A Cozy Winter Weekend in North Lake Tahoe

This story begins with a pair of boots.

Well, a pair of boots and a long-standing tradition!

We'll start with the tradition. Each freshman dorm from my alma mater plans a trip to Lake Tahoe in the winter for a weekend of skiing during the days and drinking at high elevation during the nights. It's typically a grand affair, and many groups then turn it into an annual reunion event. 

Weekending in Tahoe, especially in the winter, is also very much a part of the Silicon Valley tech culture: leaving at 2pm on Fridays to beat traffic going up to Tahoe is very common, and sometimes entire teams or smaller startups will even head up there together.

That's kind of the backstory of how we found ourselves up there this weekend: Hanna's friends from her freshman dorm booked a cabin, and two days of hot cocoa and frolicking in the snow and quiet hikes by the lake just sounded too appealing. 

But I also had an ulterior motive.

These.

You see, in December, I kind of went crazy while Christmas shopping. As in, I think my bank account was physically shivering until it finally greeted the morning of December 25th with a sigh of relief thinking I'd give it a rest...

...until Camp Patton posted these darlings at 60% off and I gleefully clicked Purchase, completely ignoring the fact that I live in California in a city where it hovers around 60 degrees 340 days out of the year and 80 degrees the other 25. My bank account gave me a stern talking to and I rolled my eyes saying,

you'll see. They're going to come in handy. 

Immediately, I started planning a trip to Iceland and my bank account was like,

ARE YOU SERIOUS.

Aaaand, so Tahoe it was.

Please also disregard the fact that I just typed out a full conversation between me and my bank account, it's fine, I swear.

The joke was on me and my boots a little bit though because the forecast deemed it to be a warm and dry weekend. 

Undeterred, I shoved them on anyway and meandered over to wherever there was even a splotch of snow, barely sweating. See, the boots are HELPFUL.

When I wasn't being an idiot, we found ourselves savoring life up in the mountains.

All the fresh air,

and breakfasts at quaint restaurants called The Old Post Office Cafe where WiFi is non-existent and cell phones are not allowed. 

You guys, this place was so good.

Mimosas for $6.50, huge portions of hearty brunch food, and a host who I am still convinced is Luke from Gilmore Girls, 20 years after we last saw him.

"I wouldn't be surprised if the name of this restaurant was actually Hollow Stars," Cassandra agreed. 

After breakfast, we were determined to "go on a hike around the lake."

We dropped a pin, and everything.

But then somehow we ended up over in Nevada, at a brewery playing a kids' game. 

I never knew I'd be such a fan of hiking!

I highly recommend the Apple-Cranberry cider at Alibi Aleworks by the way; it's practically juice! 

After that detour, I promise we did try to find the lake.

But then some of us "really had to pee" and others were "really, really cold" aaaaand before we knew it, we were all cuddled up on twin-sized bunk beds taking a two-hour nap.

Solid. 

Other activities I participated in:

Ultra-competitive rounds of Taboo, coffee & Bailey's on the patio while wrapped in my snuggliest fleece jacket, eating all the junk food I could get my hands on, and hiding in a room with a paperback like a grandma while a heated game of Rage Cage was going on upstairs.  

In addition to dragging my friends out of bed early for a photo shoot in the snow, that is:

Which got real weird, real fast. 

All I wanted were some nice portraits I could frame... 

but instead, once Cassandra rigged up a tripod out of nature... 

It was middle school photos all the way.

Remember that? When you would set the timer on your digital camera for 10 seconds and then strike all sorts of weird poses and use all kinds of moody filters. 

 I'll save the more embarrassing ones for my speeches at their weddings.

All's well that ends wellith a bloodied knee, frozen hands, and jeans soaked through with snow.  

Another successful winter weekend in Tahoe in the books!

(Here's the one from last year.)

With that, we packed up the car, cranked up the aux, and made a beeline for the first Taco Bell drive-thru we could find on our way back home. 

How do you cozy it up in the winter?

0

Table For One

There comes a day in every twenty-something lady's life when she has to throw caution to the wind, pretend that her social anxiety isn't an issue, and confidently tell the hostess "table for one."

For me, that day was January 28, 2018.

