictured below, the baked beans which are perfect with buttered toast!).

Markets

Finally, my number one favorite way to spend time in London is exploring it's many markets. Below are just a few I recommend, but no matter where you go in the city I am sure you will find one or two!

• Camden Market in Camden Town
• Borough Market  in Sothwark
• Portobello Market in Notting Hill
• Columbia Road Flower Market  in East London
• Brick Lane Market in East London (and be sure to visit 106 Commercial Street while in the area for a tea in the Sitting Room!)

For more ideas on what to do in London, check out my previous post where I outline how I spent 2 days in London!

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A Layover in Copenhagen

Last summer, on our way back from a whirlwind of a European adventure, my numero uno travel partner and I stopped in Copenhagen for lunch and a bit of farewell sightseeing...

As we like to recount "we had breakfast in Rome, Lunch in Copenhagen and dinner in NYC." After successfully making our way from the airport to the Kongens Nytorv metro stop, we stumbled upon Storkespringvandet (Stork Fountain) and Europa Cafe 1989 our lunch spot of choice.

We enjoyed a seriously delicious new-nordic lunch by a window that opened to the square. The restaurant was such a lovely space where we listened to the live musician playing outside. After lunch we headed over to the iconic Nyhavn area of the city.

Nyhavn was our first glimpse of the infamous Copenhagen canals. We wandered along the water, admiring the brightly colored buildings against the gloomy sky until we reached the Inderhavnen, or the inner harbor.

After a bit more walking we popped back on the metro to check out some modern Danish architecture and neighborhoods before heading back to the airport.

All in all it was a few hours well spent in Denmark's capital before bidding adieu to Europe!

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2 Days in London

London has come to be one of my favorite cities. This year I could spare just two days there but managed to fill it with many new experiences. Read on to see all of the new places I discovered!

Day 1

After a perfect english breakfast at Laveli my good friend (and host) Charu and I headed to the Embankment area. We walked over the Thames and headed to Tate Museum of Modern Art.

Tate Modern & Borough Market

Once we explored many of the Tate exhibits, had an espresso on the balcony and admired more views of the city from the terraza, we made our way to Borough Market. The outdoor market smelled incredible. Shops with every imaginable type of food was packed into the street market located (partially) under London Bridge; Charu and I succumbed to a baklava vendor with more varieties than I ever knew existed.

Cocktail Hour at the Shard

Instead of heading up to the observation deck of the Shard, we decided to have a pre-dinner cocktail at Oblix. The views were stunning and we found the perfect spot at a window in the lounge to enjoy a glass of wine.

After a very happy hour Charu led me to Oxford Street and down a little alley that surprisingly opened up onto St. Christopher's Place where we had a Turkish dinner at Sofra.

Day 2

My second day in the city was one of exploring East London. First stop, Spitafields Market.

Spitalfields Market

A live band lured us right to the indoor-outdoor marketplace packed with vendors and people. The market itself reminded me very much of tourist traps you find in New York, but of course as a tourist it was fun perusing the handcrafted items at each stall. After exhausting the shops for entertainment we explored deeper into what I have come to think of as the Brooklyn of London.

We continued the day by getting lost in little lanes and discovering vintage shops. A major highlight was finding a fish and chips place that serves saveloy, my hard-to-find favorite from childhood. After giddily ordering from Poppies, we took our meal to "the sitting room" hidden within the 106 Commercial Street market and sipped on canned gin and tonic while overlooking the shoppers.

106 Commercial Street

Brick Lane & Shoreditch

After lunch we continued our day of getting lost in the shops and stalls along brick lane. Later we drooled over Dark Sugars truffles and made the hard decision of picking a few before heading to Shoreditch High Street and caught a bus that would take us back to the tube.