sol food, san rafael

on our way up north we stopped in san rafael, a cool city in marin that's home to sol food one of my favorite restaurants- TRY IT if you're in the neighborhood. 

directions: 

step 1: order the bistec 

step 2: apply hot sauce all over

step 3: don't forget the limeade!!!

step 4: enjoy the best puerto rican sandwich/meal ever!

i doubt you can see it in this photo but i finally sported this t-shirt clip i got at a thrift store in Santa Rosa. It's one of those fun kinds from the 80's where it's usually plastic and circular with a bar in the middle used to tighten up an oversized t-shirt similar to this. Anyway, I wore mine with some ripped denim shorts and I dig the retro vibe. I can't wait to do this to all my larger shirts..

sushi & cupcakes

(grey lace dress from hong kong, white american apparel skirt, fcuk shoes)

ok so the only place i order something different from a dragon roll at a sushi spot is here at Miyake in Palo Alto. If you haven't been here, I definitely recommend this sushi restaurant. Especially with friends at night, this is the place to be for a guaranteed good time. It gets packed and is filled with strobe lights, music, and people standing on chairs downing sake bombs. The vibe is so fun and although it can be loud it's a spot in the area to enjoy sake and good cheap food. My favorite thing to order here is a Miami Roll- barbecued tuna with avocado and cream cheese- wow. And try the tofu steak.. it's delicious. It's located at the end of University Avenue a street that's filled with lots of cool restaurants and cafes. 

And the Stanford Shopping Mall is close by where you can get the famous red-velvet cupcakes from Sprinkles- this stuff is goooooooood. Not only does it make an excellent snack to go with an Iced Coffee but you can enjoy the scenery of the fresh flowers, world class stores in an open air mall making it a one of a kind shopping experience. But back to the cupcakes.. I can totally see the hype for sure on this one..

oh and tulips are my favorite flowers... :)

sunny saturday in san francisco

(hollister cardigan, h&m top, forever 21 shorts, topshop belt, mango purse, fcuk shoes)

We had brunch at Zazie located in Cole Valley in San Francisco. This French Bistro reminded me of the Ivy, sitting in the garden patio outside. This place can have a long wait, but is worth the buzz and is without the exorbitant prices.

I then checked out the Cherry Blossom Festival in Japantown where you can enjoy a bunch of food stands for dirt cheap and get the famous Teriyaki Burger which I thought was hands down delicious. There's so much action with the music, people, shops, and it's a fun street fair to check out if you've never been.

Then there's the Kabuki Theatre right next to it where we watched I Love You Man, which was hilarious. The most interesting part I thought from this experience was that we were able to select/reserve our seats in the movie theatre when we purchased our tickets. Strange.

And finally I had dinner at Ace Wasabi in the Marina, another sushi joint, where I again ordered my same deal- a dragon roll and was delighted with the outcome and the atmosphere at this spot was crowded yet fun. 

And to end the night, we checked out Infusion Lounge in Union Square and had a ball. This spot was definitely a trendy club with an Asian Inspired feel. They played good music, had a nice crowd, however the line wrapped around the street so I'd recommend to get their early or know someone at the door :)

gas lamp district

(Oakley top, Forever21 skirt, Steve Madden booties)

We stayed in the Gas Lamp District in downtown San Diego and this area is full of everything you need in one spot. We had lunch at this cool place called Chocolat a cremerie located at the heart of the Gas Lamp Quarter on 5th Avenue.I had a turkey panini served on a flatbread with a nutella & almond crepe for dessert that was so so good.  There are many excellent places to eat in this area and since I was craving spaghetti for so long, it made sense to eat at the Old Spaghetti Factory where the Sicilian Garlic Cheese Bread with a side of marinara and the Manager's Favorite with Mizirthra Cheese & Brown Butter and Rich Meat Sauce with a side of meatballs and a glass of white wine is a MUST! 

(oakley backless top, forever21 skirt, steve madden booties, ferragamo bag)

We then checked out the Altitude Skybar at the Marriott right across the street and this place is amazing with stunning views overlooking the ocean, the downtown skyline and the PETCO BallPark from atop. 

We ended the night with dessert up the street at Ghiradelli and got a hot fudge sundae to complete the our trip. God my food consumption on this vacation was insane...