... What am I even saying? There never has to be that day if you don't want there to be. I never wanted that day, but a craving for ramen has a mind of its own. It was the grand opening of Ippudo Ramen in San Francisco, I had only eaten a bite of a cupcake all day, my friends were "too full," and just like that - I found myself confidently whispering to the hostess: "table for one."

To be honest, it was all a bit anticlimactic from then on out. Not the ramen - the ramen was glorious and the pork buns even more so, but it turns out I didn't discover the Wonder Woman within myself or meet my soul mate or realize that dining alone is a newfound hobby.

Instead, the whole experience was - pleasant. Peaceful. I zoned out for 80% of the time: I didn't people watch, didn't hang on to my phone for dear life (well okay, I did a little), didn't read a book. I literally just zoned out, slowly enjoyed my noodles, and then walked out a (Akamaru) Modern woman. <-- that's an Ippudo pun, you guys.

Like I said, anticlimactic.

But I started this blog to document interesting and notable experiences, and if the "dining alone for the first time" shoe fits, then suffer through my ramblings you must, dear readers! 

Perhaps next week I'll go watch a movie by myself. Or take a drawing class, or hike the PCT. And perhaps those adventures will bear more fruit on the self-realization front, but also perhaps you'll be getting another blog post that's like "well I tried that and it was cool, but also my life has not been changed."

Am I making any sense? I don't think so, but let's just pretend we're mind-melding and you kind of get it. To new experiences! However revelatory or not!

The takeaway here is that if my friends are ever "too full" (for shame) again and the craving hits, I'm still down to take myself out on a nice little dinner date.
What is something new that you've tried this year? Or, what's something new on your list that you want to try soon?

0

10 Reasons Why I'm Head Over Heels For San Francisco

Nothing thrills me more than getting on a plane headed for new adventures... except for that moment of disembarking the plane and entering the familiar SFO terminals, the thought of being only twenty more minutes away from my apartment. I've fallen hard for SO many cities around the world, but still I'm unbelievably grateful that San Francisco is the one I get to call home.

The choice to live here upon graduation two-and-a-half years ago was a natural one: I was broke from a summer traveling around Europe, in need of a job and a place to live, and so of course the most expensive city in the country was the obvious answer. But thank goodness I was delusional enough to actually give this place a try, because I'm completely head-over-heels for San Francisco. 

Today, I thought I'd share the top ten reasons why I willingly shell out WAY way wayyyyyy too much money for rent and brave the earthquake and nuclear attack risks just to be a San Francisco resident:

1 // The people! A total cliche, yes, but I stand by the fact that San Francisco's diverse community could not be more open, welcoming, and inclusive to all. I hesitate to portray this city as all rainbows-and-butterflies... that is, until I'm out of this protective bubble and realize that 90% of the time, San Francisco really is all rainbows-and-butterflies.

2 // Even though life here can be very fast-paced what with all the emphasis on innovation, the underlying attitude and vibe here is mellow. There's very little formality or rigidity - everything from dress code to workplace culture is flexible and easygoing.

3 // On the flip side, the abundance of technology and invention and scrappy folks give this city quite the healthy dose of excitement and urgency! There's always something new to create and test and ship to the world!  

4 // San Francisco is beautiful. Postcard views everywhere you turn: the iconic Golden Gate Bridge (can you spot her in these photos? Hint: in the picture above, she's peeking out right in front of the mountains), colorful Victorian houses, the stunning bay set against the surrounding hills. An Instagrammer's paradise!

5 // ...and its proximity to other interesting and picturesque places. Leaving the city and driving for an hour in any direction gets you somewhere unbelievably gorgeous: wine country, the ocean, redwood forests, big cities, college towns. Day trips are the jam! And if you venture even further to the snowy mountains of Tahoe or the dramatic cliffs of Big Sur, there are even more wonderful adventures awaiting.

6 // all of the different neighborhoods! In San Francisco, you can be walking down the poshest of blocks, and then be in a completely different realm once you cross the street. And although this can be quite scary at times actually when you accidentally step into a not-so-safe area, there's always somewhere new to explore. Each neighborhood has a completely unique character, climate, and history, and there is so much to admire about them all. My personal favorites are trendy Hayes Valley and the hip, sunny Dogpatch (which is my own neighborhood)!

