San Francisco

San Francisco is a city that steals my heart again and again with each visit. The city immediately pulls you in with it's beautiful bay views, charming row homes and great restaurants. Although this past visit was for work, I tried to get out to explore as much as possible and this time around, I took the less touristy route.

Day 1:
When I first came to San Francisco in 2012, I saw Alcatraz, Height & Ashbury, rode the cable cars and wandered Fisherman's wharf. While I highly recommend doing all those things, I also had a chance to see places outside the city during my recent visit, starting with Sausalito and Marin County. Sausalito is right across the Golden Gate Bridge and is known for it's community of houseboats. There are great places to eat that are right on the water and offer breathtaking views of the city. Boats drift by you and the cool breeze from the bay gives you a break from the summer sun. After wandering around Sausalito, we drove a coastal road that offered up close views of the Golden Gate Bridge.  

Day 2:

One night while I was in San Fran we did head into the city for dinner and to show one of the coworkers I was with Lombard Street (the crookedest street) and walk around Fisherman's Wharf. Last time I only walked down Lombard street, so having the opportunity to drive down it was so fun.. and a little scary. We then headed to Pier 23 Cafe for dinner. I heard about this cafe after it was featured on Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives and I just had to check it out for myself. After dinner we walked along the bay to see the seals and stop at Ghiaradelli Square. I highly recommend you stop here if you are in San Fran and get the original sundae with hot fudge.. soooo good!

Day 3:
I've been dying to head to Sonoma Valley or Napa but unfortunately, the 45 minute drive wasn't feasible during my short stay in San Fran. However, after some research we found that a small town not far from the city, called Livermore, is home to around 60 different wineries and vineyards. My coworker and I headed up there for lunch and few wine tastings and I suggest if you are like myself and want to explore the Northern California wine selection, just head to Livermore. Not all serve food so make sure you check out their website (here) so you know which ones to head to during lunch time.

I cannot wait to head back to the West Coast and specifically San Francisco. There are still many places on my bucket list to check out in this amazing city.

Chi-Town

Chicago is such an amazing city. So full of life and character. In just a short weekend, my friends and I were able to see so much of the sights and were lucky enough to attend a wedding that's reception took place inside the Chicago Bears stadium. It was magical.

I highly recommend the architectural boat tour as something to do when in Chicago. It allows you to see parts of the city you wouldn't necessarily be able to see on foot if you only have a few days to explore. Also, be sure to go the Signature Room on the 96th floor of the John Hancock building (and go into the girls bathroom). Great views of the city. I wish we had time to go to the lookout ledge at the Willis tower but the wait was an hour and a half and we were on a tight schedule to see the city.

Leave any comments on more places to visit or things to do in Chicago! I will definitely be making my way back there at some point.