Design.Wine.Dine.

San Francisco-ing

Last Wednesday, I flew up to San Francisco for a gorgeous few days of work and play.  I’m so in love with that city, it’s hard to put it into words and pictures never do it justice so I always wind up yearning to go back from the moment I hit the ground at LAX.  The architecture, the food, the history and the seemingly endless hills with panoramic views of the city from every street corner leaves me with the desire to pack my bags and find little a bay-windowed studio to call home.  Check out a few of my favorite weekend moments below.

{Quick lunch break at The Melt at Stanford.  This place was amazing!  They only serve different types of grilled cheese sandwiches and soups for dipping.  YUM.  Side note: They’re expanding from 4 to 22 locations in 2012… Proof that a simple (but great) concept and design are a winning combination}

{Platters of finger food for our Hope at Home tasting in Santa Cruz}

{View of the Golden Gate from my friend’s rooftop as it started to light up at dusk}

{Views from the top of Nob Hill}

{So very envious of this rooftop (yes, I was doing some stalking).  Great little grilling/entertaining space with a patch of grass for a very lucky city pup}

{Taking in the architecture and hills}

{My friend Megan’s adorable gallery wall in her room}

{Some wine and kitty cat snuggle time while finishing up our work day}

{On my walk from Nob Hill to Union Square}

{Gorgeous}

{San Francisco buildings are never short of character and detail}

{On our walk to Sunday brunch}

Wine Wednesday – San Francisco

Wahooo!  I’m off to the San Francisco Bay area this morning and I can’t wait.  Tonight I’ll be helping out with a Hope at Home training and wine tasting with some lovely new Event Specialists and I’m thrilled to meet the new recruits 🙂  Since it also happens to be mine and Jake’s THIRD anniversary (holy moly, time flies!) we’ve decided to stay up in the city for the remainder of the week and weekend to celebrate.  See you Monday, LA!  Cheers!

San Francisco Weekend

Last weekend, my boyfriend and I made the short trip up to the San Francisco bay area for Thanksgiving.  Since I go back to Michigan every year for Christmas, our Thanksgiving trip to northern California has become a little annual tradition that I completely adore.  This year we spent a ton of time in the city, which I didn’t mind one bit and while most of our time there was spent working on projects (rather than battling the Black Friday crowds), the view we had from our friend’s work studio was absolutely breathtaking.  Working is oh-so-much-better (and productive) with some gorgeous scenery to look out on.  While the pictures I took while there don’t even begin to do it justice, I can’t stop thinking about our weekend this morning and just had to share.

{Base of the Bay Bridge}

{View of the Bay Bridge from the Rincon Building}

{Alcatraz in the distance}

{An assortment of fresh cheeses, bread, grapes, tomatoes and meat from the Ferry Building – one of my favorite places in San Francisco}

{Dessert!  Fresh strawberries, cheese cake and a decadent chocolate cake.  Mmm!}

{Quick festive break at Gumps to view their gorgeous Christmas ornaments}

{Couldn’t get enough of the avocados.  How cute are these?}

{Bay Bridge at nighttime.  Stunning}

{Stunning view of the Golden Gate as I was flying in – a sight rarely seen flying into San Francisco because of the typical fog.  What a gorgeous day!  Take me back!}

San Francisco

Every time I travel to San Francisco, I’m more and more convinced that it’s my favorite city.  There is truly no other place like it with the hills, architecture, spurts of sunshine, views of the clear blue bay… and I always leave wishing we had another day to explore all of the secret little gems the city has to offer.  While out and about on Sunday morning we discovered FL!PP (Fashionable Living in Petite Places) and I was instantly in love.  With an incredible selection of both modern and vintage architecturally inspired furniture, great upholstery and an impressive assortment of gorgeous lamps, I could have walked out with every item in the store.  Leave it to me to become completely captivated with the quaint garden out back, rich with succulents galore, garden stools and vintage letter signs that I will certainly be back for in the future.  We spent the remainder of the day strolling around the city and enjoying every breath of crisp, fresh air.  And per usual, I haven’t stopped thinking about San Francisco since.

{I love these letter signs!}

{Succulents for days…}

{Perfect juxtaposition of bright, shiny yellow ceramics and weathered vintage elements}

{Stockpile of more vintage letter signs}

{Great combination of chic trellis shaded table lamps and vintage furniture and accessories}

{Original tile work at 1299 Lombard}

{Gorgeous view (albeit slightly too foggy to see the Golden Gate) from my friends’ rooftop}

{I am in love with these flowering trees!  Their vibrancy is breathtaking and they’re all over San Francisco and LA.  Does anyone know their name?}

{If I were to build a home in San Francisco, this would be it.  I love the common brick, the balconies, the gorgeous French doors and windows… and of course the flowers}

Wedding(s) Weekend!

Lucky us! We have not one, but two weddings to attend this weekend – one tonight in the LA area at my favorite place in the whole wide world; Terrenea Resort (check out my friend Lauren’s post about it here) and one in the San Francisco Bay area. I’ve become a little stir crazy this past week so I’m thrilled to be skipping town tomorrow morning for a short weekend away. I can’t wait to fuel up on floral inspirations to bring back to you all. Have a great weekend!

{Image via}

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