7 // how WEIRD of a city it is, and just how much its residents embrace this weirdness. Oh my goodness, I can't even tell you how quirky and strange San Franciscans can be. I mean - for starters, Bay to Breakers is practically a city-wide holiday. We've been on cable cars in full Santa suits, and no one looked twice. I honestly can't even tell you the strangest thing I've witnessed because there's always something odder.

8 // I love how it's such a big city in reputation and how we have access to all the perks of living in any well-known city around the world (so many incredible things to do and see - concerts, museums, sporting events, culture), and yet it's still very much a small town in very many ways - you can walk from one side of the city to the other in a few hours, neighborhood spots are still intimate, businesses close early at nights.

9 // the FOOD (give me all the burritos!), the COFFEE, the farmers' markets, the craft fairs, the boutiques, all of the small businesses. People are constantly creating delicious, beautiful, unique goods - and I reap all the benefits. But seriously, this city is foodie central and my waistline agrees!

10 // My bottom line is this: it's been 60 degrees and sunny here for the past 15 weekends straight, so *mic drop.* 

Of course, that is not to say that San Francisco is perfect. Exhibit A: $$$$$$$$ and Exhibit B: earthquakes. Perhaps I'll write another blog post with exhibits C through... E? F? But until then, I'm all hearteyes for this town.
Tell me: where do you live? How did you end up there? What do you love about your home, and what are some things that drive you crazy about it?

0

Here & Now | January 12, 2018

Bringing you the Here & Now series, a Friday feature intended to capture my life as it is in this moment: shows I'm watching (better question: what aren't I watching), products I'm excited about, restaurant raves, weekend plans, all of the little things that I was into this week. A bookmark for the here & now, if you will! 
This week... this week was standard. On the rainier, busy-at-work-ier, can't-get-out-of-bed-ier side of the spectrum, but it was full of such goodness too. My dad was in town for a day, so we enjoyed some noodles and sake at a cozy neighborhood spot. I've discovered a new show to binge, had some funny conversations at work, successfully laundered and dry-cleaned my clothes (win!!) and you know what: this goodness deserves to be remembered too! So we have, the Here & Now, Edition Uno!

Eat & Drink

More often than not, our Sunday evenings consist of grocery shopping and then a stop at In-N-Out because... well, because we live in California so gotta take advantage. A couple of weeks ago, In-N-Out released a new addition to their menu for the first time in over a decade: hot cocoa! Of course, a taste test was necessary. Verdict? It was yum, but then again I'd probably eat cardboard if it was from In-N-Out.
Earlier that day, we were visiting a French family who we're friends with. After a made-to-order omelette brunch, they brought out a traditional Galette des Rois ("King's Cake") and the kids (four under the age of ten!) showed us the ropes. If you eat the slice of the (delicious) cake with a token hidden in it, you get to be king or queen for the day. A cultural lesson I fully supported!

See & Do

Like I said, it's been a work-heavy week. However, my weekends are fiercely protected for play! Cassandra and I found ourselves purposely getting lost in the city - it's a concept we picked up in Croatia, when we were encouraged to go "drifting" and letting the geography of the city pull us in different directions. Um, total win.
Not only did we stumble across the most breathtaking view of the city - you could see the Golden Gate Bridge all the way over to our neighborhood on the other end of San Francisco - but also we came upon some heartbreakingly beautiful and thought-provoking murals in the Mission. Definitely putting put of these new finds on my list of places to return to and further explore.

Read & Watch

I'm halfway through The Girl You Left Behind by Jojo Moyes, and am into it - however, it's been a few days since I last picked it up sooooo... no, no, no. Hang on. Pause. I'm going to commit to finishing it, because I can count the number of books I read last year on one hand, and that makes me sad. Will report back next week.
OKAY NOW - THE AMERICANS. Yes, I'm many years late to this one but I watched it out of boredom on Amazon Prime one day and now I'm hooked. I'm almost through with the first season, and it's only been a week. Halp!

Weekend Forecast

Hooray for three-day weekends! On deck: a West Wing event on Saturday which I'm over the moon excited about, potentially some hiking in Oakland, aaaaand... we shall see.
Who has Monday off? Who has grand plans?!

0