Wineries and Weddings | Napa Valley
Hall Winery 401 ST HELENA HWY S On this day, my friend had invited me to a wine tasting at one of her favorite wineries. As a member of their wine club, she is allowed to treat us to a free tasting once a year. …
Tag: Bay Area
Normandy Village | Berkeley, CA
A Fairytale Village in Northern California Location: Spruce Street and Hearst Ave Normandy Village, also known as Thornburg Village, is a neighborhood in Berkeley that resembles a French Village. As someone who adores European Architecture, it’s definitely my favorite continent, I HAD to see this …
A Day in Mission District | San Francisco
I wanted to share with you pictures from my day in an area of San Francisco many of you may not know of. Mission District is a part of San Francisco that even I rarely find myself in. I am a major foodie, so the few times I did go was solely to eat at one of the restaurants or bars. In fact, I never spent time looking around or even visited Mission’s Dolores Park before today. It’s kinda rare for a San Franciscan to not have visited Dolores Park at least once. And I can’t believe I was missing out on this skyline view until now!
Just like other large cities, San Francisco is split up into different districts. These districts each have a different subculture and look to them. It’s funny how walking from one part of a city to another can feel like a new place even though you’re technically in the same city. The buildings look different, the people are different, and even the way of life can be different.
Of course, we had to stop at a boba shop right when we got here. Since I can’t go to San Francisco without getting some milk tea.
I really enjoyed seeing the random murals on our walk. If you’re someone like me who loves to look at street art, and just art in general, check out Clarion Alley in Mission District. There you’ll find some bold and colorful political murals.
After the long BART(Bay Area Rapid Transit) ride to Mission District, and walking around different streets, we started to get hungry. The restaurant I was wanting to go to on this day was closed until 5pm so we decided to get a snack from Tartine Bakery while we wait. There are ENDLESS amounts of delicious food options in Mission District, but this bakery was saved on my Instagram for a while.
We got the Lemon Cream Tart and Morning Bun. Both were absolute perfection. The best lemon tart and croissant I have ever had. And you know what made this bakery EVEN BETTER? It was located right by a market with gorgeous flowers. You guys should know I love flowers by now.
After finishing our pastries, we walked around Dolores Park then headed to Farmhouse Kitchen. I have seen fellow SF Foodies posting pictures of this place for YEARS. I was happy we were finally in the area and I could try their food myself.
The restaurant was decorated so beautifully. From the lights on the ceiling to the plates on the table, it was a sight to see. Even the food was beautiful!
We ordered the Hat Yai Fried Chicken and Kao Soi Naau. The fried chicken was something I’d seen a lot of people order on Instagram and decided to get that since it was popular. It was all delicious! The chicken was boneless (love that) and the curry was perfect. I wasn’t sure what the Kao Soi Naau was or if it was good since I didn’t see it on Instagram. But, oh boy! I tried about a quarter of it since we were sharing and it was incredible too! I would love to go back just to order the Kao Soi Naau again and eat the whole thing myself. There’s another Farmhouse Kitchen location in the Bay Area, which probably means I should visit that one too and order it again. 😉
I hope you enjoyed this post on beautiful San Francisco. Sometimes I forgot how special and colorful this city can be. Looking through the pictures for this blog post brought me back to how I saw SF as a little girl. Back to when everything we saw felt like a movie. 🙂
I apologize for being so behind on my blog (and all my other social media) lately. I was feeling a lack of passion, and I guess fire, within me to make more content. When I started my blog, I had so much to share, and I was excited about the places I could visit and share with you all. Since the lockdowns and all this other craziness, I feel like so many possibilities to travel were ripped away from me. I’m sure a lot of you following my blog can relate to that. I am glad some international travel is opening up to the US with minimal restrictions. But with everything being so uncertain, I’m scared to book flights and get my hopes up… It’s been so long since I’ve left the United States I don’t even know where my passport is. I should probably go find that now…
-Ayla♥
Affiliate links may have been used in this post.
Wente Vineyards & Mitchell Katz Winery | Livermore, CA
I said in a previous post that I was going to start writing more travel posts about places that are near me in California. This is me finally delivering on that promise. As you probably guessed, I am avoiding any long distance travel due to …
San Francisco Travel Guide
A short guide to the best and commonly visited attractions in San Francisco for tourists and locals.
Filoli House & Gardens |Woodside, California
It was a few years ago when I went to the wonderful Filoli estate in Woodside with my parents and friends. We went in April which was an ideal time to see all the newly bloomed flowers that were welcoming us into spring. The weather was perfect for spending a day walking outside. Going in the summer would have been too hot and dry.
As we walked around the house, we learned the history of the home. For starters, it was owned by the Bourn family and Roth family before it was donated to National Trust for Historic Preservation. Since it’s opening to the public in 1978, it’s been featured in films, commercials, and catalogs for small and major studios and companies. I remember being told that Robin Williams had been there when they were filming a movie he was starring in. This stood out to me because his death still felt so recent at the time.
Looking around the home was nice, but the real gem was the acres of land around the home. It’s so lovely to walk through since the gardens are stunning. Filoli is definitely one of those properties you fantasize about owning as you walking around.
Location:
86 Cañada Road,
Woodside, CA 94062
For specific directions on how to get there & where to park, click here.
Hours:
Wednesday 10AM–5PM
Thursday 10AM–5PM
Friday 10AM–5PM
Saturday 10AM–5PM
Sunday 10AM–5PM
Monday Closed
Tuesday 10AM–5PM
Best Time to Visit:
April.
When the flowers have bloomed & the days aren’t too hot yet.
Recommendations:
→ Wear sunscreen. Especially if you’re spending a few hours here in Summer.
→ Be wary of bees. Some flowers, of course, had more bees than others. Try to avoid those plants if you have a phobia.
→Be prepared for harsh sunlight if you’re taking professional photos in spring and summer. The museum isn’t open during those ideal daylight hours. & contact visitorservices@filoli.org if you plan on doing a professional photoshoot. This doesn’t apply to those of you taking casual photos for your personal enjoyment.
Special Events:
As well as drawing, painting, & craft classes!
Reason to Visit:
Filoli is the perfect place to visit if you are a nature and plant photographer (amateur or professional), need photographs in celebration of an event (e.g. announcing an engagement), or are on an afternoon date with your partner or parents.
My experience at Filoli was wonderful and I recommend it to anyone who happens to be in the area. Just watch out for bees!
-Ayla♥