San Francisco Weekend in a Nutshell

This past weekend was my first weekend away from my sweet babe, and on a plane no less.  I flew to San Francisco for a quick weekend away to visit my best friend Jody.  It was such a much needed weekend to relax, recharge, and enjoy some quality girl time.

Upon arriving, we met up with Jody's husband and some other friends at Homestead in the Mission, for a stiff cocktail (I had the Paloma) to celebrate in regale in our friends Alex and Kostas' recent engagement.  Followed by a modern Vietnamese/Thai meal at Slanted Door in the historic Ferry Building.  It was a seriously superb meal; even the rice is amazing!  {Try the stir-fried organic chicken, chili-coconut eggplant, and green papaya salad}.  Plus they boast the eclectic dessert of sculpted cotton candy - we were tempted to order this ourselves to satisfy our inner children, but were perfectly satiated it would've been difficult to eat even one more bite!

The next morning we slept in (!!) before dining al fresco at Kitchen Story, which quite possibly might have been one of the best brunches of my life, I opted for the eggs Benedict accompanied by bacon wrapped asparagus, let me tell you, it was A-MAZING!  We considered ordering the bottomless mimosas - apparently a new San Francisco staple, but opted for singles as to encourage our activity for the day.

After brunch, we strolled around the Mission, Castro, refueling with some coffee at Stanza, before playing tourist and channeling our TGIF roots with a stop by the Alamo Square Park for a touristy photo opp, Full House flashback anyone?

After stopping by Whole Foods to pick up some sustenance, and picking our our favorite stoops and houses along the way, we met up with our friend Andy at Mission Dolores Park.  Mind you, did I tell you it was a beautiful beyond beautiful day.  The sky was cloudless, the sun warm and inviting, nothing of the typical fog or overcast haze San Francisco is famous for.  We settled in for some quality people watching with a blanket, a crisp bottle of Rose, and our own makeshift fruit platter.  

After, we grabbed a quick snack at Regalio Rostecario - all the rose had me craving guacamole (and there's didn't dissapoint).  By now it was at least 7:00, and we slowly made our way back to Jody's house for a "homemade" Blue Apron meal, pinot, and a cheesy but hilarious at times romcom.  All in all a pretty perfect day!

On Sunday, after waking up early to an earthquake (!) - we cruised down to the Marina to explore a new nook of San Francisco, picking up a healthy breakfast and filling smoothie at The Planet Cafe, before enjoying yet another day of sun as we shopped Fillmore and the surrounding area.  I had a 3:40 flight, so we headed back to her apartment to pack, but not before another touristy stop to Tartine  -whose line moved surprisingly fast considering it snaked around the corner.  One pain au chocolat and a croissant to go, followed by a stroll back to her apartment in the middle of the road, courtesy of Sunday Streets.  We discovered this weekend street closure is an age-old San Francisco tradition where alternating neighborhoods close a main thoroughfare on Sundays, open only to pedestrian traffic.  The street was peppered with a few sidewalk sales, street performers with instruments, and children riding their bikes.  It was a nice change of pace and way to explore.

All in all - quite a full weekend of sightseeing, and so much fun catching up with my dearest friend!  Thanks so much Jods! 

What's your favorite thing to do in San Francisco?  Do tell, I might just have to plan a return visit soon...