Photo Diary of Pride Weekend (1 month ago)

Hello blog lovers. It has been a while since I have posted last, but the whole month of July went by in a flash. I swear it feels as if I have closed my eyes and when I opened them, it was already August 2. That is not to say I have not enjoyed this past month. I have been blessed to have been working in SF this summer. Part-time at my internship and part-time at my school job. I think it went by pretty quickly because I started to get in a routine of work, eat, work, eat, laundry, tv, movie, work, more tv (you get the point). However, I have been able to go out in the city and adventure around with my boyfriend/friends and my high school friends have visited me along the way! Any who, I have been thinking about posting these great pictures for a while now and it kept slipping away from me. Here are a couple photos of the famous, and one of the largest PRIDE weekends in San Francisco:

xoxo

On a Mission

A couple weeks ago, Danielle came to visit me for a day. We met up mid-afternoon because I had work, but we still made the most of our day. I decided we go to the infamous Mission district in San Francisco, an area often less explored by tourists or day trippers. I did not have much in mind other than window shopping along Valencia Street and making a stop at Dolores Park. We did both those things, in addition to visiting the popular Balmy Street Murals and grabbing some delicious Bi-Rite Ice Cream after dinner. 

We wondered along Valencia, having realized I had been here before with my best friend, Alexandra, and my mom. We got an iced chai at a coffee shop that had really great ratings on Yelp...I would have gotten coffee, but you see, I am not a huge coffee drinker. I do like my guilty pleasure of coffee frappuccinos at Starbucks every once in a while, but even then I would not really consider that coffee. Anyways, we walked a couple blocks and made our way to the top of Dolores Park. Danielle could not have come on a more perfect day, the sun was out, which meant there were crowds of people at the park enjoying the beautiful view. I have been to this same spot a couple of times, but it never ceases to amaze me. Customary to many locations, we had a mini photo shoot.

I would say we were here for quite some time before we decided we should head over to the murals because we were getting hungry. I had visited these murals twice in my three years of living in San Francisco, and my reaction is always the same. I love looking at the simplistic or complex paintings that occupy this alley. I even had a moment when I saw my girl, Frida Kahlo, portrayed in one mural. What the murals mean to me is pride. Pride in your roots and where your family comes from. Along with, struggle. The struggle of moving to a foreign place, trying to provide for your family to live out the "American Dream." I take these messages to heart because I am a product of parents who came to America in hopes for a better life for themselves and their children. This is one reason why I love the Mission district. The hispanic culture, after so many years, is still strong regardless of the remodeling and big tech companies trying to move in. I think of my dad too. His work predominately takes place in the Mission, so I think of him every time I am there and the life that goes on around him. 

After being bombarded by elotes (Mexican corn on the cob) and hot dogs on every street corner, we rushed to get dinner as our feet were getting sore from the walking and our tummies were growling. It was well worth the wait, topping the night with some ice cream. On this day, we were on a mission to explore and enjoy the day. I think we were pretty successful.

xoxo

[photos: courtesy of Danielle]

Frolicking with the Best

Hello. Can I just say that I definitely believe there is nothing better than exploring cities with some of your best friends. Whether it is a small town or a big city, just having the company of your best friends allows for good conversation, laughs, and memories we will always think about in the near and far future. That was definitely the case when my best friend, Danielle, spent the weekend with me. 

Okay, so I will admit, I was a little overwhelmed at the possibilities of our weekend together because I had never had a friend stay with me in my apartment. I made sure to have an endless list of things we could do, even though, looking back now, that was completely unnecessary because we tend to go with the flow when we are together. Let me just say, our day couldn't have gone any better. 

San Francisco decided to be beautiful and warm on our main adventure day which was perfect because we were planning on spending some time outside. We decided to go to the Presidio for the Off the Grid: Picnic at the Presidio. I have attached the link below so any one who is in the area can spend a perfect Sunday here, I highly suggest it! As soon as we arrived, we saw a huge crowd scattered throughout the lawn positioned toward the ocean and the fog covered Golden Gate Bridge. We spent a good couple hours here, Danielle even got sun burnt on her shoulder. After enjoying our lunch and an ice cream dessert, we headed toward the Palace of the Fine Arts. From there, we headed to the luxurious Marina District homes looking over the waterfront. I had never walked so closely to these mansions that I loved looking at the details often missed driving by. We continued our walking extravaganza and made our way over to Chestnut Street to do a little shopping. I realized I made Danielle walk more than expected that with a combo of sunshine and walking, we were getting pretty tired... but our day was not over yet.
(http://offthegridsf.com/markets/PICNIC#about) 

Later in the evening, I got dinner with two of my favorite people, Danielle and my boyfriend, Daniel. Afterwards, we headed to Sutro Baths and a secret passage way Daniel had been to before looking out towards the ocean and GG Bridge. It was so beautiful here, especially because we were quick enough to make it to sunset. The sunset and ocean were the perfect backdrop to end our day. Looking back now and writing this post I realize how lucky I am to have spent time with people I love very much in a city I love dearly. I would have just been happy to have eaten dinner with them, because it is the little things that really warm my heart. 

xoxo

Picnic in the Park

I moved back to the city about two weeks ago. As I am getting older, the time always seems to be going faster. Regardless, I am trying my best to enjoy every moment even as the days seem like they are passing by. I am spending most of my summer working, luckily only Monday through Friday, which gives me the weekends to enjoy the city or go home. My first official weekend in San Francisco is one for the books. Saturday, let's talk about Saturday first. 

So Chipotle, the Mexican chain food restaurant, was putting on a free event in Golden Gate Park. I was unsure about what the event was actually for, but I assumed to promote their restaurant with food booths, professional chefs, and life performances. I heard Charli XCX was going to be there (Iggy's sidekick in her song "Fancy") so I had to go. I was excited because it meant the chance to hang out and finally picnic with my boyfriend, Daniel. We had been talking about going on a picnic the week prior, but it was cold and windy out so we postponed the date. We picked the perfect day to do so too, because unlike most of the summer days in SF, it was actually sunny out. We had our little picnic outside of the Chipotle event and scarfed down some Lou's sandwiches. Afterwards, we headed into the event where each booth had a line at least with a 10 minute wait. We just walked through the event and it was actually really awesome. Not only were they promoting their restaurant, they were providing awareness about GMO's and other fast food meals compared to their healthier option.

We walked toward the stage just in time to find a great seat for the short set by Charli XCX. She sang my favorite song by her (enjoy below). Overall, it was a relaxing and successful day.

♫♪ Charli XCX- "SuperLove" ♫♪

Charli XCX

xoxo

Beginning of Summer Lovin'

I have been home for about a week now and everyday since has been major family time, which is exactly what the doctor ordered. I was sad to see my sister go and my parents have to go back to work after their vacation. However, it meant I was finally able to see my best friend, Danielle. I have definitely mentioned Danielle in past posts. Anyway, we finally saw each other yesterday and it was great. We headed to Napa for some lunch, then visited her friend for a refreshment, and got ice cream in Sonoma, California. I mean Danielle got ice cream and I got an icee. We enjoyed our treats in the shade in the town square and finally headed home. 

Danielle and I have been friends since we were in junior high, so this year will mark our ninth year as being best friends. She is one of the few who has seen the evolution from my braces and extremely long hair to no more braces and kinda long hair (although I am dying to cut it short again). I admire my friendship with Danielle because even though we have spent most of our friendship for the last three years a part, we actually talk every day and it always feels like she is right next to me. Although she is leaving me to go  away this summer, we still have three weeks left to go on some adventures and I cannot wait.

Also, something to note. Danielle and I love to have photo shoots when we are together. So please enjoy our fabulous pictures below while listening to a fancy song.

♫♪ Iggy Azalea-Fancy (ft. Charli XCX) ♫♪

xoxo